Author's Note: So I did it. I wrote the one-shot I had in my head after the finale. That should be obvious or you wouldn't be reading this author's note. There is a big change from when I first mentioned this in the last chapter of Worth Fighting For though. The story is now going to be a two shot because it was turning out to be a lot longer than I originally thought it would be, and there seemed to be a natural break based on what I've written so far. I'm actually really glad I've made the decision to break it up because I think this first part probably works better on its own. Now I just wish the site would add Louie to the character list so I can add him to this.

I want to thank ourtimenow88, red08, coconut, Alex, and one of the Guests for encouraging me to write this. It was a little harder than Worth Fighting For at times, but I'm really proud of it. I hope you like it.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think.

Part One

"You were amazing, like a superhero," Susan smiled as she spoke to him.

"Oh come on. We were amazing. Never should have doubted you. This trip was a great idea," Matt told her because it had been. They had done a lot of good for the city of Chicago today, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to any of it without her guidance. The very idea that he was capable of rubbing shoulders with all these important people in state politics and getting something from them probably wouldn't have even occurred to him.

"It still is," she said, and before he even had a chance to realize what was happening her lips were on his. They were off of him just as quickly and suddenly she was putting a napkin down in front of him and walking away.

For a moment all he could do was stare where she had just been standing, completely dumbfounded. Then his eyes glanced down towards the napkin.

"Rm 301," it said. He picked the napkin up, and took a drink.

What the hell just happened?

He just kept staring off into space, trying to figure out where that had come from. He took another drink and then looked at the napkin again. Only this time he didn't really see it. Instead all he could see was Gabby's face. She was giving him a huge smile, the one that just melted his heart. God he loved that face and that smile. He never wanted that smile to go away, couldn't imagine ever knowingly doing something to make it go away.

Could Susan really think he'd cheat on Gabby? If so, she didn't know him at all. Susan had been a colleague, someone he had thought could maybe become a friend, but that was all. No matter how bad things were between them, Gabby was the only woman he wanted, the only woman he could ever see himself wanting. He'd gone to her apartment that night two and a half years ago because he'd realized that she was the one, finally able to admit to himself that she had his heart, and he'd never get it back. Throwing that away wasn't even an option. During the months they'd spent apart last year, he had been miserable, not feeling truly happy or alive until Gabby was back in his arms.

He didn't want to believe he'd been sending Susan signals that he was interested in her in that way. If he had, he certainly hadn't meant to. She must have misconstrued something, interpreted it in a way she wanted to and not as what it really was. He never had and never would be interested in her like that. Either she was seeing something that wasn't there or just hoping he'd react the way she wanted him to. He wouldn't though. The price would be way too high. Gabby would never forgive him. He couldn't think of anything that was worth that risk. Some meaningless fling with Susan certainly wasn't.

If Susan thought he would go to her room and accept what she was so blatantly offering, what was Gabby thinking? He wanted to believe that his girl knew him well enough to know that she was everything to him, that this trip was just business, that he could never betray her, but looking back, the expression on her face and tone in her voice when he'd told her that he and Susan would be coming here, made him wonder. She'd barely said two words to him since then. Not that he had made much of an effort either, her words earlier having cut like a knife. He wasn't sure if on her part it was because of this trip or the argument, if you could call it that, they'd had right before he'd told her he was going out of town or both, but did any of that really matter when they loved each other so deeply? At that moment, he knew exactly what he had to do.

He threw the napkin down, reached for his wallet, and grabbed some bills throwing them on the table. He hoped it was enough to cover the drinks, not wanting to wait for the bill. If not, well he supposed they had Susan's room number.

Once that was done, he grabbed his keys. He got up and headed straight for his car, not even bothering to go back up to his room to get his suitcase. Everything he had brought with him was replaceable, but the time he could be spending making things right with Gabby was not.

As he drove home, all he could think about was how he got here. He kept replaying the last few weeks and even months in his head, trying to figure out how they'd gotten so off track. He couldn't remember a time when he didn't want kids, and then when he and Gabby had gotten together, his dreams had been filled with images of the life they would share and the family they would have. If you'd told him a couple months ago, that she would have brought up taking in a little boy and he would have initially tried to brush it off as something they didn't have time for, he would never have believed it. Yet that's exactly what had happened. How had his priorities gotten so messed up?

The drive from Springfield to Chicago should have taken about three hours, but he found himself pulling up in front of the firehouse less than two and a half hours after he'd left the hotel. It was probably inappropriate for him to go to Gabby while she was at work, especially since his decision to take the shift off, didn't change the fact that he was technically her boss. He didn't really care though.

It was way too easy to find a parking space. There should be a lot more cars outside the house at this point. He quickly brushed the thought from his mind, not wanting any distractions. The only thing that really mattered was getting to Gabby.

Walking onto the apparatus floor, he noticed that even though the squad table was empty, all the rigs were parked in their designated spots. Everyone should be here. She should be here. So he was surprised when he found the common room completely empty. It was a little early, but maybe they had all gone to bed. He was about to turn towards the bunkroom when he saw Connie approaching, clearly getting ready to head home for the night.

"Lieutenant," she seemed surprised to see him.

"Where is everyone?" he didn't have time for small talk. He just needed to find Gabby.

"They were let off shift early. The ceremony to put Danny Borelli's badge up at the Academy is tonight. Everyone was supposed to go," Connie told him.

"Thanks," he said before spinning around and making his way out of the firehouse.

He got back in his car and headed towards Hermann's house, glad that Boden had mentioned that Gabby had moved into the apartment above the Hermanns' garage when the two men had spoken earlier. Otherwise he wouldn't have known where to find her. He had no idea if the ceremony had started, was still going on, or was over, but regardless of how desperate he was to see his girl, he had too much respect for the job and the sacrifice to interrupt the ceremony. If she wasn't already home, he would just be waiting for her when she got there.

As he was getting out of his car, another one pulled into the Hermann's driveway. He watched Hermann get out of the car in his dress uniform as he searched for Gabby. Her car was already here so either she had beaten Hermann back here or had gone with him this morning.

"Gabby with you?" he asked when he didn't see her.

"Nah. She wound up leaving even earlier than the rest of us. DCFS stopped by this afternoon. She got custody of Louie," Hermann told him.

Hearing those words, he was really happy for her. She had wanted this so badly, and she deserved everything she wanted and more. He knew she was going to be an incredible mother to that little boy, and now that it was real, he didn't have any doubts. He wanted desperately to be part of this with her. He just hoped he wasn't too late.

"Is there a doorbell I should ring?" he asked.

"No. If it's not unlocked, normally you'd have to call, but I can let you up," Hermann said.

He hoped the door was locked. He knew it wasn't technically part of Gabby's apartment, but he didn't like the idea of her living up there with an open door in front. It didn't seem safe.

"Don't worry Lieutenant. There's a lock and a deadbolt on the apartment door," Hermann must have sensed his concern.

"It's locked," a sense of relief still washed over him as he tried the doorknob.

"Just give me a moment to get the key," Hermann said. "Here we go."

He then got out of the way so Hermann could unlock the door.

"Welcome home Lieutenant," Hermann said before he went inside.

"Thanks Hermann," he smiled, his intuition telling him that Hermann wasn't referring to Chicago.

Walking up the stairs, he felt both giddy and nervous. He hadn't felt quite like this since the first time he'd shown up at Gabby's door unannounced intent on making her his. Now here he was again. He just hoped that this time he would be able to find the words to express himself. With Louie there, just thinking about that fact brought a smile to his face, he doubted that kissing her with everything he had was going to be an option this time. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he needed to tell her, so much he should have already told her.

Taking a deep breath, he reached up and hesitantly knocked. A moment later Gabby was opening the door, and he was taking her in. Her hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. She was wearing a loose fitting reddish sweater and minimal makeup, allowing her natural beauty to shine through. She was so incredibly gorgeous. Looking at her, he was convinced that there could never be a more beautiful woman not that he had ever really needed a reminder. God, he really wanted to kiss her.

Trying to read her, he gave her a small smile. She gave him a bigger one back. As their eyes met he noticed hers were watery, bringing tears to his own eyes. Then they were in each other's arms, pulling each other close. He wasn't actually sure who initiated the embrace, but it didn't matter. It felt so good to hold her again. His gaze drifted towards Louie as a tear fell from his eye. The boy was sitting on the couch, playing with a stuffed animal. He couldn't tell what animal it was, but the sight was absolutely adorable. His smile got wider, and in that moment he knew, with every fiber in his being, that right here, with Gabby in his arms and Louie a few feet away, was exactly where he belonged, where he was meant to be.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until finally Gabby broke away.

"Matt, you're here," she said almost like she didn't completely believe it, like she needed to say it out loud to make sure it was true, and that broke his heart. The last thing he ever wanted was for Gabby to doubt that she was the center of his world when he knew she always would be. Yet that was exactly what he had made her do.

"I'm here," he reassured her as he reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. "I love you so much baby. I promise I'm never going anywhere ever again."

"I love you too," she said. He could tell that she was trying hard not to cry. He wanted to tell her that it was okay to let it all out but was worried about alarming Louie. Louie. He looked over at the boy once again and smiled.

"You got him," he motioned towards the couch.

"This afternoon," she said.

"I'm really happy for you Gabby," he told her honestly. Silently, he added a "for us" to the end, thinking it was probably not a good idea to say it out loud yet. As much as he wanted to, he knew he couldn't force his way into this with her. He needed to show her that this was what he wanted and hope that she would forgive his initial reaction and let him do this with her.

"Do you want to meet him?" Gabby asked.

"Yeah," he smiled at her.

After closing and locking the door, Gabby took his hand and together they walked towards the couch.

"Hey Louie," Gabby said as they sat down on the coffee table across from him. "This is Matt. He's –"

Gabby paused, and Matt realized that she wasn't completely sure how to introduce him. He wanted to help but he wasn't really sure what the best thing to say was either. A friend? Gabby's boyfriend? He wanted to be so much more to both Gabby and Louie.

"He was there the day we met," Gabby finally said.

"Hi Louie," Matt said, his eyes watering again. Gabby must have noticed because she squeezed his hand.

"Hi," Louie said meekly. The boy looked like he could barely keep his eyes open.

"You tired?" he asked, and Louie just nodded.

"I'm going to get him ready for bed. Matt, don't go anywhere," she instructed.

As Gabby and Louie moved towards the dresser, he picked up the stuffed animal, finally noticing that it was a monkey, and moved to the couch so he could get a better view of the two of them, and sat in the spot where Louie had just been. He didn't think it was possible to love someone more than he already loved Gabby, but as he watched her be a mother to this little boy, he was overcome with a deeper love than he'd ever know.

"Night Buddy," he whispered as he saw Gabby help Louie, now clad in pajamas, into bed and then lean over to give the boy a kiss on the cheek before turning off a lamp next to the bed.

When Gabby turned back towards him, he saw her smile turn into a frown. It lasted for about ten seconds. Then their eyes locked and she was smiling again.

"I told you not to go anywhere," Gabby said softly as she approached the couch.

"I didn't," he said.

"You went from the coffee table to the couch," she explained as she sat down next to him. Taking the monkey from him, she added. "Hermann won this at the Navy Pier. It got passed down through all his kids, and when we were getting this place ready, he gave it to me as a gift for Louie."

"That was nice of him," he told her.

Watching her put the monkey on the coffee table, he thought that it would be nice for the three of them to go to the Navy Pier. He promised himself that they would do that at some point this summer. While he was touched that Hermann had given Gabby the stuffed animal, he wanted his son to have something that he had won specifically for him. His son. Was it normal for him to already feel this way after a few minutes? He wasn't really sure. He did though, and in his head, the words just sounded perfect.

"I missed you," he said as he wrapped his arms around Gabby and pulled her close. He hadn't realized just how much until she had opened the door earlier. Sure he'd known that he missed her these past few weeks. He'd been wishing she'd come home since the moment he realized that she'd gone from having unofficially moved back in to not even stopping by for a visit, but he hadn't realized just how big of a piece of himself was missing until it was back in place.

"I missed you too," she replied as she snuggled closer to him.

He dipped his head down, placing a kiss on the top of hers. It wasn't enough though, and he found himself lifting her head to give him access to her mouth. It was intended to be a more chaste kiss, but once their lips were on each other's, he couldn't resist. It just felt so good and right. He slid his tongue along her lips, begging for access. She responded and soon their tongues were dancing together as their kisses became more passionate. After a few minutes, Gabby pulled away slightly, gasping for breath. He took a quick breath himself, and then automatically started attacking one of his favorite spots on her neck.

"Matt," Gabby let out a soft moan. It was such an amazing sound, and the knowledge that he caused it sent a jolt of electricity through his body.

"Matt," she suddenly said a little louder as she pulled away.

He instantly missed her touch. Had he done something wrong?

"We can't do this," Gabby continued as she motioned towards the bed where Louie slept. "I want to. Believe me I want to, but we can't right now."

"I know. I'm sorry. I guess I couldn't help getting carried away," he replied. He'd been so caught up in her that he'd forgotten everything else. He just hoped he didn't sound too disappointed. It seemed this place had everything he wanted except actual bedrooms.

"It's okay. You know I want to, right?" judging by look on Gabby's face, he was pretty sure he wasn't the only one cursing the lack of bedrooms.

"Of course I do. You're right. We can't do anything with Louie right there, but it's okay. Just being here with you, holding you, that's enough," he wanted to reassure her. That didn't change the fact that it was true though. Sure if given the chance, he would have gladly made love to her. He loved all the incredible things only she could do to him. He loved touching her. He loved hearing, seeing, and feeling how she reacted to his touch, and he definitely loved being inside her. But after the past few weeks, being here with her, knowing that they were going to be okay and that he had a chance at the family he'd always wanted with her was all he needed. Anything more was just a bonus.

"For me too," Gabby smiled at him before turning more serious. "Matt, there's something I need to tell you. Something happened on shift today, and I want you to hear it from me."

He didn't like the sound of that. Her words and the shakiness in her voice made him nervous.

"We got called to an apartment building, and Kidd and I were searching the fifth floor when we got trapped," she continued. "They managed to get a lifeline down from the roof so we could go out the window, but there was only one. I insisted she bail out first. She was on her way down when the room flashed over. I managed to jump out the window just in time, but I only was able to get one hand on the windowsill in the first place. If it had taken them a couple seconds longer to get Severide up the aerial, I don't think I would have been able to hang on."

He tensed a little more with each word she spoke. From the moment she had brought up the idea of becoming a firefighter, his worst nightmare had been her getting gravely injured or killed when something went wrong on a call. Today that had almost happened, and he hadn't even been there. He owed Severide a huge thank you for getting her to safety in one piece, but it should have been him. Instead he had been at some conference, trying to be someone he wasn't, completely unaware that his world had just almost been completely shattered.

"Thank God you're okay," he said as he pulled her as close to him as possible, needing to feel her heart beating and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed, the proof that she was alive, that it had been a near miss and not his worst nightmare come true.

"When I was hanging there, I wasn't sure I would be," Gabby said. "I thought about Louie, and while even though I didn't know if I would get him, if I died, he would definitely be all alone again. I thought a lot about you too. About how I much I love you and how badly I wanted to see you again. I wished I could go back and change the last thing I said to you. I never should have said it; I'm so sorry. I wished I hadn't pushed you away either because it meant that I might have just spent the last few weeks of my life without you. No matter why I had done it, it just felt like I had lost precious time that I should have spent with you. I never wanted these past few weeks to be how we ended Matt, for that to be what you remembered about me and about us."

"I promise you that's not what I would have remembered. I would have remembered all the good times, how amazing you are, and how great we are together. I would have held onto how much I love you forever. This is so much better though," he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"When I got down, all I wanted was you," her words made him feel even more guilty for not being there. "I was about to call you. I needed to hear your voice and tell you I love you because I wasn't sure you still knew that. Then DCFS showed up with Louie, and I had to put his needs before mine. I never stopped wanting to call you though."

"No matter what's happened between us, I've never once doubted that you love me," he told her.

She'd made her confession about what had happened today, and now he had to make his. He'd been hoping to put it off for a while longer. He had every intention of telling her. He knew he needed to, that he couldn't keep this from her. It's just he wanted to stay in this bubble where the outside world didn't matter and it was her and him and Louie and everyone else just existed to make sure they got their happy ending. Once he told her, he'd be letting all that go. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, and he worried that this would. He just had to keep telling himself that he'd done nothing wrong, he hadn't wanted it to happen, and that Gabby would understand that. In the end, his being here would matter more than how he got here. Taking a deep breath, he started, still not quite sure how to say it.

"There's something I need to tell you too," he said as he lifted her a little so that they were once again looking each other in the eye. "I love you more than anything. You know that, right?"

"Matt, you're scaring me," her voice once again sounded shaky.

"There's no need to be scared," he said. Maybe he shouldn't have prefaced it like that. He hadn't wanted to make her nervous; he just wanted her to keep the fact that he loved her in mind, hoping that it would make what he had to say easier for her to hear.

"Something happened before I left Springfield though," he continued. "Susan and I were talking about how the day went and out of nowhere she kissed me, gave me her room number, and left. I wasn't expecting her to do that, and I certainly didn't want her to. I was completely shocked, but I never once even considered going up to her room or kissing her back. If I'd had any idea that she intended the trip to be anything more than business, I never would have gone with her no matter what I could do for the department. You are the only one I want. That's never going to change."

"You weren't even the least bit tempted? She's beautiful," Gabby asked quietly.

"Babe, she can't hold a candle to you," he watched a hint of crimson creep into her cheeks as he spoke.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as he tried to read her reaction. Then Gabby spoke again.

"You really didn't see it coming?" she didn't sound surprised by what he had said. Maybe a little relieved but not surprised.

"No. Did you?" he asked.

"Of course I did. I can't believe you didn't," she let out a little laugh. This was going so much better than he had hoped. "It's been obvious from the moment she showed up here that she wanted you. The way she looks at you. I mean she's practically been flirting with you right in front of me. You have no idea how many times I've wanted to kick her ass or tell her to just shut up and go away. I can't believe you didn't see it. I always just thought you were too polite to say anything and that you were starting to embrace your political career and thought you needed her help."

He couldn't believe he had missed all that. He thought he had always been able to tell when a woman was interested in him and was flirting with him. Maybe it was just a result of how deeply in love he was; he couldn't even see another woman.

"You never doubted me?" he asked.

"No. I mean there were times when I was less sure than others, but I trusted you. I trust you, and the fact that you're here with me and not in that tramp's bed proves I was right," he was so glad that she was smiling at him as she spoke.

"Why didn't you say anything?" that was the one thing that still confused him.

"Because I trust you, and I didn't want to seem paranoid. And you were getting so into being an alderman and serving the community that way. I didn't want to anything that could mess that up," she explained.

"Gabby, I don't ever want you to worry about messing something up for me. I'm the one who messed things up here. When Susan left the bar, all I could think about was you, and I realized something. All I wanted to do was help people. I never wanted to be a politician, but then Susan showed up and started selling all these big things she thought I could do. I guess I got enamored with the idea, and then I lost sight of who I am and what really matters to me. That's you and us and our family. It never should have taken what happened earlier tonight for me to realize just how messed up everything had become. I'm sorry," he explained.

"Our family," Gabby said. He wasn't sure if she was asking him a question or letting his words sink in or just repeating it because she liked the way it sounded.

"Yeah," he told her. "I know I didn't react well when you first brought up fostering Louie. Not that it's any excuse, but you caught me off guard when you said you wanted to do this. I wish I could have been as enthusiastic as you were. I freaked out though, and I couldn't see how if we weren't ready for marriage, we could be ready to be parents, which was stupid though because no matter how much I want to marry you, I don't need to be married to know that I'm in this for life. I needed time to wrap my head around the idea, and I should have told you that. Instead I just said the first thing that came to mind without really thinking and that was based on fear. I was afraid that we weren't ready and that everything that came with this was going to be more than we could handle. That I wouldn't be a good enough father to him. It's not like I had a good example growing up. He's been let down so many times. I was scared that I would just be one more person to do that.

"I was also worried that you were moving too fast with this," he continued. "Gabby, you have a huge heart, and you care so much. And because of that, you don't always think, you have a tendency to act based on emotion, whether it's in your own interest or not. I love that about you. I do, but it scares me too. We both know it's gotten you in trouble before, and if this was a decision you were making based on emotion only, if you hadn't really thought about it, then it was more likely to blow up in your face. I knew if that happened, it would crush you. I needed to be sure that you were sure. I should have told you that too.

"The thing is, once I actually had the time to think about it, to wrap my head around it, I knew I wanted this too. By then it seemed like it was too late though; you were convinced you needed to do this on your own. And after watching you the past few weeks, I know that you have thought about this and you are sure, and I don't need to worry about you. I know that saying this might not be enough, that I might need to prove this to you, but I want you to know that if you'll let me, I want to do this with you. I want to be his father."

"I didn't help things," Gabby admitted. He knew that was hard for her to say. Admitting she'd screwed up wasn't something that came naturally to Gabby. "I did what I always do when things get tough, I ran away. Maybe not as far as last time, but I was running when I pushed you away. I know it's something I need to work on. I guess I have this idea in my head that if I run, it'll hurt less than if I stay and things just fall apart. The funny thing is, it always still really hurts."

"You're right, you do need to work on it," he agreed with her. "And as much as I'd like to think that we're never going to have a fight or disagreement again let alone have any more serious problems, I know that's probably unrealistic so I need to work on finding a way to stop you from running. Not just because it hurts every time you do, although it does, but because it won't just be us anymore. If we start falling apart again, it's going to affect Louie and that's not fair to him."

"I'm sorry," she told him.

"I'm sorry too," he wrapped his arms around her and once again pulling her towards him. He was glad they were having this talk, getting everything out there so that they were finally on the same page again. He wasn't actually sure that they had truly been on the same page since they had gotten back together. They should have done something like this a long time ago.

"Matt, you know how you said we weren't ready to get married?" Gabby asked after a few moments.

"Yeah," he said.

"I didn't realize that was how you thought I felt. I never meant to make you think that," she started to explain. "You know how you said you got scared when I brought up fostering Louie. Well, that's how I felt when you brought up the idea of us getting married and me moving to Engine. You have to understand that except for the past few weeks, I have been so incredibly happy for months. The last time I was that happy was two years ago. Then things started to change. I was about to become a firefighter. We were about to get engaged. Then on what could have been one of the best days of my life, that damn warehouse exploded and my world slowly started to fall apart. Yeah the good things still eventually happened, but my best friend was dead and we couldn't figure out how to balance being a couple with our working relationship. That left me afraid of change. Yes, getting married would have been a good change, but I kept thinking that any change, even a good one, might open the door for everything changing again, and what if once again I wasn't as happy as I was in that moment. You said earlier that you didn't need to be married to know that you were in this for life. I feel the same way so I saw marriage as a scary and unnecessary change, and if it was unnecessary, then it wasn't worth the risk.

"The thing is I know now that I was wrong to be afraid of the good changes. I may have been trying to avoid change, but I made change happen anyways when I decided I wanted to foster Louie. Even before that when I encouraged you to run for alderman and probably in a lot of other ways too. I just didn't think about it like that probably because none of those things happened two years ago. What's more I finally know that the good changes can be worth it. Right here, right now with you and Louie, I'm happier than I've been."

"I'm glad. Few things matter more to me than your happiness. Although I'm beginning to think we might need to add making sure we're both on the same page and making sure the other actually understands what we're thinking to the list of things we need to work on," he told her, making a mental note to start planning another proposal. Her words indicating that this time, he'd get the answer he had been hoping for at Mouch's wedding. Maybe he should have just learned that bringing up the idea of them getting married at someone else's wedding wasn't the best idea. He'd done it twice now, and neither time had gone well. This time it would though, and he was going to need to make it better and more memorable than his first two proposals, bringing up the idea at Mouch's wedding didn't count, because this time was going to be the last time. There was no doubt in his mind that once Gabby's ring was back on her finger, it would never be coming off.

"Maybe," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything. Always," he replied.

"Don't take this the wrong way. I'm just curious," she began. "I had the hardest time convincing you to run for alderman. You didn't think you were the right person for the job even though I knew you were. Then Susan came along and started talking about you being someone who could make it to higher office, and you were board. Why was it so much easier for you to listen to her saying you could do something than it was for you to listen to me?"

"Because she was a stranger. Gabby, your support and your faith in me mean more to me than anyone else's ever could, but you're also biased. I knew that no matter what, you were on my side. Susan had never met me, and this was her job. She wasn't seeing me through the eyes of someone who loves me but through the eyes of someone who works with politicians and makes them successful. I figured that if someone who was coming at it with perspective felt that way, then it was more likely to be true. Not that I thought you believing in me meant it wasn't true, but you didn't exactly know what we were getting ourselves into and you only see the best in me. Her view was supposed to be based on knowledge and instinct. Although I guess now I'm not so sure. Your view was based on love. That I know for a fact," he wasn't really doing a good job explaining this. He didn't really know how to put it into words.

Gabby just nodded and then let out a yawn. She was so cute when she yawned.

"Tired?" he asked as he looked at his watch. It was well after midnight. They'd been talking and cuddling for hours. With shift that morning, she would have gotten up early too. She must be exhausted.

"Yeah," she said.

"I guess I should get going then. Let you get some rest," he didn't really want to leave. He hated the idea of being anywhere but here. At the same time, he didn't want to overstep, and even though he knew they had made a lot of progress tonight, he didn't really know if she was ready for him to spend the night with her and Louie.

"Do you want to leave?" she asked. She sounded upset.

"No. I don't want to be anywhere where I can't hold you in my arms, but I don't want to do anything that could get you in trouble with DCFS or that you're not ready for," he explained.

"Good because I don't want to be anywhere but in your arms. Don't worry about DCFS. They'll understand," she told him. "Now the only place I want you going is to get your suitcase and then come right back up here."

"You want me to go back to Springfield?" he asked her even though he realized that she just assumed his suitcase was in his truck.

"What?" she asked.

"I was in such a rush to get here that I left everything I had brought with me at the hotel. This seemed far more important than any of it," he told her.

"Oh Matt. I love you," she leaned over and placed a peck on his lips. "I wish I had clothes for you. There's not a lot of room here so I left most of our things at my old apartment. I think I have a t-shirt I stole from you, but everything you actually left there is still there."

"Well I couldn't have had a lot there to begin with. We were almost always at our place," he told her. As far as he was concerned, the fact that she had moved out and never officially moved back in didn't make his apartment anything less than their home. Even when they weren't together, he thought of it that way, and since getting back together, they had spent most nights there, usually only winding up at Brett's place, he had never been able to see it as Gabby's place, if for some reason is was convenient. If he was being honest, he hated spending time at Brett's. The very fact that she had a room there was just a reminder of the awful months they'd spent apart.

"You'd be surprised," she said. "I should have a toothbrush for you. We'll have to figure everything else out tomorrow though."

"That's fine," he replied.

She headed into the bathroom, and he stripped down to his boxers before following her. For a moment, he just stood there, leaning in the doorway, watching as she took her makeup off.

"Come here," she said once spotted him in the mirror. She reached into a drawer, and handed him a partially open package of toothbrushes. "Take your pick."

After brushing his teeth, he continued watching her as she got ready for bed. He did have to turn away as she changed though, feeling himself starting to get aroused at the first glimpse of her perfect body. He had to control himself. There couldn't be a repeat of what happened when he got carried away earlier. Once she was finished getting ready, Gabby took his hand and led him towards her bed.

"Matt, I'm really glad you're here. I know I said I was doing this without you. I do think I could, but it'll be better with you," Gabby said as they got into bed. He hoped that this was her way of telling him that they would be doing this together. "Everything is better with you."

"I feel the same way," he replied.

"That you make everything better?" she was smirking at him.

"No. That you do," he said as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close to him as possible. With her in his arms, he had no doubt that this was going to be the best night's sleep he'd gotten in weeks.

"Matt," Gabby said again a minute later. "You're going to be an amazing father. I've never doubted it for a minute so don't doubt it yourself. Louie's lucky to have you."

Author's Note: I know I changed a couple of things compared to what happened on the show. The biggest one is the timeline. I had it in my head that they had gotten that last call in the afternoon. When I went back and rewatched the scenes around it (I refuse to delete the episode from my DVR so that I can just keep watching that last Dawsey scene over and over and over again) to make sure I had all the details for when Gabby told Matt about it, I realized I was wrong and that the call came in at the crack of dawn near the end of the full 24 hour shift. I was going to have to take something out of Part 2 if I went with the actual timeline on the show so I decided to just stick with my incorrect memory. The other thing I changed was how Gabby was hanging from the building. I wasn't actually sure how to describe what happened on the show so I used something I could actually word instead. Hopefully, none of that interfered with the story too much.

For those of you who read Worth Fighting For, I hate to keep delaying it, but my plan is to finish this first so that I don't have to try to juggle both stories. I'm hoping to be able to get Chapter 10 up in the next week or so, but I make no guarantees. In the meanwhile, stay tuned for Part 2 of this story.