I found the beginning of this story recently and it caught me once again. I know that a few of you were interested when I began it and I hope that you still are. I have a lot more planned out and I'm running with it. Reminder: this is set during season four of Chicago Fire (when I actually began the story) so some things may seem out of sorts and that's why. Let me know if you have any interest in this non-canon pairing that I completely made up for no reason. Ok thanks.

A small tremor was immediately followed by the light, joyous sound of laughter. Sylvie smiled to herself, hearing the Milwaukee accent even in the laugh. It was then that she realised that she was not fully awake- perhaps not awake at all- head still cloudy and encompassed in warmth.

"Hmm?" Sylvie mumbled, unsure where she stood on the line of consciousness.

"Shh… it's okay," that accent said softly, rubbing between her shoulder blades and unintentionally rousing her fully.

Sylvie sat up, just slightly, and opened her eyes only enough to see Stella smiling above her, eyes shining.

"I'm sorry I woke ya, Brett," Stella told her, almost sounding shy. "But now that you're up have you seen this penguin video?!" she beamed, holding her phone (the source of her laughter, Sylvie guessed) in front of the woman.

"I'm so sorry I fell asleep!" Sylvie said, nervous suddenly. She sat up quickly only to find that she was still entangled with Kidd, wrapped in a blanket.

"Nah, don't be. You needed a nap," Stella told her casually, sinking back into the couch and glancing to the video on her phone once again.

"But you didn't need to sit here and watch YouTube while I slept on you!" Brett whined. "Did I drool? Oh God, I probably drooled."

"Hey—I didn't sit here while you slept on me; I slept too. I just woke up a little quicker than you did," Stella grinned softly, pulling Brett against her and holding the phone in front of her, a new penguin video playing.

"You could've woken me…" she grumbled, embarrassment beginning to fade as her attention was caught by the penguin who had just slapped his penguin friend in the back of the head.

"I was too comfy," Stella told her, slight smirk creeping onto her features. "And you're drool-face was way too cute."

"Stella!" Sylvie shrieked, mortified.

"I'm kidding!"

"No, you're not…" Sylvie said, pout-lip and all.

"No, I'm not."

XXX

Dawson arrived back at the apartment just before six thirty to find Brett curled up on the couch, freshly showered and appearing much more well than she was that morning. She smiled and set the bag of groceries onto the counter.

"Hey, sailor. You're looking better," Gabby grinned, approaching the couch and pulling Brett's attention away from her phone.

"Thanks," Sylvie smiled, stretching. "I feel a lot better too. Next time remind me that I'm too old to drink like that."

"Oh, the drinking wasn't the problem; you were pretty good at that. It was the waking up that seemed to cause you trouble," Gabby laughed, plopping down onto the couch, her eye catching the penguin video playing on Sylvie's phone.

"Ha ha," Brett said dryly, setting her phone aside. "I'm sorry I didn't go out for groceries. Aside from nap and shower I didn't do much today," she said sadly, still feeling the ramifications of her drinking.

"Don't be sorry. Everyone needs a lazy day now and then," Gabby smiled softly, deciding to keep her comments about Brett's nap to herself.

"How was your date?" Sylvie asked excitedly, loving Dawson's nearly constant positivity since she'd been with Matt.

"Not much of a date, we just hung out, but it was nice," Gabby told her, picking up Sylvie's phone and hitting play on the paused video. "Penguins, huh?" she chuckled at the video.

"Yeah, I kind of woke up with them on the brain," she told her. It wasn't a lie, right?

Dawson was just about to ask why when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye; a CFD hoodie, draped over the back of the couch, that she was sure wasn't there earlier. She picked it up instinctively and rolled it over in her hands, a smirk growing on her face uncontrollably. Dawson had every intention of giving it time, letting Brett come to her when she was ready to talk, but this was just too good.

"I guess it got warm during your nap," Dawson said, trying to squash the shit-eating grin on her face.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Sylvie asked as casually as possible, fumbling with her phone and looking anywhere but at Gabby.

"Kidd left her hoodie," Dawson said directly, holding it up in her hands.

"Oh, I- I don't think that's hers," Brett outright lied.

"Brett!" Dawson exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "It literally has her name embroidered on it!"

"Oh. I didn't realise she left it," Brett said nonchalantly.

"So, did you guys make out?" Dawson couldn't help but asked, leaning in closer excitedly.

"What?! No! Why would you ask that?" Sylvie squeaked, shifting in her seat uncomfortably and acting like the question was absurd.

The deadpan expression on Dawson's face said it all.

"Really, Brett? Why would I ask that?" Dawson asked, head tilted. "First of all, I know you weren't black out drunk last night when we talked," Sylvie hung her head, embarrassed. "Second, you know I was home during your little snuggle-nap, right?" she chuckled.

"It wasn't a snuggle-nap," Brett grumbled half-heartedly, pulling her knees to her chest.

"It was a nap. And you were definitely snuggling," Dawson told her.

"We just fell asleep, Dawson. It's not a big deal," Sylvie told her, trying to keep herself from hyperventilating. "You've never fallen asleep with a friend?"

Wrong question. Brett had no idea just how wrong the question was, but she was about to find out.

"Funny you should ask that…" Dawson said, not trying to worsen her friend's discomfort but also feeling the need to be honest. "Matt asked me the same thing earlier."

"Wait, what?!" Sylvie asked, beginning to panic. "Why? When? What do you mean?"

"Yeah, um, he was also here during your nap," Dawson admitted. "Only for a minute, but—"

"He saw us?" Sylvie asked, wide-eyed, sitting up fully on the couch and looking around as though she might run.

"He did," Dawson told her. "Don't worry, he thought it was cute. And then he asked if I sleep with my friends like that—"

"Oh my god… What does he think? What did you tell him?!"

"Brett…" Dawson said calmly, placing a hand on Sylvie's knee and trying fruitlessly to relax her. "I told him that you were just sleeping, that Kidd brought you over some hangover remedies and you crashed," she said, looking closely at her flushing friend. "Isn't that what you just told me it was?"

"But…" Sylvie looked like she could begin to cry at any moment and Dawson hated it. "But you never slept with your friends like that…"

"No," Dawson shook her head, "I haven't. But that doesn't mean that it's wrong for you to, Brett."

"Oh god…" Sylvie pulled her blanket up over her head, wishing to disappear. The wish was only heightened when she caught Stella's scent on the material and became immediately drawn in by it. "What am I doing, Gabby?" Sylvie asked, muffled by the blanket.

"Do you like her?" Dawson asked softly, pulling on the blanket until sad blue eyes became visible once again.

"Last night I just thought I was drunk and confused…"

"But now?"

"I don't know," Sylvie shrugged, rolling the blanket under her chin.

"Did you have a good day with her?"

Sylvie couldn't fight the genuine smile that crept upon her face at the thought of it.

"So good," she told her. "And I haven't slept that well in a long time."

"But you didn't make out?" Dawson couldn't help but ask.

"Gabby!" Brett whipped the blanket at her grinning friend. "Of course we didn't!"

"Why would it be so crazy if you did?" Gabby asked sincerely.

"Because it would never happen. Stella is just Stella, you know? She's not affected by any of this," Sylvie said, sadness in her voice.

"What makes you think that?"

"She's just so chill. She's not fazed by cuddling or taking a nap or dancing or any of it," Sylvie told her.

"Brett, Kidd is the chill one. She's relaxed enough for all three of us combined. She could be feeling a lot about this and you wouldn't know because she doesn't show it. And because you haven't asked her," she said pointedly.

"I'm never going to ask her, Dawson. Even in a different world, Stella would never go for someone like me," she shrugged like it was just a matter of fact. "She's beautiful and funny and she is so chill. She could have anyone she wanted."

"Self-deprecating is not a good look on you, my friend," Gabby shook her head.

"But I'm not wrong."

"I think you are wrong. Even if she doesn't seem fazed by it, I've never seen Kidd snuggled with anyone, or dance the way you were dancing last night. Or show up with a bunch of hangover stuff just to make sure that you're okay," Dawson told her. "She's a great person, for sure, but I've known her for a long time and I've never seen her look at anyone the way she looks at you."

"It'll pass, Gabby. Whatever this is, whatever crap I'm feeling, it'll go away," Sylvie said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself.

"Maybe you're right," Dawson shrugged, rising from the couch. "But I don't know why you'd want it to."