Chapter 3

Matthew Casey was stood outside my door in his full bunker gear, clearly having been in a fire recently as soot was smudged across his face. Matt shrugged while keeping his eyes on Gabby as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Can I come in?" He asked, not answering Gabby's question of why he was here as he took a look down Gabby's corridor before entering her apartment with her consent. Gabby didn't even try to hide the empty beer cans that lay on her coffee table and of course that was the first thing Matt's eyes found.

"Want one?" Gabby offered even though she already knew the answer to that question.

"No, still on duty." Matt replied immediately as he looked around her apartment, having never really been inside before since everyone always likes to socialise at the bars in their off duty hours.

"You left the poor guys in the truck?" Gabby asked as she moved towards the window to sneak a peek outside, expecting to find truck 81 parked outside but she was surprised to just see Matt's construction truck outside.

"No, we went back to the firehouse after a fire call 20 minutes ago and I drove here in my truck." Matt explained, still not answering the question that Gabby desperately wanted to know, so like the Dawson she is, Gabby cut straight to the point.

"Why are you here Matt?" Gabby asked bluntly as she studied his features, but his face gave nothing away as they remained standing a few feet away from each other in her living area.

"I wanted to see how you are." Matt replied while looking straight at Gabby. She laughed in disbelief and confusion at how bad of a liar Matt is.

"I'm fine," Gabby answered while taking a sip of my beer, Matt watching my every motion critically.

"I've got the night off work and I have beer, couldn't be happier." She finished while taking another long sip from her near empty can. Matt nodded his head as he looked out the window into the dark night and then turned back to look into her eyes, trying to figure something out but clearly not finding whatever he was looking for.

"Okay, Mills is pretty upset from your argument." Matt replied, trying to bait her into a response she wasn't going to give him. Gabby just shrugged carelessly.

"Wanna watch TV?" Gabby asked, picking up the remote control from the couch as she plopped herself down on her two-seater couch. Matt suddenly looks disappointed as she ignores his comment about Peter.

"No, I better get back to the firehouse." Matt replies as he throws a thumb over his shoulder to illustrate his intent. Gabby nodded, expecting his response but still disappointed that despite separating from Hallie a few months ago, he still did not like socialising with just herself.

"Ok." Gabby replied simply, hiding her emotions as she turned on her TV, ignoring Matt's presence, as she flicked through the channels carelessly. She could feel Matt's eyes boring into the side of her head but she never turned her head the slightest bit towards him. Matt let out a barely audible sigh as he headed towards the door, he had just released the safety chain on Gabby's door before turning back around to look at Gabby's figure on the couch.

"Hey, you can talk to me if you have something on your mind or-" Matt started to say in his lieutenant voice as he tried to reach Gabby's emotional state but Gabby cut him off before he could finish his offer.

"I'm fine, but thanks." Gabby cut his sentence off quickly, turning her head to take one last look at Matt who nodded in acknowledgement that she didn't want his counsel, though Gabby noted his visible disappointment , before he let himself out of her apartment.

Gabby's next two days off were pretty quiet, she never heard anything from Antonio and she couldn't help but be disappointed. Shay and Mills were texting her non-stop the past couple of days but Gabby just ignored it as it probably involved a conversation that she didn't want to have. Tonight Leo was coming round for dinner and Gabby was in the process of making a grilled chicken, tomato and basil pasta that was one of Gabby's favourite recipes. A knock on her door startled her as the buzzer never went off and she quickly turned down the heat on the hob as she made her way to her front door, expecting Leo on the other side but was surprised to see Mills on the other side of the door instead.

"What are you doing here?" Gabby immediately asked with a frown. Mills seemed subdued and gave Gabby a small smile.

"I haven't heard from you, figured I'd pop round to see how you are." Mills replied, Gabby looked at him emotionlessly before stepping back a bit, letting him in briefly.

"Wow something smells great!" Mills commented while seeing the set table for two and he turned back to face Gabby with a raised eyebrow.

"I have a guest coming round soon so..." Gabby explained while also trying to get Mills to leave.

"Oh, right" Mills said in reply, a bit awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his head with his hand while Gabby stood a few feet away with crossed arms. The silence in the room lasted a bit longer while they stared at each other before Mills sighed and dropped his shoulders in defeat.

"I want to apologise, for calling Antonio and betraying your trust," Mills said, looking Gabby in the eyes as he talked to his girlfriend.

"I shoulder never have gone behind your back like that but in my defence, I only did it because I was concerned." Gabby's frown was starting to recede before Mills next sentence.

"There was nothing for you to be concerned about! I never said that anything was wrong when Leo showed up." Gabby argued, her anger come back at Mills who couldn't just apologise and leave it at that.

"Who even is this guy Gabby? enough for you to fall out with Antonio over?" Mills asked the question Gabby was sure everyone wanted to know, with jealousy clearly displayed in his voice.

"This is my family's business and none of yours " Gabby bit back fiercely, making Mills even more frustrated at his girlfriend who didn't want to talk to him.

"According to Antonio it isn't." Mills retorted viciously, thinking back to when Antonio was yelling that the man isn't family and Gabby couldn't resist her urge to slap him so she did, the sound echoing off the walls of the small apartment. Silence then over took the room as they continued to stare at each other, Mills in shock and Gabby in rage. Gabby suddenly moved across the room and yanked open the door quickly.

"I want you to leave." Gabby said, her voice barely controlling her emotions. Mills moved across the room to stand in front of her, apology written all over his face.

"I'm sorry Gabs, I didn't-" Mills started, but Gabby cut him off with a face of stone as she pointed into the corridor.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." Gabby quietly told him as he stepped out into the empty corridor. Mills face couldn't hide his emotions as he protested.

"Gabby-" Mills started but Gabby never let him finish again as she started speaking again.

"It's for the best." Gabby explained, from her door way.

"No-" Mills started to protest again before a voice cut him off from his right.

"Is there a problem here?" Leo asked with narrowed eyes at the stranger who looked to be bothering Gabby. Leo had just come down the corridor when he saw the man, he vaguely remembered from the firehouse come out of Gabby's apartment and Gabby did not look happy with him from where he was standing. Mills and Gabby looked over at Leo in surprise as they didn't hear him arrive. Mills looked at Gabby then back to Leo before he understood that Leo was Gabby's guest for dinner and he huffed out an unhappy sigh.

"No, this is none of your business." Mills said to Leo, who didn't take to kindly to that response.

"Whatever is Gabby's business is my business." Leo replied while taking a threatening step towards Mills who started to square up too, anticipating a fight.

"Stop it!" Gabby yelled, drawing their attention to her who didn't look happy at the two men arguing.

"Mills just leave." Gabby said, aggravated with the situation and the stubbornness of Peter who she could tell was going to pick a fight with Leo who did not need much to set him off, just like her. Mills looked at her for a minute more before nodding in defeat and move to walk past Leo who was in his way.

"Stay away from my sister." Leo demanded as they walked past each other, Leo entered Gabby's apartment and the door soundly closed behind them.

Mills stared at the now closed door in shock and confusion. Sister?