And I'm back with the next chapter of this story for you guys. The response on the first chapter was more than I ever expected, I'm thrilled you guys are so excited for this story, and that there are still Dawsey fans eager to read it, because I'm so excited to write this. Your kind words meant so much to me, thank you to everyone who read the first part, to everyone who favorited and followed, to everyone who reviewed… just thank you. Your support means everything.

I hope you all enjoy this one just as much.

Oh, a little sidenote. Obviously, I know there were other storylines in the fall finale, but I'm not really planning to touch on any of those, especially not in depth. Like I know Severide was kind of in a little predicament there at the end of the episode, but for my purposes, just assume he's fine. Alright, that's all.

Happy reading.


part two


Casey cleared his throat as he shoved his wallet and keys into his pockets before picking up his jacket from the back of the chair, shrugging it onto his shoulders as he walked towards the door, Matt exiting his bedroom as he walked into the main part of his and Severide's apartment.

"Hey man." Kelly greeted, Matt giving him a nod as he came to the counter, Kelly taking a sip of his coffee as he stood across from him. "Where are you off to this early?"

"Got a construction job." He answered, Severide nodding. "What about you?"

"Stella had an early class, the alarm woke me up."

Before Matt could respond, his phone started ringing in his pocket, Casey pulling it out as quickly as he could, the soft smile on his face falling when he saw the caller ID, Matt blowing out a sigh before shoving his phone back into his pocket. When he looked back up, he found Kelly's eyes on him, his friend watching him with a look of confusion mixed with amusement.

"You expecting a call?"

"Oh, uh- no, not really." Matt responded with a shrug, Kelly raising his eyebrows.

"You sure about that?" He pressed, Casey shifting on feet before releasing another heavy sigh, Matt rubbing his hand over the side of his face.

"...I just thought it might be Gabby." He answered reluctantly, Severide's eyes widening slightly, Kelly glancing to the pocket Matt's phone was in before looking back to his friend, pursing his lips together.

"Oh…" He breathed out, Matt's tongue poking out between his teeth. "I didn't realize you and Dawson were still talking."

"We aren't." Matt clarified, Kelly's head tilting to the side. "... I mean, I haven't spoken to her since the fundraiser, I just thought it might be her."

"Why?" Severide pushed, resting his hands into the countertop, watching as Matt shifted in his spot, avoiding his gaze. "...What aren't you telling me?"

Matt lifted his head, finding Kelly's expectant gaze waiting for him, the Captain huffing out a breath before responding.

"Gabby left me a voicemail." He answered, Kelly raising his eyebrows.

"...When?"

"Right after she left." Matt replied, Kelly leaning into the counter.

"What'd she say?... Wait- Unless I don't wanna know." Severide spoke, Matt shooting him a pointed stare. "What? Considering you two couldn't last five minutes before ripping each other's clothes off last time, it's a valid question." He defended, Matt shaking his head.

"She invited me to come visit her."

You could hear a pin drop in the apartment the moment those words left Matt's lips, Kelly unable to hide his shock as Casey waited for him to respond.

"...Oh." He breathed out.

"Yeah, I know." Matt replied, shaking his head.

"When?"

"What?" Casey questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"When is she wanting you to come?" He clarified, clearing his throat as the shock began to wear off.

"Whenever I want."

"Shit." Kelly muttered, rubbing his hand along the side of his face, releasing a heavy breath. "Wait- Dawson left you a voicemail after the fundraiser about you coming to visit her, and you two haven't spoken since?" He questioned, waiting for confirmation before continuing. "Man, that was like three weeks ago."

"I know that, Sev." Matt replied quickly.

"Why haven't you called her back?" He pressed, Casey straightening his spine.

"Because I don't know what to say to her…" Matt admitted, Kelly's face softening as he gave a slight, understanding nod.

"Are you gonna go?"

"Honestly? I don't know…" Casey replied, Severide watching his friend closely, waiting a few seconds before speaking up again.

"...Do you want to?" Severide asked, the question causing Matt to look down at the countertop.

Matt bit down harshly on the inside of his cheek, mulling over Kelly's question, his fingertips tapping against the hard surface of the counter, Casey taking a deep breath before he nodded. "I think I do, yeah."

"Then what's the problem?" Kelly continued, trying to understand where his friend's head was at.

"Because I don't know if I should…" Matt breathed out, shaking his head. "I mean, this is Gabby, nothing between us has ever been simple, and with how we left things, I have no idea what this invitation even is.. and can you honestly stand there and say me going to visit her is a good idea?" He asked, his question obviously rhetorical. "With everything that happened between us, isn't it better to just leave the past in the past?"

"If you think that, then why'd you sleep with her?"

Casey released a sharp breath, rubbing his hand over his forehead. "Because I…" He trailed off, his eyes moving down towards the counter.

"Because you're still in love with her." Severide replied calmly, Matt still refusing to meet his gaze. "C'mon man, I mean, it's kind of obvious… You never really got over her."

"Of course I never got over her." He responded sharply, looking up at Kelly. "I never wanted to end things in the first place, I never stopped loving her… Her deciding to leave, I never saw that coming… She's the love of my life, you don't just get over that." The words left his lips bitterly, Severide smacking his lips together.

"It's been over a year and a half, man." Severide spoke, Casey's eyes narrowing slightly.

"Yeah, I know how long it's been." He snapped, pressing his hand against his temple. "Believe me, it would be so much easier if I had just gotten over her, and maybe for awhile I thought I had… but seeing her again, it just- I don't think I'll ever completely move on from her. Which is exactly why I don't think me going is a good idea."

"...I don't get it." Severide responded, clearly confused by his reasoning, Matt pushing himself off the counter, clenching his hands together in front of him, the Captain releasing a heavy sigh.

"I don't know if I can let myself get close to her again… Her leaving, it destroyed me last time." His voice lowered with each word, Severide's face softening as he watched his best friend. "And I don't even know what she's wanting from all this, I have no idea what any of this means. As much as I would love to see her again, nothing with our situation has changed. She's not coming home, I'm not leaving… what is there to gain from me going? Aside from me getting attached to her again and then it ruining my life when it inevitably doesn't work out…"

"But what if it does?" Kelly countered, Matt blowing out a heavy sigh.

"You can't be serious…"

"What?"

"It won't work out, it didn't last time…"

"Yeah, but neither of you really tried." Severide spoke, Matt's back tightening. "I'm sorry, but it's what happened. Neither of you tried, you just gave up…"

"That's not true."

"But it kind of is. She decided to leave, and you two automatically chose to end things." Kelly continued, Matt shaking his head in frustration. "You didn't try and do long distance, you didn't even really talk about it… You just chose divorce. I'm not saying it was the wrong choice, but it's the choice you two made. Maybe things could be different this time if you actually tried, that's all I'm saying." He defended, Matt pursing his lips together.

"You don't know what all was going on with us, Severide… Believe me, we didn't give up. But I didn't have another choice." Matt replied firmly, Kelly shrugging his shoulders.

"You did… You could've gone with her. And you chose not to." Severide responded, Matt swallowing the lump in his throat. "Look, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, or act like I know what all went down between you two… I know you were a wreck when she left, but I also know that after that fundraiser, that's the happiest I've seen you since before Dawson left… I know things between you two ended roughly, but you seemed to have a good time with her when she was here, and she invited you to come and see her… Sounds to me like that night you two had, she wants it to be more than just that." He spoke, Matt thinking over his words. "She extended the invitation, maybe it'd be good to take her up on it. That way you could at least figure out where you two stand, and where she's at… It would at least give you two a chance to actually talk, instead of just sleeping together." He finished, Matt rolling his eyes before releasing a heavy sigh. "Although, we all know if you go, you'll definitely end up sleeping together… But at least you'll have time to talk, too." He added with a grin, Casey shaking his head.

"You're not helping." Matt muttered, pressing his hands against his eyes as he tried to fight off the headache he felt forming in his skull before he looked back to Kelly. "Do you honestly think this is a good idea?" He asked, Severide taking a deep breath. "I'm asking, I want to know, do you think it's a good idea?"

"I think it's worth considering." Severide answered without hesitation. "To me, it sounds like Dawson left this up to you… So if you want to see her, and at least be able to figure out what this all means for the both of you, you should go." He spoke, Matt nodding slowly. "But I get why you're concerned about going, too. If you think it's better to just leave it alone, then leave it alone. It's been three weeks since she called you, so, like I said, I really think she's leaving this up to you, letting you decide what you want… You can either call her and go see what this is, or you can drop it and move on. It's up to you."

Matt gave him another nod, blowing out a heavy sigh before glancing to the clock behind Kelly. "I've gotta go, or I'm gonna be late." He replied, Kelly nodding as Matt began walking away from the counter.

"Alright, I'll see you later… But if you decide to go, that offer I made you last year to drop you off at the airport, it still stands." Severide spoke with a knowing grin, Casey scoffing lightly before continuing to the door.

"Goodbye Sev." He replied, Kelly giving him a nod before he left the apartment.


Gabby wiped the sweat from her brow as the warm December sun beat down on her, Dawson doing what she could to keep herself cool. It had been a long day, even though it was barely three in the afternoon, Gabby having been working nonstop since she started her day at five this morning. But she couldn't say she minded the pace, her busy schedule making it easier to get through the long days.

She loved what she was doing, she absolutely did, but these last few weeks, she found herself feeling more and more distant from the work she was doing here. Being able to help these people who so desperately needed it, there was nothing more rewarding than that, and she loved it… but since her trip to Chicago, it was like time was somehow standing still. She was having a hard time focusing, she couldn't help her thoughts from drifting back to a certain someone, and a certain night they spent together, Gabby's entire body tightening involuntarily at the memory.

Since that night three weeks ago, she hadn't been able to get Matt out of her head, and it was driving her crazy. She was desperate to call him, to check in and see how he was doing, but she stopped herself every time. Despite her overwhelming desire to hear his voice, she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't reach out to him. She left him the voicemail, she gave him her offer, and now she had to give him time to make his decision.

Although, based on his prolonged radio silence, she feared he already had. And the thought of that made her heart sink.

She had kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, their night together meant more to him. That it was as important to him as it was to her, but as the days continued on, and she never heard from him, she feared that wasn't the case. That her initial worries were true; he just wanted one night from her, and he got it.

Gabby felt like she was going insane, not knowing where either of them stood, but she wouldn't contact him, at least not yet. She wanted to let him make the decision, she wanted to leave this up to him. Regardless of her intentions, too many times had she made choices for them and left him to catch up with her, she wasn't going to do it again. No matter how hard it was for her to wait.

"Gabs!"

Dawson practically jumped out of a skin as she heard her name being yelled, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest as blood pumped through her ears, shock filling her entire system. Turning around, she came face to face with Antonio, seeing an amused look on her brother's glistening face, Gabby narrowing her eyes as she placed her hand over her chest.

"Jesus Antonio." She breathed out, hearing a soft chuckle come from the older Dawson. "You scared me."

"Well, I had spent about five minutes trying to get your attention, and yelling seemed to be the only thing that worked." He explained himself, Gabby shaking her head before turning back around, continuing to sort through the first aid items in front of her. "What's got you so distracted, anyway?" He questioned, stepping up beside her, beginning to help her with her task.

"Nothing…" She responded softly, pursing her lips together as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. "I'm good."

Antonio clearly didn't buy her response, her older brother nudging her arm gently, causing her to look up at him. "What is it?" He pressed, raising his eyebrows as a knowing smirk covered his face. "...It wouldn't happen to be a certain Chicago Fire Department Captain that's got you acting all weird, would it?"

He was teasing her, she knew he was, but when her face faltered slightly and she looked away from him, Antonio paused, his eyebrows furrowing as he placed a soft hand on her back.

"Are you okay, sis?"

"I'm fine, Tonio." She replied quickly, too quickly for him to believe her.

"Gabby…" He spoke softly, rubbing her back until she looked back at him. "Have you still not heard from Casey?"

The slight shake of her head gave him all the answer he needed, Antonio releasing a heavy breath as Gabby went back to work, desperate to make herself busy. When the older Dawson returned from his assignment in the Bahamas last week, he'd had a lot of questions for his sister about how her trip home had gone, and although she hadn't given him many details of the specifics, it didn't take him long to realize more had happened between her and Casey than them just going to the fundraiser together. And when she, reluctantly, told him of the voicemail she left for her former husband, Antonio was shocked that it thad been practically two weeks since her visit, and she had yet to hear from the firefighter. As the days went on, it became more and more apparent to the former detective that his sister probably wouldn't be hearing from Casey any time soon, and that thought made his heart break for her.

He knew how much Gabby was looking forward to Casey's call, he could tell in the way she'd told him about the voicemail she left for him. He saw a spark in her he hadn't seen in awhile, something he could only describe as her being hesitantly optimistic that she'd be hearing from Matt. But with each day that passed, that spark died a little, and he knew she was starting to come to grips with the possibility that she wouldn't be seeing, or even talking to, the firefighter as soon as she hoped.

"He hasn't called…" She verbally confirmed, Antonio frowning softly. "But it's fine, you know I wasn't sure if he would." She plastered a smile on her face, the older Dawson shaking his head.

"Can't you just call him?" He questioned, earning a sharp glare from his sister.

"You know I can't."

"I know you won't… there's a difference." Antonio replied, Gabby running her tongue over her bottom lip before walking away from Antonio, heading towards the other table a few feet away from them.

"I'm not gonna force him into anything." She spoke shortly, shaking her head. "If he doesn't want to see me again, I won't put any pressure on him. I don't want him to come visit because he feels like he has to… If he comes here, I want him to want to." Her voice dropped slightly as she spoke, Antonio drawing in a deep breath.

Despite his own opinions about his sister and Casey starting things up again, or whatever the goal was of Matt coming here, he knew how much Gabby wanted him here. She had wanted him here from the moment she came over a year and a half ago, and he knew how badly she wanted him here now. Antonio wasn't so sure it was a good idea, though; he knew how much pain they'd caused one another, and after all this time, he couldn't help but feel that maybe they should just leave everything in the past, but he'd never say that to his sister. Not when he knew how excited she was at the idea of Matt coming to see her… even though that excitement was slowly dwindling.

"But I'm fine." Gabby spoke again, clearing her throat. "It is what it is… Yeah, I was hoping he'd want to come, but if he doesn't, it isn't the end of the world… I'm good, Antonio." She finished, plastering a smile on her face, Antonio giving her a nod. Although it was clear she wasn't okay right now, he knew she would be eventually, regardless of whatever choice Casey made.

"Dawson!"

Both Gabby and Antonio glanced over, seeing one of the aid workers, Joseph, standing at the entrances to one of their tents, the man chuckling when he saw both the siblings look at him.

"Right, sorry, I still forget sometimes.. Gabby, can I get your help for a second?" He asked, Gabby giving him a nod as she walked away from her brother, blowing out a sigh when she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Knowing she didn't have time to answer right now, she blindly reached into her pocket, hitting the button on the side to silence it, flashing Joseph a smile as she got closer, Gabby ready to get back to focusing on work.


Matt sat at the desk in his office with his phone up to his ear, Gabby's voice filling his head as he listened to her voicemail for the umpteenth time this afternoon, her words filling him with warmth as he replayed the message he'd memorized weeks ago. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't done this same thing multiple times over the last few weeks, Matt taking to listen to Gabby's voicemail while he tried to figure out what he was going to do.

Since his talk with Severide yesterday morning, he hadn't been able to get Gabby out of his head. And while that wasn't an unusual occurrence as of late, since yesterday, she had been the only thing he could think about. He was thinking about how he felt seeing her, how he felt being with her again, and how he wanted to do it all again.

He still wasn't sure it was the best idea, but he'd come to the realization that he didn't care. He had no idea what would happen, or what would come of him going to visit her, but he wanted to find out. He needed to. Because he knew he'd regret it if he didn't.

If he didn't go, if he didn't figure out exactly what Gabby was wanting, he'd regret it. And he didn't want that. Not after how amazing it had been to spend time with Gabby again. He didn't want to always wonder about what might've been between them. Whatever this was, whatever might come from this, whether it be something good for them, or nothing at all, he needed to know.

As her voicemail finished again, Matt pulled the phone back, his eyes landing on her contact as a soft smile tugged at his lips.

He had made his decision. He was going to see her, he was going to call her and let her know he'd be taking her up on her offer.

But there was something else that needed to be arranged first.

Pushing himself up from his chair, he left his office, moving expertly through the firehouse as he headed for his destination, passing the full common room along the way. Within less than a minute, he was standing outside Boden's office, Casey tapping on the doorframe as he stood in the open doorway.

"Casey." Boden spoke, clearly not expecting his Captain to be standing there. "Come in."

"Thanks Chief." He replied, stepping inside and making his way towards the chair.

"Something going on?" Boden asked, seeing the wide-eyed look in Casey's eyes, the younger firefighter shrugging his shoulders.

"I, uh, was just coming to see if I could put in a request to use up some of my furlough." Matt replied, tapping his fingers against his leg as Boden raised his eyebrows.

"For when?"

"As soon as possible." He replied without hesitation, Boden's curiosity only growing as Matt flashed him a smile.

"And for how long?"

Casey thought over the question for a moment, unsure of how to answer. He hadn't thought this far ahead when coming to speak with Boden, but now he was realizing he should've. And it was becoming clear to him that he probably should've spoken to Gabby first. He had no idea what her schedule was, or what all she'd be doing, and the last thing he wanted was to throw a wrench into whatever she had going on. But there was also a small thought in the back of his mind that, no matter what she had going on, she'd make time for him.

"Casey?" Boden pressed, Matt glancing back up towards his boss.

"Yeah, uh… two weeks." He replied, his brain not even realizing what he'd decided until the words left his lips. He wasn't sure how he landed on that time frame, but when he thought about only staying a week, he couldn't help but feel like that wasn't enough time with her, especially when he was sure she'd still be working a lot. If he was going to do this, he wanted to make it count, and although he was sure they'd be able to squeeze in plenty of time together in seven days, fourteen days together sounded all the better.

He knew he was taking a risk, by requesting that much time off before even speaking with Gabby, but at this point, he didn't care. She had put herself out there, and now he was doing the same thing.

And he couldn't wait to tell her.

"Alright, well, I'll get that sent to headquarters, see what they say… I don't see it being a problem, but it might be a few weeks before you can actually get the time off." Boden responded, Matt giving him a nod.

"That's perfectly fine, Chief. I appreciate it." He replied, smiling softly before pushing himself up from the chair, feeling Boden's eyes still on him.

"Is, uh-" His words stopped Casey in his path, Matt glancing back towards his boss, "Is everything alright?" He questioned, Matt shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's just that it's unlike you, to request time off so suddenly like this."

"Oh, yeah, everything's fine, Chief." He responded, unable to stop the grin from forming across his face. "I'm just… I'm going to visit Gabby."

Boden's eyes widened at his words, Matt seeing his clear surprise before he could mask it, the Chief giving him a slight nod.

"That's- I didn't realize you two were still keeping in touch after her visit." He finally replied, finding it hard to form a coherent thought.

"Yeah, she asked me to come visit her, and I'm gonna go." He said simply, knowing that was easier than the full story, Boden smiling softly.

"Well, I think that's great, Casey… I'll get this sent in, it shouldn't take too long… We'll probably hear back this shift."

"Thank you, Chief." Casey replied gratefully.

"Of course… tell Dawson I said hi." He answered with a knowing grin, Matt matching his smile.

"I will." He promised before stepping out of the room, his face radiating excitement as he took a few steps away from the office, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He tapped the screen until he was staring down at Gabby's contact, Matt pressing her number before bringing the phone up to his ear.

He took slow steps down the hallway, his smile slowly deflating as the phone continued to ring, Matt soon realizing he probably wasn't going to be able to talk to her right now, the firefighter releasing a soft sigh as he heard her voicemail.

This wasn't something he wanted to tell her in a voicemail, Matt knowing he wasn't nearly as eloquent as Gabby when it came to short messages, especially when he hadn't planned out what he was wanting to say. And even if he had, he didn't want to leave in a message that he was coming to see her, he wanted to say it to her.

"Hey, uh, Gabby," He spoke, clearing his throat as he scuffed his boots against the ground, "I was hoping I could catch you, but I know you're probably really busy, but, uh… I was just wanting to talk for a bit, when you have some time. So if you could call me back whenever you're free, that'd be great-"

His words got cut off by the sound of the bells ringing throughout the house, Matt blowing out a sharp breath when he heard all companies being called to a car accident.

"I gotta go, but hopefully I'll talk to you soon… bye Gabby."

Matt was nearly jogging as he finished his message, the Captain sliding his phone into his pocket as he hurried towards the garage, knowing he needed to put all thoughts of Gabby out of his mind, and focus on the job.

But that was easier said than done.


Casey hung up his turnout coat on the side of truck 81, the Captain shedding his gear before beginning the walk back towards the firehouse, following behind his firefighters as they rattled on about some event at Molly's they were planning for the holidays.

"Ah, Casey, there you are." Boden spoke as he walked out of the double doors, Matt slowing his steps, as did the rest of the firehouse, as the Chief came up to him.

"Hey Chief." He greeted, feeling everyone watching the two of them.

"I just wanted to let you know that I got the word back from headquarters, your furlough's been approved."

A wide smile graced Casey's lips as he raised his eyebrows. "Really?" He questioned, waiting for Boden's nod of confirmation before continuing. "That was really quick, I'm surprised they approved it that fast."

"Well, I told them it was important." Boden replied, clasping a firm hand over Casey's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"Thank you, Chief. I really appreciate it."

"No thanks necessary. You're approved for time off from the 27th through the 10th of January, I assume that'll work?"

"That's perfect." Matt replied, even though he had no idea what was going on in Gabby's life during those weeks. But he hoped, whatever her plans were, they were plans that could include him.

"Furlough?"

Matt looked over when he heard Herrmann's voice, everyone glancing to Casey.

"Hmm?"

"You're taking some time off, you got a New Years trip planned, Captain?" He asked, Matt shrugging gently as he caught Severide's knowing gaze, the squad Lieutenant biting back a smirk. Although Casey didn't care that they knew about him going to visit Gabby, he didn't really want to say anything until he spoke with Gabby. Yes, he'd gotten the time off, and he had dates he'd be there, but he didn't know if things could work on Gabby's end, and he didn't want to say anything until his plans had been finalized.

"Uh, yeah- something like that." Casey replied, his attention being pulled into another direction as he felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. Pulling it out, a wide grin spread across his face, Casey looking nearly giddy as he walked through the maze of firefighters, heading towards the double doors while he answered the phone. "Hey, can you give me a sec?" He told whoever was on the other end of the line before he disappeared into the firehouse.

With furrowed eyebrows, Herrmann glanced around the group, seeing them all equally as confused as he was. All but one of them.

"Severide, do you know what that's about?" Herrmann questioned, all eyes moving to the squad Lieutenant, Kelly raising his eyebrows. "The Captain, he seems… happy. And him taking some time off, it's a little weird." He continued, Kelly giving him a shrug, Herrmann's eyes widening slightly. "...Is he seeing someone?"

"What?"

"The way he's acting… Seems to me like he has something to be happy about. If anyone knows, it's you." Herrmann pressed, Severide shaking his head as he caught Boden's eyes, seeing a knowing gleam shining back at him.

"Yeah, I'm not answering that." He chuckled, Herrmann scoffing before Kelly walked away, the crowd of firefighters dispersing.

Inside the bunkroom, Matt got to his office as quickly as he could, releasing a soft breath as he stepped inside. "Hey, Gabby? I'm sorry about that, I'm at work." He finally spoke up again, closing his door behind him.

"It's fine, Matt…" She responded, her voice bringing a soft smile to his face. "Do you need to go? We can, uh- we can talk tomorrow once you get home, if that-"

"No, no." He replied a little too quickly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. "It's okay, I've got some time right now."

"You sure?" She questioned, Matt nodding instinctively before remembering she couldn't see him.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He confirmed, running his tongue over his bottom lip. "So, uh…" He cleared his throat, Matt pulling out his desk chair before sitting down. "I guess you got my message…" Matt shook his head as he ran his hand over his temple, hating how awkward his voice sounded when the words left his lips.

He didn't want things to be awkward between them. Sure, when he first saw her, there was a little bit of lingering awkwardness at first. Her presence had completely shocked him, and after how they left things, he never expected to see her again, let alone her coming to Chicago for him. But this, this was a conversation he knew they'd be having, and he didn't want it to be uncomfortable. Even though he could hear clear hesitation on her end.

"Yeah, yeah I did…" She breathed out, Matt hearing her pause for a moment before continuing. "Sorry I missed your call, I was working…"

"It's okay." He replied, rubbing his hand back and forth along the top of his head. "I knew you'd be busy, I'm just glad you called me back." He spoke, unable to stop the slight smile that formed across his lips.

"I'm glad you called… I wasn't really expecting to hear from you, if I'm being honest." She murmured, Matt's face falling as he heard the relief in her voice, the firefighter shaking his head.

"Yeah, about that… I'm really sorry it took so long for me to get back to you, I just- your voicemail kind of surprised me, I wasn't expecting it…"

"You don't need to apologize." She was quick to cut in. "It's just good to hear from you, Matt." She nearly whispered, the smile returning to his face almost instantly. "How have you been?"

"I'm good, I've been good… Work's been keeping me busy." He responded. "What about you?"

"I'm doing well, yeah."

"Good, I'm glad." He was quick to reply, hearing her take a deep breath before she spoke up again.

"So… you wanted to talk?" She prompted, Matt running his tongue along his teeth before nodding.

"I did- I do." He corrected himself quickly, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat. "Um… can you Facetime right now?"

Matt could tell she was a little surprised by the question, but she almost instantly agreed, Gabby giving him a hum in response. "Yeah, sure. Hold on." She spoke, Matt pulling the phone away from his ear, holding it out to where she'd be able to see him. Within seconds, she was calling him again, Casey quickly answering it.

The smile on his face widened when he saw her, Gabby mirroring his look instantly, the soft grin across her face filling his chest with warmth. His eyes traced over her features momentarily, giving himself a second to take her in. She looked tired, exhausted even, like she'd had some long days, and maybe a few sleepless nights.

And that last thought didn't sit well with him, but he was hoping the conversation they were about to have would help fix that.

"Hi." She murmured, Matt's smile growing.

"Hi." He replied, watching as she pushed her short hair behind her ear, Matt seeing her skin lined with a layer of sweat. Whatever she'd been doing, she'd clearly been working hard.

"So… What did you want to talk about?" She questioned, resting her chin in her palm, Matt meeting her gaze.

"Well, uh… it's actually about your offer." He spoke, watching as her ears perked up slightly, Matt seeing a look of hesitance flicker over her face before she recovered, clearly eager to hear what he had to say.

"Oh yeah?" She asked, Matt nodding as he cleared his throat.

"Yeah."

"...And?" She prompted.

"I've decided that I think I'm gonna take a trip…" He replied vaguely, his heart rate beginning to quicken in his chest when he saw the spark in her eyes return, her face showing him how happy his words had made her.

"Is that so?" She questioned, doing what she could to mask her excitement, but she was doing a pretty bad job.

"Uh huh." He responded, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, Gabby biting down on her bottom lip.

"And, uh… where are you thinking of going?" She played along, Matt clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth as he pretended to think over her question.

"Well… I hear Puerto Rico is nice this time of year." He answered, watching as a huge smile formed over her face, Matt matching her look. "That is, if the invitation still stands." He added, Gabby nodding eagerly.

"It absolutely does." She responded without hesitation, Matt ducking his head slightly. "Do you know when you're coming?"

"Well, uh, I actually already got some furlough approved…" He told her sheepishly, seeing a smug grin form on her face. "It starts the 27th, and goes through the 10th… is that okay?"

"That's more than okay." She replied, her eyes shining. "...I'll have to get an extra sleeping bag for you." She teased him, Matt scoffing lightly as he shook his head.

"I don't know… I'm not opposed to sharing." He responded, Gabby running her tongue along the inside of her cheek as she bit back a smirk.

"I think that can be arranged." She murmured, running her fingers through her hair as she took a deep breath. "So, I'll see you in about two weeks?"

"Two weeks." He repeated, Gabby nodding in response.

"Good… I'm so excited to see you again." Her voice was soft, almost like she was unsure if she should be saying it. But Casey only smiled, giving her a nod in agreement.

"I'm excited to see you, too." He replied, seeing her features visibly relax. "I'll, uh- I'll call you, and let you know when I've gotten a flight and everything…" He told her, Gabby giving him an enthusiastic nod. "...And maybe I'll call you just because, too." Matt added, Gabby biting down on her bottom lip.

"I'd like that." She murmured, her gaze flickering to his lips before meeting his eyes, Matt wishing in this moment they were having this conversation in person. But he knew soon enough, they'd be together. Even if only for a little while. "Goodbye Matt."

"Bye Gabby."


Well, there's the second chapter. Looks like Matt made his decision, now we'll see where it goes from there. I had a lot of fun with this one, I hope you all enjoyed it as well. Thanks so much for reading! I can't wait to hear what you think!

Until the next.