#brettonio ff

[hailey-halstead]

Note

Hi guys!! TWO WEEKS LEFT UNTIL CHICAGO FIRE IS BACK! Of course this means brettonio!!!! anyways, here is a fic i have been working on! i had antonio be the more vulnerable one here....also of course there are situations where one person could be to blame for a marriage ending, but with Antonio and Laura, I felt it was not just his fault, you know? Hope you all enjoy and as always I don’t own anything!

———

Molly’s was not having one of its busiest nights, but Sylvie was glad her favorite bar wasn’t packed. Of course, she always wants her friends to have a good business, but it’s always a perk to not have to shove through a large crowd to get a refill or have to yell to the person sitting across from you because it’s way too loud. Gabby and Stella weren’t told this information though, Sylvie wouldn’t dare.

“....He drives me insane!” Sylvie checked back into the conversation, catching the end of Stella’s rant. Without even listening to her, she knew she was complaining about Severide. Personally, Sylvie thought it was insane that she was living with the guy that she has been in love with for forever, but she has continued to bite her tongue. And with Gabby around, she never really had to voice her inner thoughts aloud. Fortunately her friend seemed to have the same thoughts about Stella living with Severide.

Gabby dove right in, refusing to sugarcoat her words. “Then move out.” She said, pausing to take a sip of her bourbon. “You haven’t exactly been looking for apartments though....” She put her finger on her chin purely for theatrics, adding a raised eyebrow too. “Thought this was temporary.”

The tightening of Stella’s lips was the only indication of Gabby’s words getting to her. Other than that, she kept a poker face. Sylvie was impressed, as someone who was never able to keep her feelings hidden. “It is temporary!”

To Sylvie’s horror, Stella decided to bring her into the conversation. “Gabby, you’re speaking from a married woman’s perspective. Sylvie, you have to understand where I’m at, right?”

Sylvie didn’t know what to say. No, she didn’t understand. Both what Stella was saying and the situation she was in. But since Gabby was being tossed aside and not listened to, Sylvie didn’t have the excuse of not voicing her option anymore. She wouldn’t be a good friend if she didn’t say the truth.

“You should look for other apartments,” She admitted, clutching her drink tighter in anticipation of Stella’s reaction. “You like Severide. Don’t deny it!” Sylvie quickly added as Stella opened her mouth to deny it. “It’s just super messy. And since you two work together, that makes everything more complicated.”

Thankfully, Stella didn’t fight against Sylvie’s words. “I’ll look for an apartment.” She conceded. Sylvie wondered if Stella would keep her word, considering how her and Severide’s relationship was though, she was sure the drama would be drawn out longer than it should be. “Now, can we talk about something else?”

“You’re the one who brought the subject up.” Gabby said, a small smile of amusement on her face. The words themselves were snarky, but the tone was light.

The conversation smoothly transitioned to work, sans any mention of one Kelly Severide. At one point of the conversation, Sylvie thought she felt her phone buzz. When she took it out of her pocket, she realized she was right, seeing Antonio’s name on the screen. She was too late though, as less than a second later, her phone was back to its main screen.

Curious, she looked at her recent calls. Not only was Antonio’s name on top, with the call he made just seconds prior, he had made the past four calls as well. All in the span of 20 minutes. Concerned, Sylvie hit Antonio’s number to call him back.

“I’m going to make a phone call,” She told Gabby and Stella, who were still engrossed in their conversation. “I’ll be back in a second.”

They both gave a hand wave of acknowledgement. Sylvie then stepped away, finding a quiet corner. She held her phone up to her ear, hoping Antonio would answer right away. Seeing that she had five missed calls from him made her feel worried.

He picked up. “Where are you?” He questioned, skipping the usual hello. His voice sounded anxious and panicked, unusual for Antonio.

This had her more concerned than before. Did she not tell him? “I’m at Molly’s.” She responded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you—“

“No, no, no, I’m sorry.” He was stumbling over his words. “I probably forget or something, I don’t know.” A shaky sigh. “I just....needed to hear your voice.”

Whatever it was, she didn’t have a good feeling about it. This wasn’t nothing, something had to going on. “I’ll be over in 10, okay?”

At that, he seemed to come back to Earth. “You don’t have to do that.” He almost sounded convincing, and she may have believed it if he was acting so weird prior. “It was a hard day at work, that’s all.”

There was no use in staying at Molly’s, she would be worrying about Antonio until she got the opportunity to see him. “More of a reason for me to come over.”

“But—“

“No buts. I’ll see you soon.” Before ending the call, she adds “I love you.”

“Love you, too.” He said. He was sounding better than when he first answered the phone, which was some relief.

Sylvie slipped her phone back into her pocket, and walked back to where she was previously sitting with Gabby and Stella. “I have to go guys, sorry to cut girl’s night short.” She apologized, giving Stella money to cover her two drinks.

She hesitated, wondering if she should be truthful about Antonio or not. “I’ll tell you guys later.” She decided, ignoring their questioning looks. “Everything’s fine, I promise.” She tried to reassure them without giving too much detail.

They both looked like they wanted to push for more information, but thankfully they didn’t. “We’ll see you later then.” Stella said, giving Sylvie’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Hope everything is good.”

Gabby gave her a similar goodbye, but added a teasing statement before Sylvie began walking away. “Tell my brother I said hello.”

“I will.” She was able to get out despite being flustered. She still heard Gabby’s laugh as she walked out of the bar.

***

When Sylvie got to Antonio’s door, she put in the key that Antonio had gifted her weeks prior, and turned the doorknob. She stepped inside and looked around for her boyfriend.

She didn’t have to look far. Although he was in the other room, she was at the right angle to be able to see him sitting on the couch.

Not wanting to startle him, she called out to him as she was shutting the door behind her. “Hey, I’m here.”

She heard him sigh. “I told you that you didn’t have to.” He said, turning towards her, but remaining on the couch.

Sylvie walked over towards him, taking in his appearance. He was slightly hunched over, something she might have not noticed if they were still the acquaintances they once were. But now, after getting to know him so well, as both her boyfriend and a person, the little things like the tension he was holding in his shoulders was something she could not ignore.

“But I wanted to.” She reminded him, sitting down on the open cushion next to him. Now that she was closer, she noticed how his hands were clenched into tight fists. She reached out and grabbed them, opening them up as an attempt to relieve some of his tension.

But his hands weren’t empty. There was a crumpled up piece of paper inside one of his hands. Sylvie gingerly removed it, assuming that since he wasn’t making any movements suggesting that he didn’t want her to have the paper, she could read it.

‘At Molly’s, will be back later’ the note read, with a heart doodle at the end instead of a period. She did let him know where she was going. Normally she would have texted him, but she misplaced her phone and didn’t know where it was. Luckily, she ended up finding in her car, but assumed that the note she left would be enough.

“Why did you call me then?” She questioned, looking up from the note. Antonio was not looking at her, though. He was staring at the note still in Sylvie’s hands.

When he looked up, he still couldn’t meet her eyes. Instead, his were darting around, looking everywhere but at her. “I couldn’t open it.” He admitted, finally making eye contact after a minute of awkward silence.

What was this about, she wondered, trying to think of any possible reason. The anniversary of the day his grandmother died was last month, which they visited her grave. With that, she scratched off the possibility of any other death anniversary.

And any extreme situation, like Eva or Diego being hurt or in danger. If this was the case, he wouldn’t be secretive with his emotions.

Speculating wouldn’t get her answers. “Why not?” She finally asked, stroking the inside of Antonio’s left wrist, hoping it was calming him down. At least it was for her.

“Today, five years ago, was when I came home to a note,” He started to explain.

Oh. Now Sylvie knew where this was going. “Antonio....” She murmured, putting her feelings of sadness, sympathy, and guilt into a single word.

“And no wife and kids.” He finished. With the truth revealed, he seemed slightly embarrassed, detaching one of his hands from Sylvie’s and running it through his hair a couple of times.

She immediately began wishing that she could change her past actions. “I should have texted you when I found my phone in my car.” She berated herself, feeling partly responsible for the pain Antonio was feeling. Of course she wasn’t the one who ultimately caused it, but made everything worse.

Her guilt seemed to make him more distressed. “No, no, don’t blame yourself.” He is silent for a few minutes, but Sylvie knew that he had more to say, so she remained quiet. “It’s not that I’m still hung up over Laura. I want you to know that.”

“I know.”

“What I mostly get hung up over is the fact I tore my family apart, and Eva and Diego have to deal with the consequences. They are the ones who were the most affected, and still are.” He said.

How long has he been keeping these beliefs, these demons, inside of him? It was surprising to her that she has not heard anything about this before, not even a mention. This was a huge burden Antonio was putting on his shoulders.

“Antonio,” Sylvie said gently, wanting her boyfriend to understand that he wasn’t solely at fault. “There are two people in a marriage.” She reminded him.

“Hm.” He made a noise of acknowledgement. He was at least taking her words into consideration. An impressive feat for him due to his stubbornness. Above all, it encouraged her to continue.

“One of first things I noticed about you was your love and dedication for your job. I’m sure that’s what other people see too, and Laura can’t be an exception to that.”

“You leaving Chicago was never an option,” Sylvie reached forward to cup her hand around Antonio’s cheek. “She had to know that when she married you.”

He nodded, beginning to realize the truth of Sylvie’s words. “She did.” He admitted.

She could have stopped there, but she kept going. “You tried to fight for your marriage, you didn’t want it to end.”

At that, Antonio’s face, that had been lightening up throughout their conversation, twisted into a grimace. “I love where I am right now.” He took her hand off of his cheek, and squeezed it.

“I know!” She assured him, not wanting him to worry about her because they were talking about his past marriage. “I just want you to know that the end of your relationship with Laura was not only on your shoulders.” He nodded again, but gave him another look, not wanting him to agree with her just cause.

He sighed, exasperated. He didn’t seem frustrated with her, but with himself. “Everything you’re telling me is true, but it’s hard for me to stop blaming myself.”

Perfectly understandable, even though it pained her that he still felt he was to blame. “Time will help.” She said, leaning forward to press her lips against his for a moment. “I love you.”

He repeated the words back to her, a mumble as their lips were still attached. Sylvie had lost count on how many times I love you’s have been exchanged, but each time the declaration never failed to bring a smile onto her face.

She crawled onto his lap, wanting to get closer to him. For the next few moments, she wrapped up in Antonio, the taste of his lips, the feeling of his hands moving up and down her back. But the note she left came back into her mind, along with how lost Antonio had looked when she arrived at the apartment. At this memory, she separated herself from him, despite his complaints. “And I’m not going anywhere.” She swore, never wanting Antonio to feel any doubt with their relationship ever again.

Antonio answered with a blinding smile. “Good.” And brought her back to his lips, resuming their prior activity.

[blairsfelicity]

My top 50 ships → 33) Antonio Dawson and Sylvie Brett

“Um I am a good girl [...] I say my prayers every night. I give a dollar every day to a homeless guy on the off ramp. That's very generous. I didn't kiss a boy for real until I was 17. Well, that's one lucky guy. And sex... Waiting till you get married. No. No chance in hell. Whoa. I sang in the church choir too. Hallelujah to that. I really like you. And I really like you too.”

[multi-goodness]

So idk if you saw but the TV Guide piece on Fire had some important (SPOILER!) infos: Papa Dawson causes tension between Dawsey, which hits the fan in the finale, Anna's cancer is def back, and most importantly for Brettonio, Brett's staying with Otis and Cruz, AND the new FF joins Squad in a multi-ep reoccurring arc until the season finale 😱😱😱 (I'm guessing Seda's filming Fire bc of the Dawsey+Ramon Dawson drama tbh).

Yeah, I saw that haha. I try to keep up to date as much as I can.

Tbh Anna getting cancer will probably be the turning point for Severide to realize life is too short (sadly, I see her dying since Anna wasn’t supposed to be a long-term love interest for Kelly. Which is weird with how much they promoted them.)

Of course Antonio is gonna be there when Papa Dawson is causing tension between Gabby and Casey. Even if he wasn’t, and Casey was happy with it, Antonio would still be there. Maybe we will finally get a scene between the siblings over their divorce (Idk if anyone is as upset as me that we didn’t get a Dawson sibling scene) but I do feel like we should get a scene or two between Brettonio. Maybe it’s being hopeful but it has to happen. Although I do not see them reuniting on the season finale. It’s too much for them to get through in a few short episodes when Antonio is dealing with his dad, But maybe right now they can try to be friends? 

I do have a story coming up though about what I think happens on the season finale. I’m just really hoping Antonio isn’t so stressed out that they lead Brettonio to have a fling cause I’d be pissed haha. I’m excited though cause no matter the reason Antonio is on Fire, Brettonio is bound to share a scene.

Also, I don’t see the new FF causing a problem between Brettonio cause Derek never said Sylvie liked him back. Maybe this will be good and Sylvie will admit she’s still not over Antonio and is waiting to check in when they’re ready? Anything is possible haha.

xo

[steddy1987]

Brettonio Fear

Im a brettonio shipper before anyone starts giving out to me BUT i have a horrible feeling about the justice reunion i hope its not a closure episode because the tuesday after doesnt the new FF start and he has a thing for brett?? Not a coincidence??? I knew the justice episode wouldnt put them back together (its too soon) but i am hoping it gives us hope for them i dunno hopefully im totally wrong and there back together by the end of season 5

[hailey-halstead]

I’ve had worse

Hi guys! Here is a mini fic! :) I found a prompt about person A waking up in the hospital to person B decorating their hospital room 😂😂😂

————————

Antonio blinked, wondering if he was still asleep and dreaming.

There were ornaments hanging from the hospital room’s ceiling. Red and green, being held up with multiple pieces of scotch tape. And, after squinting his eyes, he could tell they were plastic. Thank god, as they seemed like they could fall any second now.

A sudden movement from the other side of the room caught his attention. He gripped his hands around the arm rests against his bed, for the extra support to pull his upper body up.

“Damn, did I wake you?” Of course it was Sylvie who was behind all of this, standing on a chair with garland in her hands, draping it across the whiteboard.

Instead of replying, Antonio was more focused on how unstable the chair she was standing on was. It rocked back and forth each time she moved, making him feel uneasy. “We don’t need you to end up in the hospital too.” He said, relieved when she finally finished and stepped off the chair.

“You worry too much.” She said, but with a smile on her face.

She picked up ribbon off of the table, which Antonio hadn’t noticed before had a decent amount of Christmas decorations still piled up, and approached his bedside. His gaze followed her, while also realizing the other decorations on the other side of the room. There was a mini Christmas tree sitting in the corner, covered with lights and a few familiar ornaments from his apartment. As well as four stockings on the window mantle, the same ones from home. He was never the type to go all out for holidays, but Sylvie’s gesture warmed his heart. She continued to surprise him with her never ending kindness.

Still, he felt a little guilty that she was putting in all this effort when he was the one that got himself shot. “I should be getting discharged in three days.” He reminded her, trying to pull her onto the bed to join him despite her protests. She gave in eventually, rolling over onto her side to face him.

“Which is one day after Christmas.” She said, finally letting her head hit the pillow after he leaned back into the bed. She was being very cautious with her movements, he noticed. And that she was trying to take up the least amount of space as possible. When he tried to scoot to his left to give her more room, she made a sound of protest. But he ignored it. Besides, moving around a bit was probably good for him.

“I’ve had worse.” He tried to reassure her, but when she scoffed, he realized that probably wasn’t the best thing to say.

She moved her head slightly, now resting against his shoulder. “And is that supposed to make me feel better?” She dryly questioned, giving him a look of annoyance. When he reached up to push a stray blonde piece of hair of her eyes, her face softened.

“Yeah.” He admitted, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Thankfully it was his other arm that was attached to IV’s, making it easy for him to maneuver. “But then I realized that it sounded better in my head after I said it.”

“Mhm.” She picked up the remote off of the side table, angling it towards the TV to turn it on.

“You’re not going to watch Hallmark, right?” Antonio couldn’t help but ask, watching as she scrolled through the guide.

She had stopped over the option of Elf, but right as the question came out of his mouth, she moved over it. “What a great idea, Antonio, I think I’ll—“

He grabbed the remote out of her hand and put on Elf. Sylvie didn’t say anything, but he could see a smirk on her face.

The movie had already started, but it wasn’t too far in. After putting the remote down by his left side, he rested his head back against his pillow, leaning it slightly on Sylvie’s head.

While being shot and ending up in the hospital was a shitty way to spend Christmas, having Sylvie with him made it better than it could ever be.

[hailey-halstead]

Friend thanking a friend

i got a spark of inspiration and wrote this fic! started it yesterday and finished it this morning! 😊 hopefully i will write more fics like this. before then, i need to go and do some school work. i don’t own anything! this takes place after CF 6x03 :)

———————

“This is Antonio Dawson and I’m sorry I can’t get to the phone right now…”

End call. Third time was not the charm to get Antonio to answer his cell phone. Instead of waiting a few minutes like before, Sylvie slipped her phone into her pocket, accepting defeat.

After Connie dropped the bombshell about Hope, Sylvie didn’t know who exactly to turn to. Calling Fowerton’s police was her first thought, but the thought of involving herself in something with her hometown made her uncomfortable. She managed to type the number into her phone, but couldn’t make the call.

So the equally unattractive option of begging her ex boyfriend for help was the way she was going. Except, since he wasn’t answering her calls, she was now heading down to the police department to ask her huge favor.

Despite knowing many capable officers and detectives, she couldn’t bring herself to ask anyone but Antonio for help. It might be because she wanted a good excuse to interact with him, or that the last time he aided her going well. Either way, she had an overwhelming feeling of trust for him, which was the final factor she needed to make her decision.

She wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself as she got out of her car, clutching on the edges. It was surprising that one of the buttons hadn’t fallen off yet, She couldn’t stop fiddling with the small circular piece of plastic. She actually ended up shutting the car door when she realized that she left her purse inside. Unlocking it, she reached in to grab her purse, scolding herself for her distracted behavior.

Taking her attention off of her internal thoughts and onto her surroundings, Sylvie noticed the large amount of people leaving the building. Her heart dropped. Was it really already time for everyone to go home? Maybe it would be different for Intelligence, they did always have wacky hours.

Despite her doubt, she continued to move forward. As she pulled down the handle to open the door, it was being forced open from the other side too. She jumped back, managing to get out of the way just in time.

“Sorry!” Despite technically not having a reason to apologize, Sylvie couldn’t prevent the automatic response. “I hate when that happens—”

Her friendly comment faded away when the person from behind the door came into view. Of course it would be Antonio, who was looking completely flabbergasted at the sight of her.

“Sylvie?” He stepped through the door, but didn’t show any indication he was going down the concrete steps anytime soon. “Is something wrong?”

She briefly wondered why he would immediately ask that. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that he cared about her, even going farther to say he still had feelings for her too. But then she remembered where she was, the police department. Of course he would be concerned, for all he knew she could have a murderer after her again.

“Yes.” She said, but when his face became more alarmed, she quickly backtracked. “Nothing too alarming!” She assured him, kicking herself for not being more cautious. “I’m sorry for coming here like this, but you weren’t answering your phone…”

“My phone had an incident today while on a case.” He explained. “That’s where I’m headed now, actually. Verizon. Personal It’s kind of hard to do things without a phone.”

“Well that makes a lot of sense.” Sylvie mused, nodding her head in understanding. “You’ve always been great with answering your phone so it was confusing.”

She swore she imagined Antonio’s lip curling up slightly at the small mention of familiarity between them. “Sorry about that.”

His response lifted her back to reality. Her eyes shifted back up from his lips to his eyes, hoping he didn’t notice her moment of distraction. “It’s fine.” She managed to say. “Anyways, the favor I wanted to ask is if you could look up my friend Hope Jacquinot.”

“Not that I wouldn’t look her up without an explanation…but why?” Antonio asked, tilting his head in both confusion and curiosity.

“Well, Fowerton’s police department called and,” She stopped, realizing she should explain with more detail instead of assuming he remembered her hometown.

“Where you grew up, I remember.” He said right after she hesitated, encouraging her to go forward with her story.

Of course he would remember. Now she couldn’t help but feel flustered at her assumption. Despite this, she pushed forward, determined to tell the whole story once and for all. She’s been beating around the bush for too long. “Hope apparently stole ten grand from the last place she worked at.” Sylvie rattled off, wanting to maintain a smooth explanation. “I…. know this might sound slightly silly, but I feel uncomfortable calling my hometown about this, and because I thought she was my friend, so I thought going to you would be the best option.” When he opened his mouth to speak, Sylvie quickly rambled a few more words, not wanting him to feel pressured about anything. “Please don’t feel obligated to help, I just thought going to you would be a good idea, since you’re a professional in this…stuff and that I trust you.”

“Sylvie, of course I would help.” He responded, looking slightly taken aback by the fact that she thought this would be a inconvenience for him. “Both as a cop and a friend.”

She ignored the jab in her heart at the word ‘friend’. “I really appreciate it. A drink at Molly’s is on me.” She promised. Realizing how her favor sounded, she quickly backtracked. “Uh, a friendly gesture. Friend thanking a friend.”

He didn’t seem bothered by her blundering, instead appearing amused. “I know what you mean.”

She relaxed at his words. Despite her nerves throughout their whole conversation, multiple times she had been able to calm down because of him. Whether it was because of the words he used, his presence, or how he still had such an effect on her, she didn’t know.

“When I get my phone sorted out with though, would you text me the name again? Just so I know I spell your friend’s name right.” He asked, hand gesturing to his pocket. A shape of a cell phone within was easily distinguishable.

Who knew how long that would take. Sylvie had a better idea. She shuffled through her purse until she found what she was looking for. “To make it easier, I’ll just write her name on you.” She explained, moving forward without a thought. She stopped herself before she could press the pen tip against his flesh, realizing she didn’t ask permission. “Shit, I—”

“Just write it down, Sylvie.” Antonio said, laughter in his voice. He rolled up his shirt’s sleeve, gesturing to where he wanted it written.

Sylvie inched closer, grasping ahold of his arm. Her arm was shaking, she realized. Because of this, she had to write slowly and carefully.

“You know, whenever my kids used to do this, I used to ask if they were a coloring book.” Antonio mused. She made a noise of acknowledgement, trying hard not to let his voice and the feeling of his breath on her skin distract her from writing legibly on his bicep. The feeling the firmness of his muscles was not helping, either. God, she was hopeless.

“Better not show them then in order to save face.” Sylvie managed to say as she stepped back, slipping the pen’s cap back on.

“Good plan.” He said, rolling his sleeve back down. “If my phone is still acting wonky, I’ll find someway to contact you to let you know what I find.”

“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this, Antonio.” She thanked him. With a second of hesitation, she held out her hand.

He looked at it with bewilderment. “Come here.” He wrapped an arm around her, a friendly hug. After a moment of shock, Sylvie returned the gesture, resting her hands on the back of his thin t-shirt.

For the first time since yesterday, Sylvie felt that everything was going to be okay.

[hailey-halstead]

how to get through your dad's thick head to have him see how breaking up with his girlfriend was a terrible mistake.

hi guys! here is a sequel to the last fic i wrote, "friend helping a friend". i don't plan on continuing this, but i hope you all enjoy! :-) i don't own anything!

—————

Eva flipped to the next page of her textbook, finally done with the long chapter. She got up out of her seat, heading towards the fridge. Rewarding herself with a piece of pizza seemed reasonable, considering the torture of 60 pages she just went through.

Instead of warming up a piece, she grabbed a plate and started to nibble on the cold pizza. She was hungrier than she thought.

As she was debating about getting another slice, she heard the jingling of keys on the other side of the door. She decided to watch the door, until it finally opened and her Dad appeared from the other side.

"Hey." She greeted him, lifting up her half eaten crust in acknowledgement. It didn't go unnoticed to her how his eyes strayed to the food in her hand longer than normal. Which wasn't surprising, who knew how long it had been since he had last eaten.

"Hey." He echoed back, pressing his lips down on her forehead as he passed by, heading towards the fridge. His walk was slow and lethargic, showing the effect his long day had on him.

Despite having that thought in mind, and feeling concerned about how hard he pushes himself, Eva couldn't help but poke fun. "You need your cane?" She quipped, satisfaction filling her chest watching Antonio roll his eyes. Teasing was something her mother never lets her do, but with her dad, it was a huge part of their relationship dynamic. Now that she was living here full time, she was appreciating it even more.

"Ha, ha." Popping the cap of off his beer, Antonio sat in the chair across from her. "Very funny."

As he extended his arms out onto the table, his sleeves bunched up, exposing some upper arm skin. Blue writing clashed against his skin, only the color noticeable from where Eva was sitting.

Huh. That was interesting. Resting her elbows on the table she leaned forward, trying to decipher the words. "Did you get a girl's number?" She questioned, knowing even if she was wrong, she would still get a rise out of him.

If he had been taking a sip of alcohol when she asked him, she was certain some of it would be on the table due to his response. He was clearly taken aback, scrambling to find a response. "No." He automatically reached for his sleeve, tugging it down to cover the marking. "I didn't have a cell phone for most of the day, remember? Had to get information down somehow."

That did make sense. He wasn't even making the phone bit up—it was around noon when he contacted her from Kim's phone saying that his was broken. Though Eva couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, a woman hitting on her dad would have been a lot more interesting.

"What kind of case?" While obviously never revealing every detail about his cases, he did usually tell her and Diego the basis.

"Not quite sure yet." He sounded truthful, but at the same time a little tentative. An unusual combination for her dad. "I'm helping a friend."

"Which friend?" Most of his friends were within his department, or one he was previously with. Not to discredit his skills, but Eva was pretty sure they would be able to handle something without his help.

"Someone from 51." He refused to give her a straight forward response, continuing to be vague. In doing so, he gave her the answer.

"Sylvie?? You're helping Sylvie?" She blurred out his ex's name. Her dad sighed, taking a sip from his beer to try to hide is discomfort.

"Yeah, I'm helping Sylvie." Having nowhere left to hide, he gave in. Eva couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, having suspicion that there was more than help that was going on.

"Don't give me that, Eva." Their conversation topic was beginning to get to him, as he got out of his chair to walk around the room. He didn't even seem aware of his current state of mind. Because if he had, he would have already left the room by now to go hide in his bedroom. "I'm just helping a friend."

"I bet you thought she looked pretty." She traced her finger along the edge of her plate, biting down on her lip to hide her smile.

He began to splutter, not expecting her blunt words. To be fair, she wasn't really the blunt type. Teasing and sarcasm, yes. But when she tried to be blunt, she usually felt like a kid making a stupid observation.

Instead of defending himself, Antonio tried to deflect. "Shouldn't you be eating dinner?"

Eva rose an eyebrow. Wow, she knew her dad was flustered, but this was something she never expected. Instead of verbally responding, she lifted up her plate, broadcasting the dish to him.

His mouth snapped shut, realizing his foolish mistake. Before Eva could begin to tease him even more, her dad fled to his bedroom, mumbling an inaudible excuse.

Even though she couldn't see what was going on on the other side, Eva could easily picture her dad pacing around his room. That thought alone was almost as humorous as what had just occurred.

But now, playtime was over. She had a mission to solve, one called how to get through your dad's thick head to have him see how breaking up with his girlfriend was a terrible mistake.

[hailey-halstead]

Right

Hi guys! wow, it's been way over a month since i have posted a story??? this one i have to admit has been 75% written since early june, so i didn't have to do THAT much. but i hope it encourages me to continue to write more! i have to admit i feel more like writing when shows are not in hiatus, or when they are on a short break. reading that antonio will be back on PD inspired me to get back to writing some though, as i ended up finishing this!!! it's a follow up to my story "green bean casserole" i don't own anything and i hope you all enjoy! hopefully it won't be another month before i post another fic! ————— Right after the door shut behind Nagel, leaving Sylvie and Antonio alone, he turned towards her, a frown on his face. He had to know what she wanted to talk about. Gabby's words, even though they were said in a drunken state, remained in her mind. Was her getting back with Antonio the wrong decision? For them as a couple they had thought of multiple positive reasons for reconciliation. Matt and Mouch's deaths only proved that life was too short and risks had to be taken. Not only that, but being able to rely on each other while helping Gabby was the only thing preventing Sylvie from having a breakdown. He rose his eyebrows, a wordless question directed towards her. He was wondering if she was going to start speaking, break the ice. When she opened her mouth, nothing came out. Her throat was dry and her voice would most certainly crack if she could form words. That wasn't the reason she wasn't vocalizing what she was thinking. There was simply too much on her mind that she didn't know where to start. Antonio decided to end the silence, to her dismay and relief. The anticipation was killing her, but she was also worried about confronting the subject. "She didn't mean it, Sylvie." "Probably not the I'm a whore part," He flinched when she brought reference to the derogatory word that was thrown by Gabby. "And how she presented herself, with the other harsh words....but the entire point? Yeah. I think so." "She was drunk—" "I don't care if she was drunk or not, Antonio." She interrupted him, his different viewpoint motivating her to find her words. They needed to get on the same page. "Either way, you can't disagree that our relationship has had an affect on her." When he didn't respond, she knew he was agreeing. A part of her wished hat he would continue to fight back, to make their choice to get back together seem less like a bad decision. After all, hurting Gabby was the last thing either of them wanted. "So what are you implying?" Picking up on her distress, he took a few steps forward. When she lowered her eyes guiltily, he was able to find out the answer himself. He groaned, the sudden sound making Sylvie lift her head up with surprise. "You can't be serious." Her stomach twisted as the realization clearly dawned in him. Swallowing the salvia her mouth was beginning to collect, she began to speak. The few moments were enough for her to put effort into not letting her voice wobble. This wasn't about them. That was their mistake, in their grief and exhaustion, they let themselves get drawn back into each other. "This isn't about us, Antonio—" In order for them to get themselves through this, another misfortune, they had to put their focus again on Gabby. "No, Sylvie." Antonio shook his head, taking another determined step closer. There was only a foot in between them now. Stepping back wasn't an option, for some reason she had positioned herself against the back of the couch. It was nice to have her hands grasping on to something, keeping her centered, but the furniture was an unfortunate barrier to her ability to keep her distance. "We've been selfish—" A sob was crawling up her throat, trying to come out. Instead her voice wobbled and cracked, making her stop to try to regain control of her emotions. "We don't need to make any decision right now." He reached forward to gently remove her grip from the couch, an action she willingly let happen. Despite her originally wanting to extend their distance, a sense of relief and comfort went through her body as his familiar touch took hold of her hands. "We have been putting Gabby first, yes?" He asked softly, his thumbs making small, circular motions on her skin. She focused on the calm movement, letting it help ground herself. Just a few seconds made a difference, that she was able to give him a calm nod back. This was not a usual occurrence, him being the rational one and her letting her emotions get the best of her. With Antonio being a Dawson, his emotions were always a strong force of his behavior. Maybe he was trying extra hard to control himself because of her unraveling, she didn't know. Despite this, she was grateful. "We never leave her alone, you have everyone's times scheduled in your phone, for Christ sake." Antonio kept direct eye contact with her, his eyes bright and determined, with sadness hiding behind. It seemed that particular emotion was following them around constantly. To both of their defense, they were always around a grieving widow. They also couldn't ignore the fact that they were grieving as well. "Anytime we are with her, we make sure to be as platonic as possible, focusing on her—" Sylvie removed one of her hands from his grasp, lifting it up to place a single finger over his lips. Whatever he was planning on saying next was left unsaid, his eyes now becoming questioning, widening slightly as his eyebrows lifted up. "You're right." She conceded, giving up her argument. After Gabby's eruption on her, guilt took over her mind. Logic was nowhere in sight as she thought the only way to solve her friend's pain was to break up with Antonio. He made her see that that wasn't the answer. "We should talk to her in the morning, though." She added, not wanting to shove Gabby's thoughts and feelings to the side. Just because she was intoxicated didn't mean that their relationship could have had negative affects on her. Antonio nodded in agreement, lifting his hand forward to interlock his fingers with hers that she had dropped to her side moments before. "That's a good idea." He voiced aloud. His next request was shown by his actions before his words, when he began to gently tug Sylvie by her arm towards the bedroom. "I think you finally admitting I was right is a sign that we should go to bed." He said, not stopping his slow, lucid steps backward to hear her response. "Cocky, aren't you." She mumbled with a roll of her eyes. But she couldn't disagree with him, as yet again, he was right. "Honesty is crucial to a relationship, that's all." He quipped. If Sylvie didn't get a look at his eyes earlier, she would have thought that he wasn't tired. However behind his quick wit, was an exhausted man. "Mhm." She made a noise of agreement, raising a cheeky eyebrow when they reached his bed and he met her eyes as he briefly looked over his shoulder towards her. "I think I'll let your egotistical comments slide because I'm too exhausted to come up with a reply." Though they were next to his side of the bed, Antonio pulled her down on top of him, much to her surprise. Before she could complain about her uncomfortable position—his knee was digging into her ribcage—he gently rolled her over onto the mattress. As she got herself situated, he reached towards to the end of the bed to grab the bunched up comforter. Sylvie couldn't hold back a sigh of contentment as the cool comforter covered her body. A small opening was letting through cold air as Antonio slipped off his shirt, but her body begun to warm up as he readjusted himself underneath the covers. She was pulled close against his warm chest, which confused her as her body was still cold, something she would point out if she wasn't so tired. His breath, that hit her skin just as warm as his body, whispered out a vulnerable question. "You don't regret this, do you?" In her sleepy state, she didn't comprehend his question immediately. "What do you mean?" She yawned, trying to refocus her hazy vision on her boyfriend's face. "Getting back together." He explained. His forehead was scrunched up, and eyes shifting side to side, unable to hold eye contact with her. That was the biggest sign of his uncomfortableness. His job had him interrogating multiple people daily. He has never had trouble with maintaining it. Frowning, she reached up to cup his cheek. "Never." She vowed, wanting to make all his insecurities disappear. "What I was trying to do earlier, making us break up.....wasn't at all because I wanted to. I am worried about Gabby." She explained, beginning to rub her thumb up and down his jaw line. "You're the only thing keeping me sane, you know that?" He lifted her hand from his cheek to interlock their fingers together. "Seeing my sister is so much pain is excruciating. It makes it harder that I'm the only one she is letting herself be around. You included." "I know us being happy and Gabby still grieving is making us feel guilty, but I believe that this," He gestures to them both, "is a good thing. It's helping us, which then is a positive influence on us helping Gabby." She didn't know how to word her appreciation accurately. A kiss seemed like the perfect answer as she cupped both of her hands around his cheek to press her lips softly against his own. She was tempted to elongate the kiss—his lips felt more pleasurable than usual against hers—but the yawn that escaped her mouth ended the romantic moment. Though she knew he wouldn't be bothered, her face couldn't help but flush and turn bright red. Due to the streetlight outside the window, light was shining through the curtains, making Antonio able to see her face. It seemed like it would be impossible, but her face became even darker when he let out a soft chuckle. "I won't force you to stay awake any longer." He assured her, putting his lips briefly against her forehead. She closed her eyes automatically at the soothing action. It was what he did right before they went to sleep, and was such an Antonio thing. His first instinct was always to care for and protect those he loved. She didn't realize how much she actually missed the simple action during their break up until they got back together. After she readjusted herself, head tucked into his chest and her left arm thrown over his side, it wasn't long until sleep took over and she was unconscious. Everything else could wait till morning.

[hailey-halstead]

Green Bean Casserole

let’s ignore the layout of Antonio’s apartment okay thanks😂😅 this is of course after the CF finale, and i will be writing a lot of fics related to this one. we don’t know if casey has died or not, but for these bunch of stories i have in mind, he does. it’s kind of the catapult that gets brettonio back together, and of course guilt and drama and many fic ideas would come with that!!! which means grieving gabby dawson:( of course i definitely want matt casey to live(and i one hundred percent think he does) but it makes out for good stories!!!! hope you enjoy!!! and i know justice is over but yeah whatever i started this immediately after the finale sooo it wasn’t canceled yet. i hope you all enjoy and i don’t own anything!!!! 💘💘💘💘

—————

Nagel tried to balance the green bean casserole in one hand and use the other to knock on Antonio’s apartment door. She felt slightly awkward about coming, but each time she thought about backing out, she thought of how she needs to support her partner. And although he wasn’t the one the casserole was mainly for, he was dealing with his sister’s life being completely flipped upside down.

The person who answered the door was neither of the Dawson siblings, or one of their parents. Instead it was a blonde haired woman, looking exhausted and frazzled. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Nagel’s food, however.

“Gabby loves green bean casserole.” The woman said with a smile, taking it from Nagel’s hands. Nagel wondered if that was it, she was handing over food and then leaving. She hadn’t exactly thought about what would happen after she gave the food away. But the woman opened the door wider, gesturing with her head for Nagel to come in. “Antonio would be glad to see you.” She said, surprising Nagel that she knew who she was. She had no clue who this woman was. “Oh, I’m sorry for not introducing myself, I guess I’ve been scatterbrained lately—”

“It’s fine, don’t apologize.” She must be a good friend of Gabby’s, and clearly was staying here to help. At least that’s what Nagel assumed by her wild hair and ratty sweatpants. She didn’t look like she was just visiting. “I understand.”

“Thanks.” The woman led her into the kitchen, seeming quite comfortable in Antonio’s apartment. She opened the fridge, which was stacked with food already. With some difficulty, the woman shoved the casserole into the fridge, somehow finding a place for it. “I’m Sylvie, though.” She stuck out a hand for Nagel to shake after she shut the refrigerator. “You’re Laura Nagel, right?”

“Right.” She responded slowly. Sylvie certainly knew a lot about her. “Nice to meet you.”

“Come on, Antonio is in the living room.” Sylvie left the room. Nagel quickly followed, not wanting to be left behind.

Antonio was on the couch, head in hands. Nagel was left speechless, she had never seen him so defeated before. Unlike herself who was unable to move, Sylvie approached Antonio. Her hand rested against his back, in an almost very intimate way. Nagel felt like she was intruding.

That’s when Antonio looked up, and his eyes first went to Nagel. “Hey,” He greeted, standing up and walking over towards her. “Thanks for stopping by.” He hugged her, an interaction not common between them. But it was right for the occasion, as Nagel wrapped her own arms around him.

“Of course.” She said, patting his back to show more comfort and support. When they separated, she informed him about the food she brought in the fridge.

“Gabby loves green bean casserole.” Antonio repeated the same thing Sylvie said earlier.

“Is she not here?” She had never met his sister, and while she never wanted to meet her under these circumstances, Nagel did want to extend her condolences.

At that question, Antonio and Sylvie looked at each other and grimaced. She probably shouldn’t have asked.

“She’s in Eva’s, I mean, her bedroom. Well, technically still Eva’s, but temporarily it’s Gabby’s.” Sylvie pointed to a closed room down the hall.

“How long has she been in there?”

“About an hour, I think?” Sylvie looked to Antonio for confirmation. He nodded. “She’s supposed to keep the door unlocked. We want to give her as much privacy as possible, but we have to take precautions.”

“Well, I can go, if you want—”

“No, no. It’s fine.” Antonio interrupted, shaking his head. “We both appreciate the company. It’s usually just us around here, and sometimes my mom, and it can get pretty boring at times.”

“Gee, thanks.” Sylvie sarcastically thanked him, bumping her hip against his. They exchanged smiles, longer than Nagel thought was necessary. It was clear there was something more than friendship between them.

“Do you live nearby?” Nagel couldn’t help but ask Sylvie. What? She was curious. Plus she was known for being blunt. So her asking an out there question wasn’t unusual. The relationship between Sylvie and Antonio seemed more than platonic, too.

“Um, like 20 minutes away. I’ve been, uh, crashing on the couch.” Sylvie was clearly not expecting the question, stuttering her way through her answer.

“Sleep on the couch my ass…” A voice slurred. All three of them turned to the sound, watching as a disheveled Gabby appeared out of the bedroom.

With a bottle of vodka. Well then. This first meeting with Gabby Dawson was going to be quite unfiltered. Her attention wasn’t on the new guest however, but on Antonio and Sylvie.

“Gabby—” Sylvie paid no attention to her friend’s snide comment, her eyes instead on the alcohol.

“Don’t Gabby me..” Gabby took an unbalanced step forward, thankfully placing the drink down on the counter she passed. Sylvie tried to help Gabby by grabbing onto her arm, but she was shrugged off.

That movement by Sylvie seemed to be the final trigger, as she then went off on a tangent. “I’m not stupid! I see you two…you sleeping together, hugging…kissing.” She pointed back and forth between the two, before directing her full attention on Sylvie. “You were always jealous of me. Saying you wanted your own Casey…..” Her voice wobbled slightly at the mention of her deceased husband, showing some sign of her real internal emotions. It was obvious she was taking her grief out on Sylvie.

Luckily Sylvie understood that, ignoring the hurtful words being thrown at her. “It’s not like that, Gabby.” She spoke softly, reaching out to grab Gabby’s hands.

Nagel couldn’t help but look at Antonio, wondering how he was taking all of this. He looked more emotionally affected than Sylvie. That was easy to see, with his clenched jaw and fidgeting hands. If Gabby kept up with her emotional outburst, her brother would surely intervene. What was holding him back with the hint of sadness in his eyes. He, like Sylvie, knew why she was reacting this way. But he wouldn’t be able to stand for it like his…..whatever Sylvie was to him. Thanks to Gabby’s drunken rant, Nagel now knows that they are really sleeping together.

“Why are you flinging your happiness in my face?” Gabby cried out, shooing Sylvie’s desperate hands away.

“I’m not—”

“You had to pick my brother, didn’t you? You couldn’t have been someone else’s whore—”

“Gabby!” Antonio’s voice was sharp, a warning. But intoxicated Gabby was unfazed.

“My husband is gone and you’re now trying to steal away Antonio from me. I’ve already lost so many people, Sylvie. Shay wouldn’t have done this to me.”

Nagel didn’t have a clue who Shay was, but Antonio and Sylvie both flinched at the mention.

At this point, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Sylvie left. But she stayed, looking even more determined than before. “Gabby….I’ll do anything for you.” She tried to talk sense into her friend, but as Nagel observed Gabby’s glazed eyes and swaying body, she wasn’t going to get any logic into her mind. Getting her back in bed was the best option.

“Bullshit….” Gabby slurred, before leaning over and throwing up all down Sylvie’s shirt.

Immediately the smell of vomit became prominent throughout the whole apartment. Everyone had barely any time to react before Gabby began to fall over. Sylvie, who was the closest, grabbed her first. But was clearly struggling to hold her up, as she was trying to avoid getting Gabby covered in the vomit.

Antonio took over. “Go get cleaned up.” He murmured to Sylvie, gesturing his chin to the direction of his bedroom. “We’ll handle this.”

We? Nagel thought of herself as a fearless woman, but she did not do vomit.

Antonio, who saw the disgust on her face, sighed. “I meant that you could help me get her situated. I don’t expect you to clean up my sister’s mess.”

Relieved, Nagel quickly stepped forward to help. She could handle helping Gabby get back into bed. But as they helped his sister into her room, Antonio leaned down to pick Gabby up entirely by himself when they were only feet away from the bed.

“Uh, okay.” Nagel watched carefully as Antonio lowered Gabby onto the mattress. It was important for her to make sure he didn’t somehow hurt himself—doing work without a partner would be a major pain in the ass. Plus, of course, she did care about the man. She would have to after spending hours upon hours with him five days a week. “Thought you wanted my help.” If didn’t need anything else, she should probably go. By this point she felt like she was intruding. Actually, when Gabby came stumbling out of her room was the moment she should have ran for it.

“We need to check her room for alcohol,” He said when he stepped back from the bed, looking around the room for bottles. “I thought Sylvie and I got all of it the other day,” He muttered, this time he was talking to himself so Nagel ignored him, looking into the closet.

She hit the jackpot. Right behind a layer of Antonio’s daughter’s clothes were bottles of alcohol in a plastic bag. They didn’t look like they were there for long. The receipt was inside the bag, which she decided to pull out. She was right with her suspicions, this was bought only yesterday.

“Dawson.” She called out softly to not wake his sister, but also still audible enough that he could hear. “Found it.”

The frown on his face grew deeper as he viewed the alcoholic beverages. He didn’t voice his feelings though, instead lowering down to pick the bag up.

“She’s not going to be happy to find that gone.” Nagel couldn’t help but comment. She took the bag when Antonio handed it to her though. Just because Gabby was going to be mad didn’t mean what Antonio was doing was wrong. Plus she was so hammered that Nagel was confident that she wouldn’t remember her being here. It would be Antonio and Sylvie that would have to deal with her. Nagel only wanted to be the person who dropped off food. Nothing more.

“Take it. Happy birthday.” Antonio said, shutting the cabinet door behind him.

A nice surprise, she had to admit. Antonio wasn’t the one to turn away alcohol normally, but this was certainly not a normal situation. She wasn’t going to complain about free alcohol, but couldn’t help but correct his statement. “My birthday is months away.”

“Early birthday present then,” Antonio shrugged, looking back at his sister before they left the room. She looked peaceful, even though she was anything but.

They were met with the sight of Sylvie, in a new shirt, one that looked familiar to Nagel. It was obvious that she had swiped the piece of clothing out of Antonio’s closet. She was down on her hands and knees, scrubbing the vomit out of the beige carpet.

“Sylvie, let me—” Antonio reached his hand out, eyeing the hand towel she was using. Scrunching up her nose, Nagel sidestepped out of the way. The mess seemed it was mostly cleaned up, making the help Antonio was offering to be useless, but the smell was still as strong as before. Another reason for her to make her exit.

She was right in her suspicion, as Sylvie got off of her knees, using her free hand to grab the cleaning supplies to her right. “I’m done already,” She said, taking a few steps backward before turning around to face the coffee table. “Don’t feel bad.”

For Antonio, that was probably an impossible task. But Nagel didn’t dare voice this aloud. After all, she wanted to get out of this mess as quickly as possible. She didn’t need to insert herself into a mindless conversation.

The scent of febreeze began to enter the room, taking over the vomit smell. After a few more sprays, Sylvie set down the bottle, turning back towards Antonio. She had a look in her eyes, one that was very familiar to Nagel. She had seen it multiple times from her ex husband before. It was the we need to talk look. Which was most likely about what had been said by intoxicated Gabby earlier.

This was the moment she had been waiting for. To make her leave.

“Well, I think I should….” She gestured to the door, taking a few steps backwards.

Luckily, Antonio didn’t argue. Since the incident, most of his energy had probably been drained from him anyways. When she saw him during work, he was the same Antonio. He put all his energy into work and Gabby, and when he didn’t have either, he faded. “I’ll see you on Monday.” He said, staying right besides Sylvie. “Thanks for the food.”

“Thanks for the alcohol.” She held up the bag. God knows she was going to need one of these tonight. She was surprised Antonio and Sylvie weren’t constantly drinking, this apartment was incredibly depressing.

But when Antonio took Sylvie’s hand into his, gripping it tightly, she realized they had another method of coping. Each other. Which she would originally assume that would be the reason they had started a relationship, but a blind man could see the love between them. It was almost nauseating, love was something she had shut herself off to after her divorce, but even she could acknowledge that they were sweet together.

Her internal musing was abruptly ended when arms wrapped around her, catching her off guard. The softness of the small body and flowery smell told her that it was Sylvie. Before she could even respond, the woman stepped back, ending the brief hug.

When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was at a whisper. She didn’t want Antonio to hear. “Thank you for being there for him, at work.” She scooted closer, a good move on her part, as Antonio was a good listener. “It has been his escape these past for weeks and I know you have played a big part in that.” Sylvie reached out to grab Nagel’s hands, giving them a grateful squeeze. She resisted the urge to pull them away, she never was a fan of being touched, but allowed for it to continue for her partner’s……lover? girlfriend? She didn’t know exactly what they were. That curiosity was tucked into the back of her mind, planning to use it for small talk during the week. With everything that was going on with Antonio, she had to have something positive to discuss about with him.

“No problem.” She finally responded when she was able to find her words. Uncomfortable with being given credit, when all she had been doing was her job and bringing over food, she tried to lessen it. “You’ve been doing a lot, too. Being by his side. You can easily tell how much he cares about you.” The word love almost slipped through her teeth, but she was able to hold it back.

Sylvie gave a small smile at the compliment, but it was clear her mind was elsewhere now as her relationship with Antonio was brought up. “He’s an amazing guy.” She murmured, becoming quiet.

Something was up with her, but it wasn’t Nagel’s place to figure out why. She cleared her throat, hoping that would be enough to regain Sylvie’s attention. “It was nice meeting you.” She said once Sylvie’s eyes met hers again.

After an awkward wave to Antonio, Nagel forced herself to turn her back to them, heading towards the front door. She quickly opened and once through, closed it behind her. No reason to extend the cringeworthy goodbye. Especially when they were obviously wanting to have a conversation with only each other.

As she made her way through the apartment building, she tried to make herself optimistic after having the life sucked out of her at Antonio’s apartment. More like a cemetery, personally, to Nagel.

“Guess I’m having a party with myself tonight,” She muttered, watching the plastic bag swing back and forth.

No matter what, she knew she was going to have a better night than Gabby Dawson.

[hailey-halstead]

Bee

thanks anon for the boost of motivation! 🤗 here's my fic! it's a fluffy one:) i don't own anything but irene! hope you all enjoy! —————— "Mouch. Mouch. Mouch!" Mouch was articulating slowly, emphasizing on the letter M each time he repeated his name to the intuitive, yet confused, Irene. His head kept on shortening the distance between him and the one year old. Sylvie couldn't help but intervene when the two were practically touching noses. She knew that Mouch meant no harm, and Irene didn't seemed bothered, but it made her feel better when her daughter was back into her lap. "Aw, Brett." The firefighter complained as he got up off of his knees. "She was beginning to get the hang of it! So close!" "She wasn't saying anything." She corrected him, grabbing a toy off of the table behind her. She handed it to Irene, who let out a shriek of joy at the sight of one of her favorite toys, a small activity ball with various contraptions all over. "All of you guys are pushing her too hard. The fact of the matter is that she will say one of your names when she is ready." Irene has been saying words for about a month now. But other than Diego and Eva, which sounded like "Eg-o" and "Va", she hasn't said anyone's actual names. And even though Sylvie had verbally voiced that she expected Gabby to be the next name to come out of her daughter's mouth, they still held onto their stubborn beliefs that each of their names were going to be it. "But if she says my name first I'll get free drinks at Molly's for a whole weekend!" Mouch looked at her with wide eyes, like he wanted her to be on his side. Probably, Sylvie thought. He would then try to get her to repeat his name all the time. "Free drinks?" She was skeptical at that piece of information. Herrmann thought offering half priced drinks was generous—him giving away free drinks was uncharted territory. At least from what she could remember. "The stakes are high, Brett." He had a very serious look on his face, uncharacteristic of his usual personality. "If Hermann wins we all have to help him do an annual cleaning of Molly's." He shuddered at the thought, like washing tables and sweeping floors was the equivalent of getting shot by a bullet. "And we can't let that happen." He had the audacity to point to Irene, as if a one year old could really contribute to this. Irene followed his finger, so enthralled with the new distraction that she dropped her toy on the ground. Obviously, she didn't understand that she was just a source of gambling entertainment to her mother's coworkers. Wanting to avoid a potential temper tantrum if she kept her daughter from approaching Mouch, she placed her on the ground. A new walker, a week and a half ago was the first time she took her first steps, Irene waddled over to Mouch with only one small stumble. "I think I have to tell Antonio that we need to find new babysitters." Sylvie grumbled, watching as the scene from minutes prior was replaying in front of her again: Mouch, in front of Irene, saying his name over and over again. "Do you really want to get on Trudy's bad side?" He gave her a look, before releasing a toothy grin back at Irene. The toddler giggled, reaching forward to tug on his nose. "I think you should be asking yourself that question, Mouch." She said back, as the grin on his face turned into a grimace. He knew she was right. Despite the squabbling between them, Sylvie appreciated the company. They were in the kitchen before with the rest of 51, but she had taken a fussy Irene into the next room to calm her down. A few minutes later, Mouch had followed. Yes, his main intention was winning the bet, but she couldn't remember the last time she spent one-on-one time in the firehouse with someone other than Gabby. It was nice. Of course a little annoying as well. "When's Antonio coming back anyways? You know you've gotten lucky that we haven't gotten a call this past hour...." Squad 3 had gotten one, but Truck 81 and Ambulance 61 have been both enjoying their extended break. Sylvie had been thanking her lucky stars, as Antonio had dropped by unexpectedly with Irene an hour ago, saying there was an emergency at the state's attorneys office. Marley eagerly offered to watch her if Sylvie had to go out on a call. Since she didn't know Marley too well, even though she seemed to be very kind, Sylvie was relieved that her baby didn't have to leave her side. "Don't jinx it, Mouch!" Sylvie warned, leaning down to grab Irene's discarded toy. They were quickly approaching the estimated time of arrival Antonio had given her, and she would feel rather uncomfortable not physically seeing Irene leaving with her father. "He should be here soon, anyways." She added, answering his question. Herrmann, Otis, and Stella burst into the room. Well, so much for peace and quiet. "What the hell—" Herrmann's signature loud, raspy voice boomed through the room at the sight of Mouch. "Language!" "—What are you doing in here?" Herrmann was unfazed by Sylvie's scolding, only giving her a shrug as an acknowledgement. "You're always the last one to leave the table when we all eat!" "Free drinks, Herrmann. Free drinks. They're on the line." "Or how about 'I wanted to spend time with the cutest one year old in the world'?" Sylvie got up out of the chair to pull Irene into her arms. Her daughter squirmed for a few seconds, not expecting to be picked up, but soon was content again, gripping onto Sylvie's collar as she watched the new entertainment, babbling away quietly to herself. "Pretty sure precious, human life trumps alcohol." Otis, Stella, Mouch, and Herrmann didn't answer her. But that was enough of a response for Sylvie to know what their response was. "Whatever." She sighed, deciding not to want to get so wrapped up in their game. She had more important things to worry about. Like if Irene just let out a fart or shit her pants. Since the smell wafted away a few seconds later, she was relieved that it was the former. "If it helps you sleep at night." "It does." Otis piped up with a grin. "I sleep like a baby imagining Mouch scrubbing toilets this weekend...." "I thought that was if Herrmann would win?" Sylvie voiced her curiosity aloud. "Well, since I work at Molly's too, I thought it was a brilliant idea." Otis explained, lopping a friendly arm around Stella's shoulder. "Luckily Kidd here agreed too." "You see why this is so terrible?" Mouch moaned from the ground, who still hasn't moved even though Irene was back in Sylvie's arms. "They are arming up together!" "How did this ridiculous thing start anyways?" It's been happening for weeks now, but she couldn't really remember how it came about. "You can thank your lovely sister-in-law, Gabby, for that. It started between her and Casey." Stella revealed. "We all overheard while eating and wanted in." "Where was I?" Sylvie asked, trying to rack her brain around this new piece of information. "I'm pretty sure it was the day Irene had a fever...." Stella guessed, finger tapping on her chin. "Because Trout was there, and you can't really miss his big mouth." "Oh." That would make sense. She had to call off of work that day to stay home with Irene. Which would mean this all started about two and a half weeks ago. She shouldn't have expected anything less from Gabby. Competitive was her middle name. After the explanation, Stella turned her attention to Irene. "How's my Reney doing?" She cooed, waving her fingers. Irene, always a fan of the attention being on her, let out a big giggle. Ugh. 'Reney' was the terrible nickname Stella had taken to saying. Ever since Sylvie had slipped out the nickname 'Chunks' around Stella and Gabby, they both decided that she needed a better one. It had just been a name between her and Antonio, because of Irene's chubby baby rolls. Sometimes it varied from chunk, chunky, and chunky monkey. Really, she was mostly defensive of it because it was her little family's 'thing' and it was being made fun of. And then was attempted to be replaced by a name that sounded like a 1980's porn star. So despite for her usually being pretty laid back with things, this was certainly a sore subject. But since her daughter was in her arms and she really has been a sour puss this whole time, Sylvie decided to bite her tongue. She'd save her talk with Stella for later. "She's been doing really well despite the curveball thrown at her usual routine." She complimented her child, gently brushing a side of her hair to the side. Irene had inherited her father's hair, thick and black. But then, unfortunately, got her mother's curls. "Since Antonio never works weekends, she's always with him normally." Sylvie explained. "Reney is just the best of the best." Stella pressed a loud, smacking kiss on the top of Irene's curls, making her let out another laugh. "Don't you love Stella? Stel-la." To no surprise, the firefighter began slowly articulating her name to Irene. "Are you guys still doing that ridiculous bet?" A familiar voice called out from behind Otis and Herrmann. The two parted, revealing Antonio. He clapped both of the firemen on the shoulders in greeting, but his full attention was on Sylvie and Irene. Irene let out a squeal of excitement at the sight of her father. "Dada!" She said, pointing a stubby finger at him. Sylvie couldn't help but smile too. Out of relief and pleasure. It really was a miracle that she didn't have to leave the firehouse during the timespan of having Irene here. She thanked her lucky stars. "That's all they've been doing since Irene arrived." She informed him with an eye roll, pressing her lips against his briefly. Despite Irene leaving with him in a couple minutes, she wanted to go to her father immediately. She squirmed in Sylvie's arms, not stopping until she was handed over to Antonio. "You couldn't handle a few more minutes with me?" Sylvie pouted at her daughter. Irene, finding her mother's facial expression to be humorous, began to laugh. "You're a lot to deal with, Brett." Otis piped up. Sylvie knew he was joking, but she couldn't help but bring up something he told her months prior. The look on his face would be worth it. "I remember you telling me how great of a roommate I was." She pretended to think about this, tapping her finger against her chin. His face fell at that comment, not knowing how to respond. Even if he had a response he was fishing for, the arrival of Gabby brought on an entire new subject. "Bee!" Irene's face lit up with recognition, thrusting one of her hands out wildly towards her aunt. "Bee!" Gabby's face, which was already looking excited at the sight of her niece, lit up even more at the word that came out of her mouth. She threw a victorious smile at the four shocked firefighters before looking back at Irene to pull her into her arms. "You got to be kidding me." Mouth groaned, shoulders slumping in defeat. "You had an unfair advantage! Shouldn't count!" "This was between me and Matt at first," Gabby reminded him, "Which was one hundred percent fair. Then you all wanted in, and didn't give up even when I told you that we already had an advantage." "I....I don't remember that." Mouth lamely responded, scrambling for excuses. He wasn't going to get anything past Gabby, though. "I'm sure everyone else does." She said, eyes going across the rest of the dismayed crowd. "I look forward to seeing you guys bright and early Saturday morning to do yard work." She cheerfully said, the most upbeat Sylvie has ever seen her during work. It wasn't surprising considering how much she hates anything to do with yard work and gardening. Forget having not a green thumb, Gabby didn't have a single drop of anything green in her whole body. "Jesus Christ." Herrmann swore under his breath, before sending Gabby a look. "Hey! Why didn't you pick cleaning up Molly's!?" He asked incredulously. "Really, Herrmann? Cleaning a bar versus my back and front yard?" Personally, Sylvie would rather do the second option. She actually enjoys gardening and yard work. Gabby however, said her obvious answer. "I would choose cleaning a bar a thousands times over getting down on my hands and knees in the dirt just once." "The short answer is that she is just really scared of worms." Antonio butted in, a teasing smile on his face. Whether he was telling the truth or bothering his sister, Gabby didn't seem happy either way. "You should be careful what you say, Tonio. I have your baby in my arms." She threatened. "Oh? What are you going to do with your precious niece?" He was not affected by Gabby's words, knowing that's what they were, just words. "Oh, who knows." Gabby pretended to think. "Could teach her some bad words, my tricks from my own childhood. And teen years, when she gets old enough." Antonio looked freaked out. Sylvie, who didn't know too much about how Gabby was when she was younger, was clueless. But when it comes to Irene, she was feeling very cautious. She inched closer to Gabby, suddenly wanting her baby back in her arms. "That's not funny." Antonio said, a frown on his face. "You know he wouldn't be the only one that would suffer from your cruelty." Sylvie brought herself to Gabby's attention. But Gabby had no mercy. "Sorry, Sylvie. That's the price you have to pay for marrying my brother." Sylvie was done with this sibling squabble nonsense. She normally found it amusing, but with her daughter being the pawn she did not enjoy any of this. She had scooted closer and closer to Gabby throughout the conversation, and her shoulder was brushing her sister-in-law's by the time she began to grab Irene out of her arms. "Don't you want to go tell Casey the good news?" Sylvie questioned before Gabby could continue talking about her diabolical plan. "I should go tell Matt." She repeated Sylvie's words, thinking about it thoughtfully. Her face then brightened even more, another thought popping in her mind. "I can go rub it in his face that I beat him!" Gabby was then gone, fast walking away with determination. She was so set on her course that she forgot to even say goodbye to Antonio and Irene. Everyone else followed along, probably eager to see their lieutenant's face when he found out that he lost the bet. "Well, I think we should go, too." He said, turning towards Sylvie as his sister was out of eyesight. She gave him a look, to which he rolled his eyes and sighed to. "It's almost time for her nap. Unless you want her sleeping schedule to be completely whacked—" Point taken. "Fine, fine." She interrupted him, shoving Irene into his arms. "Send me a picture when she does go to sleep though, you know how much I love that. Extra motivation." She explained, running a hand through Irene's black curls. The soothing motion made her begin to close her eyes, showing her tiredness. Her trip to the firehouse must have worn her out. "It's a plan." He watched Sylvie and Irene's interaction for a moment, then leaned in to press his lips against Sylvie's forehead to say goodbye. "We'll see you later." Sylvie nodded, stepping back from them, knowing if she didn't they would end up staying longer. Which would mean keeping Irene from her nap. "I think she's our good luck charm," She couldn't help but add, watching as the one year old let out a small yawn. "Gabby and I haven't had a call this whole time." "Better get ready then." The two of them began walking through the firehouse. Sylvie began to slow down once she spotted Gabby and Matt, along with an audience of Otis, Herrmann, and Stella. They had just caught them in time to witness Gabby's reveal to Matt. Her paramedic partner's back was to them, so they were unable to see her facial expressions, but the others probably masked what hers was: excited anticipation. She ignored the urge to stop completely, knowing Antonio had to get Irene home. Before they completely left the kitchen, they were able to hear Matt's dismayed "no!". "You better get back there fast if you want to catch the rest of that." Antonio gestured with his head at the ruckus forming in the room they departed. When Sylvie tried to deny wanting to, he shook his head with a laugh. "Go. You know you want to. If you don't leave us now I think you'll end up following us home." After what her coworkers have put her through these past few weeks with the bet, her annoyance mostly because of them using Irene as a source of gambling entertainment, she did want to be able to relish in the fact that this ridiculousness was finally over. "Okay, I'll leave you two here." She reluctantly decided, leaning up to briefly lock lips with Antonio and then directing her attention to Irene. "I'll see you later, my chunky monkey." She cooed, resisting the urge to take her into her arms to make the goodbye longer. A simple caress of her cheek and kiss on her forehead would suffice. Before they were out of sight, Sylvie wanted to remind him again of her request. "Picture!" She called after him, redirecting herself back to the room she had just left. Antonio's response was a laugh, but it was a good enough answer for Sylvie. He would follow through. "So, Casey. I hear that you are very excited to spend your weekend doing yard work while Gabby and I drink mimosas on the deck." She inserted herself smoothly into the conversation, giddy by the dismayed sigh by her brother-in-law. She could tell that he had been doing a lot of them since Gabby had revealed the results. Casey's response had to be put on hold, as the intercom began to call for Ambulance 61. Sylvie locked eyes with Gabby, and without an exchange of words, they began their trek to their vehicle. Pushing the afternoon's events to the side, they both immediately entered work mode and began to drive off to save lives.

[hailey-halstead]

Night

well hi it's been awhile, hasn't it! i hope my next fic won't take this long to be posted....i don't own anything and enjoy!! Also this is a reaction fic to 5x19 ——————— Finally getting to leave the firehouse after being on shift for hours was like getting chains removed from her hands and feet and boulders taken off of her shoulders. Sylvie couldn't remember the last time she was so distracted during work. Even when Antonio and her had broken up months prior, she had thrown herself into her calls for a distraction. She knew why this time was different, though. How could you distract yourself with something that constantly reminded you of what you were trying to forget? She had tried to be logical with herself, that the important thing was her and Gabby passed the retraining course and could put all of their focus back into their work. Plus, they got incredibly high scores! She should be proud of herself. She did so much studying— She cringed at the thought. Studying. What Gabby had not done, zero effort. Every day she had paid no attention to the instructor and doodled away in her notebook. But still was able to pull off a perfect score. While Sylvie was the perfect, diligent student. She took notes, participated in class, and made flash cards for herself! When she wasn't at the class or work, she was studying at home. The fact that Gabby got a higher score than her wasn't what was bothering her. She wasn't the type who wanted to be the best of everything, she wanted to do the best that she could do. Yes, she had gotten a 98 on the retraining exam. With a lot of studying. While Gabby pulled off a freaking one hundred percent without barely putting up a finger. What does that say about Sylvie's own skills as a paramedic? She was the paramedic in charge of Ambulance 61, shouldn't she had known all of the test answers like Gabby? What if one of those questions was a scenario in real life, would she have then froze and ultimately killed her patient? Gabby had tried to talk to her about it, Sylvie could tell that she felt bad. Since it wasn't her fault, it was Sylvie's own insecurities that were the cause to this internal dilemma, but despite this she didn't want to hear her apologies. It only made Sylvie feel more guilty for the emotions she was feeling. Everyone else was heading to Molly's for the fundraiser of the families and loved ones of the fallen members of squad 6. As she was in a down mood, she decided not to go, giving a lame excuse to Matt and shoved money into his hands. Thankfully he didn't question her, but the concerned look on his face told her that he probably was going to ask Gabby about what happened. At least she had a day off before she had to face Gabby again. Maybe then she would be in a different mindset, and it wouldn't go as bad as she imagined it would be if they talked right now. Her internal conversation with herself abruptly ended when she spotted Antonio's car right next to her own. And the man himself was leaning against his, lifting his hand up to wave as Sylvie approached. Gabby must have said something to her brother. "Hey, stranger." She greeted him with a half hearted wave back. Instead of getting back into his car now that she had arrived, he waited until she was an arms length away before stepping forward to pull her into his arms. Appreciating the love and support he was giving her through actions instead of words, she wrapped her own arms around his back, pushing her face into his leather clad chest. She wished that this, an embrace with her boyfriend, could be the solution to her current problems. Without the use of words and confrontation of feelings. It would be a lot simpler. Antonio was the one that broke them apart, pressing his lips on the crown of her head before he stepped back and opened his car door. Sylvie walked to the other side, trying to maintain her composure, which she was doing remarkably well at. Before he could say anything, she made sure to get the first words. "Can we not talk about it until we get to your apartment?" She asked, not wanting to get into a deep discussion in the car. "We can just pretend that you wanted to be a cute boyfriend and pick me up from work with no other intentions." She offered, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm fine with being a cute boyfriend." He agreed to her request, before asking a question after a moment of hesitation. "No talking, at all?" Guilt filled her body. They had barely seen each other since she started her retraining course, with her spending all of her time at her own apartment. He probably not only came to pick her up because her current state of mind, but also because he had missed her. "I would love to talk," She made sure to let him know. As it was the truth, she wanted nothing more to hear about his day, how work was going and how Diego and Eva were. However, she realized she wasn't in the place to be able to accurately listen and give him her full attention. That wouldn't be fair. "But I don't think I'm in the place for it, right now. That and listening." She explained with a grimace. Thankfully, he understood completely. "No problem," He reassured her, lifting his hand off of the wheel for a brief moment to squeeze her thigh. "Being with you is enough. And when we get back to my place, don't bother on asking about me. I'm sure you have today's events to get off of your plate." Her heart warmed at his consideration. This was typical behavior of Antonio and she could hardly be surprised. He had a demanding job, two kids, and a ex wife who was filled with drama. Sylvie understood that due to him having other priorities, she couldn't always be first. She couldn't resist looping one of her arms around his bicep, trying to show her appreciation without the use of words. They continued their car ride back to his apartment in peaceful silence. "Sylvie." She dimly heard the sound of her name being called, but she was still in the haze of unconsciousness rather than consciousness. When her name was called again, and her shoulder was gently prodded with, she realized where she was and what she was doing. A yawn escaped her when she opened her mouth to speak. She honestly hadn't realized how tired she was. "Sorry," She apologized, shaking her head rapidly side to side as if her sleepiness would go away. "I guess my exhaustion snuck up on me." She shrugged her shoulders, unbuckling her seatbelt and got out of the car. "How late were you up studying last night?" He asked when he walked around his car and got to her side. Their hands came together to intertwine as they began walking towards his apartment building. The small reminder of why she was upset caused her cheeks to flame red. And the fact that hit the bullseye. She was late up studying, running through her flash cards like she was an assembly line. "Late." She gave him a vague answer, hurrying in in front of him when he held open the door for her. Although she was slightly stung by the remembrance of today's events, she couldn't help but crack a tiny smile at the sound of Antonio's scoff. "Love how much detail you put into your answer." He sarcastically remarked, giving her an exasperated look as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Sylvie's lip quirked up again, but the negative emotions continued to churn in her stomach. She knew she would have to push through her tiredness and confide in Antonio tonight. She couldn't let herself sleep on this, even if she fell asleep right away, she would be bound to have a restless night. Her thoughts and emotions needed to be let out into the world. Well, in this case, Antonio. The elevator's doors slid open. Thankfully, no one else was inside. She prided herself for being great at small talking with strangers, but she was certainly not in the mood for that type of interaction right now. The ride up was silent. It was so quiet that if she wasn't standing up, Sylvie was sure she would be sleeping by now. Her eyes focused on the flashing numbers, until they landed on the number 7 and a ding was heard, signaling that they had reached the floor they had requested. "We can talk in the morning," Antonio voiced aloud the thought she was tempting with minutes prior, digging in his pockets for his keys. Sylvie wondered why he didn't grab them out when they were waiting in the elevator, but she kept this thought to herself. "You deserve some sleep, after all the hard work you put into that class, while still working full time." He unlocked his apartment, letting her go in first so he could lock the door behind him. The moment had arrived. She couldn't ignore it for any longer. "I don't want to sleep on these thoughts." She disagreed with him, watching as surprise came across his face. Understanding quickly overtook to become the main emotion, as he silently moved forward to take her hand and lead her to the couch. "Talk to me." Antonio demanded gently, taking her hands into his lap, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand. The soft expression on his face, showing so much concern for her, made her feel slightly foolish. Yes, jealously was a natural human emotion, one she rarely felt. It was the instigator, as she was more bothered my herself than Gabby. When it comes to admitting jealously however, that was a difficult part, she realized. Ideally, you should be able to love yourself despite your apparent flaws. "I got a 98 on my test." She began slowly, not wanting to dive immediately in. It was better to dip her toes instead of getting herself uncomfortable right away. "Gabby got a perfect score. One hundred percent." "That's great for the both of you." He complimented both her and his sister, with a slight wariness. He knew there was more to the story. Despite for their short duration of their relationship, he was always extremely intuitive. If she was in a better mood, she would playfully complain about this, striking a joking jab on his age being the reason. "Except for the fact that I spent every waking minute studying, while Gabby didn't do anything." "That's just Gabby—" She couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at him focusing on Gabby's part in her internal dilemma. The problem was more with herself than her fellow paramedic, and since she had barely voiced her feelings since he picked her up she knew she couldn't vocalize her displeasure. That would hardly help, and definitely wouldn't be fair. "This isn't about Gabby," She interrupted him before he could explain his sister's behavior, wanting him to not get anymore wrapped in his own reasonings why she was upset. The truth would get them through this conversation quickly. Which would mean going to bed sooner, a goal for both of them considering how demanding their jobs were. "It's about me. And my capability at my job." Realization dawned in his eyes, which then turned to sadness. It made sense—her being upset over her own worth was much more depressing than typical jealously. His hands now cradled her face, leaving her empty hands to rest in his lap. "You are an amazing paramedic." He stressed the word amazing, not breaking eye contact to show how serious he was. "Tests scores don't define how you perform your job. Plus, I know you said this isn't about Gabby, but I remember how in school she never had to study for anything. It always bothered me, but some people are just like that, you know?" He was trying to help, which she appreciated. But what he was saying wasn't having any affect on her, and so she felt obligated to point this out to him. "You two are in completely different occupations now though." She rose her hands to gently touch his forearms, giving him the clue that she wanted to not have her face held for any longer. He got the hint, dropping his arms slowly. The moment they weren't touching anymore, one of Sylvie's hands reached forward to grasp his jean clad kneecap, both wanting to still feel his presence and let him know that she wasn't upset with him. "And this isn't really about Gabby and other people." She added, wanting him to stop bringing her up. As the words left her mouth, she realized that by saying that, she wasn't exactly saying the truth. If Gabby didn't get the higher grade, she wouldn't be fighting against her inner demons about if she was good enough or not. "Well, it sort of is." She said with a shrug of her shoulders, not sure on where to go next. Words were just spilling out of her mouth, and she could only hope that her boyfriend was keeping up. "Okay, okay. I get what you mean." He thankfully took over, and to Sylvie's relief, without asking a question. "What Gabby does isn't always right," He tried again, taking a different approach. She cringed when he yet again brought up Gabby, but stayed quiet to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Like remember that time she threw that woman's phone? Yes, my sister is a great paramedic, but sometimes she lets her hot head get the best of her. I know that because I'm the same way." A snort found its way out of her nose at his remark. That couldn't be more true about the Dawson siblings. Antonio's lips curled up into a smile at the sight of her amusement, before continuing with his advice, encouraged by her positive reaction. "Besides the procedures and technical skills you have to learn, there is much more to your job than that. Which you already know." He placed his hand on top of hers, rubbing his thumb against her skin. "You bring different qualities than Gabby, and she brings her own as well." "Like what?" She couldn't help but ask, her mind beginning to see the logic of what he was saying. There was so many aspects to any job, especially one as unique and chaotic as hers. Despite slowly starting to agree with his words, her own curiosity got the best of her. She wanted to know what qualities he was thinking of, pushing down the thoughts that were telling her to be quiet. "You're patient, level headed. You bring a calming presence to your victims." With each compliment Sylvie's cheeks became darker, but at the same time her heart grew and grew as well. He was right. While Gabby certainly never showed any signs of being rude or uncaring to the injured, sometimes she has caught eyes going back to her for a sign of reassurance. "Unfortunately not all paramedics can say that about themselves." He pushed back a loose piece of hair behind her ear, waiting for her response. "Right?" He pressed when she didn't answer right away. She nodded back. "Right." She echoed. Instead of vocalizing her appreciation, she leaned forward to press her lips lightly against his. "Thank you." She murmured right against his lips, so close that when she spoke they ended up briefly touching. "You knew exactly what to say." "Happy to help." A yawn escaped her lips before he could rejoin their mouths. That broke the short lasting romantic moment. They could have easily went back to kissing, but Antonio stood up, ignoring Sylvie's protests. He held his hand out, which she took while she grumbled complaints. "We could have had just five minutes.." She sighed in annoyance, but couldn't help but smile when she hears him chuckle. "And have you fall asleep on me? No thanks." He nudged open his already cracked door, letting Sylvie go in first. When she saw the bed, she realized that he did make the right decision. She really was exhausted. Changing out of her clothes seemed like it would take too much effort. After whipping off her jeans and shirt, she unhooked her bra and grabbed one of Antonio's shirts out of his dresser. She had plenty of her own shirts available, she preferred to wear his when she was sleeping. Also she knew for a fact that he liked when she wore his clothes. Antonio was still in the bathroom when she crawled into the bed and under the covers. Though her body was fighting against her, she didn't want to fall asleep until he got out. But the next thing she knew, a pair of lips brushed against her forehead, which made her eyes shoot open with surprise. She had failed at keeping herself awake. Judging by how easily she had waken up though, she must have not been out for long. "Mhm." She let out a soft noise of content as his arms wrapped around her body. "Night." She mumbled, too tired to turn around to face him. Exhaustion had really hit her unexpectedly hard. He said the same word back to her, the last thing she heard before she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

[hailey-halstead]

Mother's Day

hey, it's mother's day in the US! wrote this little drabble in this holiday's honor 😊 i don't own anything (except irene) i hope you all enjoy! ————— "I want to carry it in, daddy!" "Here, you can carry the card...." Sylvie smiled in her pillow, pretending to be asleep. She knew how much Irene loved to wake her up. And especially today, when she was filled with excitement to give presents to her. Honestly, that could have been her only Mother's Day gift and she would have been content. There were a few more whispers from Irene, which weren't anywhere close to being whispers at all. She had the typical kid whispering thing down, thinking she was being quiet when she was actually nowhere close. And with the addition of the footsteps of both her and Antonio, there was simply no way they would be able to surprise her. Of course, Irene didn't need to know that. Sylvie let out a cry of surprise when the four year old leaped on the bed, giggling madly. She held her hand over her heart, pretending to be caught completely off guard. "You can't possibly be that sneaky!" She gasped, her heart warming at the triumphant smile on Irene's face. "I'm really good!" She boasted, tilting her head up to look at Antonio. "Aren't I daddy?" He quickly agreed with her, like he always does. Their daughter had him wrapped around her finger. Not only did Sylvie tease him about it mercilessly, Eva and Diego did as well. If they were here right now instead of at Laura's, they would probably be snickering away. "Oof!" Sylvie gasped as Irene barreled into her lap. Before she could process what just happened, a card was being waved in front of her face. Instead of a generic hallmark card, it was a simple piece of computer paper that was clearly designed by a child. There were hearts and smiley faces all over, with the main drawing inside the folded card. It was of the whole family, Eva and Diego included. The mini replicas were all holding hands, with even more hearts drawn all around them. Her eyes then shifted to the other side of the page, seeing "Happy Mother's Day" written out by Irene. She knew that Antonio must have helped, as their daughter was only just beginning to write. But the chicken scratch at the bottom of the page was definitely written with no assistance. Writing her name was the first thing they had taught her, after all. And next to her name, Antonio had written his own as well. "Do you like it?" Irene asked, a hopeful look on her face. Sylvie nodded, so overcome with love for her little family that her eyes began to tear up. Irene, who associates crying with sadness, became worried and confused by her mother's emotions. "What's wrong, mommy? Do you not like your card?" The big, questioning brown eyes that Sylvie received could melt millions of hearts, she thought. Well, she might be slightly biased, though. After all she was her mother. "No, no." Sylvie shook her head, giving a reassuring smile to Irene. "I'm crying because I'm happy, baby." "Ohhh." Irene said, her face lighting back up again. Her attention was soon grabbed by Antonio, who had went to the other side of the bed to crawl in with the tray that contained what Sylvie assumed to be their breakfast. The piles of pancakes were definitely more than she could eat by herself. Also there were three glasses of orange juice, which Antonio quickly handed one over to Sylvie, for her to put on her side table, and he placed the remaining two on his respective one. "I helped make breakfast!" Irene was quick to take credit. "I flipped pancakes!" She boosted, picking up a plate, and after Antonio lifted a few pancakes up onto the plate, she handed them over to Sylvie. "She was quite the cook." Antonio said, preparing plates for both him and Irene. "I bet they taste super good." Sylvie pressed a kiss on Irene's forehead when she took the plate out of her tiny hands. After Antonio was done with the syrup, he handed it over to Sylvie, but kissed her before he let go of the bottle. "Happy Mother's Day." He whispered, sneaking another kiss before leaning back to cut Irene's pancakes. As Irene began to ramble away to Antonio about what they could make for Sylvie for dinner, with Antonio giving her his complete attention, Sylvie slowly started to eat her pancakes, filled with so much love for her family on her fourth Mother's Day.

[hailey-halstead]

Too Good To Be True

hi!!! here is a fic i've been working on this past month....dedicated a lot of time to this one! i don't own anything & i hope you enjoy! ——————— "Did I just see you yawn?" "Don't judge me, Nagel." Antonio muttered as he was looking through his paperwork. "I've noticed your eyes closing multiple times these past few hours." "Touché." She said back. In both of their defense, today had been a long and boring day. "Is it bad that I want something big to happen? Nagel confessed, hitting her pen against her desk. "I want my adrenaline to get pumping—" His phone began buzzing. Seeing it was Matt, he became concerned. Matt would never call him during work unless something was wrong. He picked up the phone immediately. "Hey, Matt. Is something wrong?" He asked his brother in law. "Antonio..." He couldn't help but straighten up at the sound of Matt's voice. He sounded grave, and judging by the background noise on his side, there was a big commotion going on. "What? Is it Gabby?!" His mind jumped right to his little sister. Matt couldn't be calling for any other reason. Gabby was his wife, after all. If he was going to hear bad news about her he would be hearing it from Matt. "Tell me where you are, I'm on my way—" "Antonio, sit down for this." "I am." He lied. He was already standing, one hand gripping his desk. Nagel was staring at him, concern on her face. "Ambulance 61 was in an accident..." Antonio slid down back in his chair, as the pounding of his heart became more prominent. Oh, God. It wasn't just Gabby, but Sylvie too. "Tell me more." He croaked out. "Drunk driver, slammed into one side of the ambulance. Both are alive." He assured Antonio. "But?" "Gabby has a few cuts and bruises, needs to get checked out at the hospital." Antonio let out a sigh of relief at the news, he could handle that. She was going to be okay. But what about... "Sylvie?" When Matt didn't answer him, Antonio's voice got louder. "Fuck, Matt! Tell me about Sylvie!" "Antonio?" Nagel finally spoke up, starting to approach him. The others in the room were all staring. "What's going on—" He only cared about Matt's response, however. He paid no attention to Nagel's questioning. "Casey, if you don't fucking answer me, I swear to God—" "It's not looking good, Antonio." Matt finally answered. "The side the driver hit was the passenger side, Sylvie got the majority of the impact. She's in critical condition—" "I'm on my way to the hospital, update me if you hear anything." Antonio grabbed his coat off of the back of his chair, and started heading out. "I will, I promise." "Thanks." Antonio responded with a short, clip voice. He wasn't in the mood for social pleasantries. Before he left the room, a hand grabbed his shoulder. It was Nagel. Frustration began to take over his body, he didn't like being kept from going to Sylvie. "What the hell is it, Nagel? It better be a good reason, or I swear to God—" "I'm driving." She interrupted him, walking past him into the hallway. "Don't want my partner to get into a car crash. Would be an inconvenience." "Okay, whatever." He followed her throughout the building. He wasn't in a chatting mood, with his mind on Sylvie. And also on Gabby as well, she wasn't badly injured, but still, his baby sister was hurt. He wouldn't be able to relax until he could see her. "So where are we going?" Nagel asked as they got into her car. "Chicago Med." He told her, checking his phone to see if he got any updates. None. His anxiety only continued to increase, and unfortunately for Nagel, she was the only one he could let it out on. "Can you step on it?" "I'm going as fast as I can." She grumbled. When they approached a red light, Antonio let out an expletive, slamming his hand down against the dashboard. "Okay, you need to calm the fuck down, Dawson." She warned him. "Freaking out won't do shit." She reached towards the backseat, grabbing a stuffed animal off of the floor. "Here, this is my daughter's. I won't tell her if you squeeze the hell out of it." He wouldn't admit it, but the stuffed animal somehow gave him comfort. "Sorry." He muttered, focusing his gaze out the window. "Whose at the hospital?" She asked quietly, a question she was probably wanting to ask even before they left the justice building. "My ex girlfriend." He answered, watching as the light turned green. "And my sister. Drunk driver crashed into their ambulance." "....How are they?" "Gabby, my sister, has a few cuts and bruises apparently. She'll be fine." His leg started to bounce, showing his nerves, as Nagel turned down the street the hospital resided on. "Sylvie......she's in critical condition." "...I don't know what else to say except that sucks." She spoke truthfully. Antonio appreciated it. Honestly it would make him feel more uneasy if she had tried to comfort him. They just didn't have that type of relationship. When the hospital was finally in sight, his hand automatically went to grip the door handle. And before he could even ask, Nagel pulled up to the front of the building. She was going to let him be dropped off. "Thanks, Nagel." He threw the words over his shoulder, hoping she would get his sincerity and not mistake it as him not caring. His mind was on Sylvie and Gabby, she had to understand. He didn't let himself listen for a potential response, dashing inside the hospital. And to his luck, he ran right into the head nurse, Maggie Lockwood. She didn't seem surprised to see him. "Antonio—" "Where are they?" He asked, his eyes already searching the interior, desperate to find his sister and his ex girlfriend. He was brought back to Maggie when she grabbed onto his arm. "Antonio. I can take you to Gabby." She assured him, beginning to drag him down the nearest hallway. "She's in great condition, up and walking around. Creating a bit of a ruckus, if you ask me—" "What about Sylvie?" At the mention of Gabby's partner, Maggie frowned. "Not good. Sylvie Brett just got out of surgery, but we don't know when she is going to wake up." Antonio stopped walking, feeling his heart fall down into his stomach. Ever since he heard about the accident, he has felt intense, loud emotions. But right now, with the news that the nurse had just given him, he felt completely numb, not knowing what to do with himself. "What?" He croaked out. Yes, he had heard it was bad from Matt. Officially hearing it from Maggie though... was like a punch in the chest. "She's in a coma?" She nodded. "That's where Gabby is, actually. Refused to leave her, said that she didn't have any family near." "Her family lives in Indiana." He muttered, rubbing his hands against his jeans to try to get the sweat off. But it was no use since the clammy feeling still remained. "Have they been notified...?" During their relationship, he never got the chance to meet Sylvie's relatives, but he heard plenty about them from her. They seemed like wonderful people, and deserved to know that their daughter was in critical condition. Maggie nodded. "Yes, they have. Unfortunately, there's a major storm where they live, so they don't know when they will be getting in." She explained. Antonio had honestly forgotten they had stopped walking, he was overwhelmed with his thoughts for Sylvie, and couldn't hold back his surprise when Maggie gently reached out to touch his arm. "Do you want to go see her?" He didn't know how much she knew about their relationship, but she probably had gotten the gist. Either way, he appreciated her kindness and consideration. Wouldn't expect anything less from a nurse of her caliber. "Yes, definitely." He quickly agreed with her. He tried to ignore the heaviness of every step he took, trying to keep his mind and motivation on getting to Gabby and Sylvie. He couldn't let his mind and body fail him now. The first person he saw when they approached Sylvie's room was Gabby, and to the right of her was Matt. After letting his eyes go over his sister, making sure that she was okay, he finally looked over at Sylvie. Seeing her look so fragile, attached to many machines, was another punch in the gut to Antonio. It was one thing to hear about it, but another to actually see what had happened in front of him. "Oh, God." He muttered, grabbing ahold of the doorframe. This caught the attention of both Gabby and Matt. His sister immediately went to his side, wrapping her arms over his waist. With the comforting presence of Gabby finally around him, his fragile emotions were triggered, and he started to rapidly blink to try to make the tears that were filling his eyes go away. He pressed his face into her hair, breathing in her familiar scent, trying to let it help calm him down. Once he was confident that he had gotten ahold of himself again, he backed away from her. He wanted to approach Sylvie's bedside now. Gabby realized this, and grabbed one of his hands for support. He squeezed her's right back, glad he had her with him. They walked slowly to the bed, as Antonio became aware of how fast his heart was beating. "Ouch, Tonio," Gabby muttered, trying to yank her hand back. "Don't take out your emotions on me, please." "Sorry, sis." He quickly loosened her hold on her hand, but still keeping them interlocked. With his other hand, he gently reached out to touch Sylvie's arm, which was attached to multiple IV's. Except for being slightly colder than usual, her skin felt the same as it always did. That brought some relief, being able to physically touch her and feel some familiarity. A hand was placed on his shoulder. It was not Gabby's and definitely not Sylvie's, so Antonio assumed it was Matt, since he was the only other person in the room. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that he was correct. Matt Casey stood behind him, with a chair. "Thought you might like to sit down." Matt offered, pushing the chair closer to Antonio. He gratefully accepted his brother in law's generous deed, sitting down in the chair, scooting a little closer towards the bed. "This might all still be a shock to you—" "Honestly, Matt, I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to be feeling right now." He interrupted the firefighter, noticing his own temper beginning to rise. The hospital was definitely not the place for him to let his emotions take over. So instead he focused on rubbing small circles on Sylvie's soft pale skin with his thumb, hoping that somehow the tiny action was helping her as much as it was him. At the thought of her own thoughts and feelings, Antonio began to feel slightly uncomfortable about being here. What if Sylvie didn't even what him to be with her? Christ, they hadn't spoken in weeks, only hearing about each other from Gabby. They ended their relationship on good terms, no hatred between them. But he didn't know if she had changed her feelings for him in the past few weeks. What right did he have to be here? He let go of Sylvie's arm, getting up from the chair. This action confused Gabby, who immediately got in front of Antonio right when he turned around. "Where are you going?" She asked, before concern taking over. "Do you need to step out for a minute?" She was acting so sympathetic and gentle to him, it was really mind boggling. Yes, Gabby loved Sylvie and Antonio both individually, but he knew that she wasn't the biggest fan of their relationship when they were together. They were broken up now, why was she acting like this? "Gabby, I shouldn't be here." He explained, pushing the chair to the side. "Who knows if Sylvie even wants me here, since we haven't spoken in weeks! We said we would check back in, but I have no idea where we stand now. I should keep my distance. Please keep me updated, though." Gabby was staring at him with an unreadable expression. Her mouth was dropped open though, showing shock. Apparently, she knew something that he didn't. "What is it, Gabby?" He questioned, watching her eyes widen. She remained silent, seeming to have trouble gathering her words. "I thought you talked to Sylvie yesterday..." She slowly began, her eyes going back and forth between Antonio and Sylvie. "I haven't spoken to her in weeks." He corrected her, finding it harder and harder to ignore the ball of anxiety forming in his stomach. He wanted Gabby just to come out and say whatever was on her mind. As it obviously was important. "Well, she told me that she called you. I guess she was lying." Gabby frowned, the information he gave her seeming to derail her from what she had actually planned on saying. "Forget it, then." But Antonio was already scrolling through his missed calls. Gabby was right on one thing, Sylvie did call him. He then checked his voicemails, and right on top was Sylvie's name. "I had no idea she called...." Antonio voiced aloud, taken aback. Despite Gabby's protesting, he left the room to listen to it, wanting to both hear what she had to say, and also just hear her voice. When he pressed listen, he realized how badly he had wanted to hear her beautiful voice. He was so wrapped up in it that he didn't hear the first part of what she said. "...so I don't know if you're on the same page or not, since we haven't spoken in weeks," She sounded very nervous. He wished he could ask her why. He couldn't help but look back into the room, where she was laying in the bed. He turned back around, focusing on just her voice. Like she was okay, and not in a coma. "....But even if you're not, I have to say something. This is driving me crazy." Her voice slightly broke on the other line. "You drive me crazy. And I think we can make it, you know? Like I said before we ended things, we were so good together. And I think we still can be." She let out a loud sigh, sending a shiver up Antonio's spine. "What I'm trying to say is, I miss you, and we should get back together. Um, if you don't want to, please let me know. I'll see you soon." The call ended. Holy shit. He was able to look down at the phone, looking at the details of the voicemail. It was from yesterday, less than 24 hours ago, even. He racked his brain, wondering where he was when he got the call. Around seven.....he was at Molly's, enjoying a drink with Peter. He couldn't remember ever getting a call, though. But......God. If he just answered the damn phone, everything could be different by now. He could have went to Sylvie's place, caused her to oversleep or whatever, making her late for work the next day. They could have been a second too late on the collision....meaning that they would have been okay. He could have— "Antonio...." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gabby enter the hallway. She reached her hands out to him, a look of anguish on her face. And also some regret. "You knew." He croaked out, raising the hand that wasn't holding his phone to wipe his teary eyes. He wasn't a crier. In fact, the last time he remembered getting this close to letting tears out was when he and Sylvie broke up. "How long did you know that she wanted to get back together?" "She only told me that day! And I knew she was going to call, but when I asked her the next day about it, she was really secretive. I don't think she wanted me to know that she left a voicemail, the anticipation was probably bothering her—" "Fuck!" He swore, kicking the lone plastic chair beside him. It was out of place from the rest of the hallway, but that wasn't even a worry in Antonio's mind. "Answering that phone call wouldn't have changed anything." She grabbed ahold of his face, sensing the guilt he was holding within. "Don't beat yourself up over this. Sylvie wouldn't want you to." He flinched when she brought up Sylvie, a hard punch into his stomach, but he needed to hear that to get his head back on straight. Focusing on Sylvie and her recovery was more important than him tearing himself apart over missing a voicemail. Even if it could have potentially been the last time he spoke on the phone with the woman he loved.... Wait. Loved? When he went back to the thought that had quickly ran past his mind, his own heart began to feel like it was enlarging as he thought about being in love with Sylvie Brett. That was all the confirmation he needed. "Gabby, I love her." As she never seemed thrilled of their relationship, even though she had begrudgingly accepted it, Antonio was prepared to further explain himself. But his words never left his mouth as his sister flung her arms around him, in an embrace. She lifted her head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes. To his surprise, her own were filled with tears. "I know. I know that now." He lifted one of his hands to wipe a stray tear away. "I should have encouraged you two to fight for your relationship more—" She began to apologize. "Stop it, sis." Antonio shook his head, not wanting her to get upset. She already has had a hellish day. "It happened for a good reason." He pressed his lips to her forehead to give her some comfort. "I really needed to get my head cleared out, you know? It was my first relationship since Laura." He ignored the way her face scrunched up when he mentioned his ex. "We were able to find our way back to each other, anyways...." He didn't say the ending part of his statement, the fact that even though they both wanted to be together, Sylvie was unconscious on a hospital bed. His phone began to vibrate in his hand. Reading Nagel's name across the screen, Antonio immediately pressed answer and held it up to his ear. "Hey." He answered the call, unwrapping himself from Gabby to take a few steps away, giving himself some space. He couldn't help but look back at Sylvie, wanting to be by her side. But Nagel wouldn't have called if she didn't have something important to discuss. "Sorry, Dawson." An apology was her greeting. "Stone needs us, ASAP." He couldn't help but let out a small sigh. Of course Stone would need them now. Nagel noticed his hesitation. "I could talk to him about just doing this myself, it's just going to investigate this house—" "No, that's not necessary." He told her. He couldn't let this affect his work. It's not like it would help Sylvie, anyways. "But can you pick me up? I don't have a ride." "I'll be there in 10." Was her response. "I'll see you then." He ended the call, sliding his phone into his back pocket. "She'll be fine, Antonio." Gabby said, putting together that he had to go back to work. "I promise." "Let me know if anything comes out." He directs her, pulling her into another hug. "And take care of yourself as well." "I will." She nodded her head. "You too." She added, stepping back from the hug and into the direction of Sylvie's hospital room. "You have Diego and Eva tonight, right? You won't be alone?" Despite the current situation with Sylvie and the emotions he was feeling because of it, he couldn't help but crack a smile at his sister's concern. She was the one who had just gotten into a car accident. He was fine, both physically and emotionally. "Yeah. I plan on telling them about Sylvie." She rolled her eyes. "Well, good. But I was more asking on the fact that you weren't going to be alone, you know." "I understood what you said." He thought it was important to let his kids know about what happened to Sylvie. Even if it had been a little shaky at first with Diego, over time both of them grew to really like her. "It's just what I plan on doing." He pulled his phone out to check the time, not wanting to keep his partner waiting. But just as he was viewing the screen, a message from Nagel showed up, saying that she was at the front of the hospital. "I have to go." He began to walk in the direction that he came from. Even though he had already requested her to tell him if there was any news on Sylvie, he couldn't help but ask again. "I want to know everything. Every update you get, text me." Instead of a tease or an eye roll, Gabby was completely serious, nodding her head. "I will. Now go focus and do your job, all right?" Antonio finally left, turning down a hallway. He was forcing himself to get into job mode. But he kept Sylvie in the back of his mind, as a motivator more than anything. Maybe in some way, his own hard work would help her get better. Which was crazy, but he was willing to bet on everything at the moment. *** "Antonio, can I talk to you outside?" Peter Stone had entered into the room a few moments ago, but had mostly conversed with Nagel. Antonio was distracted the whole time, only managing to make brief sounds to make it sound like he was listening. He had gotten a text from Gabby, saying that Sylvie's hand twitched. Needless to say, nothing else was as important as that piece of information he had just received. His attention was pulled away from his phone when Stone's hand shook his shoulder. "Antonio." He repeated. Antonio looked up to his superior, finally giving him acknowledgement. Before he could ask him what he wanted, Stone gestured to the door again. "Hallway." He pushed himself away from his desk and got out of his chair. As he passed Nagel, she gave him a sympathetic smile. Usually it would be a snarky comment, but unlike Stone, she knew what was going on in his personal life. Once they were in the hallway, and Stone closed the door behind them to give them even more privacy, he revealed his frustration on Antonio. "What the hell is going on with you, Dawson?" This was exactly what Antonio didn't want to happen. He was trying to keep work his number one priority, but it was proving itself to be harder than he originally thought. He couldn't stop thinking about Sylvie, trying to think of anything he could do to make her better. Problem was, that he couldn't do anything. Unlike with Diego, he had to do his job to find him. Now it was all in the hands of the medical professionals and Sylvie herself. He had never felt more helpless. And even with knowing this, he still was trying. He was tempted to be honest with Stone, but since Sylvie was still in a coma, he probably would be concerned about letting Antonio do investigations if he was still distracted. He decided to say half the truth. Omitting Sylvie completely from the story. "My sister got in a car accident two days ago, drunk driver rammed right into her ambulance. She's fine, but is a little banged up. I guess I have gotten a little distracted at times." He said, but then wanted him to know that this wasn't going to be a common ordeal. "She's getting out today, and I think that's what's been in my mind. But I assure you, I'm completely dedicated on doing my job." Stone didn't look convinced, but luckily he didn't push for more information. "Well I'm glad that you're sister is doing okay. And since I assume you didn't hear anything I told you when I was talking before, I need you and Nagel to go to the hospital to talk to a Dr. Rhodes about the most recent case we have. Got it?" Antonio nodded, reaching to the doorknob behind him to open the door. "Got it." He repeated. "We'll be heading out soon." As he turned around to reenter the room he just left, Stone called his name again. He looked back to the attorney, wondering what else he wanted to say. "Do your job, nothing else." He told him. Knowing that after he was done he was going to see Sylvie he knew he was perfectly fine with doing just that. "Of course." Antonio replied back, and when Stone didn't say anything else, he returned to the room, approaching Nagel. She was already pulling her coat on, keys in hand. "You good?" She asked as she walked around her desk. She was holding a rather skeptical look on her face. "Never better." He said, ignoring how she was now frowning. It was clear that she didn't believe him. Despite this, she followed him out of the room and they began walking down the hallway. It wasn't until they were outside that she continued to voice her thoughts. "So I can be sure that you won't be making any detours during our visit?" "Actually, I'm stopping by Sylvie's room later tonight, you don't have to worry about me sneaking off." He told her as they approached the car. He was only planning on saying that he wasn't going to visit Sylvie while they were doing work, but decided that letting her know about his later plans would get her off of his back. With that, she seemed to believe him. "Alright." She opened the car door, getting in and immediately began to start the vehicle. Antonio pulled the seatbelt over and clicked it in, as Nagel began to drive. He was enjoying the silence until Nagel decided to break it. "I take it you didn't tell Stone the truth?" She knew him well. Which wasn't surprising since they spent practically every day together. "The partial truth." "I'm going to guess that you didn't mention your ex at all." "Nope." He hoped that was all he had to say, but her raised eyebrow told him that she wanted more. Normally Nagel wasn't so damn nosy. But he felt somewhat obliged to continue since she was his partner and they should be on the same page. "It would only make him more concerned and doubt my dedication to work. Plus, it's really none of his business. Soon Sylvie will wake up and this will all be in the past." He had to admit, he usually wasn't so optimistic. But he couldn't let himself think of the worst, that would make him absolutely incapable of working. Plus this was Sylvie, if anyone could pull through, it would be her. These past couple months of being Nagel's partner had given him the knowledge that she wasn't very optimistic as well. "Of course." Was her short response, keeping whatever personal thoughts she had on the matter withheld. "Should I be honored that you told me?" "If it makes you sleep better at night." Antonio dryly responded, rechecking the message Stone had sent him with the information of the woman they were going to interview. "Aren't you a sweetheart." She acted like she was touched, briefly holding her hand over her heart. Sarcasm was truly her best friend. He appreciated their banter, as it kept his thoughts from straying to the current issues with his personal life. "That's me." He said, keeping his eyes forward as Chicago Med came into sight. Since he was still in the car, his mind wasn't in total work mode yet. He didn't want to get himself off track like he had gotten earlier when Gabby had given him the update on Sylvie. That was a wake up call to him, Stone calling him out on his recent behavior. "Antonio." Nagel's hand was waving in front of his face. He blinked in surprise as he realized that the car was in the parking lot, ignition off. He couldn't help but think how terribly ironic this was, he got lost in thought about not wanting to get any more distracted. "Sorry." He knew he didn't have to explain himself to his partner, or reassure her that it wouldn't happen again. Because no matter how distracted he unfortunately has been, once they were out on the job he was one hundred percent focused. They got out of the car, and began to walk towards the front entrance of the hospital. He wasn't entering as an ex boyfriend or concerned family member, but as a state investigator. He had a job to do. It seemed like they were done as soon as they began. That didn't mean they didn't get any information, but it was a very efficient and quick interrogation. Which was definitely a plus, Stone would be happy, but Antonio couldn't help but be proud of himself for taking on the reins of the interview, showcasing his dedication for the job. Nagel was pleased as well, giving his shoulder a squeeze as they left the hospital room. "Let's go get this information back to Stone and Valdez." She said, heading towards the elevator to get back to the first floor. He followed, eager to get back to the office to drive further into this case. Right before they entered the elevator, his ears picked up on a conversation happening a few yards in front of them. Judging by their scrubs, he assumed they were nurses. "I hate treating criminals." One of the nurses whispered, even though it carried throughout the hallway. "Every request sounds like a demand. I just want to tell him no, Christine!" Christine, the other nurse, responded. "I can't help but think of that poor paramedic on the next floor. She's always been a sweetheart to me. Oh, what's her name again?" "Sylvie." The unnamed nurse answered. "I've been trying to set her up with my oldest son, but she kept on refusing, though she was really polite about it, saying that she just got out of a relationship—" "I want some damn food! It was supposed to be here five minutes ago!" A rough, slightly hoarse, voice yelled from within the hospital room the two nurses were standing outside of. "Pretty sure gossiping in the hallway isn't part of your damn job—" The combination of the unnecessary rudeness to the nurses and the knowledge that this was the man who is the reason why Sylvie is in her coma made Antonio have no second thoughts about taking quick determined steps down the hallway. When he got to the room, the guy was going to wish that he never took a sip of alcohol that day. Before the nurses could even notice him, Antonio felt a hand grab the collar of his leather jacket and yank him back. He was stronger than Nagel, and if he really wanted to, he could have still pushed forward. But the action had awoken his conscience, and what he was about to do. Before he could berate himself for almost confronting a hospital patient, Nagel decided to do it for him. "What the hell, Dawson?" She hissed as she clamped her arm around his bicep, tugging him back towards the elevator. "I don't think giving the guy a beat down would magically make your girlfriend wake up." "She's not my girlfriend." He needed to bring that to her attention before he could apologize. She rolled her eyes as she got into the elevator, finally letting go of his arm. He couldn't help but rub it gently, feeling a little sore. She definitely had a tight grip on him. Which didn't surprise him at all. Nagel was Nagel. After pressing the button to take them down to the hospital's main floor, she turned towards him with her arms crossed over her chest. She had been taking it easy on him recently, but this time luck was not on his side. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that you don't have feelings for her then." His partner challenged. At that moment, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. He opened his mouth to reply, but a hoard of people were standing right outside, balloons and flowers in hand. They side stepped through the crowd, and once they weren't surrounded anymore, Antonio knew that he had to answer Nagel. And quite honestly, he didn't want to hold back. She was his partner, they shouldn't have any secrets between them. "I can't do that." He said with his eyes still forward, as they continued walking towards the front entrance. Out of the corner of his right eye, he could see her throw him a puzzled look. Apparently she was not expecting that type of response. She expected him to continue speaking since she was still quiet. And she was right, he needed to explain why he couldn't do her request. "I love her." He admitted this as they opened the doors and entered into the frigid cold. It was officially spring, but Chicago was not letting go of winter yet, it seems. "I'm only asking this out of concern for you," She warned him before she said her question. Antonio braced himself, whatever Nagel had to say had to be slightly harsh and blunt. It was how she rolled. He was on the more defensive side when Sylvie was concerned, and he didn't want to jump his partner's throat when she had his best intentions in mind. "This revelation isn't just because she's in the hospital, right?" She asked. The car lights flashed a few feet in front of them, due to Nagel hitting the unlock button on her keys. "Because I'm afraid you aren't thinking very logical, then." "No. If anything, they only made me finally realize that I've been in love with her all along." He explained, ignoring the urge to stop talking and clam up. Talking about his feelings was not his forte, especially when it comes to love. But with all of the stress this week was bringing, he needed this. And Nagel wasn't the type of person who wanted or needed details, she would be content with the straight, simple facts. "The voicemail was the last thing I needed to finally open my eyes to what I have been ignoring for so long." "Voicemail?" She echoed, as they both got into their respective sides of the car. Antonio was about to explain the situation, but once he saw Nagel's face again, she was holding a thoughtful expression on her face. "Ah. Let me guess, she called and left a voicemail professing her love for you." Damn, she was intuitive. Fucking annoying when it involved his personal life, but as an aspect of their job, very beneficial. "No, not exactly." He corrected her, despite how close she actually was to the truth. "She only said that she missed me and wanted to get back together." A short laugh of disbelief came out of her. At the carefree sound, he couldn't help but send her a blatant scowl. She wasn't the hopeless romantic type, he knew that, but she could be more considerate. Noticing that he wasn't too happy, she quickly sobered up and began to explain herself. "It's just that seems like something pulled out of a rom com." Despite his slight irritation, his lips turned upward into a small smile. He was never a fan of those types of movies, never tried to attain the type of love that was depicted in them. "Where the hell is the comedy, then?" He asked. Nothing was humorous about anything that was going on. The woman he was in love with was in a coma. Plus his job of investigating murders and crimes on a daily basis thrown in there as well. "Maybe it's a shitty rom com." Nagel offered. "Maybe." He echoed, leaning back into his chair. He let himself close his eyes, going through the current case they were handling in his head. He needed to keep himself focused until they returned back to the justice building. *** Sylvie was awake. Gabby had told him the news an hour ago, right as he got home from work. He was in a bad mood since Laura had the kids for the night. He made the mistake of mentioning why he was having a rough time lately. Once she heard that Sylvie was the reason he had been, at least as she put it, 'hoarding' the kids recently, she wanted to have them back ASAP. That had ticked him off, Sylvie was in a coma and obviously wasn't going to come steal Diego and Eva. He even brought up the fact that they were broken up, a fact that Laura was particularly smug about. Hearing that Sylvie was up and conscious completely flipped his mood around, though. Until Gabby told him, after a lot of hesitation and stuttering, which was very unusual for her, that Sylvie did not want to see him. He felt completely blindsided by the request. Didn't she just say she wanted to get back together with him? Despite his prodding, Gabby didn't budge, kindly saying to give Sylvie some space. After pacing around his apartment for some time, he finally allowed himself to sit down on his couch, resting his forehead against the palms of his hands. He honestly didn't expect Sylvie's waking up to go like this. He was hardly a romantic type, but all the signs pointed to an emotional reunion. When the words "She's awake" spilled out of Gabby's mouth, Antonio had immediately grabbed his keys and was halfway out the door. But she didn't want him. Even his mind, which had went through every possible bad scenario, never imagined this one happening. He was a investigator, a previous cop. Getting bad news was the usual for him. This though....this brought a complete foreign feeling in him. Heartbroken. He was heartbroken. Huh. Definitely worse than getting shot, that's for sure. He wouldn't wish this on his worst enemy. He shuffled through his options, as he was not the type to sit and mope. Forgetting about Sylvie and moving on was one of them, but with his current feelings not going away anytime soon, he knew that was unrealistic. Plus there was always the chance she could change her mind about this whole situation, although he didn't want to get his hopes up with that thought right now. Going to the hospital and confronting her face to face was the most ballsy and direct of them all. If Antonio was 15 years younger than he was now, he probably would have done it. Doing this could make Sylvie more wary and upset with him, and possibly frighten her as well. She had only woken up from the coma an hour ago after all. He was so wrapped in his thoughts that sudden banging on his door surprised him, an action he was glad no one was able to witness. Gabby in particular would have had a field day with seeing him frazzled. He ran to the door, the unknown guest giving him a sudden burst of energy. He was also eager to have a distraction from his thoughts. There was a possibly that the person on the other side was going to ask about Sylvie, but it was different to actually talk to another human being about what was going on instead of going crazy with only himself to converse with. He had plenty of ideas of who was at his door, but Matt Casey was not one of them. His sister's husband stood outside of his apartment, looking rather uncomfortable. Gabby must have sent him. "What is it?" Antonio asked, raising an eyebrow at Matt. Offering the man to come in his home and even a beverage was the furthest thing from his mind right now. He needed answers, as Antonio assumed Matt had just came from the hospital. "Gabby didn't want me to come." He quickly explained why once he saw Antonio begin to frown. "It's not that she doesn't want you to see Sylvie, and vice versa, but she thinks it might be too much—" "Matt, I don't give a damn what my sister thinks. What does Sylvie think?" Gabby certainly meant well, but she wasn't the one laying in a hospital bed. This was Sylvie's choice. "Sylvie thinks that you're reciprocating her feelings because she got in a accident." Matt uncomfortably said after a brief moment of hesitation. "She doesn't want to guilt you into spending time with her." The conversation he had with Gabby a few days earlier immediately entered his mind after Matt said this new information. After he had listened to the voicemail Sylvie had left him, Gabby expressed her doubts about the validity of his feelings for her. Apparently she still felt the same way and only encouraged Sylvie's beliefs by not saying anything. "Funny, that's exactly what Gabby thought." He tried to act casual, but annoyance seeped through his voice. This was typical behavior of Gabby, meddling in situations that are none of her business. "She doesn't want you both to get hurt—" Matt tried to defend his wife. "She's my sister, Matt. I know her intentions are good." Antonio snapped back, unable to keep his cool for any longer. "That doesn't mean this is justified." Matt opened his mouth to reply, but then closed it, thinking it was better to not say anything at all. Antonio grabbed his coat from the hanger, slipping it on. His keys were already in his pockets, so he didn't need to look for them. "Gabby isn't going to be happy." Was all what Matt said as he watched Antonio close and lock his apartment. "Sylvie and I are adults who can make our own decisions." Antonio responded back. "Gabby will get over it." "I guess we'll see how this will all go when we get there." Matt said, seeming slightly apprehensive about what was ahead. Unlike his brother in law, Antonio wasn't that nervous. These past few days had been hell with constantly worrying over Sylvie. The possibility of his reunion with her not going to plan wasn't enough to deter him. He was finally going to get answers. "I guess we will." *** Needless to say, Gabby was far from happy when they arrived. "I thought I told you that she didn't want to see you!" She exclaimed, crossing her hands over her chest. They had ran into her on the way to Sylvie's room, she was apparently going to the vending machine to get a small snack. At least that's what Antonio assumed from her rambling explanation, as she was more focused on his presence. "She doesn't want to see me because she thinks my feelings are only recurring because she went into a coma." He corrected his sister. "If she still wants me to leave after I explain myself, then that's fine by me. But you're not going to keep me from going in there." Matt stepped forward, moving his hands towards Gabby to try to calm her down. Luckily, there was no need as she let out a long sigh. Antonio knew exactly what that meant, she was going to give in. Which made this a lot easier for him, he thought Gabby was going to be harder to push. She must have already had doubt about preventing Antonio from seeing Sylvie. "Go, talk to her." Gabby waved him on. "Thanks." He knew that her response was her version of an apology. They both were typically too proud to typically say they were sorry. He finally passed her, a squeeze on his shoulder the last interaction between them before Gabby and Matt continued on in the other direction. Once he was outside Sylvie's hospital room, his first feelings of hesitation began to churn in his stomach. There was no way he was going to chicken out now, he thought as he knocked on the wooden door. He didn't want to leave with any what ifs. A soft, barely audible, voice spoke up from the other side. Sylvie. "Come in." Turning the handle, he cracked the door open enough to slip his head through. The first thing he saw was Sylvie's blue eyes staring right at him. Holding surprise and some apprehension. At least she wasn't angry. He took that as a sign to enter his whole body into the room, watching Sylvie to see if she would protest. She didn't. "How are you?" He asked, closing the door behind him and leaned against it. "Better than I was when I first got here." She said, picking a plastic cup of water up off of the side table next to her. She took a tiny sip and placed it back down. "That's something." Antonio nodded, taking a few steps forward to slide into an empty chair. He thought she would continue speaking, but the only sound he heard was his movements. "I shouldn't be surprised that you're here," She let out a small laugh, ending the silence between them, playing with the hem of the hospital gown she was wearing. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her this.....vulnerable and nervous. Discounting the fact that she was in the hospital and weaker than usual, there was certainly another reason why she was acting like this. He knew exactly what, but didn't want to pressure and overwhelm her any more than he already had. "You wouldn't have been able to stay away." "I was going to." He corrected her. He wanted to respect her wishes. But when he gathered further information on why she didn't want to see him, he knew he had to explain himself and then let her decide. "But then Matt stopped by. Said why you didn't want me to come." "Hm." She played dumb, pretending to pick lint off of blanket that was spread across her. A very familiar blanket, he had seen it before at Gabby's place multiple times. Of course she would bring it here. Antonio decided to stand up and approach her bedside, like he had done days earlier when she was unconscious. He crouched down onto his knees, not wanting to influence their conversation by standing over her. Resisting the urge to grab her hand, which would have mirrored the events of a few days ago, he kept his by his side, not touching her or her bed at all. "I listened to your voicemail. The day of the accident, a few minutes after I arrived to your room." "Antonio, you don't have to..." But she didn't finish her sentence, letting the words stay stuck in her throat. Before he could finish it for her, as he knew what she was going to say, she let herself continue after taking a deep breath. "You....you can't let this event force your feelings to change." She explained, choosing to speak her words slowly instead of letting them spill out of her mouth. "When I left that voicemail, you and I were in a different place than we are right now. I could have died. You probably thought I was going to die." "I—" "Maybe this is a sign that it's too early to check in." She mused, not bothering to hide the sad smile on her face. It was a stark contrast from how persistent she was months ago and he was the one who was trying to push her away. This was a sign to him that she wasn't just physically affected by the accident, but mentally as well. "You already have so much on your plate. Getting back together with your banged up ex is hardly the direction you should take." "I think this incident should show us both that life is too short and we should take any chance at happiness." He took a chance and reached out to grab one of Sylvie's hands into his own. Remarkably, she let him despite her earlier voiced reluctance, letting their fingers interlock like they had done multiple times months prior. "While I think the break we had was good for the both of us, I'm not letting us walk away from each other like that ever again." Doubt still lingered in her eyes, but he also saw hope within them. That at least told him that she was listening. Antonio decided to grab her chin gently, regaining her attention. He then dropped his hand back to his side, not wanting to distract her from the words he was about to say. "My feelings never went away when we ended our relationship. I bet you could say the same." He said, not letting her look away from him. "If you didn't get in this accident, I would have listened to that voicemail and dashed over to your apartment and kissed you senseless." Sylvie lowered her head, taking a few seconds to stare at hers and Antonio's clasped hands. He continued to watch her face, waiting for her to look back up again. When she did, he was surprised to see tears glistening in her eyes. "I'm sorry." She apologized, using the back of her hand to wipe the tears away. "It's been a lot to take in—" He pushed her too much. They could have this conversation another time, it probably was best to let her rest anyways. He began to stand up, letting go of her hand. But she grabbed onto his wrist before he could fully pull his hand away. He immediately stopped his movements, wondering what she wanted to say. "Can.....can you lay with me?" She asked after a moment of hesitation. Before he could protest that the bed wouldn't be able to fit both of them, she scooted over to the edge of the bed, right against the IV machine. He couldn't say no. With slow and careful movements, he crawled into the bed, making sure he wouldn't squish Sylvie. The doctors haven't told him or Gabby any details about her injuries since they weren't family, so he didn't want to take any chances. Once he got himself situated, Sylvie shifted her own body slightly to face towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you." She mumbled, fingers gripping his t shirt. His lips automatically turned upwards at the declaration, pressing his lips against her soft blonde hair. Even with spending her past days in a hospital, it still smelled like her usual shampoo. "Do you know that was the last thing I thought of, before the car rammed into the ambulance?" Sylvie quietly said, her gentle breath hitting his neck making him get goosebumps. "I guess that's what made me so scared that I heard you had been frequently visiting and I thought this was all too good to be true." She broke out into a yawn. Only waking up hours prior, she must be exhausted still. "Go to sleep, Sylvie." He said as he began to run his fingers through her hair. They had all the time in the world to talk later. "Mhm." She made a noise of acknowledgement, dropping her head lower. It was now resting against Antonio's chest. "You're not going to leave, right?" She sleepily asked, another yawn coming out of her. "I'm here as long as you want me to." He promised. Her answer was a light snore. Letting out a light chuckle of amusement, he let his head rest back against one of the many pillows, closing his eyes and sleep then overtook him.

[hailey-halstead]

Hard days

hey so this isn't much, but i wrote this fic like a month ago.....thinking oh maybe i'll add to it, but never did! i just whipped up a quick ending. but it's something, right? :-) i've been putting my time into other fics that are more interesting to me currently! i don't own anything! (ps this is based off of the crossover episode w/ them still being together) —————— Sylvie didn't even check if Antonio was home. Right when she got off of her shift, she got in her car and without thinking, drove to his apartment. Her subconscious realized before she did that she wanted and needed to be with her boyfriend tonight. She rose her hand to knock on the door, hoping that he wasn't working overtime. And that he didn't have the kids. Even though she really liked Eva and Diego and enjoyed spending time with them, she didn't want to have them witness her like this. At this thought, she began to berate herself even more for not checking with Antonio. Well, there was no going back now. Luckily, the door swung up, revealing Antonio. And without a word, he grabbed her arm and began pulling her inside. He had to have been expecting her. The apartment was silent, it was clear that he was alone. Sylvie opened her mouth to apologize for practically barging in, but he shook his head, pulling her into his arms. That was when her walls broke, she couldn't hold her emotions in for any longer. They had escaped while her and Gabby united the couple, but even then that was minor. She buried her head into Antonio's chest, letting out the day's anguish and sorrow that she had been holding in for so long. Today was one of the worst days of her career, the amount of tragedy, sorrow that was surrounding her, enough for her to feel like she was drowning. The reuniting of the boy and Cathy was a light in the darkness, but it still reminded her of the pain of the entire day. Antonio's hands stroking up and down her back in a rhythmic, soothing motion was the only thing keeping her from collapsing on the ground. Her own fragility surprised her, she usually was able to keep control of herself to a certain extent. In no time, after she removed her head from his chest to allow herself to breathe, there was a large spot on his shirt covered in tears, and obvious wrinkles where she had tightly grabbed onto. There were distinct makeup marks from her mascara and eyeliner running as well. She placed her hands on his chest, trying to straighten out the wrinkles at least, knowing there was nothing she could currently do about the makeup smudges and tears. "Sorry about your shirt." Sylvie sniffed, looking up from his shirt to his eyes. Instead of verbally responding, he simply leaned his head down to press a kiss on her forehead. He then began to speak for the first time since she entered. "There's nothing to apologize for." "I know. But I can't help but feel bad." She replied, lifting her hands up to wipe her remaining tears away. "You're probably exhausted as well. I bet your day wasn't any easier." "We both had hard days." He reminded her. "Come on, let's go to bed." He grabbed both of her hands, starting to lead her to the bedroom. She didn't resist, knowing it was exactly what she needed. Sleep. And she knew she would get a good night's rest with the man she loved right beside her.

[hailey-halstead]

137

I got prompt 137 and so here it is! very fun to write! I don't own anything except irene:-) ——————— "This is so unfair." Sylvie complained as she helped her sister-in-law hang up the blue and pink streamers. "You trusted Stella with keeping the gender a secret, but not me?" Today was Gabby's gender reveal party, a very special occasion for both her and Matt. With first the miscarriage and losing Louie, they deserved all of the happiness in the world. Sylvie was fine with not knowing the gender until the party, despite her hating secrets. If everyone else was in the dark too. But then Gabby spilled that Stella was the only one in on the gender as well. Which Sylvie couldn't help be slightly irritated by. Why would Stella be told over her? She has known Gabby longer, is partners with her on ambo, and is her sister-in-law! And Irene's godmother! That all counted for something. "I literally told her yesterday, Sylvie." Gabby sighed as she handed up some balloons she had blown up. She originally was on the ladder, but Sylvie had freaked when she walked in and saw her five month pregnant friend hanging decorations. So she was given the job of handing things up to Sylvie to hang. "You'll find out in 30 minutes. I think you can handle that." Sylvie opened her mouth to rebuttal, but a baby's cry interrupted her. Her eyes immediately followed the sound, landing on the car seat she had brought in. Eight month old Irene, who was fast asleep previously, was now awake. Ignoring the balloon Gabby was trying to pass to her, Sylvie climbed off of the ladder, heading towards her daughter. Irene's distressed cries quietened once she saw Sylvie's face. Recently she has developed a bit of separation anxiety, especially with Sylvie. Even though, the other day when Antonio left for work, she was pretty upset. "I'm here, I'm here." She picked up Irene, holding her against her hip. Irene's hand immediately grabbed onto Sylvie's shirt, with a toothy smile on her face. A very different mood than just a minute ago. "I was just helping Aunt Gabby with setting up for the party—Ah!" A noise of surprise escaped her lips when she noticed Gabby trying to lift the ladder out of the bar. "Gabby Dawson! What the hell are you doing?!" "I'm fine." She grunted, clearly struggling. "You tend to Irene—" Before Sylvie could place Irene back in her car seat to go help Gabby, Antonio and his kids luckily appeared. Diego and Antonio caught the ladder before it could fall on Gabby. "Are you crazy??" Antonio scolded his sister, handing the ladder to Eva and Diego for them to carry to the back of the bar. "You could have injured yourself, sis!" "I'm fine." She repeated, ignoring how she had almost had a ladder fall on top of her. The Dawsons were incredibly stubborn. Well, technically Sylvie was a Dawson now too, but she could not compare to both Gabby and Antonio. "You should have seen her earlier, Antonio," Sylvie approached the siblings, keeping a study grip on Irene. Gabby gave her an irritated look, but Sylvie ignored it. After all, she didn't trust the secret of her baby's gender with her closest girlfriend. "She was on the ladder! I had to shoo her off." "Betrayal." Gabby stuck her tongue out at Sylvie. Antonio, finally noticing his wife's presence, wrapped his arm around Sylvie's waist. She switched Irene to her other side so Antonio could properly greet her. As he pressed a gentle kiss on an excited Irene's forehead, Sylvie's heart melted. Sylvie leaned into Antonio's shoulder, while moving Irene slightly over so she wouldn't squish her, feeling her own mood beginning to lift. She last saw him early this morning, as she came to Molly's to help Gabby get ready for the party. "I don't keep secrets from my husband." She laughed at the sight of Gabby's slightly annoyed expression. "I won't say a peep to Matt, though." She added, which made Gabby's face lighten. "Speaking of Matt..." Antonio pointed to the front door. Along with Herrmann and Severide, Matt and the two firefighters were entering with boxes of pizza. Behind them, was everyone else they had invited. "Holy shit, Gabby!" Sylvie spluttered out, eyes widening at the sight. "I thought this was a small gathering?" ".....My mom went a little overboard." She admitted, scratching her head. Her face lightened up with recognition. "There she is! I have to talk to her about something." She scurried off towards her. Sylvie was able to spot Camilla Dawson right away, but the person next to her surprised her. It was Stella, who was holding a pastry box. Gabby pulled them away, heading off to a corner for privacy. "You look grumpy." Antonio whispered into her ear. Sylvie sighed, not realizing that she was pouting. She prided himself in being a usually optimistic person, not letting negativity control her. But this jealously was hard to wash away. "Stella knows." She admitted to him, adjusting her hold on Irene. "I just thought if she wanted someone to help, it would have been me." "I bet she wants you to be surprised." Antonio told her. "You're the one she's been going to for baby and pregnancy advice, more than our own mom." He reminded her. "You're probably right." Sylvie sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Thanks for making me see logic." "That's why I'm here, right?" Antonio asked, which made Sylvie roll her eyes. "Ha. Ha. Very funny." She dryly replied, picking her head back up when Gabby came back with Camilla and Stella by her side. She watched as Stella carefully placed the box on the bar counter, opening it while Gabby called over Matt. "We were going to save this until the end, but I can't wait anymore." Gabby said with an apologetic smile. No one seemed to care though, eyeing the box that held the dessert with eager eyes. Sylvie wasn't aware of her own anticipation until Antonio let out a noise of pain due to how tight she was gripping his arm. "Sorry." She whispered, watching as Gabby removed a small cupcake from the box and held it up to Matt's mouth. With a big smile, Matt took a bite out of the chocolate cupcake. When he pulled away, distinct bright blue frosting was easily seen, as the crowd erupted into cheers. A boy! A nephew! Sylvie resisted her urge to step forward and pull Gabby into a hug, as the future parents were having their own moment. Instead she threw one of her arms around Antonio, keeping the other securely holding Irene. After exchanging a kiss with Antonio, Sylvie pressed one on her daughter's forehead as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Gabby pulled another cupcake out of the box. She tugged on Antonio's shirt, but he had already noticed. Gabby took a bite out of the cupcake and held the half eaten cupcake high, showcasing another blue frosting filled cupcake. "Twins? We're....we're having twins?" Matt, overcome with shock, had dropped the cupcake he was holding. Gabby leaned down to pick it up, with some difficultly since she was pregnant. With twins! Sylvie was trying to wrap her mind around this mind blowing surprise. In fact, the only one who didn't seem to have any reaction was Irene, babbling away into Sylvie's ear. And Camilla and Stella, both with smiles on their faces. "Holy shit." Sylvie finally spoke aloud. "Holy shit!" She said even louder, looking at Antonio in amazement. "I think that was a good surprise, don't you?" Antonio asked with a laugh, grinning ear to ear. Sylvie eagerly nodded, handing Irene over to him as she began to walk towards Gabby and Matt. This wonderful news was worth the wait, she thought as she wrapped her arms tightly around the both of them.

[hailey-halstead]

Learning Experience

hi guys! here is the shorter fic i have been working on :) i don't own anything! ——————— "God do we need these shots," Antonio grumbled as Herrmann placed four glasses in front of him, Nagel, Stone, and Valdez. "Thanks." He nodded to the firefighter, who was holding a sympathetic smile on his face. Obviously he had heard from the grapevine what had gone down in the courtroom earlier today. "Total bullshit." Herrmann began to rage. "That guy should have been thrown in jail, what the hell was wrong with that judge—" Before Herrmann could continue, Stone swiftly cut in to stop him. Antonio assumed trash talking a judge wasn't viewed highly in the attorney's eyes, especially in a public place. "It's done and over with, unfortunately." He sighed, downing the shot in front of him. "One of worst people I've ever ran into though. No doubt he killed that girl." "So that's it?" Valdez spoke up, giving Stone a puzzling look. "You're not pushing for more for the bastard?" "No evidence, apparently." To Antonio's amazement, Stone was seeming the least bothered of them all. "But I plan on going in other direction so this doesn't happen again. At least in the aspect of getting justice." Antonio and Nagel exchanged looks of confusion, but Valdez knew exactly what he was talking about. "Good." She nodded her head with approval. "If we didn't have work tomorrow I would be getting so drunk right now," Nagel muttered into her glass, unlike Stone sipping it little by little. But when Herrmann returned with another round, she quickly grabbed ahold of one, as if someone else was going to take two. "Did you hear about your sister?" Herrmann asked softly, the tone of his voice immediately catching Antonio's attention. Usually Herrmann was blunt and straightforward, this side of him had him concerned. And of course, the question he asked did as well. "No, I didn't." He pushed his drinks aside, leaning more over the bar counter. "Tell me what happened." The question came out more like a demand, but he wasn't in the mood for apologizing. Why didn't Herrmann say something right when he came into the bar? "You know that they had a trainee the other day, right?" Herrmann asked. Antonio quickly nodded, wanting the older man to continue. Gabby told him about having a trainee a few days ago, just a small piece of the conversation they had. But Herrmann didn't continue, instead shifting his eyes to his right. Antonio followed them, seeing his three co-workers not hiding their interest. He couldn't blame them, he would be doing the same exact thing if he was in their shoes. He particularly didn't want to keep thinking about Jackson Clark. "It's fine, go on." He was more concerned with hearing about Gabby than having a private conversation. "The trainee ended up trying to give someone CPR, cracked one of his ribs. Brett and Dawson ended up covering for him." Herrmann took the empty shot glasses and placed them behind the bar. "They have to take retraining classes." "That's it?" Antonio couldn't hold back his surprise. By the sound of it, it seemed like Gabby was in some kind of distress. "Oh, that's not how Gabby views it." Herrmann shook his head while getting a beer for another patron. "I bet you can guess how she's taking all of this." "Not well." Gabby was probably furious. He could imagine it perfectly, and the admittedly hilarious thought made one side of his lips curl upward. "Speak of the devil..." Herrmann gestured with his chin to someone behind Antonio. Before he could turn around, an enraged Gabby plopped herself down in the stool next to him. He couldn't help but notice the blonde hair of Sylvie Brett on her other side. How was she taking all of this, he couldn't help but wonder. They broke up awhile ago, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Did she think about him too...? His inner musings were interrupted by Gabby starting to complain. He quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts of Sylvie, giving his sister his attention. "Did you hear?" She asked with a scowl. He opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't give him any time to respond. During this time, he met Sylvie's eyes. Unlike her partner, she didn't seem as ticked off. They exchanged smiles, a silent greeting. Gabby continued on ranting. "—it's ridiculous! Quite insulting actually!" Antonio decided to interrupt her, knowing that was the only way he was going to get a word in. "You could use it as a learning experience." He offered, trying to give her some big brother wisdom. "You can become a better paramedic because of this—" "I'm the best damn paramedic out there!" Gabby declared, slamming her hand on the bar counter in frustration. "I don't need any stupid classes to teach me anything!" She glanced over at Sylvie, who looked simply amused. "No offense." "None taken." She shrugged. Her easygoing demeanor made Antonio wonder why she wasn't acting the same way as Gabby. She had to have a different perspective on retaking classes. "You don't seem to be too upset." He decided to bring up, cocking his head at Sylvie. He ignored the face Gabby was making in between them. Just because she was already upset didn't mean she had to throw a fit that her brother and her partner were talking to each other. She should be able to be more relaxed now that they have been broken up for awhile. Antonio realized his mistake on assuming Gabby was bothered by them talking, as she revealed her true feelings when she began to speak. "She isn't! She's actually excited!" She exclaimed, gathering the attention of nearby patrons. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Stone, Valdez, and Nagel listening to their conversation. Normally, Gabby would lower her voice when she noticed others were listening, but she was not on that state of mind. She was on a rampage. "So it's even harder to be going through this because I'm the only one complaining—" "I'm sorry! I can't help that I love to learn! And take any opportunity possible for me to become a better paramedic!" Sylvie interrupted, flushed with both embarrassment and frustration. To his own surprise, she extended her whole arm to grab his shot, swallowing it in one attempt. "Was my drink good?" He couldn't help but ask, one eyebrow raised. His question flustered his ex even more, who he could tell was just now processing her action. "Sorry, I'll buy you another one." She brought her purse onto the counter, shuffling through for what Antonio presumed her wallet. "I just saw the drink and reacted—and yeah, it was pretty good." When she tried to hand over money, he shook his head, rejecting her offer. "No need." He said as he rose his hand to wave Herrmann over. "I'll get you two drinks, you had a rough day. Well, Gabby did." He corrected himself. "Maybe I shouldn't get you one then." "Hey, I'm not one to turn away free drinks." She smiled at him, stuffing her money back into her wallet. "But I'm afraid that Gabby has ditched us." She pointed to a table on the other side of the bar. His sister was in a booth, Matt Casey's arm over her shoulder. Hardly a surprising sight. He couldn't help but wish she had given him some type of warning that she was going to leave him alone with Sylvie, as he now felt slightly blindsided. "More for me then." He managed to get out the words, concealing his nerves. Luckily, Herrmann brought them two beers in a matter of seconds. Antonio quickly took a sip, the cold liquid going down his throat immediately soothing him. "How was your day? Any retraining classes for you?" She said a light joke. Being reminded of his frustrating day made him make a face. Her face fell, but it was her next action that surprised him more. She took Gabby's empty bar stool, now shoulder to shoulder with him. "What happened?" She asked, throwing her hair back over her shoulder. Her familiar scent wafted towards him, and he couldn't help but close his eyes as he tried to prolong the flowery smell. "Antonio?" His eyes shot back open when she called his name. She was leaning closer to him, head tilted to the side. "Are you okay? We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to?" "No, no, it's fine." He allowed himself to take another sip of his beer. "It was a frustrating case. Douchebag of a guy. Jury said he was guilty of murder, judge overturned it. Never like to see people like that get to walk free." "Antonio." Stone had a warning tone in his voice. Antonio looked past Nagel to meet Stone's eyes. "That's all I was going to say." He argued with the attorney. "I know what you had just told Herrmann." When he returned his gaze back on Sylvie, she seemed uncomfortable. Apparently she hadn't realized that his co-workers were on the other side of him. "I didn't know that you had company," She apologized, beginning to get out of her seat. "I can go—" His hand shot out to grab her elbow before she could get away. "No, stay." He said, before letting go of her, wanting to not seem so desperate. "I mean, I've been enjoying spending time with you, it's been awhile." He spoke truthfully, not wanting to skirt around the topic. It's not like he expected or had a goal for them to get back into a relationship now, he simply wanted to talk to her again. And of course, let things go from there. Sylvie's face softened at his honesty. "I've been enjoying talking with you too." She said, but still didn't show any signs of staying, grabbing her beer from the counter. "But it's obvious that you are here with them," She gestured to the trio to Antonio's right. "And I don't want to intrude." She had to know that he prefers her company over his co-workers, who he sees everyday. There was no contest. Plus some feelings for Sylvie were obviously still there, so he definitely wanted to spend more time with her. "You aren't intruding—" He tried to convince her. But to no avail. She wasn't backing down. "Text me later, or call. And if you forget or get busy, I'll just do it." She tucked a small strand of hair behind her ear, the only small sign of her nerves. "Point is, we will talk again soon, right?" She boldly reached out a hand to squeeze his shoulder, and then left to go to where Matt and Gabby were residing, not looking back. He privately wondered if she didn't want to hear his answer. There was no use of pondering, he thought as he swiveled around to face the bar again. Nagel rose her eyebrows at him, the only acknowledgement of his and Sylvie's interaction, to Antonio's relief, before turning her attention back to her phone. He presumed that she was texting her daughter, judging by the look on her face and how she was acting like the device in her hand was the most important thing in the world. Antonio didn't mind being ignored, he was slightly relieved, actually. He could enjoy his beer in silence and also be alone with his thoughts of Sylvie, looking forward to their next encounter.