Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination and the kids names.
a/n: Thanks again to everyone who left a review on last chapter and I'd like to welcome all the new readers and followers, I hope you guys are liking it so far. Sorry for the delay in posting this one, back problems and all but it's getting better so hopefully I'll be able to be more consistant in posting. Enjoy
Things were going great between Matt, Gabby and all five kids after Matt had come by to talk with the boys and they had been spending extra time together. Matt and Kelly had made plans to go watch an NHL game with the kids but Gabby was skeptical about their ability to take care of four kids and one teen but it was too late for that now because they were all in her apartment, ready to leave.
"Are you sure that you guys can handle all of these kids?" Gabby stood next to Matt as the kids were running around the living room, chasing Kelly.
"We'll be fine Gabby. I just want you girls to have fun at the spa tonight."
"Oh we'll have fun, don't worry." Shay laughed as she patted Matt on the back.
"I'm not sure I should trust you now Shay." He laughed back, knowing how Shay was when she was on wine.
"Well tough."
"Alright kids, are you guys ready?" Matt asked, all kids giving him their undivided attention.
"Yes." They all yelled together.
"Oh boy. Good luck with them." Gabby kissed Matt on the cheek.
"Don't worry babe, we're going to be fine. When's Laura coming?" Christie and Shay had been there for a while but Gabby's sister in law was the only one missing so they could leave.
"She should be here any minute." Gabby's mom had already picked Valentina up for the night so they could spend a night relaxing and just having fun. The girls had scheduled an emergency spa evening after Gabby had told them about Matt's question to move in because she still hadn't given him an answer and she needed their input about it. Gabby turned as she heard a knock on the door, turning around to go open the door to Laura.
"I'm sorry I'm late." They hugged.
"It's fine Laura, Matt isn't gone yet with the kids."
"But we have to leave. Come on kids, coats and shoes on so we can go eat before we head to the arena." Matt wanted to at least save on dinner since he knew that the food at the game would be expensive. The kids made quick of getting dressed so Matt and Kelly were the first to leave with Violet and the four smaller kids, leaving the girls alone in the apartment.
"Alright so the dinner reservation is in thirty minutes, we should get going." Shay looked at her watch and then at the girls.
"Let me just grab my bag and we can leave." Gabby picked her bag from next to the couch and the girls were on their way. Christie had decided to drive, saying that wine would be flowing and that she was more than ok being the designated driver.
"Are you sure you don't want to drink with us?" Laura asked Christie as they walked down to street level.
"I didn't say I wasn't drinking." She chuckled. "I just won't drink as much as the three of you." They all got into the car and they drove towards the restaurant
Matt and Kelly parked in the McDonald's lot and they all came out, the kids overly excited to be able to go in the games while they all waited for their orders.
"Don't you want to go play with them?" Matt asked Violet as they waited by the counter.
"Uncle Matt. I'm twelve. I'm too old to play in there." Kelly laughed as Violet gave Matt an are you for real look.
"Sorry Vi." Matt looked at her sheepishly. "I'm just can't beleive how big you are now."
"Kids do that." Matt chuckled but the truth is that he had been a bit different with her since Christie had told him about Violet's wish to change her name to Casey and he had yet to talk to her about it.
Matt walked into Christie's house after knocking, knowing that his sister was preparing dinner. He grabbed Violet from the back as he entered into the kitchen, his niece not having heard him walk through the door. She gave a high pitched squeal, Christie turning around and laughing at the scene in front of her. Her brother was great with Violet and she was happy to have him in her life.
"What happened? I think you grew two inches since the last time I saw you."
"An inch and a half." Christie laughed.
"Dinner smells great by the way."
"You're still having dinner with us uncle Matt?" Violet asked hopefully.
"Yes I am. Shay's staying with the girls for their girls pizza and movie night."
"So you got kicked out." Severide appeared in the kitchen.
"Pretty much." He laughed.
"A beer?" Kelly asked from the fridge.
"Sure. So how's school Vi?"
"It's ok." She wasn't as enthuiast as Matt would have thougt.
"Come on Violet, let's go start a movie in the living room." Kelly placed his hands on her shoulders, guiding her away so Christie and Matt could talk.
"What's that about?" Matt turned to look at Christie again
"Maybe you should sit down."
"Chris, what's going on?" He stood his ground and stayed standing.
"Violet's been having trouble at school."
"I thought she loved the Latin school. What happened?"
"It's about Jim. Some kids have been being mean to her, telling her not so fun things about what happened and she's tired of it. She wants to change her name to Casey." Matt hadn't expected this at all.
"How long has this been going on?"
"Since she went back after the divorce."
"When did you find out?" He sighed.
"Last week. Kelly told me about it." Matt didn't understand why Kelly was the one to tell her about it and not Violet. "I know what you're going to say. How come Kelly knew before you. She told him because they bought a Hawks jersey and he asked her what name she wanted on it and she said she wanted to put Casey."
"That's won't stop the mean kids though."
"That's what I told her too but I also said that we'd be happy if she decided the Casey name. Maybe you could talk to her." He looked behind him to the living room where she was sitting next to Severide on the couch, laughing at the movie they were watching
"Yeah. Maybe I can take her to do something soon, just the two of us."
"I'm sure she'd love that. I didn't know it was so hard on her."
"It can't be easy but we're here and we can help her through it. She won't be left to her own devices like we were, don't worry about it." He put his hand on hers and gave it a light squeeze.
"Thanks for everything Matt."
"You've been there for me for these past five years, I wouldn't be anywhere else."
When the food was ready, Violet rounded all four kids and after after instructions that they had to eat quickly, everyone sat down and the kids quietly ate their food. Once dinner was over and everything cleared out, the kids settled into the car again and they headed towards the United Center.
Gabby and the girls arrived at the restaurant not longer after they left her place and were led to to a large seating area in the back where they'd be able to have some privacy and some fun without the huge crowd of people. Laura ordered them a bottle of red wine and appitizers while they waited to order their food and offered a toast.
"So here's to friends, new and old and to Gabby who's come out on top of a very difficult year."
"To Gabby." Gabby smiled and they drank, looking over the menu.
"I know that we're here to have some fun but I need to talk to you guys about something." She had already talked to Christie about Matt's proposal and she smiled at her, encouraging her to talk about it but what she didn't know is that Laura was the only one who didn't know about it.
"Is something wrong?" Laura asked.
"No. Actually I really need your opinion on something." She blushed slightly.
"If you're looking to have some sex advice, forget it right now." Shay teased, trying to lighten the atmosphere.
"Shay, no." The pink of her skin turned a deep shade of red. "It's nothing like that. Matt asked me to move in with him." She finally said, not wanting to beat around the bush.
"Really? When?" Laura was the only one who was shocked by the news.
"A few weeks back."
"Did you answer him?" She questionned. Gabby and Laura were very close but she hadn't talked to her about it, struggling internally with the decision but so far, she hadn't been able to put her thoughts together to be able to make a clear headed decision.
"No. I've been wrestling with what to do, what answer to give him and I know he said he'd be patient but I don't want him to think that I'm toying with him because I'm not, I just don't know what to do." She said in one long breathe, dreading she'd lose her courage if she stopped. Shay put her hand on Gabby's and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You know Matt would never pressure you into a decision. He loves you and the kids and he's willing to wait forever for you." They smiled at each other. Suddenly it didn't surprise Gabby that Shay already knew, being the girls godmother and all, which made her know that Kelly knew about it too.
"What is your heart telling you?" Laura asked as their food arrived.
"It wants to say yes but I'm scared it's too soon. And I'm scared of what the kids will think about it. I just want to make the right decision for everyone and I don't want to wait forever for an answer." She had heard the words from Shay that he would wait forever for her but she didn't quite beleive it.
"You know, as much as we want to take kids into account when we make that kind of decision, kids adapt easily but if you have doubts, then you have a problem." Christie added. "I've seen Matt with your kids and I know he doesn't want this to come between you guys but I know he loves them too and he knows you guys are a package. He wouldn't have asked you to move in if he didn't want all of it."
"But that will bring the kids to 5. Can we even manage that? And where would we live? There's so many things to think about."
"Yeah but first you have to decide what you want to do. Do you want to move in with Matt or not? If you can answer that, the rest can be figured out later." Shay loved her goddaughters and Matt was one of her best friends and she wanted him to be happy and now that Gabby was in the picture, she wanted her to be happy too and even if she didn't know Gabby for very long, she hadn't seen them more happy than when they were together with all their kids.
"And I know that Alberto would want you to be happy so you need to figure out what would make you happy here." Laura said.
They were all bringing valid points to the table and somehow, her thoughts were settling into place, figuring out the answers to the questions that they had all asked her. Matt had come into her life at a vulnerable moment and given her a new hope and happiness that she never thought she'd feel after her husband passed away.
"Alright, I have an other toast. To new beginnings." Gabby raised her glass.
"To new beginnings." The girls cheered and drank some wine while they ate, a new bottle appearing as soon as the one on the table was empty.
Matt and Kelly found a parking space side by side at the United center and everybody got out of the cars. It was already starting to be crowded so Matt wanted to make sure all the kids understood how the evening was going to go.
"Alright guys. I want everyone to hold a grown up's hands because I don't want to run after anyone or lose any of you ok?"
"Yes Matt." The boys said first.
"Ok dad." The girls said after. Emma went straight for Violet's hand while Grace held on tight to Matt, Luis and Filippe opting to take Kelly's hands.
"Alright, let's go have some fun." Kelly said as they walked towards the entrance of the arena. Matt handed the usher their tickets and they all went towards the entrance of the bathrooms.
"Any of you need to go to the bathroom because it's going to be harder later on." All the kids went just to be safe aven though Matt suspected that he'd have to go back with at least one of them during the game. "Ok let's go find our seats and go for some snacks." Matt and Kelly knew the building since they had come to a few games together so they all walked towards the seat section on their tickets and stopped at a food consession to grab some snacks for everyone.
"I want popcorn." Grace asked, pulling on Matt's arm.
"And I want a slushie" Emma requested.
"What about you guys?" Kelly asked the Luis and Filippe.
"Can we have m&m's?" They asked hopefully. It was the first time they were getting to do such a fun activity.
"I think we can get that yeah." Kelly smiled at them. "What about you Vi? What do you want?"
"Just a pretzel and some water." They got themselves something as well and a few water bottles for everyone before they went to get their seats. The game was starting in about thirty minutes.
The girls meal was well on its way of being finished and the bottle of wine that was sitting on the table was half way empty but the girls weren't very drunk, trying to be in good condition to be able to go to the spa after.
"I wonder how the boys are doing with all the kids." Shay laughed, the alcohol well into her system.
"With Matt and Kelly, I'm not too worried." Christie smiled.
"So Kelly huh?" Shay asked her. "How did that happen?"She had tried to pry the information out of Severide and had failed, the roomate card not working in this case.
"I don't kiss and tell." The girls gasped as she put a forkful in her mouth so she wouldn't have to answer questions but from the look on Shay's face, it was far from being over. Apart from knowing that they were together and that he was staying over every once and a while, Kelly had refused to tell her anything, which for her meant that it was serious for him.
They each ordered some desert before they grabbed their tabs and left the restaurant, Christie driving as promised towards the spa. They were given locker keys with a plush white robe and a bottle of water before they went to change in their bathing suits before returning to main desk where they received a few more instructions. They went into the hot water bassins and relaxed for a bit.
"Thank you for bringing me here, I needed this." Gabby smiled at them. They enjoyed an hour and a half of the baths before they went to sit down by the fire so they could relax a little bit. They were talking for half an hour when a young woman came to interrupt them.
"Gabriella Dawson?" Gabby looked at her with a smile, wondering what was going on.
"Yes that's me."
"I have a reservation for an hour long massage for you." She looked at all three girls, wondering who had done that for her.
"I'd bet anything that's all Matt's doing." Christie smiled at her brother's girlfriend. It was his type of thing to do for her.
"Well what are you waiting for? Go get pampered and we'll be here when you're done." Shay laughed.
"I'll see you guys later." She followed the woman towards the massage parlors and she handed her a small envelop that read Enjoy, you deserve it Love - Matt xx Gabby blushed lightly as she was instructed to lie down face down on the table and she let the girl do her magic, enjoying every second of it.
Matt and Kelly waited in the enormous bathroom line with the boys during the second intermission while Violet did the same with the girls.
"So how do you think the girls are doing?" Matt looked at his watch before answering.
"Right now, if they weren't late, Gabby is enjoying a massage."
"So, did she give you an answer for your question yet?" He didn't want to say the actual words because he knew the boys didn't know about it and he didn't want to be the one to tell them about it.
"She hasn't but I don't want to pressure her you know? It's a huge decision to make."
"I totally get that." Kelly let his sentence linger as they made little progress in the line.
"Something on your mind Severide?" Matt was watching the wheels turn in Kelly's head and wondered what was bothing him.
"Huh? No, everything is fine."
"When you're ready to talk, let me know." They finally managed to make it to the bathroom on time and met up with the three girls at the bathroom entrence.
"Dad, I'm hungry again. Can we go get some more food?" Grace asked, Matt looking at the timer saying there was only 5 minutes left to the intermission.
"Come on Grace. You ate all your happy meal and a whole popcorn. How can you even be hungry right now?"
"I'm hungry dad, I want a hot-dog please"
"Alright." He took her in his arms. "You two good to go back to our seats with all three kids?"
"We'll be fine uncle Matt."
"Ok, we'll be right there. You boys be nice for Kelly and Violet." He told the boys
"Yes Matt." They said together.
"Alright, let's go." Matt tried to navigate as quickly as possible through the crowd to get to the concession"Are you sure you don't want anything while we're here?"
"Cotton candy." She smiled.
"Alright, cotton candy it is." He paid for everything and they made it back to their seats, five whole minutes of the period already gone and the points were now tied. The kids were jumping up and down and the game was super exciting but five minutes later, Filippe complained about the need to use the bathroom again and Kelly was the one to go this time. They ended up spending most of the period between the bathrooms and the food concession, missing most of the third period but Matt wouldn't have it any other way. The game ended by the count of 5-3 for the Hawks, the kids happy that the team had won while they were there. They carefully moved through the crowd on their way out, hands being held tightly not to be lost in the mass and they managed to make to the car in one piece.
Violet hopped in the front seat of Kelly's car and the girls rode with him too, leaving Matt and the twins in Gabby's car on the way back to his place. When they made it home, Christie's car was parked in front of the house so they had arrived home without too much trouble.
Gabby enjoyed every single second of her massage as the girl pressed into the knots in her back from working at the hospital and taking care of all three kids. She kept in mind to thank Matt later when they were alone. She met up with the girls by the fire after she had showered, all three of the girls fully dressed as well.
"Are you ready to go?" Shay asked Gabby.
"Yeah. All relaxed and ready to go." They drove back home in Christie's car and made it to Matt's house before the boys.
"Do you mind giving me a ride?" Shay asked Laura because she suspected Kelly was going to end up at Christie's for the night.
"Sure, no problem."
"Thanks for everything again. It was really fun." The girls all hugged and Gabby made herself at home with Christie and they brewed some coffee while they waited for the boys.
"So, did you give more thought to Matt's proposition?"
"I think I'm going to say yes." She smiled as the door opened just as she said that, Matt walking in with Grace who was asleep in his arms, Emma falling asleep next to him, Kelly walking in with both boys wide awake and Violet in tow, wearing her new team jersey. They took care of getting the kids ready for bed, Grace not offering too much resistance as Gabby changed her into her pj's. Matt closed the door and went back downstairs with Gabby, where Kelly and Christie were ready to leave with Violet
"Thanks again for the ride." Gabby hugged Christie.
"You're welcome, this was fun. We should do this some other time."
"Absolutely." Matt hugged his niece and the trio left, leaving Gabby and Matt alone again, Matt locking hehind them. "So, how was the game?" She asked as he pulled her to him.
"They won, it was great."
"The kids didn't give you too much trouble?"
"They were well behaved but we did miss part of the third for bathroom and food breaks."
"Sorry about that."
"It's fine. The kids had fun. What about you?"
"It was amazing. Thank you for the massage and the little note." She raised on her tip toes and kissed him. They made out until air was an issue "I have something else for you." She smiled micheviously.
"What is it?" He smirked, loving her playfulness.
"Yes." She simply said.
"Yes?" He had no idea what she was talking about.
"Don't tell me I have to make you ask me again."
"Yes?" His smile grew.
"Yes. I want to move the craziness in with you." He lifed her up and spun her around, making her squeal.
"I love you so much." He crushed his lips to hers in a searing kiss, lifting her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. They made it up the stairs and Matt laid her down on the bed and they made out before clothes started flying, landing randomly on the ground and they made love tenderly, only falling asleep hours later, a new beginning ahead of them.
a/n: The girls had fun at the spa and the boys, although a bit hectic, had fun with all the kids at the hockey game and Gabby finally said yes. How will the conversation with the boys go when both she and Matt deliver the news? And what kind of new chaos will that bring?
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and please take a few minutes to review before you go - Sarra
