Author's Note: I know, I know I'm the worst. I am sorry it took me this long to do a final update. I have had the chapter written for months, but I just wasn't struck with inspiration and had awful writer's block. As the Season 10 premiere looms, I thought I'd finally update this fic and post its last chapter. It's been such a joy to dive into the land of Chicago Fire and write a fic for this couple. I apologize greatly for what is about to unfold in this chapter. You may have seen it coming, heck I even saw it coming since I wrote this fic, but it really was so hard to write. At the same time, so beautiful to write. I hope you enjoy the ending of this fic, and I'll be back soon when inspiration strikes again! Reviews welcome!

...

Two Weeks After Graduation

Paris, France

He could feel the sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Dammit, Casey thought as he also attempted to wipe the sweat from his brow, the sweat that she wouldn't miss, at all. That's one thing he loved so much about Sylvie. She was so observant and saw him in everything he did. Whether it was something little, like not having his shirt tucked in or a hair being out of place, to something a lot bigger, like feeling anxious or sad, Sylvie always knew what he was feeling and how to make him feel better. She was his other half, the person who complimented him so well. Somehow, their personalities meshed so well together, they fit like a perfect puzzle having been put together over years. He couldn't believe where their four-year journey had led them to, Paris, France, right below the Eiffel Tower. Sylvie hadn't arrived yet, as Matt had snuck out early from their hotel room to get himself prepared…and calmed down. What was it about proposing that got a man so worked up? Probably the idea that you're asking her to commit the rest of her life to you, you dummy," he thought to himself again. He could hear Kelly's voice in his head mocking his very response. Still, Matt Casey new Sylvie Brett was the one for him, and when you know, why not propose and go big? He just hoped it wouldn't strike out and go home, as the saying went. He wiped his sweaty palms on his khaki slacks once more, adjusted his tie, and reached into his pant's pocket to make sure the ring was still there. He felt the solid, velvet box under his fingers and smiled to himself. He hoped she liked the ring. Sylvie was never one for something glamorous and flashy, but Casey knew she'd love what he had picked out. It came from the heart, and at the end of the day, that's all he knew she'd want; something he had picked out just for her, something she would always see that would remind her of the love her had for her. He brushed his hair to the side and waited as he spotted her across the plaza, her shoulder-length hair swaying in the gentle breeze. She smiled at him brightly, waved, and began to walk his way. He returned his smile like an idiot in love, because he was, and met her halfway. Before he could utter a simple "hello," he felt her soft lips on his, the taste of, was that raspberry, on his tongue. It must have been from the lip gloss she had just put on. Sylvie wrapped her arms around his neck and Matt, in that moment, promised himself that he'd never let go.

"Hey, you," she said, breaking their kiss to look into his shimmering, bright blue eyes, that held more of a twinkle today than they had in a while. "What's got you glowing?" she teased, brushing back a piece of his hair that had fallen in front of his face. She rested her hands on his chest as he brought his arms to wrap around her waist.

"That's all you," he replied, throwing her a lopsided grin because he knew how cheesy he was. To prove his point, Sylvie rolled her eyes before affectionally stroking his cheek.

"You are such a cheese-fest sometimes," she giggled.

"What can I say? I'm a man in love and you bring it out in me."

His reply made Sylvie blush and she reached up to plant one more soft kiss on his lips before pulling away again. Grabbing his hands in hers, her eyes widened as she asked, "Okay, enough with the mystery already! Where are we going? What do you have planned?"

Matt remained secretive and took her smaller hand in his large one, leading her to where he was standing minutes ago, at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. He glanced up at the monumental structure getting lost in its immensity for a second before being pulled back to Earth because of Sylvie's small gasp.

"Oh my god, just when I thought I had seen all of Paris' beauty . . . it just keeps getting better and better. It's magnificent," she beamed and Matt couldn't help but smile. He loved when she was happy. He loved when he could be the one to make her happy. He loved being in love with Sylvie Brett. While she was still focusing on the Tower's height, Matt dropped down to one knee and pulled out the ring from his pocket. When Sylvie brought her head back down from focusing on the Tower, it took her a second to register the fact that Matt had dropped down to one knee, and she covered her mouth with her hand as a small gasp escaped. Tourists around her began to grow curious at the proposal that was unfolding before their eyes and suddenly, it felt as though all eyes were on her. Sylvie brushed a stray hair behind her ear and tried to slow her now, pounding, heart.

"Matt, what are you doing?" she asked, even though it was so obvious what he was doing. It seemed like the natural thing to ask when one dropped down in front of you on one knee, right? Matt chuckled uneasily for a second before opening the jewelry box to reveal the most beautiful diamond engagement ring Sylvie had ever seen. Her eyes grew wide again, and she swore she heard louder gasps come from the onlookers, although she couldn't be certain that it wasn't her own loud gasp.

"It's beautiful," was all she could muster before Matt cleared his throat and began talking.

"Sylvie, from the moment I saw you on Orientation Day at Columbia, I knew you were the one meant for me. I vowed to become your friend that day, and slowly, we grew from friends to something more. Our first kiss was magical, the first time you said "I love you" to me took my breath away, and that was the moment I knew I had fallen, hard and completely, for the most beautiful, radiant, funny, caring, and sexy woman I have ever met. To say it's been easy would be an understatement; we've had our ups and downs, but they've only made us stronger. I feel like I'm ready to take on the post-grad world now because I have you by my side. I have you to call mine for, hopefully, forever. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone, Sylvie Brett, and I want you to marry me."

It was after those final three words that Matt Casey finally took a breath and looked into Sylvie's eyes. He could see the tears starting to form and could swear he even saw one roll down her perfectly made-up cheek. How was it that even crying she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen? She smiled at him but he could tell that her smile didn't meet her gaze. She was looking at him funny and he couldn't quite read the expression she had on her face. He glanced around them as people had gathered around them, anxiously awaiting to hear her reply. He was too. He swore his heart was going to beat right out of his chest and screw the sweat, he was full-on bathing in it at this point. Yet, he somehow managed to maintain his cool and collected demeanor and turned his attention back to Sylvie, who still hadn't said anything. After a few seconds of a confused glance he threw her way, as if to say, "so, what's your decision," she took a deep breath and closed the jewelry box he had held open in front of her a minute ago. In that moment, his heart sunk, and he knew what was coming before she even had to say anything.

Sylvie bent down in front of him and cupped his face in her small hands, her warm skin making contact with his own. She looked him straight in the eye to make sure he heard her every word she was about to say.

"Matt, you know I love you, so much, right? I didn't know I could possibly love someone as much as I love you, but I can, and I do," she started, still brushing the pad of her thumb across his cheekbone. "And this is every girl's wildest dream, to be proposed to at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower," she continued, meeting his sad gaze. "But Matt, even though so much of me wants to say 'yes,' I can't. At least, not yet. We just graduated. I need time to see who I am in the real world, as a real person. Not as someone who's been in school for the last sixteen years, and definitely not someone who is married at 22, even if it's to the most amazing man ever."

Matt tried not to let the hurt he was feeling in his entire body show but he knew he had failed doing that the second Sylvie took his face in her hands and rested her hands on both his cheeks.

"You know I want this for us, someday, but someday isn't today. It's years from now, when I've got myself figured out, when I know what sets my heart on fire, what I want to do as a career, when I have more stability in my life. I want to create a life with you so badly, Matt, but I," her voice suddenly started to break and tears began to form in her eyes again as she looked at Matt's pained expression, "I can't commit myself to any one place or any one person right now, even if that person is you, the person who I fell for the second I met him," she finished. She let her words sink in and didn't want to rush his response, as she was sure a million and one feelings were flowing through Matt's head.

Closing his eyes and taking a breath, he couldn't look Sylvie in her eyes and get lost in them, just like he had the first time he met her, because then his heart would tighten even more, he pulled out of her embrace and brushed a, now shaky hand, through his hair.

"Sylvie, if this is about you being unsure that I'm the one for you, just tell me. You know how I feel about you, how much I love you, and how much I want us to start a life together, but if you don't want that too…"

Matt wasn't able to finish his sentence before Sylvie reached for his hands, letting his big, warm hands engulf her smaller ones, recognizing just how perfectly they fit together. It was her turn to sigh and she searched for Matt's gaze.

"Matt, you know how much I love you and how much I want to be with you. Remember when we would talk about all that we'd see and do after graduation, together? I still want all of that, I do, just not yet. We have all the time in the world, and with you by my side, I know I'll have everything I need."

"What if I want more, Sylvie? What if I want the white picket fence, the dog, the kids…," he trailed off, getting lost in his own words, in his own vision of the life he had pictured for the two of them.

"I want that, too, I do, but just not now. This isn't me saying no to us, to that dream, this is just me putting myself first," she whispered letting her hands fall from his embrace the second she felt Matt tense and slowly create more space between the two of them. She could see the tears glistening in his eyes, but knowing Matt, her Matt, she knew he wouldn't let any of his tears fall. He'd put on a brave face, and that's just what he did.

"Then I want that for you, Sylvie," he responded quietly, glancing down at his feet before meeting her gaze again. "I want to give that to you, I do, and if that means letting you go, then I'll so just that, let you go. You deserve to be happy."

"You bring me so much happiness, Matt, and someday will become one day. I'm so sorry," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead before looking back up at the man who had stolen her heart the first day of college, the same man whose heart she had just broken.

…

Sylvie felt numb. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so numb, though this feeling of numbness that she was experiencing now sitting in the hard, plastic, uncomfortable chair of Chicago Med, was fairly similar to the numb she felt the second she had walked away from Matt in Paris. She brushed her hair away from her eyes, already feeling a new wave of tears forming, threatening to roll down her cheeks. She didn't even know she had the ability to cry this much; she was pretty sure her body had run out of tears. Apparently not, because the second the thought escape her brain, tears began to fall in a steady stream. She took deep breaths, trying to calm herself, but nothing seemed to work. She wrapped her arms around her waist, holding herself tightly, the way Matt once had, before letting her head fall, and giving in to the pain, grief, and emptiness that now felt so real in the pit of her stomach. She couldn't believe he was gone. How could someone be gone so quickly? How could someone be there one moment, and the next, not? How could someone be taken from her too soon, especially when so much was left unsaid between them? She never imagined the world without a Matt Casey in it, her Matt Casey, even though that had long ago ended. And now the world, her world, would never have him in it, never have his soft blue eyes, tousled hair, sexy life, loving smile, passionate kisses, ever again. The feeling overwhelmed her and she didn't know what else to do but sob. She felt a comforting hand rest itself on her back and realized Stella had appeared beside her, gently stroking her back while respecting the space she needed to cry.

"I'm so sorry, Sylvie," she let out quietly, not sure if those were the words her friend needed to hear. She had hoped that the flatlining wasn't coming from Casey's room the second she had heard the sound. Upon arrival, a pit in her stomach formed and Casey's lifeless body confirmed her worst fear: her best friend had not only lost the love of her life, but Stella had also lost one of her closest friends since college. A friend who had been through thick and thin with her. A friend who had seen her commit herself to Severide at their wedding. A friend whose shoes would never be filled to the same extent. Her heart hurt just as much as Sylvie's, though she realized nothing she felt compared to the pain Sylvie was feeling. Brushing her friend's hair back from her face slowly, she took her sleeve and wipes Sylvie's tears away.

"You know I'm here for you, right? Whenever you need me, whatever you need, I'm here Sylvie, and I'm not going anywhere."

Sylvie sat up straighter and turned to her friend. She could barely see Stella through her swollen eyes and tears, but she nodded her head slowly. She knew Stella would always be there for her, just like she had been at Columbia. She found her friend's hand and rested her own on top of hers.

"I know," she murmured, "you've always been there for me, Stell. I know this is no different. My heart just feels so heavy and like it's broken into a thousand and one pieces."

Her honesty and vulnerability broke Stella's heart, and she hated that she couldn't fix it.

"Kelly feels the same way. You should see him. He hasn't moved from Casey's bedside. He's one of the strongest men I know, but he's broken, too. We all are. Casey touched so many lives, and now I can't even imagine trying to live life without him. It's unfair. It shouldn't have happened."

"No, it shouldn't have," Sylvie emphasized, swiping away the tears that kept on flowing down her face. Sylvie tried to remain strong, tried not to let her tears blur her vision, but she couldn't hold it together much longer. She had already lost it, once when she received the call that Casey had been taken to Chicago Med, twice when she had been sitting by his bedside after his surgery waiting for him to wake up, and three times the second she heard the flatline of the heart monitor. She told herself Matt wouldn't want her to be this way. Matt would want her to live her life to the fullest, live her life the way she had envisioned it, the way she wanted it to unfold, with her making the most of each and every moment. What she really wanted, though, was to live that life, to have that perfect picture he had described to her that day of his proposal, with him. She wanted to grow old with him. She wanted to have a family with him. She wanted to have her own little version of a Matt Casey running around their beautifully decorated yet chaotic house, holding onto their family dog's leash behind him. She wanted to come home from work to Matt and her children, she wanted to snuggle by the fireplace on cold nights and sit by the pool on warm summer days. She wanted to see Matt be a father, the father he always wanted to be. They talked about it often their senior year, how they wanted to start a family, how excited Matt was to become a father and be the person his father never was. She wanted to love him unconditionally until the day he died and remind him how much he meant to her, how much he completed her life. Now, sitting in Chicago Med, listening to the buzz of family members crying, the beeping of machines, the dinging of elevators, it was all too much for Sylvie to bear. She couldn't do it, didn't know how to do it, didn't want to do it.

"What now, Stell?" she whispered quietly to her friend, finding comfort leaning into her friend's embrace. Stella had taken a seat next to Sylvie and wrapped her arm tightly around her friend so she knew she wasn't going anywhere. Through thick and through thin, Stella Kidd would always be by Sylvie's side, would always make sure her friend would find a way to move on from one of the worst days of both their lives. Casey seemed invincible to her. He was the Captain of Firehouse 51. He was the one who would run into burning buildings and be the last person out, after he had made sure his team and the civilians got to safety, the one who had the biggest heart for doing what was right and being a leader to the candidates at the firehouse, the one who had seen his fair share of grief and sorrow in his own life. To know his story ended here, now, broke her. At the same time, his story didn't end here and now. His story would carry on being told, being told by those who loved him like their own brother, by those who loved him like Sylvie did, unconditionally and no matter what. Sylvie was and always would be his person, and Stella suddenly felt the urge to remind her best friend of just that.

"Just because he's gone, Sylvie, doesn't mean that he'll be forgotten. Matt touched the lives of so many, and now we can carry on his story for him. We can share with everyone why he was one of the CPD's best firefighters, how much he loved his Firehouse 51 family like his own, how big his heart was for those around him who weren't fortunate enough to have what he had, how much he loved, fiercely and passionately. How he proposed to his college sweetheart at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, and ten years later, reconnected with her in the same city where his entire world changed. Who knows, maybe some will see your and Casey's story as one of second chances, as one that love is never truly lost. Remember the good he created, the love he shared, and the light he gave off. Remember his blue eyes and his low chuckle, the chuckle you always found so sexy and dreamy. Remember how it felt to be hugged by him and share that hug with others. Share with others who Matt Casey was and why he meant so much to you. Though it won't bring him back, maybe it will help you, and the rest of us, remember the person who he was before he died and the person who he'll always live on in our hearts to be."

Pausing to take a steading breath of her own, Stella glanced down at her friend, who had, mid-speech, laid her head on Stella's shoulder. Sylvie's tears had slowed and her eyes remained closed, but Stella could tell her friend had heard everything she had just said. She rubbed Sylvie's hair gently and let silence finally engulf the two of them.

"You're right," Sylvie suddenly responded, lifting her head from Stella's shoulder and turning to face her friend. Her face was still pale but the tears had slowed. She brushed her hair out of her face and sighed heavily, her heart still feeling incomplete but a little less broken after Stella's words.

"He'd want us to continue living and making a difference in the world just as he did and wanted. I just never thought I'd be here, in this moment, so soon." Sylvie paused and looked down at her hands, clasped together, imagining a wedding band around her left ring finger. "But we can't change what happened, we won't ever be able to. All we can do is remember the way Matt touched our lives, and touched the lives of so many, and we can only hope that we'll be able to keep touching people's lives in the way that he would."

Stella was speechless. She had no idea how her friend possessed so much inner strength at this very moment, but she did, and Stella was amazed. She grabbed Sylvie and drew her close to her once more.

"And we can still continue living while mourning his loss and the grief we feel."

Sylvie nodded and looked Stella in the eyes. "You know, sometimes I wonder how different my life would have looked had I said 'yes' to him, where we'd be this very moment if I hadn't have put myself first and, rather put him first, and the life we wanted to create together, first. Now all I can feel is regret."

"No, no, Sylvie don't say that. You don't know what would have happened had you said 'yes,' and you certainly wouldn't have reconnected with Jason and started the life you two have so beautifully created together now. The past is the past, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Sure, we'll have regrets and wished we had done things differently, but that's what life is, it's constantly changing and evolving and not necessarily going to go the way we've planned."

Sylvie smiled softly at her friend, "when did you get so insightful?" Stella chucked.

"I think it's Kelly, he brings it out in me." Sylvie, knowing Kelly almost as well as Kidd did, rolled her eyes playfully.

"Sure, that's it." They exchanged warm smiles and Sylvie let Stella's words sink in. The past was the past; there was no use perseverating on it. She needed to look to the future, look to all the good it held and how she was going to live on carrying Matt Casey with her wherever she went. Slightly doubtful but with more confidence than she had felt just minutes ago, Sylvie felt like she could do that.

…

The doorbell echoed through Nancy Casey's large and rather empty house, and she scurried to the peephole to see who had decided to pay her a visit. Nancy sucked in a breath when she saw blonde shoulder-length hair and beautiful blue eyes waiting for her on the doorstep and, smoothing out her top and slacks, she opened the big wooden door so she could welcome Sylvie Brett inside.

"What a lovely surprise," Nancy greeted the second the door revealed Sylvie's small frame. Sylvie adjusted the purse that was secured around her shoulder and gave a small nod to Nancy. Matt had never been too close with his mother, but he was closer to her than he had been to his father. She had interacted with Nancy here and there when she'd visit Matt at Columbia, though she had heard many stories from Matt about just how strained their relationship had been. Still, Nancy deserved to know what had happened to Matt and, though the hospital insisted they would call Matt's next-of-kin, Sylvie told them that she would take it upon herself to deliver the news. She wanted to be there for Nancy when she received the news no parent wanted to hear.

"Hi, Nancy," Sylvie said, cordially. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans and peered inside Nancy Casey's foyer. It was neat and lacked much decoration, yet it was still quaint and inviting. The pastel colors on the walls allowed for the hardwood floors to pop and much of her furniture was the same color as the hardwood floors. "May I come inside?" she asked after taking a moment to prepare herself for the conversation she was about to have with Matt's mother.

Nancy could sense something wasn't quite right with Sylvie and gave her a questioning glance before stepping aside and motioning for her to come in. She led them to the family room and motioned to the tea kettle that had, just recently, been placed on the stove.

"Care for a cup of tea?" she asked warmly, beginning to walk over to the cabinet to grab herself a tea cup to put the warm beverage in.

"Sure, that would be lovely."

Setting her stuff down, Sylvie neatly tucked her legs together, placed her hands in her lap, and waited for Nancy to return with two cups of tea. Sylvie took hers gently and set the cup down on the table. "Nancy, I'm here today because something has happened to Matt, and I wanted you to hear it from me," she started, pausing to reach for her tea, as she needed something to keep her busy once she saw Nancy grow unsteady on the opposite side of the couch. Nancy's eyes darted to Sylvie's suddenly, and Sylvie noticed the panicked look that Nancy Casey had just given her.

"Oh no, what's happened? I knew it! I just knew it. I always told Matt not to become a firefighter because he'd one day hurt himself, maybe even cause his own death. But what did he decide to do? Become a firefighter and put his life in jeopardy every second he walked into a burning building. He didn't listen to me, and look where it's gotten him."

After her outburst, Sylvie let Nancy catch her breath and then rested her hand on top of Nancy's.

"Nancy, I want you to know what an amazing firefighter your son was. Matt was brave and kind and had the biggest heart. He would always be the first one in and last one out at whatever scene 51 was called to. He put his whole self into his work and his whole heart. He knew being a firefighter was in his blood and he let nothing come in between him and what he felt he was born to do. He was in an accident, Nancy. Matt had a building collapse on him and suffered major injuries from the collapse. He was rushed to Chicago Med and had to be put into a medically induced coma. Though he was such a fighter, he ultimately wasn't able to fight this and flatlined. I've only come from the hospital a little while ago. Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide were there with him when the accident happened, and they were the ones who took him to Med. Stella called me immediately and I got here as quick as I could. I was too late," Sylvie finished softly.

She looked at Nancy to see if she could read Matt's mother's expression. Her eyes had gone from filled with life to filled with emptiness. Her shoulders began to slouch and Sylvie could hear her beathing had become labored. Nancy wasn't able to form any sort of thought or response and merely sat across from Sylvie, still as a statue. Sylvie was sure it was just as hard for his mother to process everything that had happened as it had been for her, and Sylvie gently rubbed Nancy's shoulder.

"Nancy, I am so sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to keep him safe. I'm so sorry I was too late at the hospital and couldn't prevent him from flatlining," Sylvie paused before concluding, "I'm so sorry that I never got to tell your son how much I loved him one last time and how much I regretted that day of our proposal. I can't imagine how you're feeling right now, but know that I'm here for you and always will be. I'm not going anywhere. Matt's not going anywhere. He may be gone but he'll be with us always."

Instead of responding, Nancy nodded her head weakly and begin to cry. Sylvie let Nancy's tears flow down Nancy's face just as her own had flowed down hers, and she didn't try to console Nancy anymore and tell her that everything was going to be okay. The truth of the matter was, it wasn't going to be okay, not for a long while. She and Nancy and Stella and Kelly were going to feel the emptiness in their hearts every time they heard Matt's name, every time they saw something that reminded them of him, every time Firehouse 51 came up. It would eventually be okay, though. They would all heal each other, they would keep his memory living on, they would learn how to live their life without the person that had been their rock for so long. Their shared experience in this traumatic event would grow them closer and deepen. It would help them to continue to share Matt's stories and memory with anyone who wished to listen.

"He knew," was all Nancy said after she had taken her time letting her tears fall down her face and dampen her slacks. "He knew how much you loved him and how much you needed to live into being you after your college graduation. He called me the second he proposed and told me, "I did it, and I let her go, Mom. I let her go, and hopefully, she'll come back to me." Those were his words. And you did, you came back to him, even if it was ten years later. I know that meant more to him than he could have ever imagined," she concluded, looking Sylvie in the eyes. A quiet moment passed between them before Nancy reached for the tissues on the table next to her. "My heart hurts, and I feel empty. No parent should outlive their child. But it comforts me knowing Matt had wonderful people in his life, who loved him in the same way he loved them and loved others. I just wish we had remained closer."

"I know you do, Nancy. I'm sure he wished that too. He'll always be with you, and he'll always be your son, no matter what."

Nancy's tears re-appeared and she simply nodded letting soft sobs escape her lips. Sylvie let her cry, let her sob, let her feel overcome by grief and emotion that she herself didn't quite know how to process. After sitting in the big and empty house for quite some time, Nancy arose from the couch they were seated on and walked upstairs. Seconds later, Nancy reappeared holding a small, velvet box in her hand. The second she reappeared in front of Sylvie, Sylvie's breath escaped her. She knew exactly what Nancy was holding and couldn't believe that Matt had kept the box that contained the ring he had proposed to her with this entire time at his mother's. Nancy opened it delicately and the sunlight glistened off the diamond ring that had not looked like it had aged over the last decade. Tears formed once again in her eyes and she let her fingers moved delicately along the ring and the diamond. She closed her eyes and travelled back to that moment so she could see Casey one last time.

"I can't believe you've kept this," she whispered to Nancy, once she was able to regain her composure. Nancy breathed in a shaky breath and chuckled.

"I knew you were going to come back, and when you did, I was going to be ready with this ring for Matt. I always wanted him to settle down with the girl who stole my baby boy's heart in college, and I always get what I want," she teased, sadness etching her voice. "I just hoped it would end differently than this," she finished, opening Sylvie's hand and setting the box gently in the palm of her hand. "He'd want you to have this, to remember him by, and to remember your story by."

"Oh, Nancy, I can't take this, it's Matt's."

"That's exactly why you should take it, because it was Matt's. It's something he bought for you, Sylvie, and it's something he would want you to have to remember him by, to remember the story you two began writing together all those years ago, to remind you to keep writing that story." She drifted off and a small smile formed on her lips. "And besides, I have no purpose for it; it's just been collecting dust up there in his old room. Now, you'll get to have it, and Matt wouldn't have it any other way."

Nodding, Sylvie let her hand engulf the ring box, and she leaned forward to wrap Nancy in the biggest hug possible.

…

She could feel the plane preparing for its landing at JFK airport. The seatbelt sign had returned to its illuminating form, and Sylvie could sense people were eager to deplane. She was eager herself, as she had spent a couple of days in Chicago following Casey's death to support Stella and Kelly, Firehouse 51, and the additional individuals whom he had touched. Come to think of it, Sylvie couldn't remember the last time she had interacted with so many people before. It was a true testament to the type of person Matt was, the type of person who could touch a single person with a shake of a hand or a genuine smile. Firehouse 51 didn't take his death well, and there were many evenings where its firefighters and paramedics sat lifeless, afraid to face the reality that their fearless captain was no longer with them. Eventually Firehouse 51 had picked up the pieces to the firehouse's low morale and resumed normal functions. In doing so, they even made a memorial in honor of Casey that had his turnout gear and helmet incased in glass, with an impermanent plaque above his uniform until one was able to be made in his honor. Sylvie loved seeing the firehouse that Matt loved so much come together in his honor to remember him, to remember how he fearlessly led them and how he spent each second of his life helping others and doing good in the world. Chief Boden even praised Matt when he had come up to Sylvie to share his condolences. It made leaving Chicago a bit more comforting knowing that Matt's place of residence was also his home and had been so for a long time.

She reached for her bag to feel the small velvet case that was tucked away in its small pocket and prepared for her landing back in New York. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she'd be seeing Jason again. Sure, they had kept in touch while she had been in Chicago, but seeing him after Casey's death had her on edge. He knew just how much Matt had meant to her, but she couldn't help but feel that Jason wasn't the one she belonged with the longer she sat on the plane waiting for it to touchdown. She would always love Jason and what they had and shared, she would always remember; but losing Casey made Brett realize that Jason may never have been her person. He was her safe choice, the choice that wouldn't have broken her heart, the safe choice that provided her with stability and comfort. The safe choice who would give her the moon and back. But, was he her home? Was he the one she wanted to grow old with? Was he the one she wanted to start a family with? Was he the one she wanted to share all of life's ups and downs and in-betweens alongside? She couldn't deny that he was a great guy and catch. Anybody would have been lucky to end up with Jason, and she felt so honored that it was Sylvie he chose as his. She didn't know how she'd tell him that he wasn't the one for her, maybe wasn't ever the one. Or, maybe he once was but was no longer. Maybe he once was the person, before her and Matt's orbits had collided. But they had, in Paris, a decade after they had visited the city together for the first time, and this time, she was going to hold on, hold on to what they had back then when they graduated college and what they had shared in the Parisian hotel room only a couple of months before. Somehow, she would find the courage she needed to share what was on her heart with Jason, share with him that she needed space and time to grieve and mourn the loss of Matt from her life, from the world, from the world that he so beautifully lit up with every fiber of his being. She would find the courage to tell Jason how much he meant to her, how much their life they were starting to create together meant to her, how he was once home for her but now she wasn't even quite sure herself what home looked like for her. Maybe it wasn't 'what', but rather who home was for her; and the reality was, home for her took the form of a sandy-haired, blue-eyed CPD firefighter who had stolen her heart the first moment she had met him and who had died holding it close to his chest as he took his last breath. She couldn't help but feel a wave of tears, as if that was the first, forming in her eyes, and she tucked her chin close to her chest so others wouldn't notice how visibly upset she had become. She was upset…and tired, and exhausted, and heartbroken, and every other emotion that came with the loss of someone significant. She knew what she had to do, and though she didn't want to cause Jason anymore pain than she already had, she also knew she wouldn't be able to continue living a life with him when he wasn't the one she wanted, needed. Sylvie knew she'd always need Jason in her life, as a friend, as a confidant, as someone who once knew Matt and who would be able to share in remembering all that he was, but he would never be her person, the person she'd wake up excited to be next to each morning, the person she could see fathering her children, the person who would make her heart skip out of her chest at the mere sight of him. Once upon he used to be, but seeing Matt Casey had thrown Sylvie off her axis and she hadn't fully recovered, still. Reaching down to grab her bag that was stowed under the seat in front of her, she found the velvet ring box and opened it. The sunlight shone through the plane's windows as her flight neared its final destination, and Sylvie hesitantly removed the ring from its position in the middle of the box. She picked it up, holding it delicately, and admired just how beautiful the jewelry piece was. She closed her eyes and, in a heartbeat, she was transported back to that moment under the Eiffel Tower with Matt on one knee. She kept her eyes closed as she was able to picture his face, how the wind had blown through his hair to make it a bit on the messy side, as he wore a smile so big that was only meant for her, as he whispered those several words she'd never hear from him again, "will you marry me?" Finally slipping the ring on her left ring finger, she adjusted it until it sat perfectly so. The diamond wasn't too big and wasn't too small. It was perfect for her, just as he had been perfect for her. Taking a glance out the window of the airplane, she saw New York's skyline come into view as the clouds vanished from above, and in that moment, she knew she would be okay. She would heal. She would find a way to move on with her life while remembering Matt. She would have hard days, and when she did, Stella and Kelly would be there to help her pick up the pieces. And every so often, she would look through her photo albums, both physical and digital, and remember Matt Casey, as the young boy she met at Columbia and as the man whom she would spend the rest of her life never forgetting. Bringing the ring, now sitting snuggly on her finger, to her lips, she gave it a light kiss.

"Matt, I should've said yes then, but I didn't, so I'm here saying it now. Yes, I'll marry you. I'll love you. I'll make sure you live on in the hearts of all those who you touched and all those who have yet to meet the person you were. And on the days when I find myself missing you more than my heart can handle, I'll remember that evening we shared together in Paris, and how it felt to be held by you, to be loved by you, and maybe it will make me miss you a bit less. Or maybe it will make me miss you even more and wish we could've started our life together ten years ago. Whatever it may be, know that we'll always have this, we'll always have us, we'll always have Paris."

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