Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination and the name of all the kids. The original story idea goes to Justicerocks11
a/n: Wow! I'm super psycked about the reviews this story is getting so thank you to everyone who leave them, even guests who I can't reply to individually, it means the world to me. So Matt and Gabby meeting leave an undeniable impression on both parties and we'll see how it affects them in their day to day life so I hope you'll enjoy this latest chapter.
Matt spent the rest of the day at the pier with thoughts of the mysterious woman he had bumped into. The girls had to, on several occasions, get him out of his thoughts and back with them but that didn't stop them from having a great day together. They hadn't gone to the pier in a very long time and now the girls were older, it was more fun. Before they left, the girls had begged him for some cotton candy under the condition that they wold eat their diner and when they stopped at a pizza place, they had emptied their plates with a second serving.
"You girls had fun today?"
"Yes." Emma yawned, making Matt chuckled.
"Looks like the two of you will be going to bed early, we have a big day at the firehouse tomorrow."
"Will we get to sit in your truck?" Grace smiled broadly.
"Sure, I'll even ask Cruz to put you in the driver seat if you want and if you're nice and Chief Boden says it's ok, you might be able to go on the ladder." Grace grew increasingly happy at this, she always loved the firehouse and getting to do stuff like that while Emma was content exploring and know what everything did. "But only if he says it's ok." He warned her.
"Yes daddy."
"Come on." He smiled at Emma who was yawning again. "Let's get you two ladies in bed before I have to carry you out of here." He paid the check and both girls walked to the truck and got in before he buckled them up and they left for home. He tucked both girls after they were washed up and went back downstairs. He was still hungry so he decided to make home made nachos and he grabbed himself a beer before retreating to the living room. He sat down and turned on the tv and found a movie he liked but it didn't take time for that movie to be background noise and his mind to drift off againt to the woman who had bumped into him. The mocka skin under his touch was soft and those grown eyes had left an impression on him but the two boys and the beautiful little girl that was a spitting image of her mother reminded him that she was most likely taken and he had only seen her a brief moment and didn't even have a name so he tried to push her out of his thoughts and watched the movie he had found on his tv. When he was done eating, he went to bed because even though it wasn't late from his standpoint, having the girls with him at the house would require more energy. He went to sleep with thoughts of the woman in his head, he couldn't help it. The next morning, the girls were excited and got dressed in clothes that they could get dirty because no matter how careful you were, a firehouse was not a place for sunday clothes. They skipped breakfast because Mills would do it at the house and they quickly left and Matt parked in his usual spot when they arrived at the house. He stopped them in front of the door to give his usual reminders.
"I want you girls to be polite and not too excited because I don't want you to get hurt on something and you do not touch equipment unless I'm with you am I clear?"
"Yes daddy." They both smiled.
"That's my girls, let's go say hi to everybody." They all went in and the girls immediately ran towards Severide.
"Uncle Kelly." They both squealed and jumped on his lap.
"If it isn't my two favourite goddaughters." He hugged them both.
"We're your only goddaughters uncle Kelly." Grace pulled back, giving him a face and making everyone laugh.
"Can't put anything past her, unckle Kelly." Leslie Shay giggled at the coffee machine. "What about me girls? Where's my hug?" She smiled at them and they quickly got off of Severide and ran towards Shay's open arms. Matt couldn't have chosen better godparents for his girls and they had helped a lot with them when they were babies when Hallie had suddenly left them. "You want to come with me in the ambulance to go get some gas?" She looked up at Matt, smiling and the girls were jumping up and down."Is that ok dad?" Shay asked.
"Please please please daddy can we go?"
"Sure but you listen to everything Aunt leslie tells you ok?"
"Yes daddy." They both said as they followed behind Shay.
"And don't go corrupting my daughters." I bellowed after Shay.
"And breakfast with be ready when you come back." Mills told them.
"Thanks Peter." Matt said before leaving the common room to head to his office. He still had some paperwork to finish from last shift and he took the opportunity to do so while the girls were gone. It was going well until her face popped in his mind, making it impossible to concentrate anymore. "Come on Casey, stop thinking about her." He said to himself, this was rediculous. He had met her for a brief moment and still he couldn't keep her out of his mind.
"Her?" Herrmann's voice stopped his thoughts and he then realised that he had said those words out loud.
"Did I hear a her?" Severide walked by right after Herrmann spoke.
"Close the door." He huffed, knowing neither Herrmann or Severide would let off if he didn't tell them about her.
"Did you meet someone?" Kelly was always bolder when it came to these things. He had always encouraged him to go out there and meet someone but he always claimed that the girls came first and that having someone at his side wasn't a must.
"More like she bumped into me at the pier yesterday and now I can't get her out of my head."
"That little lady have a name?" Chris asked smiling.
"No, just a face and three kids. This is so messed up." He ran his hands over his face.
"Did you see a ring? Because if there's no ring who cares about three kids." Severide pipped up.
"Severide's right."
"This is not helping me guys. I probably won't even see her again."
"Think of it this way lieutenant, this was a chance meeting and if it's meant to be, something will put her in your path again." Matt nodded, accepting Herrmann's logic and hoped that he did. Maybe that would help take her out of his mind if he knew more about her. Both patted him on the shoulder with a smirk and left him to his paperwork. The girls returned about thirty minutes later to Mills calling everyone to chow. Matt sat at his usual spot at the head of the table and the girls quietly ate while everyone around them were making jokes. Grace must have noticed chief Boden from the corner of her eye so she pushed her empty plate aside and got up.
"Good morning Mr. Boden." She greeted him
"Good morning Grace. You know you can call me Wallace." He smiled at her. She shrunched her eyebrows, pondering what her father had once told her. "Daddy says it's not polite to call an adult by their first name Mr. Boden." She talked like such a grown up.
"Daddy raised you right then." He chuckled. "What can I do for you Grace?"
"Can we go on the ladder of daddy's truck today?" Boden smiled at the girl in front of him and looked up to meet Casey's eyes.
"Sure, as long as you promise you'll be careful and that your dad will be with you."
"Thank you Mr Boden."
"You're very welcome Grace." He chuckled as she turned around to join her sister that was now on the couch, watching cartoons. The rest of the morning was pretty easy with only a couple easy calls, giving the house the opportunity to spend some time with the girls. After lunch, Matt took them to the apparatus floor so they could hop in the truck. Grace sat in her father's place up front and Cruz took Emma in the driver's seat, answering all the questions she had about what every button and dial did.
"Can I blow the horn?" She asked Cruz excitedly.
"Go for it." She pulled on lever and the loud sound resonated on the high ceiling, making Grace jump in her seat before she started giggling. When she managed to stop, Matt helped her up the side of the truck and went up with her on the ladder. She was too small for him to ask to raise the aerial but he was comfortable enough to let her walk up there with him. Suddenly, she sat down cross legged, facing her father.
"Do you go on the ladder daddy?
"Sometimes when we go in really big buildings. I'm really careful though because I love you and I don't want to get hurt." Matt knew that even their five year old minds worried about him, they knew he had a dangerous job.
"Ok." She smiled.
"Come on, let's get you down before we get a call." Severide was there to help her down safely and they all went to the common room before the bell rang. The girls stayed with Connie while 51 rolled out. The rest of the afternoon wasn't as slow as the morning, bringing one call after the other. Connie was staying with the twins and took the treasure chest out so they could have fun. It was loaded with toys, crayons and DIY stuff so whenever they would come, they wouldn't get bored. They managed to eat dinner as a family with the rest of 51 and after a bigger call after that, Matt sent them both to his office for a night of sleep while he filled up the paperwork for their last call. He would look over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure his girls were still ok.
"You're doing a great job Matt." Boden walked over to his lieutenant's open door.
"Thanks chief, I try." Both men smiled at each other, the girls were cuddled together, like they always did when they slept at 51.
"But now it might be time for you to open your heart to someone, you deserve to be happy." Boden had seen Matt grow from a new dad and great lieutenant into a strong father figure for his girls.
"It's just that we have a demanding job and the girls are my priority, finding love seems like it's the last thing I should be thinking about right now." He leaned backwards in his chair, looking at his sleeping daughters. Regardless of the fact that the woman he had seen at the pier didn't seem to want to leave his mind, he couldn't let that take up too much of his thoughts, he had a much more important role to play.
"I know but don't be afraid to open your heart, in the end it might be the best for you and the girls."
"Thanks chief." He smiled at his superior before Boden left him alone to finish his report.
Gabby managed for the first time to easily put the kids to bed after the day at the pier, they were exhausted and so was she. She promised herself that she would have the talk about school with the boys in the morning and when she went to bed and closed her eyes, those piercing blue eyes were suddenly creeping in her tired mind. Her heart had skipped a beat, there was no doubt about that but this wasn't the right time to thinking about meeting someone new. It was too soon after Alberto's death and she was still grieving and she had to get back to normal before she even consider going out to meet people, let alone a guy. She turned on her side and let sleep engulf her. She woke up to the sun peaking through the blinds and to an elevated heartbeat from the dream she just had of the stranger she bumped into yesterday, his blue eyes and smile staying trapped in her memory. She quietly got up and headed for the shower to clear her mind off all of this. When she returned to her room, refreshed and dressed, the twins were up and looking for some clothes.
"We are probably going to go to the park today so don't dress to heavy alright? Come meet me in the kitchen when you're done, I'll get your sister." They both nodded and she padded through Antonio's hallway towards Eva's room but the teenager was already gone and Valentina was slowly waking up. "Morning baby." She smiled at her daughter that was sitting up on the mattress.
"Mama." She smiled, raising her arms in the air to be taken in Gabby's arms.
"Let's get you dressed. We are going to the park."
"YAY, park." She squealed. Gabby helped her put a t-shirt and shorts knowing she would get dirty in the sand. She picked her up and headed for the kitchen where she sat her in the high chair and the boys sat at the table. She made them some toast and grabbed coffee and a muffin for herself before they all settled and ate. Gabby looked at the boys and she figured that since they were alone in the house, now was a good time to talk about school.
"Luis and Filippe." She said to grab their attention. It was something she had talked about with Alberto before his passing but had yet to talk to the boys about but time was passing and September would be at their doorsteps in no time.
"What's wrong mama?" Luis asked. She hadn't realized that tears were forming in her eyes at the thought of her late husband and she wiped them away.
"Nothing baby." She smiled through her tears. "But I need to talk to you about something."
"Are you leaving like daddy too?" Filippe asked. Gabby's heart broke even more.
"No, I'm not going anywhere but back home, daddy and I had a talk about sending the two of to school."
"Do we have too?" They both pouted, making her smile again.
"Yes. You're so grown up now and you'll have loads of fun there and meet some new friends there. Pretty cool huh?"
"I guess so. Where are we going to school?" They asked. Sometimes it was as if they read each other's minds because the answered he same at the same time more often than not.
"Well tomorrow is Friday and we are going to go visit the school I saw close to where your sister will go to daycare while mommy works. What do you think if we all go visit it together?"
"Sure."
"Perfect. Now come on, eat up so we can go to the park." This discussion had gone way easier that she had originally thought. She finished helping Valentina eat while the boys hurried to finish their breakfast so they could go to the park. They walked the short distance to the park where the boys ran off to the big structure with slides on it. Sliding and climbing were their favourite thing to do so she let them go, keeping an eye on them. She took Valentina to the smaller structure where there was a small climbing wall and a slide that were easily accessible for her. Gabby sat with her feet in the sand and watched her kids play and enjoy themselves. For the next hour, they ran and jumped and climbed and slid their hearts out while her mind kept bringing her images of the blue eyes stranger from the pier, keeping her completely boys kept asking for her to look at what they were doing on the monkey bars, often interruption her minds relentlessness.
"This is getting out of hand." Her mind screamed. "Ok guys let's go home, we're going for a drive." She got up and wiped the sand from her clothes and feet before picking Valentina and strapping her in her stroller. The boys quickly followed her and when they arrived at Antonio's, she put everyone in their seats and drove off, she needed to talk to someone about this. The drive wasn't very long before they arrived at Laura's bakery. Everyone hopped out and Gabby put Valentina on the ground so she could walk inside with her brothers.
"Auntie Laura." The boys screamed once they saw her.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Laura looked up from the boys to Gabby.
"Mommy wanted to go for a drive." Filippe proudly said, making Laura laugh. Laura looked at Gabby again and she knew her sister-in-law needed to talk. "Why don't you guys go see Kate and get whatever you want and sit down where we can see you." Laura instructed the boys.
"And take your sister with you please." Gabby really needed an adult talk right now. Luis took Valentina's hand and they went to the counter to get something to eat.
"Is something wrong?" Laura asked as they sat down at a table in the far corner of the shop.
"Something is very wrong."
"Out with it then." Laura grew serious.
"Ok so yesterday, we went to the Navy pier and it was all about having fun right?"
"Gabby, you're sounding weird right now."
"Ok so here's the thing. Valentina wanted to walk so I put her down from the stroller and she got all excited and I had to talk her down a little bit but then she pulled so hard on my hand that she pulled away from me and started running so I ran after her and BAM. I walk into this guys." She said all in one breath.
"Ok, nothing wrong in there so far." Laura obviously didn't know where this was going.
"But the thing is, he had these eyes. They were blue, like I've never seen before and I apologized and he just smiled at me."
"He was just being polite Gabby, what's so wrong about that?"
"What's wrong is that right there, in the middle of the pier, my heart skipped a beat when he smiled at me."
"It's ok Gabby." Laura finally getting the drift. "It's ok to feel again."
"No it's not. It hasn't even been a year yet Laura." Gabby's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "And he has kids too, he's probably someone's husband. This is wrong on so many levels." She angrily wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
"Maybe this is just your heart's way of telling you that you're ready to let someone in." Laura took her hand in hers. She hated seeing her husbands sister in such distress but she knew Gabby needed to go through all the phases before she would fully become better.
"I just can't stop thinking about him Laur. I was thinking about him when I went to bed and I was dreaming about him when I woke up and at the park, my mind kept drifting back to him."
"Tell me you at least asked his name."
"NO." She growled, making Laura smirk. "NOT funny."
"Ok, sorry not laughing." She squeezed Gabby's hand. "But I mean it Gabs. I know right now you're hurting and confused but one day, you're going to have to let yourself fall for someone again and this stranger is the one to make you feel like that again, than maybe it was a blessing you bumped into him." Gabby took in everything Laura was telling her. It did make sense but her heart was screaming that it was wrong to feel this way so soon. She nodded and smiled at her.
"Thanks Laura, I really needed this talk." She smiled once more. The kids finished eating and they left about half an hour later, Gabby had a few things to take care of before tomorrow's open house at the school and for Saturday when the store would deliver her furniture at her new place and work on Monday.
a/n: So it seems both Gabby and Matt can't keep the other out of their minds but only having met a few minutes, what does it really mean for both single parents? Will they even meet again?
Next up: School open house.
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I hope you'll take a few seconds to leave a review so I can know what you guys think of it. The next chapter might take a little bit to be posted because I feel I've been ignoring some of my other stories so I'll try making up for that and if you have a little more than a few seconds, I have a poll on my profile page for my story Coming Home so if you guys could vote, it would help me greatly - Sarra
