AN: Hey everyone! I'm completely fascinated by the Casey/Dawson relationship and couldn't help but let their story rumble around in my head. It takes place at the beginning of the series. Casey and Hallie are on the outs. Severide and Casey are NOT fighting, but Andy did die. A few things may not line up with the show, but let us just credit that to artistic freedom. If you are a fan of my other stories and have not yet seen Chicago Fire, turn this off now, and go watch it! It is awesome! Don't forget to review. Shutting up now. Enjoy!
Flinging her keys on the small wooden table next to the door, Dawson took off her jacket as she closed the door behind her with her foot. She let out a content sigh as she rubbed her neck, willing the tension there to be relieved. Walking through the small corridor she kicked off her shoes, landing somewhere between the couch and the kitchen and flung herself, face first, onto the couch.
The room was still covered in darkness but she felt safe and protected none the less. This was her space, a place she could put her stressful job and the sometimes disturbing experiences it brought, behind her and just breathe. As she settled a little more comfortably into her couch she reflected on the day's events.
It had been a busy day for sure, but then again she couldn't remember a day at 51 that wasn't busy. If she had to explain the day in one word, the only one that came to mind was 'draining', both physically and mentally. The first call of the day at 08:02, two minutes after shift started, was a multicar pileup that had been especially brutal. A child had been in the passenger seat of one of the cars and hadn't been wearing a seatbelt. The little boy had been catapulted through the front window and had flown onto the street at high velocity. She had only needed a quick look to know the boy had never stood a chance. As harsh as it sounded, she was almost glad the driver, his mother, had died shortly after. Thank god for small favours. At least they were together wherever it was they were.
The second they had returned to the firehouse the alarm had sounded again for a cardiac arrest on the edge of their precinct. So they geared up and rushed to the scene, unfortunately it was another loss. And so her day dragged on. She knew it wasn't her fault but it felt as if everyone they had tried to save today had somehow still managed to slip away.
Normally when she had days like these, she would unwind with a drink and good company. However through some crazy scheduling, she and Shay had not been on the same shift as Casey, Severide and the rest of the crew. The guys were on their way in, just as they were leaving. So Dawson had taken one longing look at the man that could brighten up her day and left to go home.
If only her troubles would have ended there, but they didn't. Instead her landlord had phoned as she was halfway home that there was some sort of leak in the basement and she couldn't get in until later in the day. So, tired and irritated, she drove to her brother's house hoping she could relax there. Unfortunately she had forgotten her niece and nephew were both off from school that week and thus she spent the rest of her time there playing games and taking the kids out to the park. The result being that she was completely exhausted.
Realizing she was still lying on her couch in the dark she figured she should probably move towards her bedroom before she fell asleep. As she gathered all her remaining energy her phone rang. As she picked it up she saw it was her on/off again boyfriend and decided she didn't want to deal with him at that moment. Instead she turned her phone to silent and made her way upstairs. As she finally lay down in bed not more than ten minutes later, she fell asleep to thoughts of a certain blue eyed lieutenant and a future she could only dream of.
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Casey suppressed a yawn as he checked his watch realizing it was many hours yet until his shift was over. Thankfully his shift had been relatively uneventful giving him plenty of time to reflect on his broken relationship and how his life was slowly unravelling in front of him. His fiancé had left him, his best friend died, his mom was still in jail having been denied probation and his sister was even colder with him than before.
He knew things could be worse but somehow he felt drained and tired of everything he'd had to deal with lately. Even the highlight of his day had been taken away from him. Gabriela Dawson had been working opposite shifts, meaning they saw each other in passing and that was it. She was practically his best friend besides Severide and somehow the firehouse just seemed a little bit brighter when she was around. Now he was just plain bored as he listened to his men snoring in their bunks.
He and Dawson had hit it off from day one when she joined 51 three years prior. He had just been promoted to lieutenant and he felt the pressure of being at the top of the ladder. Dawson had seen it on his face during one of their first shifts together and they had gone out for drinks. She was an amazing listener and he had realized he really needed someone to talk to. They'd been friends ever since.
He'd been with Hallie the whole time he had known Dawson and he'd never strayed from her, but sometimes he wondered. Dawson, or Gabby, was the complete opposite of Hallie in pretty much everything. Whereas Hallie was cool, calm and collected, Gabby was a hothead, never thinking before she spoke and fighting with heart in everything she believed in. She had a fire within her that attracted him like a moth to a flame.
He loved Hallie, but now that they had been apart for a month he realized in had been a while since he had been in love with her. They had fallen into a routine, and as someone who liked order and control Casey hadn't thought to challenge the rut they had seemed to find themselves in. The relationship had slowly bled out.
Taking a deep breath he leaned back in his chair and thought back on his time with Hallie, it was comfortable and easy. Knowing Gabby, a relationship with her would never be anything like that and the crazy thing was he didn't care. He really wanted to try but he'd held off. She had never given him reason to believe she felt anything more than friendship towards him and if she did, she was damn good at hiding it. He also had to think of their friendship, it was something he truly treasured and not sure he was willing to risk. It was frustrating and took up a lot of his thoughts.
Before he could continue his analysis the firehouse alarm blared to life.
´Engine 81, Squad 3, Ambulance 61, Washburn avenue 1344 apartment building, structural fire.'
Casey shot up and was already moving towards the truck before the message really settled. His heart rate tripled as he realized that was where Dawson lived. Without his steps faltering he whipped out his phone and pressed '2' on his speed dial. He clamped the phone between his head and shoulder as he quickly toed off his shoes and stepped into his gear.
Cursing as the phone rang to voicemail he hung up and yelled for the men to get a move on, his girl was in trouble.