AN: I am very very aware that several storylines did not tie up neatly at the end of OGI. It was functionally impossible. As it stands, the final chapter is the longest of the entire story. I'll clean up and post the fragments that didn't fit as I can. I already miss writing this world.

The proposal from Bri's point of view.

—

Bri was not and would never be a morning person. Especially after staying out all night with her colleagues after Sev won the fight with Casey. She was tired. Still not 100 percent after her own job related injuries and increasingly sullen and angsty about it. Boden had assured her she was missed. That the floater paramedic for second watch was not an ideal match. That Shay, if she hadn't said anything, was going insane trying to keep the rig stocked and running smoothly. All of this was comforting to hear but not a substitute for being back in the business of saving lives.

None of which mattered in the present moment. Reluctantly, with more than a little annoyance at the daylight, Bri was waking up. Sev loved the curtains to be open so sun could stream in. On mornings that should have been lazy he was usually up, strapping on running shoes or making plans to check on his motorcycle. So it wasn't entirely unusual for Bri to wake up alone. She didn't open her eyes. She could still smell him. On her and the sheets, even the pillow she burrowed into smelled of Sev so she didn't miss him. Not yet. She went into a full body stretch, scanning each limb mentally for aches, up from her toes, through her knees. She smiled at the sore sensation between her thighs, the hickeys he loved to plant there for no one to see. She stretched her arms up above her head, clutching her fingers together gently so she didn't hurt herself. No pain but... That's when she finally noticed it.

Dawson propped herself up against the headboard and brought her left hand down slowly. Not quite believing what she was seeing on her finger. On her ring finger, that annoyingly significant finger as she covered her mouth with her right hand to stifle a gasp. It was gorgeous. Her fingers were shaking as she touched it to see if it was real. It was. It was a hexagonal ruby bezel ring set in yellow gold. Diamonds studded the band and surrounded the ruby itself. Dawson was no expert but it couldn't be anything less than 2 carats. Impossible to wear on shift, but she already loved it. Her heart was racing in her chest. She felt close to tears. The sneaky punk! When did he even buy it? On the heels of that thought came the most obvious one: Kelly Patrick Severide did not slip an engagement ring on my finger and sneak out for a run!

"SEV!"

She wrapped the sheets around her as she stumbled from the bed. Her mind was racing. How long had he been planning this? God, how much did he spend on it? The answer was yes. Of course it was yes. She loved the man but where was he? Dawson shuffled her feet on her cold floor. Nearly falling out of her bedroom door, in search of Sev when he didn't respond. She strode down the hallway, impatient and worried. He should have stayed in bed resting with all his injuries but noooo. Kelly Patrick Severide had to—

Dawson gasped when she saw him. Kelly. Sev. Cariño. He was kneeling on the floor, his hands palm up on his thighs in just his boxers and medallion. Like their first morning together, he was smiling. Waiting for her to say something. In the bright morning light she could see every bruise and cut. Every single scar from a job, the cut on his lip, all of him in his gorgeous fragile glory. His eyes were intense, staring right through as she stood propped up against her wall. This man devastated her without even trying.

"You didn't take it off."

He sounded relieved or pleased maybe. She couldn't tell. Dawson was useless before coffee and even less useless in an event of such personal magnitude. His voice propelled her forward, sheet clutched to her chest, face shielded by her long tangled hair. She suddenly felt shy, inept. This had never happened to her before. She didn't know what to do or how to act. She glanced over the items on the dining table. Coffee and cereal and a brownie ice cream sundae. Her shy smile became a grin as she touched the ceramic bowl. She looked down at Sev not sure of how she should say what she wanted to say next.

"Boden will have a fit but I don't want to ever take it off."

She watched his shoulders relax just a fraction and felt her heart go from racing to melting. He'd been worried she'd say no, braced for an argument. Thinking she would disagree because in this upside down world where they loved each other she played the rational one to his crazy. She let her left hand touch his right cheek. He was still on the floor, waiting like some supplicant for the magic word but she wanted a proposal. She wanted his words. Sev was amazing with gestures but she needed to hear his love. Just this once. You don't ever get your first proposal twice. So Bri knelt down on the floor with him and took his hands in her own. Sev squeezed hers gently and didn't let go, his thumb grazing over the ring as they stared right into each other. He swallowed audibly. He tried to grin and failed.

"I think it's pretty clear I will do anything for you. I will throw a fight. I will fight. All your battles. Whether you ask me to or not so don't say a word. Not now. I didn't know when I woke up in your bed that I would be different but I am. I so fucking am. You, Gabriela Camilla Dawson, are truly the best gift I never asked for. You make me better. You remind me of my best self and I promise. I absolutely promise to champion yours. I want to spend the rest of my life making sure you're happy, not fine. That you know each and every day how amazing you are. That you are enough. That you always have been. And I want to thank you for showing me that I am too. I know I didn't make it easy but —"

His voice cracked then and tears were already blurring Dawson's eyes. She felt her lips trembling, her whole body drawn tight and shaky as Sev took a deep breath. His eyes closed and she watched him compose himself while she fell apart in slow motion. This man. How did she never see him, all of him, until this last incredible year?

"You are my home. Fuck, I wish I could say it better than that. I want to wake up and fall sleep with you wherever you are. Be mine. Bri. I will choose you every day until you tell me to stop and every day beyond it because fuck that. I love you. Marry me?"

Dawson broke down. Completely undone as she leaned forward, collapsing into Sev, her arms flung around his neck. Breathing him in, this man who loved her so well.

"I don't want you to stop Sev. Oh God you. Estúpido idiota de mierda. Te amo demasiado. I love you more than anything. Yes, I will marry you. Yes, you can fight my fights if I can fight yours. You don't have to do anything alone again. You will never be alone again. Okay asshole?"

He nodded mutely. She let Sev stroke her hair back from her face, soothing her as she felt the babbling anxiety of all her feelings swim to the tip of her tongue. Dawson tried to swallow around them. He kissed her. Gentle. Sweet. Tasting like coffee and all her tomorrows and Dawson sank into him. His heart, where she'd longed to be and always had been quite without recognizing it.

til next time