A/N: So, when a rumor takes hold of my fandoms and causes unnecessary stress I tend to end up using said rumor in a fanfic just to see how I can spin that rumor into something truly positive. Last time I did this was for Timeless and that rumor was blown WAY out of proportion. So, I'm hoping this one is too. BUT since people seem upset, let's explore this rumor like a fic prompt:

The Dawsons are back in town for Cruz's wedding. How does that affect Brettsey?

Again, let me stress, THIS IS A RUMOR from one person. So we have no idea if they'll be guests at Cruz's wedding for sure yet BUT if they are let's look at a possibility of how that could go (with a POSITIVE spin).

Happy reading!

Angellwings

Accidents

By angellwings

"I hate accidents,

Except when we went from friends to this,

Uh huh, that's right,

Darling, you're the one I want,

In paper rings, in picture frames, in all my dreams,

You're the one I want."

-"Paper Rings" by Taylor Swift

She knew this one sided crush on Casey would eventually come back to bite her in the ass. It already had once before and she resolved then to be done with the thought for good. But it came back. Like a freaking cockroach in a nuclear holocaust, it came back.

He had to go with her to find that cat and she had to spill the beans about her birth mother and then he just had to be sweet and supportive and patient even when she was being completely unreasonable and extremely needy. And he did all that without once making her feel as if she couldn't have handled it herself.

Worse still, that was just the start of things. Since then there's been countless moments of reciprocated support. He showed up for her so she's shown up for him in turn. The more support they offered the closer they became until her stupid crush worked it's way back into her heart and managed to grow exponentially larger.

So, now, she's fucking screwed.

Just like last time, the minute she started to think he may be feeling something for her too Gabby blows back into town.

And, well, that's the end of that. She's not stupid. Gabby and Matt are Gabby and Matt and she doesn't stand a chance. The rest of 51 thinks so too.

Okay, well, to be fair, most of them have no idea she has a huge stinking crush on Captain Matthew Casey. So it's less them thinking she doesn't stand a chance and more them thinking Casey can't resist Dawson. Which is an opinion that she doesn't want to share but has no real evidence to refute. Nothing has happened between her and Casey so, for all she knows, she's been projecting her crush on to him all this time.

Combine that with the stress of helping Chloe with the wedding and bachelorette party, being talked into planning her birth mother's baby shower, and the insane shift she'd fought her way through for the last twenty-four hours and Sylvie Brett is exhausted. She wants to go home, turn on Taylor Swift, open a bottle of wine, and sob into her far-too-expensive sherpa throw blanket.

But she can't because she and Gabby have plans to catch up. She's dreading it which in turn makes her feel terribly guilty and only adds to her stress. Gabby is her best friend - or was her best friend? Is she still her best friend if they don't talk for months on end? See, these are the things that make her feel like a backstabbing bitch. Even if these feelings for Casey happened completely by accident.

It's not like she intended to fall for her best friend's ex-husband. Who would? But things happen and it just so happens her best friend's ex-husband is of the most amazing men she's ever known. Really, what choice did she have? Who wouldn't fall for him?

Alright, well, she can name a few who haven't fallen for him but they have their reasons! This isn't her fault! It just happened.

And because it happened she's been on the verge of tears since Gabby showed up at 51 last night to make plans. She grabs a shower at the Firehouse, scrubs her face of any tears she may have already shed, and changes clothes. Gabby is meeting her here so they can go for breakfast and while out they'll figure out a plan for tonight.

Sylvie squares her shoulders and pastes on a smile. It's not her fault she fell for Matt but it's not Gabby's fault either. She will not take it out on her. She won't.

"Hey!" Gabby says excitedly when Sylvie reaches the apparatus floor. "Ready?"

She avoids looking at Matt, who'd been chatting politely with Gabby as she approached, and smiles warmly at Gabby. "Yeah, let's go."

She feels Matt's concerned stare but still refuses to meet his eyes. His hand lands on her elbow. She slowly pulls her arm away. She needs distance if she's going to make it through this.

"You okay?" He asks, pulling his hand back to his side.

"Yeah," she says dismissively, with false brightness. "Just tired."

He nods but she knows him well enough by now that she can tell in an instant that he's not buying it. Not even a little bit.

"If you're too tired we can do this later," Gabby says assuringly. "Really, it's fine."

"No, honestly, let's go. You're only in town for a little while and I can catch up on sleep anytime," Sylvie tells her, with a pathetic attempt at a grin.

Gabby nods and then turns back to Matt with a sweet smile. The sight of it causes Sylvie to bite the inside of her cheek so hard that she tastes blood. This is torture. Why is she doing this to herself?

"See ya later, Matt," Gabby says, biting her bottom lip and giving him a small wave.

"Yeah," he agrees. "See you guys later. Have fun."

Sylvie fumbles through a wave while leading Gabby toward her car. They step inside and set off for a diner they used to frequent when they were roommates, but barely five minutes into the ride the conversation she's been afraid of begins.

"So, do you know—I mean is Matt seeing anyone right now?" Gabby asks, trying to sound casual as she glances out the window.

"I don't think so, no. He hasn't mentioned anyone," Sylvie answers.

"Good," she replies with a smirk. "I was thinking of asking him to be my date to the wedding. I mean, I know we'll both be there anyway but...I was just thinking it would be nice to get some one on one time with him while I'm here. You know?"

Sylvie nods and makes some sort of affirmative noise, but refuses to offer any other opinion.

"Do you think he'd say yes?"

She nearly scoffs at the absurdity of that question. Of course, he'd say yes. But, much to her shame, she tries to downplay her instincts on the off chance it might keep Gabby from asking. She knows she'll hate herself for it afterward.

"I mean, probably, yeah," Sylvie answers with a shrug.

Gabby's lips purse and her face turns thoughtful before she responds. "Okay, I'll ask him then. I mean, what can it hurt, right?"

It can hurt a fucking lot, she thinks. But that's not what she says.

"Right."

"Oh! Hey! I wanted to tell you!" Gabby says as she jumps in her seat and turns to Sylvie with an enticing grin. "Antonio asked me about you last night. He wanted to know if you had a date to the wedding yet. I told him you didn't. I hope that's cool."

The one thing she wants to talk about even less than Gabby and Matt is her and Antonio.

"Yeah," she replies. "It's the truth so of course it's cool, but…"

"But?" Gabby asks expectantly.

"I don't think I want to go back there again with Antonio. I'm not the person I was when he and I were together and I guess I would feel like I was…" she stops to give Gabby a worried glance. "Oh god, please don't take offense to this, I know he's your brother."

"Please," Gabby says with a chuckle. "Have some faith. I've always been able to seperate Gabby the friend from Gabby the sister. Spill."

She sighs in relief and a genuine smiles forms on her face. "I would feel like I was backsliding. I think I've outgrown that relationship. You know?"

"Yeah," Gabby says with honest understanding. "I get that. Even if I still secretly harbor dreams of you as my sister-in-law."

Oof. Ow. Shit. That should be a nice compliment but all it does is make her feel like an asshole. Gabby imagined them as sisters-in-law while Sylvie's been imagining dating Gabby's ex-husband. Jesus, she's an idiot and it's all moot anyway, isn't it? Because Matt belongs with Gabby. They'll eventually work it all out and get back together. And then she'll be stuck living with unrequited feelings for the rest of her life. She'll spend her days faking smiles and offering Gabby relationship advice just so nothing seems amiss. Just so no one knows about her pointless accidental crush.

All the determination to make this outing work drains from her immediately.

"You know, what, I'm sorry. On second thought, I think I should probably go home and take it easy for the day. I'm so exhausted that I don't think I'll be much fun."

It's the truth. Just not the whole truth.

"Rain check?" She asks.

Gabby's face shifts to worried the second the words leave her lips. "Yeah, of course. We'll pick another night. No way I'm letting you wear yourself out for me. Not when you have another shift in a couple of days and all that birth mom drama weighing on you."

Yes, she'd told Gabby about that last night. She used it as an excuse for her teary eyes. Surprisingly, it worked.

"Just drop me off at my hotel and call me when you're rested, okay?"

Damn it, why is Gabby Matt's ex-wife? Why does she have to be practically in love with the ex-husband of a person she dearly respects?

This sucks.

She apologizes again as she drops Gabby off and then speeds back home. Her original dream of a cozy day in with Taylor Swift, a bottle of wine, and her tears is more than possible now.

She'd better wallow now because once the wedding festivities start she won't have time.

One more shift until Cruz's wedding and, if Matt is honest with himself, he can't wait for it to be over. Everything can go back to normal once all the out of town guests leave. Brett will stop avoiding him for the sake of Gabby's feelings (or at least he thinks that's what it is but maybe she's feeling some type of way about Antonio being back?). Cruz will stop stressing out about his bachelor party down to the minutiae of the plan. And Gabby will no longer be around to try and flirt with him in front of all their friends (one particular friend specifically).

"So," Antonio says as he settles down on his bar stool and turns his beer bottle in his hands. "I could ask Gabby this question, but I doubt her intel. She and Sylvie haven't really talked in a while and you're with her every day so...you're probably a more reliable source, right?"

Did he mention that one of the out of town guests he really wants to be rid of his Antonio? No? Because he should have.

Matt clears his throat awkwardly and shrugs one shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Does she have anybody in her life right now? You know, anybody serious?" He asks as he angles himself toward Matt.

God, how he wished he could say yes. "No, not that I know of."

"Okay, good," Antonio replies with a small smile. "I was thinking about asking her to go with me, like a date. If I can ever find a moment to catch her alone, that is. I don't think she's stopped for more than five minutes since Gabby and I got into town."

Matt takes a long sip of his beer to hide his grimace. The idea of Brett on Antonio's arm at the wedding stabs him like a pinched nerve. Once he's swallowed and managed his reaction he addresses Antonio's well meant criticism of Sylvie.

"Yeah, she's got a lot going on right now. Things are sort of coming at her from all sides."

One of Antonio's brows quirks upward. "She alright?"

"Yeah," Matt assures him. "Nothing life threatening. It's just...a lot." Despite knowing he may show his hand, his eyes pointedly meet Antonio's and his tone takes on a protective edge as he continues. "Too much for anyone else to pile on, if you catch my drift."

Antonio's eyes widen and a tiny smirk forms on his face. He replies as he holds his hands up in surrender. "Loud and clear. Not trying to pile on. I swear." He pauses and then gives Matt a measured stare. "So, you think I shouldn't ask her?"

"No, go ahead. Ask her. It's up to her, not me. Just…don't be a dick," Matt warns before he takes another swallow from the longneck bottle in his hands.

"Don't be a dick," Antonio repeats slowly with a grin that looks a bit too knowing for Matt's liking. "Got it. Solid advice."

The door to Molly's opens and Gabby breezes in...without Brett. Aren't they supposed to have plans tonight? What is she doing here and not with Sylvie?

"Well, guess who finds herself suddenly footloose and fancy free?" Gabby asks as she walks up to them.

"I thought you and Sylvie were going out?" Antonio asks curiously.

"We were. She begged off. Said she was too tired to be much fun," Gabby informs them with a shrug. "She looked so down that I didn't think it was a good idea to push it. So, here I am. What are we up to?"

Sylvie opted to stay home? Gabby's right. She did look down when she left the Firehouse that morning. He hated the distance she put between them. The way she refused to look at him and moved away from his touch…

Something is up with her and it goes beyond trying to spare any hurt feelings Gabby might have if she sees they've grown closer. It goes beyond Antonio being back in town. No, it's something else and the concern in his chest turns to physical pain at the thought.

He stands from his stool and drops cash on the bar, feigning an apologetic glance at Gabby and Antonio. He's not really sorry. There's somewhere else he needs to be.

"I should go. I've gotta go work on a job early in the morning so I can get to it before Cruz's bachelor party," Matt lies. He would tell the truth but he doesn't really know what that is right now.

"Oh," Gabby says, looking disappointed. "Okay. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, later," he replies distractedly before walking away from them.

Once in the privacy of his truck, he pulls out his phone and dials Brett. Three rings pass and he starts to feel like she's going to send him to voicemail but then the line clicks and she answers. Her voice sounds off, clouded with something he can't name.

"Hey, Casey, did you need something?"

"Gabby told me you cancelled?" He asks. "Everything okay?"

"I'm good," she replies. The words are stilted and he swears he hears a sniffle, but it hard to tell over the slow but loud music playing in the background.

"Sylvie," he says sternly. "Really, what's wro—" he cuts himself off when the music hits a crescendo allowing the song and the artist to become recognizable. "Are you listening to Celine Dion?"

"Yes." There's that cloudiness again. Her voice wounds thick, like fog. She turns the music down and this time he knows he hears a sniffle.

"Are you crying?" He asks as his brow furrows deeply.

"Matt." The way she quietly says his first name tells him she'd like him to drop the subject. "Go back to Gabby. I'm fine. Don't waste a night with Gabby to worry about me. I'm here every day. She's not."

Bull shit. That statement is bull shit. "I'm coming over."

"Casey, really forget it. Go back to where ever you left Gabb—"

He is so sick of everyone pushing him toward Gabby. "Gabby's not my priority right now, Brett. You are. I'll be there in ten." His voice dares her to disagree. He's coming over and that's final.

She sighs in resignation before agreeing. "Fine. I'll see you in ten."

Hell yes she will. He's getting to the bottom of this right now.

Well, fuck.

She had a feeling she should have turned down Celine before she answered his call. That had to be what gave her away. Dammit.

Now she's frantically trying to make sure she and the apartment are presentable. Clean up the tissues, wash her face, put on pants (her pajama shorts are a little shorter than she's comfortable with around Casey), put away the wine and the ice cream, and change the fucking music. Something less depressing. Billy Joel, maybe? Yes, Billy Joel.

She'd started with Taylor but as her mood spiraled so did her song selection until Matt called during "All By Myself" and her quiet evening of wallowing in her unrequited crush was ruined.

She's one verse into "Vienna" when a knock sounds at her door. Has it been ten minutes already?

She checks the mirror in the bathroom and settles for a face with no blood shot eyes or mascara trails. She may not look like her usual optimistic self but at least she doesn't look like a raccoon with allergies.

She opens the door and forces a smile — unsurprised to find Matt standing in the hall with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey," he greets as he leans against the open doorway.

"Hi," she replies. There's a moment of silence before she finally has to ask. "What are you doing here, Casey? You should be with Gabby."

He scoffs and stands up straighter. "I'd rather be here with you."

She gives him a dubious look to which he replies by crossing his arms over his chest and quirking a brow at her.

"Fine, give me one good reason I should go back to Molly's and find Gabby," he challenges.

"She's your ex-wife."

He looks adorably confused by that. "The ex part invalidates that as a good reason. Try again."

She gnaws her lip and then bites the bullet, deciding to spill to him about what Gabby told her in the car earlier. "Because she wants you to be her date for the wedding and she probably wants to ask you tonight."

His eyes narrow on hers as he chews on that news, but several seconds later he shrugs and shakes his head. His voice sounds as casual as ever — as if they're out of his usual beer at Molly's. "Well, that's too bad."

Too bad? Too bad? She must be looking at him as if he's grown an extra head. She certainly feels like she's looking at a brand new side of Matt Casey, anyway.

"Too bad?" Sylvie repeats.

He nods. "Yeah, I hope she finds someone else to ask. Maybe Mills. He's coming in tomorrow, right?"

What? It's not over exaggerating to say she's dumbfounded. Shocked. Surprised. Stunned. Are there other descriptors for this feeling? Maybe blindsided? Yes, good. All of those.

"I feel like I'm missing something here. You mean you don't want to be Gabby's date? Because I thought...I mean last time she came into town you—and everyone at 51 thinks that you two…" She can't seem to finish a single sentence. They're all jumbled in her head and coming out one on top of the other.

"51 thinks what?" He asks with a tired expression.

"Well, you know, to all of them the names Dawson and Casey are synonymous with each other. So when she showed up last night I guess we all assumed that the two of you would...get together, I guess," she answers nervously.

The further she gets into this answer the more agitated Matt becomes. He huffs and shifts his weight from foot to foot. Uncross and recrosses his arms with multiple heavy sighs, and as soon as she's done he laughs sardonically.

"So, what? You all just make all my decisions for me now?" He asks in a clipped tone. "It's my life. You don't think someone should, for once, ask me what I want?"

She's taken aback by that. Her flinch is obvious as is her guilt. He's right. No one stopped to consider that Matt may no longer want Gabby. They all assumed that if Gabby wanted him he'd reciprocate, but...that doesn't seem to be the case. Hope spreads through her veins, pumping through her heart and speeding up her pulse. She can't stop it, even if her pragmatic side warns her she should.

She nods and then smiles apologetically at Matt's annoyed expression.

"You're right," she agrees. "We didn't. That's not fair to you."

"Thank you," he tells her with a weak smile.

"So, then, Matt," she begins, catching his stare and holding it. "Tell me. What do you want?"

He doesn't look away, but she sees him draw in a deep anxious breath. His Adam's Apple bobs up and down and then, finally, he answers her. "I was thinking...I don't have a date and you don't have a date, right?"

She chews the inside of her cheek to keep her smile contained, at least for the time being.

"Right," she answers.

"Well, what I want is...to go with you."

And now she unleashes it. A full ear to ear smile that bares her teeth and hurts her cheeks. It feels good to smile after spending the afternoon depressed as hell. "With me?"

"Sylvie, I…" He stops and returns her smile. It looks much too handsome on his face to be such a rare sight. "I have enjoyed spending time with you these last few months. I know I'm not imagining that things have shifted between us, am I? Please say I'm not."

A short joyful laugh escapes her. "You're not. Things have been...changing. For a little while now."

He looks relieved and elated at the same time. "I like the way things have been changing. I don't want to go back to the way things were before. I'm happier now and I want to stay that way."

She can hardly believe this is actually happening. Just this morning she'd been certain she was crazy but, a handful of hours later, here she is with Matt Casey at her door telling her he likes her. He likes her as much as she likes him. It doesn't seem possible and yet here they are.

"There's one other thing I want," Matt says as he steps closer to her. His eyes fall to her lips and then back up to her eyes. The smile on his face shifts to a wicked grin. "Okay, maybe two things."

Her cheeks flush and she reflects his sly grin right back at him. "And those things are?"

"One, I want to see where this, you and me, can go. As far as we can take it, that's what I want," he tells her as his eyes search her face for any hints of an answer. If her face reflects the way her stomach flips and her heart skips a beat then he should see exactly the answer he wants. "And two, I very much want to kiss you right now."

"I guess it's your lucky day, Matt Casey," she tells him with a coy smile. "Because I want the exact same things you do. Especially the part about you kissing me right now."

He nods. "And the wedding? Are we going together or-"

"You think, after all the things you just said, I'm going to Joe's wedding by myself? Did you hear a thing I just said to you-"

He laughs, wraps an arm around her waist, and pulls her against his chest. "Just wanted to clarify."

His forehead rests against hers causing their noses to bump ever so slightly. She feels her smile slide over his before his lips capture hers. It starts soft and shallow with an earnestness that makes her heart ache, but then it deepens and turns into a second kiss with open mouths and wanton exploration. Her arms wind around his neck and his hands drift into his hair.

When they pull apart to breathe, Matt's hair is a mess and his lips are kiss swollen. Pride bubbles up in her chest. That's her handy work. Not anyone else's.

He clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. Sylvie bites back a chuckle when he only makes it worse.

"Glad to know we're on the same page," he tells her. His voice is husky and hoarse and it sends a thrill up her spine.

"That we are," she agrees with a smirk. She steps back and pulls her apartment door open just a little further - to give him room to slide past her. "Do you want to come in? It's not Molly's but I do have beer."

He nods, wordlessly, and steps inside. Neither of them have any idea where the night might go but it doesn't matter. They're simply giddy to have it all out in the open. They have a lot more to discuss and a lot of decisions ahead, but she and Matt are on the precipice of something great. She knows it.

And to think, it all happened completely by accident.