Alright guys! Here is my new story! I promise it's much happier than This Is What You Get and if you haven't read that one yet…please do :D hehe just a little self promotion!

I can't guarantee that updates will happen quickly, I am going to be very busy at work but I'll do my best.

This is very much Dawsey…from start to finish so please review! Let me know what you think!


Chapter 1 – Blinding Lights

Gabby groaned as she dropped herself onto her bed early that morning, it had been a long night, not just with calls but also with dealing with the others in her firehouse. They were childish, misogynistic, egoistical and all around dicks. She hated being there and wished with everything she had to find a transfer but no matter what she did, everywhere she looked, no firehouse in the city of Chicago was looking for a new PIC.

Firehouse 105, Austin, was the typical old boys club, they didn't like new comers and they especially didn't like woman on the job, medics or otherwise and being that she was the only woman in the firehouse, she copped most of the brunt of the jokes, sideways glances or the flat out rude comments. She could look after herself, Gabriella Dawson was the last person you wanted to fuck with but it was exhausting, putting up with their shit. She hated it but it was job and she liked her job.

Her partner, Andrews, was an all right guy, when it was just the two of them, he was great, funny, easy to get a long with but when he was in the house, which was most of the time because lets face it, Austin was not a very busy house, he was just like the others, laughing at their comments, snickering when she was around.

She spent much of her time on her own while in the firehouse, something she didn't really mind about; she had her laptop or her phone, she would read a book or just spend some time resting. But it was getting exhausting, being alone for log periods of time was not fun and when she felt as though she wanted to be close to the people around her, she couldn't, the conversations would quieten down when she walked into the room or just stop all together. She would just end up rolling her eyes and moving to the ambo to 'clean up' or the gym, just to keep herself busy while on shift.

So to say she was tired was very much an understatement but she was home and ready for bed and happy to have the next two weeks as leave, she had deserved it and had actually demanded it. She needed a rest, she needed to spend time with her niece and nephew, she needed to have some time to herself, she needed to relax.

And relax she would, she had planned on doing nothing over the next few days, maybe get a massage and get her nails done but other than that, she was going to sit on the couch, in track pants and do nothing.

She could not wait.

Gabby sighed as she let her muscles relax against the mattress, rolling over she looked at the empty side of her bed, sighing once more. It sucked that it was empty, she really didn't like it but it was and there was nothing she could do about it. But she wanted to so badly to wrap her arms around the person laying next to her, hold them tightly and never let go but instead she had a pillow to hold and an image in her mind.

But she would sleep off the sadness and wake up later that afternoon ready for the days that were waiting for her, nothing planned, quiet nights and sleep, all the sleep she could want.


Matt smiled as he looked down at his sleeping niece, her long mop of blonde hair splayed out over his legs, snoring lightly. She had fallen asleep half way through the movie, constantly saying she wasn't tired but that was clearly a lie, she was just trying to get more out of her Uncle Matt than what was agreed, to stay up later than her usual bedtime, and to say that Matt had folded easily was far from the truth, he had crumbled like a sandcastle being washed away by a wave.

He had jumped at the opportunity to babysit Violet when his sister had called early that morning as he was finishing up shift, happy that she had thought of him, happy that he would be home to look after her, happy to be spending some time with the girl that he didn't see very often.

So he was willing to give her whatever she asked for; it was their secret.

His house had become quiet, Hallie had moved out almost 9 months ago, their differences getting the best of them, he wanted kids, it was that simple and she didn't. It was something that he wasn't going to compromise on, she had compromised on a lot in their relationship but that was one thing that wasn't up for discussion. And so she had packed her things, moved out and left him with a quiet house and a hole in his heart.

Did he love Hallie?

Part of him probably always love her, they were going to get married, she was his first real, serious girlfriend, they had been together for almost 8 years, of course part of him still loved her but when he sat their and really thought about it, he knew what he wanted and that was a girl how had things in common with him, who could laugh with him and joke, who wanted the same things with him.

And she was not that girl for him, they had always had fun together but he wanted more than fun now.

"Uncle Matt?" Violet's sleepy voice pulled him from his thoughts, looking down he found her staring up at him, her eyes tired.

Matt smiled, "You ready for bed kiddo? I know I am…" He was tried, he wanted to sleep, but if she wanted to stay up, he would stay up a little longer. He was pretty sure she mumbled something about bed and so he lifted her easily into his arms, carrying her to the spare room, where she curled into a tight ball and was asleep before he had even left the room.

Matt smiled as he moved towards his own room, he loved having Violet in the house; it made it seem less large; less quiet and as he laid his own body down on his bed he sighed, he was lonely, he wouldn't deny that to himself but as far as anyone knew, barring his best friend Kelly Severide, he was happy in his life. Which he was, he had a great job that he loved and a family that he loved, a home and close friends but he wanted someone to spend his days with.

Matt wanted someone he could come home to, someone he could look forward to walking through their door after a day at work, someone he could curl up with on the couch, to hold in his arms, to kiss…someone to love.

Sighing, Matt curled over into the side of the bed, his arms wrapped around the pillow at his side, letting his mind slip into a sleep filled with bright eyes, a smile and a laugh that he could have easily fallen in love with.

Casey blinked through darkness, sparks of light flaring every now and then, lighting his way as he searched through what he really hoped was an empty apartment building. It was early morning, around 4am when they had gotten the call, throwing them all out of their beds and rushing towards the scene, not really know what they would find, how bad or how crazy. And as truck 81 pulled up, Ambo 61 and Squad 3 behind them, they could tell this wasn't going to be an easy one. The building was fully involved, smoke pouring from the windows, flames licking the bricks as it looked for any form of oxygen possible.

"Everyone is accounted for except one girl! I saw her come home last night but I don't know where she is now! She is room 305!" one of the people living in the building called out to Boden, frantic that the woman had not been with the rest of the group. Boden had looked towards Casey, a silent order for a quick search, sending him and Hermann inside, while Otis and Cruz dealt with the back of the building, starting their search there.

And that was how Matt and Hermann found themselves thumping their way up three flights of stairs, hoping that looking for this girl wouldn't end in disaster. "Hermann! Door is locked, open it!" Casey called out to Hermann, watching as he lined up, ramming his foot against the door, watching it explode off its hinges.

Low and slow, Casey and Hermann made their way into the apartment, hoping that it would be an easy find, but she wasn't there, "Gonna check the other room lieutenant!" Hermann called out, Casey sending him a nod, heading in the direction of the bedroom.

As he crouched lower, Casey could feel the heat on the back of his neck, it was getting bad very quickly in that apartment and if they didn't hurry up, things would only get worse. "Fire Department! Call Out!" He waited, a fleeting hope that she would be awake enough to respond, but with the heat of the fire and thickness of the smoke, he knew that it wasn't likely.

Move around he check all the common places that people hide, a thought running through the back of his mind that when people are in the situations, that they still hide, not run. He checked the corner, check the closet but came up empty, but something deep inside of him was telling him that she was there, he was in the right place; he just had to keep looking. "Came up empty Casey!" Hermann was now behind him, calling out as loud as he could.

"Copy!" Casey turned on his heels; something by the window caught his eyes, a hand, outstretched on the windowsill. He had found her; she was so close to him, "Got her!" He rushed over to the girl's side, her body lying awkwardly on the floor, her hand still by the window, as though she was trying to reach for the latch but had been overtaken by the smoke. "Got her chief! We are coming out! Get the medics ready!" Casey called into his radio, his arms encircling around the girl as though she was weightless, "I got her Hermann, let's go!"

And with her in his arms, both men rushed from the building, hearing the walls creak and the structure struggling to hold up anymore. With one foot in front of the other, Hermann and Casey found themselves already by the bottom level of the building, the girl in Casey's arms moving a little, consciousness coming back to her as they moved, he felt her hand grip tightly at his jacket, clearly she was scared, it reaction most people had if he was carrying them out of a fire.

As they reached the outside of the building, Shay and Brett were already waiting for him, their gurney waiting for the girl to be placed down. Slowly Casey placed her down on the white mattress, feeling her untangle from his grip as he did so, his free hand now able to throw off his mask. There he took a good look at the girl, Shay moving around her, assessing her before moving.

She was young, a few years younger than him, dark brown hair that even though was covered in soot and ash and sweat, framed her face well. He skin dark, even in the darkness of the morning he could tell she had dark her. Above her eye was a deep gash, dried blood already forming around it, it looked angry and painful.

Casey took in her dress, part of him not able to stop himself from looking over her, wanting to see for himself that she was actually all right. Her sleep attire allowed him to do so, the t-shirt she wore would only sit high around her thighs when standing and so while she lay on the gurney, knees bent, it barely covered any of her body, but from there he could tell that there wasn't much of a scratch on her, other than on her head.

Slowly he heard her groan, his eyes rocketing up to her face once again, Shay whispering calming words to the girl as her eyes fluttered open, fear taking over instantly as she looked around, unsure of what had happened and how she had gotten there. She gave a sharp intake of breath, her hand moving directly to her forehead, but Shay stopped her, "It's alright hon, you're gonna be fine. We are going to get you checked out."

As the girl focused on Shay, she blinked, as though she was trying to process what she had just said. "You were in a fire, the guys pulled you out, you're gonna be ok." At that sentence the girl looked around again, this time her fearful eyes focussing on Casey, she found him standing at her side, his hands on the gurney, ready to help Shay if it was needed.

Then it happened in an instant, the girl reached for Matt; her hand tightening around the forearm of his jacket, fear washing over face as she did so. "You're ok, the girls are going to take you to the hospital, you're gonna be fine…" Casey spoke softly to her, hoping that he could reassure her as much as possible. Slowly he pulled his arm from her grip, instead reaching for her hand in his, holding on tightly as Shay finished up her assessments, Casey's eyes never leaving the girls.

"Alright, let's get her into the ambo." Brett spoke quickly, she was stable, she was fine but they wanted to get her head checked out to be sure. As they started to move the gurney towards the back of the ambo, Casey's arm outstretched, the girls hand still in his as he did so, she was holding onto him, she was holding on to him so tightly that he actually hated to let go. But as they got further from each other, their hands separated and Casey watched her being loaded into the back of the ambo, her hand now wiping away the tears that he had assumed had started to fall.

Casey stood there for a few moments, trying to understand what had just happened; it wasn't the first time someone had become attacked to him after being pulled from a fire, most of the time it was kids who wouldn't let go but the girl seemed so scared that she needed him. He didn't mind though, people reacted different ways after being in the situation she had been in, he just hoped that he had given her some sense of peace as she lay on that gurney, but now he couldn't stop thinking about her.

Her face, her eyes, her body; and as he continued to go about his job while on that call, that girl sat in the back of his mind, her eyes burned into his brain, the memory of how she looked at him and also just how she looked. She was beautiful, even after being stuck in that fire, he could tell she was beautiful, but he had to get her out of his mind, he had to stop thinking about her. He figured once he left that scene, wrote up his report, and left for the day, she would be a distant memory, a girl he saved, a girl who was thankful for him saving his life, a girl he would never see again.

Oh how wrong he had been; Matt wasn't going to have time to get back to sleep once they finished up at the call, it was most close to 7am, shift finished at 9, and they were headed back to the house. Most of his men complaining about being hungry, some talking about how long of a sleep they were going to have when they got off shift and home. But all Matt could think of was having a shower, writing up his report and closing his eyes.

He hadn't been sleeping well recently, his mind running over all the things that he could have done to save his relationship with Hallie, thinking if it was even worth saving. Sure he loved her; he loved her so much but she was essentially asking him to give up the one thing he truly wanted in his life and that was kids. He wanted to be a father, he wanted to have a family with the woman that he loved and Hallie had flat out said she didn't want kids.

Now had she mentioned that 6 years ago, he may not have been so quick to continue a relationship with her, or maybe he would have and he would have just hoped that she would change her mind, people grow up and change all the time. But it was clear, after he had delivered the baby during the highway accident, after he had told her how amazing it was and how happy it had made him, that she hadn't changed her mind, she still didn't want to have kids.

He loved his niece, Violet was his world, he wanted what Christie had, he wanted that family and he took every chance he could to look after her, days and nights, he just wanted to be around her, he made her happy. Today marked 7 days since he had babysat her last, yes he counted the days between until he saw her again. Violet helped to cement his thoughts of wanting his own children, his own family, his own life.

And just like that, his whole world came crashing down on him, everything he hoped for, everything that he wanted with her was gone. He now had to start again and he was 30…it's not like it was easy to find someone to fall in love with and have a family with. He sighed, rolling back his neck as he let the pain slip away, his mind trying to focus on the report he was supposed to be writing, instead his mind slipped the to the girl he had pulled from the fire.

There was something about her, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, he never really gave a second thought to victims in calls, it was better that way or else you start to drown, you lose focus and he couldn't allow himself to do that, he couldn't lose focus on the job or his men, but this girl, he was losing his focus and it was because of her.

It was now almost 9, he needed to make a move or else he would be stuck there for another few hours, finishing off the report he wasn't able to finish. That girl was still on his mind, she was just there, he could see her face, see the fear in her eyes as she looked at him, the soft touch of her hand in his as she held it tightly. He could go to the hospital to see her. No, he can't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He wouldn't go to the hospital to see her.

He ended up driving to the hospital to see her.


Ok so this is the first chapter…not very long but I am hoping that they will get longer as I go. Please let me know thoughts on this, I'm very hesitant as it's the first chapter.