A/N: Here we are at the final chapter. Thank you to everybody who read and reviewed. See the end for notes.

1 month later-

Casey exited his bedroom and went over to the room two doors up from his and knocked on it, "Brett, you awake?"

He didn't hear anything from inside the room, but a few seconds later the door opened and Sylvie was standing there already dressed.

"This is different," she noted, "Cruz and Otis used to just burst into my room when I was still in bed."

Casey's eyes widened when she said that and after a couple seconds he commented, "Well that's presumptive...did they ever-"

Sylvie shook her head, "No I learned a long time ago when you're sharing an apartment with two guys who don't believe in privacy, always sleep in your clothes."

Matt laughed. "So how'd you sleep?"

"I think it's really going to work out here," Brett told him, "how about you?"

"I have no complaints," Casey answered as they headed to the kitchen.

"This really was a great idea you had, Casey," Sylvie said as she got the coffee started.

"I have my moments," he replied.

Brett let out a small laugh and responded, "Don't sell yourself short."

"Brett," Casey's voice resonated through the walls and Sylvie could hear him from where she sat in the living room.

"What is it?" she asked as she put down her magazine and stood up.

The door to Casey's bedroom opened and he stepped out wearing a suit, with two different ties, one curled in each fist. "I need to get a woman's opinion, I'm picking my date up in 15 minutes, which tie goes with this suit?"

"Is it a black tie affair?" Sylvie asked.

"No, why?" Casey asked.

In a voice that was both meek and opinionated, Sylvie said simply, "Then don't wear the black tie."

Casey looked at the two and when he realized what she meant, he tossed his black tie and sent it hurling across the room, and frantically but efficiently started tying the green tie around his neck.

"This is ridiculous," he said, "I'm 40 years old, I have a blind date, and I'm more nervous now than the first time I asked a girl out in high school."

"Oh I'm sure you'll be fine," Sylvie said as she straightened his collar and ran her hand over one spike of hair that refused to lay down, and smoothed it out until it submitted. "There."

"Thanks," he said absently, he checked himself over in the mirror and asked her, "How about you? You got any plans for tonight?"

"Mm-hm," Sylvie answered, "I'm going to make a daiquiri, put my feet up and binge watch six hours of "Say Yes to the Dress"."

Casey shrugged and remarked, "More power to you."

Sylvie laughed as she saw Matt to the door and waved him off, "Have fun!" Once he was down the stairs she shut the door, locked it and plopped down on the couch and watched TV.

"Matt...Matt...Matt!"

"Huh?" Casey shot up in his bed and opened his eyes and saw the room was dark, and it took a minute for him to remember he wasn't in his quarters at the firehouse, but in his bedroom in his apartment. He turned his head and saw Brett standing by the bed in a pair of long gray pajamas. "What happened, what is it?"

"Matt," Sylvie whispered as she leaned closer to the bed, "I'm sorry for waking you up, and I know this sounds weird, but could I stay in here with you for the night?"

Casey was more asleep than awake and it took a few seconds for him to understand the question enough to ask her, "Huh?"

"I won't get in your way and I promise I won't keep you up, but can I just stay here with you?"

Casey's eyes were about closed entirely and his head was following suit to tilt down, but he was awake enough to answer, "Alright." Figuring that was settled, he turned over on his side and faced the wall as Sylvie slipped into the other side of the bed and burrowed under the covers.

"Thanks, Matt, I really appreciate this."

"Nightmare?" Casey forced the word out, wanting nothing more than to just go back to sleep but he didn't want to be rude.

"Yeah, something like that," Sylvie said.

Somewhere in the recesses of Casey's mind he remembered it was almost Halloween, and wondered if that might have anything to do with it.

"Job related?" Casey surprised himself finding the strength to get two more words out.

"Uh, no," she answered.

Casey paused for a moment, then asked, without opening his eyes or looking over at her, "Let me guess...the Tall Man."

"Uh...no," Sylvie replied, "don't laugh, but uh...clowns."

Casey nodded his head once and rested it against the pillows again. A couple seconds later he opened his eyes and turned his head towards her with a silent expression that begged the question, 'Huh?'

2 months later-

Sylvie stepped on a foot stool and reached as high as she could stretch her arms but still came up just short of getting the star on top of the artificial Christmas tree in their living room. She tried pressing forward on her toes for a little more leverage, and instead the stool wobbled under her and she fell back with a yelp.

Something stopped her from falling and she realized it was Matt grabbing her around the waist as she about fell off the edge.

"Maybe you better let me do that," he suggested as she stepped down and he took the multi-color lighted star from her.

"Good idea," she replied a bit shakily.

She watched as Casey stepped up on the stool and with no real effort, connected the star to the tree's point and plugged it in to the other lights.

"How's that look?"

"It looks great," she said absently, "It's going to be so weird this is the first Christmas without Otis."

"I know, but at least we can talk with him and see how he's doing," Matt told her.

"Yeah, oh!" Sylvie suddenly remembered something, "the last time I talked with him he said he's found a bar to buy."

Casey laughed, "That's Otis."

"He figured since he can tend to it full-time it should go off easier than Molly's did," Sylvie said.

"Well good for him," Matt said, "he seems to be doing alright."

"So's his brother, his last checkup was good," Brett added.

"Good. I think he was right...he was saved from that explosion, for something other than staying at 51," Casey commented.

The blonde woman nodded, then added with a sigh, "It's still hard not having him here."

"I know."

6 months later-

Casey stood in the middle of the living room with his feet shoulder width apart and his hands buried in the pockets of his tuxedo jacket. He knew they had to get going soon if they were going to make it to the church on time, but Sylvie was still getting ready.

From her bedroom the paramedic could be heard sighing and growling in frustration, then she called out, "Matt?"

"I'm here," he called back.

The door opened and Sylvie stepped out wearing a royal blue spaghetti strap dress with her hair pulled back in a bun with artificial baby's breath ornamenting it, and with a huff she asked the firefighter, "Can you help me? My necklace got all twisted and I can't get it to latch."

"Okay, hang on." Casey found where the artificial pearls had knotted over each other and got them loose and after three tries, got the teeny tiny clasp on the necklace to latch in place. "There you go."

"Thank you," Sylvie sighed as she put on her earrings, "I'm a nervous wreck, what if we're late to the wedding?"

"We'll make it, just take it easy."

"I keep worrying I'm forgetting something," Sylvie said, and turned around once in front of the mirror, "I got my hair done, my makeup-"

"You look great, don't worry about it," Casey tried to assure her.

"There's nothing on this dress, right?" she turned around again to look at the low cut back of it in the mirror.

"Sylvie, you look perfect, now get your jacket and we can go."

"Not a jacket, it's a wrap."

"Get it, and we'll be on our way," Casey said.

A knock at the door got both their attention.

"Oh my God, who could that be?" Sylvie asked, "We told everyone we'd meet them at the church."

"Who is it?" Casey bellowed.

"It's me, Casey," Cruz's voice came through the door, "Can I come in?"

"Yeah but make it quick," Casey answered.

The door opened and Cruz stepped in wearing his tuxedo, and behind him was Otis, slightly leaner than the last time they saw him in person, his hair trimmed short and smooth, and he was also dressed in a tuxedo.

"Hey!"

"Otis!" Sylvie dropped her purse and ran over to him and hugged the former firefighter.

"Sylvie! How've you been?" he pulled back and looked her up and down, "You look great."

"When did you get here?" Casey asked, completely in awe by Brian's presence.

"About an hour ago," Otis answered, "Hey, you didn't think I'd miss another firehouse wedding, did you?" He glanced over Casey's tux and added, "Captain, you look impressive."

Casey chuckled, "Thanks."

"Brian, are you back?" Sylvie asked, her voice far more hopeful than she knew she should've been. "Are you really back?"

"Just visiting," he explained, "I thought I was entitled to a couple weeks back in Chicago to catch up with my friends, and see two of them get married."

"Oh!" Sylvie's voice got weepy and her eyes glistened with tears, she said as she dabbed at them with a Kleenex, "I'm gonna start crying."

"Well don't do that till we get you two to the church," Otis said. "Come on, it's a beautiful day and it's time for the wedding nobody ever thought would happen."

"I sure never saw this day coming," Casey admitted as he adjusted his tie one last time.

"I know, me either," Sylvie said with a wheeze as she tried to compose herself, "I, I, I, couldn't believe it when Stella asked me to be her maid of honor."

"Just wait till we get there," Cruz said and pointed towards Brian, "This is going to upstage the whole wedding."

"Somehow I don't think Kelly will object to it," Casey said. "Come on, let's go."

The four of them left the apartment and headed down the stairs.

"Hey Casey, why don't you and Brett ride with us?" Otis asked, "Then we only need to find place to park one car."

"Good point," Casey said as he and Sylvie headed over to Cruz's car. Casey opened the door to the backseat and gestured to Sylvie, "After you."

Brett got in the car and smoothed out her dress when she sat down, Casey sat down beside her and pulled the door shut as Cruz pulled out of there and they headed to the church for Severide and Kidd's wedding.

Note: This was originally planned to just be a brief oneshot that opened at Molly's with everybody mourning the 'loss' of Otis and then he comes on the video chat and it's revealed he's gone, but still alive, just not in CFD or even Chicago anymore. Killing off Ritter didn't even occur to me until I realized this was going to be longer than a oneshot and thought it would be a good way to draw out the assumption that Otis had died in the fire. I hope everybody enjoyed this more extensive version.