A/N: Hey guys, I just redid this chapter slightly to include Shay in the ambulance call to make it more realistic. Hopefully you enjoy! New chapter up by the end of the day.

Also, this isn't a songfic per se, but I highly recommend listening to this song. It relates to the story beautifully. HalfNoise - Don't Lie To Me. watch?v=t2as0Ypye9g

It was an early start for Dawson; Shay was making her wake up at a prompt 5:30am so they could get to the firehouse early and make their renowned Shawson pancakes before anyone else arrived, specifically Mouch. He ate like a mammoth in the morning.

Gabby grumbled out of bed to the constant calls from Shay, clearly uncertain of her reluctant promise to wake up especially early. Dawson reached for her phone and answered Shay's fifth call.

"…Urgmm."

"And a good morning to you too! You up yet? We gotta get going!" Leslie's ever so enthusiastic response to her tired groan just made Gabby loathe the idea of going to work even more.

"Fine, fine. Meet you at the station in half an hour. This is so not worth pancakes." Gabby muttered under her breath before getting changed. After reaching the fire station, it only took one look at her eager best friend to lift her spirits - Shay, armed with croissants and pain au chocolats, was clearly amused at forcing Dawson to wake up so early.

"I can't believe it! You made it!" Shay smiled and handed a yawning Dawson a croissant.

"I swear to get my revenge on you, Shay. One day." The girls laughed and walked into the fire station.

The pancakes went better than expected. As in, not all of the mixture ended up on the ceiling as a result of Gabby's god-awful pancake flipping skills like usual. The women often liked to attempt to diffuse the tension in the firehouse by getting everyone together in the morning, this time eating pancakes. It made the house feel more like a family, especially due to the stress and anxiety Hadley and the arson attacks were causing on the group. Shay even saw Severide smile this morning - something she hadn't seen in the past few days.

The firemen gathered around the table and wolfed down the pancakes; the firehouse were also graced with the pleasure of witnessing Otis' snorting on numerous occasions as the results of eating and laughing at the same time. While cleaning up, Dawson nudged Shay.

"Told you this would work".

"Heads up, Casey. Need any help?" Dawson walked towards Casey, who was sitting by the table looking particularly puzzled at the newspaper crossword. Dawson smiled, loving how a burning building is a simple task for him compared to a crossword puzzle.

"'Under siege', six letters." Casey wondered aloud, eyes still fixed to the newspaper. Dawson walked over to the coffee machine while thinking.

"Uh… Harass?" Casey's exclamation of triumph under his breath from finishing the puzzle made her laugh before she offered to make him a coffee.

"Sure." Casey looked up at her, only just noticing the smile plastered across her face. "Oh, and thanks for those pancakes. But don't think I didn't notice the half pancake on the ceiling."

Casey and Dawson simultaneously looked up to the pancake still hanging off the ceiling and then back at each other. Dawson grimaced and they both laughed.

"Yeah… That was a result of an unreliable pancake pan. Not me." The co-workers chuckled. Dawson brought Casey his coffee and they both sat down together. Dawson loved being friends with Casey but couldn't help wondering what it would be like if they were something more, and always speculated whether Casey felt the same. She still held onto the hope that one day, something could actually happen. They'll always be hidden feelings.

Casey began to ask Dawson how someone who enjoyed cooking could ever be so terrible at the easiest recipe in the book before the all too familiar buzz of the alarm went off.

"Ambulance 61 needed at 27 Vernon Park Place. Possible suicide victim."

"Let's go!" Dawson called to a complaining Shay, who was just beginning to play a game of cards with Otis and Cruz.

Dawson said goodbye to Casey and walked with Shay towards the Ambulance.

The paramedics arrived at Vernon Park Place a few minutes later and Shay knocked on the door. Surprised at not hearing anything from inside, she knocked again. The girls looked at each other, concerned - they knew all too well how this kind of situation played through.

We need to get in, now." Shay tried breaking through the door with her shoulder, but to her surprise, upon impact she found the door was unlocked. Muttering under her breath in pain, she opened the door for Dawson and they both stepped inside the house.

"Paramedics! Anyone here?" Dawson called out, walking cautiously through the building with Shay. They readied themselves for the worst; blood spatters plastering a room, heart-breaking suicide notes, a kid too young to die. They'd seen it all before, and with this job you never knew what was coming next. They searched the whole of the house, still finding nothing.

"Fuck it. It's probably just a fake call again." Shay said irritably, angry at how people chose to waste paramedics' time for fun, especially when they saved lives everyday. And choosing to report a possible suicide was just sick.

Dawson nodded in agreement and radioed the station.

"Looks like it was a fake call. Heading back now."

Shay picked up their equipment as Dawson had one last look around each room.

They approached the door to leave just as a sudden flash of blinding light exploded in front of them.