Before we get into this chapter, I just want to say a quick thank you. The response to this story has been incredible, and greater than I ever imagined. It makes me so happy to see how many of you are enjoying it, and not only that, to the people who have complimented my writing style, that truly makes me so happy and inspires me to write more, so thank you so much for that. I never expected so many people to be interested in this story, I'm still a little overwhelmed honestly. To everyone who's taken the time to read my work, and especially to those of you who leave me reviews, thank you so much. It means so much to me.

Anyway, now onto the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Four

"I just needed to hear your voice."

He sat there momentarily stunned as he processed her voice. He never thought he'd hear from her again, not after how they left things. How he left things.

There had been multiple times over the past two months where he wanted to call her, but he never did. Part of him felt comforted that she had felt the same impulse to talk to him. That she needed to hear him. Sitting there, he found himself feeling lighter, happy that she hadn't fought the impulse like he had. Or maybe she did, she'd just lost that fight.

"Matt?... Are you there?"

She brought him focusing back into reality, the softness of her voice making his eyes shut briefly, finding himself at peace hearing the sweet sound as it filled his ears. While her voice was low, the honey-like tone he'd grown accustomed to over the years calmed him in ways he'd never fully understand.

"I'm here Gabby." He finally spoke back, hearing a soft sigh of relief come from her. He wasn't sure if the relief came from the fact he hadn't hung up, or the fact he didn't lash out at her for calling; he figured it might be a little of both.

"How, uh- how are you?" He heard how tentative she sounded, and he hated it. In all the years they'd known each other, in the thousands of conversations they'd had, she never sounded like that. Like she was afraid to ask him the simplest of questions. He hated that she felt so apprehensive around him, because he knew he caused it.

"I'm-" He cut himself off quickly, trying to decide the best course of action. Does he lie? Does he make it sound like he's fine without her, like nothing in his life has changed? Or does he tell the truth. Make it known how much he's been hurting. Neither option seemed appealing. "I'm hanging in there." He finally settled on, knowing while it was vague, it was the truth.

There was a beat of silence, neither one of them knowing where to go next. While the initial shock had worn off of her reaching out to him, it was still strange and he wasn't sure what she was wanting out of this conversation.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm sorry I called you."

The words left their mouths at the same time, both of them remaining quiet for a second as the other's words sunk in.

"Sorry." He said with a gentle chuckle, closing his eyes as he took a moment to envision her, picturing her sitting in her apartment holding the phone up to her ear, a small, adorable smile covering her face.

"It's fine." He could practically hear the smile on her face, feeling a warmth spread throughout his body.

"I am sorry, that I called you." She apologized again, Matt sighing softly, listening as she continued talking. "I know you said we shouldn't talk anymore, but I just…"

"It's fine Gabby." He said when she got stuck on her words. "If I'm being honest, I thought about calling you a lot the past few months. It's good to hear from you." He spoke truthfully.

"Really?" He felt a pang in his chest as he heard her voice, Gabby not able to hide the pure shock she felt hearing his admission. It broke his heart, knowing she was surprised to hear him say those words. It never got any easier realizing how far they'd fallen from one another.

"Really." He spoke back, realizing he'd gone too long without responding to her.

"How is it over there, still everything you wanted?" He tried to hide the sorrow in his voice, but he couldn't. He didn't want this conversation to turn into a fight. He meant what he said, it was good to hear from her, to hear her voice. It comforted him, and he could only hope it was doing the same for her.

She stayed quiet on the other end, Matt holding his tongue between his teeth as he waited for an answer. He didn't want to ruin the first civil conversation they've had in months, but part of him thinks he already did. The words had slipped out before he could stop them, and Gabby had yet to answer.

"I never meant for this to ruin us, Matt." It wasn't an answer, and Matt couldn't help but think that was to spare his feelings. She was living the life she wanted, having the best time, without him. She didn't need him like he needed her, she just didn't want to say it.

He felt the resentment and anger rising up within him, doing his best to squash it down. Blowing up at her again wouldn't do anything for him. Even if he thought she needed to hear it, last time it only made him feel worse. He couldn't handle that again.

"I know." He whispered back in response, keeping the hurt from his voice as much as possible.

The silence that settled around them was unnerving, Matt picking at the fabric on the arm of the chair as he listened to her breathing.

"Why'd you call me?" He finally asked the question he'd been wanting the answer to the minute he heard her voice.

"...I wanted to hear your voice." She mimicked what she'd said when he first answered, the hesitant tone laced in her words. He didn't know what to do with that, or what response she'd be looking for from him.

"I should let you go, I've taken up enough of your time." The formality in her words pierced through him like a knife, suddenly hearing a lack of emotion in her voice. She was speaking to him like he was her boss, like he was some acquaintance instead of the love of her life.

"Wait, Gabby-" He didn't want to stop talking to her. Maybe it was selfish of him, to keep this conversation going longer than she wanted after he was the one who made them stop contact, but right now he didn't care. He wasn't sure how he felt about her right now, whether he was angry or upset, but he did know that simply hearing her voice had him the calmest he'd been in months. He wasn't ready to let that go yet. So he thought of anything he could to try and keep her on the line. "Why have you been calling me from an unlisted number?"

He heard her pause, Matt furrowing his eyebrows as she hesitated to answer. Surely it was a simple question, he didn't know why it seemed to have her struggling to provide an answer.

"Was it because you thought I wouldn't answer if I saw your number?" He started guessing when she didn't give a reason herself, a small part of him hoping he was wrong though. "Because I would've answered, if you called me. I'd always answer." He finished softly, hoping she believed him.

"I have to go, Matt. I'm sorry." He wasn't sure what she was apologizing for exactly, but he felt frustration wash over him as he knew she was slipping away from him. "Stay safe, alright? Please." Her words confused him. Matt assumed she just meant be safe during work, but the desperation in her voice left him questioning what exactly she meant.

"Always." He replied strongly, hoping to give her a source of comfort that she seemingly needed.

"Goodbye Matt."

She'd hung up before he got the chance to say goodbye, and he couldn't help but feel upset by that. The entire conversation left him with conflicting emotions, not knowing which to follow. While hearing her voice brought him comfort, he still didn't know why she called him, or why she was so quick to end their talk. The whole thing left him feeling frustrated, as he threw his phone angrily on the couch, haphazardly setting his now empty beer bottle on the ground. His palms came up to rest on his forehead as he pressed against his head, an anxiousness rising within him as all of her words replayed in his mind like a movie. While he didn't know what he would feel like after his first talk with Gabby, he never imagined it would leave him feeling this lost.

"Dammit." Antonio muttered under his breath as his finished listening to his voicemail, slamming his phone down against his desk in frustration. Confused and concerned glances were thrown around the room from his coworkers, no one exactly sure what had him so upset. They had just wrapped up a long, difficult case, and the members of the Intelligence Unit were dead set on having a relaxing night off, knowing another case was usually right around the corner. The tension that usually settled in the air during a case had lifted and everyone felt a little lighter, except Antonio.

The team had noticed the shift in the detective's demeanor over the past week or so, but no one went to question him on it. They assumed it was related to work, but now it was clear something else was weighing on him. Something bigger than the job.

"What the hell is going on?" He whispered to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly, hoping to ease some of the tension he felt rising in his head.

He felt anger boiling inside him, the problem being he wasn't sure who to direct his anger towards. But he was quickly finding the perfect person.

He couldn't get the image out of his head, of Matt and that woman inside his sister's home. He knew better, than to believe any of the bull that Kelly was going on about this morning. Severide stood in front of him and lied to his face, giving him this sob story about how broken up Matt was over everything that happened. How he was having a hard time without Gabby. And Antonio bought it. Bought it enough to actually seek out Casey, intent on telling his former brother everything that was going on. Yet nothing could have prepared him for what he walked in on. After the words Kelly had preached to him earlier, that was the last thing he was expecting to find. But if what he saw today was any indication, Matt Casey was doing just fine without her.

Tapping his index finger against his forehead, Antonio was almost in disbelief. Even though he knew he saw it was his own two eyes, it didn't seem real to him. That Matt was with some other woman, in the home he and Gabby shared together. The home they picked out together, the home where they lost their child, and also the home where they conceived that child, a detail Antonio admittedly wished he never knew. But that was the home where they raised Louie. The home they came back to the night after they got married. So many memories of his sister and Matt were forged in that home, and none of that meant a damn thing to Casey. Seeing Matt and that woman so comfortable in the home that used to be Gabby's, it made Antonio sick. And it made him so incredibly angry.

It wasn't simply just Matt moving on that left him feeling resentful towards the firefighter. It was that he had to do it there. As far as Antonio was concerned, Gabby had just left. And everyday he missed his baby sister, he wished she'd come back home. And Matt was the one in love with her, yet it was like she never mattered to him. Before the ink even dried on their divorce papers, Matt seemingly moved on without a care. Antonio wanted to believe that Matt did used to love his sister, that she was his world as he so often claimed. But through the small glimpses Antonio got of Matt's actions since her departure, it was hard to believe any of that was ever true. It felt more like she was a warm body for him, not the love of his life.

Blowing out a deep breath, Antonio softly shook his head back and forth. Even though he was incredibly angry at Matt, he knew Casey did love her. That at some point in time, she was the most important part of his life. Antonio saw it, how much he cared for her. How a lot of the time, his and Gabby's arguments stemmed from the man just trying to keep her safe. Despite his actions after her leaving, Antonio knew he shouldn't question how much Matt loved her before. He just couldn't understand why that love suddenly disappeared. For as much as Matt had loved her before she left, now it felt like she never meant anything to him at all.

If today taught him anything, it was that he would have to help Gabby on his own. He couldn't rely on Casey's help, or anyone at 51. If Antonio had to guess, they probably wouldn't care too much anyhow. But that didn't mean the detective didn't have a few questions for the members of the firehouse.

Across the room, Burgess shared a look with Upton, the two women seeing him sitting there lost in thought, mumbling to himself, but no one able to make out the words he was saying. With a nod, Hailey stood up from her chair, taking the short walk towards Antonio, the older man not even noticing her presence till she leaned her weight down against his desk. Looking up at her, he watched as she crossed her arms over her chest, concern written clearly across her face.

"Everything okay, Antonio?" Taking a quick glance around, he could see the rest of the unit was listening to them, some of whom at least tried to make it look like they weren't eavesdropping.

"I'm good." He plastered a fake smile onto his face, knowing he wasn't convincing anyone in the room. But right now, he didn't care about that. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him, so he gave them all another quick smile, standing up from his desk. "Just need to talk to Voight, you all have a good night." Antonio said, patting Hailey's shoulder as he walked by. He noticed the sideways looks from everyone, clearly knowing something was wrong with him. But Antonio gave them nothing, as he completed his walk to Voight's office. The door was open, Hank looking down at a file sitting in his lap. If he felt Antonio's presence, he didn't show it.

"Hey boss." Antonio spoke up, tapping his knuckles lightly on the door, causing the other man to look up.

"You got a second?" Antonio asked once it was clear Voight wasn't going to say anything. Narrowing his eyes slightly, Voight nodded him in. Just by looking at him, Hank could tell something was bothering Antonio. And although it hadn't gotten to the point where he needed to be pulled aside, Voight knew the detective's mind had been elsewhere for a while now.

"What do you need, Antonio?" His low, rough voice filled the small room as Antonio shut the door, taking a seat across from him. There was a tense quiet that had settled around them for a few moments, before Antonio finally spoke up.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"Gabby."

Sweat dripped down Casey's face as the sun beat down on them, the warm late October day making its presence known as truck continued running drills, Matt wanting to keep him and all of 81 busy today.

"Do you think his sudden change in demeanor has anything to do with you know who?" Herrmann whispered towards Kidd, who merely rolled her eyes.

"She's not Satan, Herrmann, you can say her name." Kidd shot back in a whisper, Christopher putting his hands up in defense, the two watching on as Casey barked at Otis and Mouch, who were undoubtedly doing something Matt wasn't happy with.

"But do you think?" He asked again, Kidd glancing back towards Casey. It was true, over the past couple shifts, their Captain had been more or less on edge. He had a short temper, and usually kept to himself if not out on a call. That is, unless he was forcing more drills upon his truck company. It reminded them all of how he acted shortly after Dawson left, he just wasn't as reckless.

"Maybe? I don't know, I-"

"Captain Casey!" Boden bellowed from the garage's entrance, Matt snapping his head to look up at his Chief. Boden signaled him over, Casey nodding in understanding.

"Truck, take a break."

"Thank God." Otis muttered, his voice a little too loud as Casey turned to him, raising an eyebrow towards the driver of truck, a harsh glare following.

"Sorry Captain." He quickly responded, Casey just nodding before walking towards Boden.

"What's up, Chief?"

"I got a call this morning, there's a few people on the way that need to talk to you." Boden treaded carefully, Matt's brows furrowing in confusion.

"What about?" Matt watched on as Boden's hand came up to rub the back of his neck, the Captain sensing a nervousness coming from the older man. "Chief?"

"Casey!" A gruff voice called out from behind him, a voice that Matt would know anywhere. Tension filled his shoulders as Casey turned around, an uneasy feeling settling in his stomach as he saw two members of the CPD walk towards him, Casey feeling the eyes of the firehouse on him as they approached..

"Chief?" Matt asked, swallowing the lump forming in the back of his throat as Voight and Antonio got closer to him.

"They just need to ask you a few questions, Matt." Boden spoke softly, as the two detectives got to them.

"Captain." Voight said, extending his hand out, a gesture that Matt reluctantly accepted. Antonio kept his gaze away from Casey, Matt not forcing the issue. It had been a week since Antonio showed up at his place, needing to talk to him, and Casey hadn't heard from him since. Although he imagined whatever Antonio came to discuss with him that day, was why they were here now.

"What do you need, Voight?"

"We just need to ask you a few things, it won't take long." Voight promised, Boden stepping in before Casey had the chance to comment back.

"Let's go to my office." Chief said, Casey catching his eye. The hard stare waiting for him told Matt he wasn't getting out of this, so the Captain reluctantly agreed, nodding towards Voight and Antonio, the latter still refusing to meet his eyes.

Boden started walking into the garage, Voight at his side, Antonio sparing one glance at Matt before following the men. Casey blew out a frustrated sigh, as he walked after them. As they passed the squad table, Matt caught a look from Kelly, but it wasn't directed towards him. Severide was looking at Antonio, and he looked worried. Not having the time to figure out what that meant, Matt dropped it, the rest of the walk to Boden's office done in a painful silence.

Casey was the last one in, shutting the door behind him. Boden had already taken a seat at his desk, Voight and Antonio taking the two chairs opposite the Chief. Casey walked behind Boden's desk, leaning himself against the bookshelf there. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked expectantly towards the detectives, Voight looking back at him with a blank stare, while Antonio's face held more anger.

"What do you need to talk to me about?" Casey asked after a few long moments of silence. Voight looked to Antonio, almost expectantly, Casey's gaze flickering back and forth between the two.

"Is this about a case?" Matt's words caused Voight to look back at him, even though Matt already knew the answer to his own question. 51 hadn't worked with the Intelligence Unit in over a month, and they'd had no suspicious calls recently that would justify them needing help from 21..

Voight looked back to Antonio one more time, like he was expecting him to be the one to initiate this conversation, but Antonio said nothing, his glare still fixed on Casey.

"No, this isn't about a case." Voight finally spoke, leaning forward in his chair. His eyes locked on Casey's, Matt straightening his back slightly.

"When was the last time you heard from Gabby?" Voight asked, Matt's eyebrows furrowing as the words sunk in.

He remained silent, his gaze hardening as he looked between Antonio and Voight, neither man giving him insight on why they were asking him about her.

"Casey?" Voight prompted, earning the sole focus of Matt's glare momentarily.

"Why are you asking me about Gabby?"

"Just answer the question, Casey." Those words were the first to come out of Antonio's mouth since he got here, no one in the room missing how angry he sounded.

"Is this what you came to talk to me about last week?" Matt deflected, but Antonio gave him nothing. "Is something wrong? Is she okay?" The hard exterior of 51's Captain had faltered, Antonio seeing for the first time a sliver of what Kelly had been talking about. But still, Antonio remained silent, not wanting to give him an answer. "Dammit Antonio, is she why you came to see me?" His voice rose with every word, Matt standing up straight, taking a step towards Boden's desk. You could feel the anger radiating off of him, clearly wanting answers.

"Yes." Antonio finally responded, the simple answer angering Matt further.

"Why didn't you tell me that? Why do you need to know if I've heard from her?" Through the anger in his words, Antonio heard the nervousness in his voice. He almost sounded scared, like he knew something was wrong.

"Didn't think you'd care, you were preoccupied." He shot back, Casey taking another step forward with his narrowed eyes aimed at Antonio.

"Enough." Voight barked, Boden eyeing Casey as the man's body relaxed slightly.

"We just need to know if you've heard from her, Casey." Voight kept calm, Matt's arms falling to his sides as his conversation with her echoed through his mind. The voice he heard a week ago replaying in his head, managing to keep him calm. He knew he needed to tell them. They were here for a reason, she was that reason. But he couldn't help but think if he did, he'd never find out why they were here. If he told him about all the calls, they'd most certainly leave before giving him an explanation. And he needed one. So he simply shook his head, Antonio standing up as soon as he got an answer.

"Will you please just tell me why you need to know? Is she okay?" Matt's voice had softened considerably, Antonio watching as his guard fell down.

"That doesn't concern you anymore." Antonio responded, walking out of the office without another word. Voight followed close behind him, Casey feeling heat radiate throughout his entire body, fuming as Antonio's words hit him.

It took only a few seconds for Casey to storm after him, Boden calling out for him to come back, his pleads falling on deaf ears. Casey rounded the corner, seeing Antonio and Voight near the double doors, about the exit.

"Antonio!" Matt yelled, the tone in his voice shocking the members of 51 who had congregated in the common room. Antonio had stopped, Voight walking a few more steps away from the commotion.

"What, Casey?" Antonio asked in frustration, turning to face the raging Captain.

"What do you mean this doesn't concern me anymore, you know if anything's wrong with her, it'll always concern me!" He shouted, Antonio not reacting to the volume of his voice. Matt knew the entire firehouse was watching them, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He needed to know what was going on.

Antonio continued staring at him, not giving him anything, Matt mimicking his stance, the two in a current battle of wills. Neither man noticed the double doors opening, not until a woman's voice filled their ears.

"Hey, Matt." Naomi said, clearly not realizing the tense situation she had just entered. Matt's eyes flickered to hers, before back to Antonio's. He hadn't turned around to face her, but the tough look covering the detective's features cracked slightly.

"That right there, Casey." Antonio spoke softly, turning around for a quick second to nod towards Naomi. "That right there is why this doesn't concern you anymore." The malice dripped from his voice as he watched Matt. Antonio waited for a moment, wanting to see if Casey had any response. When none came, Antonio shook his head lightly, a soft scoff escaping his lips.

"Bye Matt." He spoke harshly, turning to leave. Matt caught Naomi's confused gaze, but he ignored it. He took a few steps to catch up to Antonio, grabbing the man's shoulder to slow him down.

"Wait, Antonio-"

"No, Casey, no. I don't have time for this, okay?" He snapped as he spun back around to face the firefighter, members of 51 recoiling at the sound of his voice. "I got what I came here for, now you can forget it. Like you clearly forgot about Gabby." You could hear a pin drop in the firehouse at the moment, as her name settled in the air. Matt took a slight step back in shock, his eyes widening as Antonio's words smacked him across the face.

"You can't really believe that…" Matt stuttered out, trying to regain himself. Antonio took another glance over to Naomi, who had taken a few steps away from the situation, not knowing what she had inadvertently gotten herself into.

"What exactly am I supposed to think?" Antonio spat back. "I mean, my god Casey, you don't just have her around the apartment, you bring her to work too?" He gestured back towards Naomi as he shouted, Matt's shock turning into fury as Antonio stood there and berated him.

"Just because I had to move on, that doesn't mean I forgot about her! I can't go anywhere without thinking of her, without-" Matt tried to interject, but the older man wasn't having it. He continued on as if he heard nothing that Casey had just said.

"Kelly's been feeding me this bullshit that Gabby leaving destroyed you, that you're just so broken you don't know what to do with yourself. But that's not true at all, is it?" Antonio huffed out, Matt's eyes narrowing at him. "You just don't care, and I don't know if you ever cared." Matt felt like he'd gotten punched, the force of Antonio's words pummeling him. "You moved on the second you could. At least I hope you had the decency to wait until you were legally divorced before bringing girls over to the apartment you shared with my sister." He spat, anger seeping from each and every word as it left his mouth.

The firehouse stood there in shock, no one knowing what to say or do to diffuse the situation. Kelly's eyes moved to Matt, seeing the man standing there, his breaths shallow, his fists clenching at his sides. Antonio and Matt stood there in complete silence, their glares locked on the other.

It wasn't until Matt lunged at Antonio did that bring the house from their state of shock.

Casey only landed one punch before Kelly and Boden had dragged him off of the detective, Antonio stumbling backwards from the force of Matt's fist connecting to his jaw. Voight moved to Antonio, holding the man back in case he tried anything.

Matt pushed himself out of Boden's hold, Kelly pushing against his chest to try and calm him down.

"I'm fine." Casey said roughly, pushing away Severide's hands, Matt turning away from all of the men, bringing his hands up to his head.

"Are you good?" Voight asked towards his detective, Antonio nodding as he brought his hand up to his lip, feeling a small amount of blood dripping from his busted lip. "Let's get back to the district." Voight said softly, looking around seeing the stunned looks of everyone in the firehouse. Antonio simply nodded again, not wanting to stay around this group of people any longer. They turned to leave, headed towards the double doors when Casey's voice stopped them both.

"You know how much I care about her, Antonio." His voice was soft, the anger was gone. Antonio turned around to face him again, seeing him still behind Boden and Kelly, but the look of hatred that Antonio had seen from him these past couple of months was gone. Replacing that anger was despair, Antonio able to see it clouding his features. The man standing in front of him looked lost.

"You know how much I loved her… how much I will always love her." Casey spoke out, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what all she's told you, or what's going on, but nothing will ever change how I feel about her."

Antonio opened his mouth to respond, but nothing came out.

Casey felt the eyes of everyone on him, but he met none of them, his gaze moving to the ground as he brought his hand up to rub over his face. Blowing out a deep breath, he finally looked up, glancing between Boden and Severide, seeing the looks of concern and hurt etched deep into their faces. He couldn't deal with this, the looks of pity from everyone. He needed to get out of here.

"Excuse me." He mumbled out, brushing past the Chief and bolting past the entrance to the common room, walking swiftly down the hallway, desperate to get to his office.

Naomi watched him walk away, intent on following him. But before she even finished her first step, Kelly stopped her.

"Don't." He spoke firmly, "he needs to be alone right now."

But Severide knew that wasn't true. He didn't need to be alone. He needed Gabby.

I can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter!

A little side note, I know this story focuses a lot on Antonio and Kelly, as well as Dawsey. I just think it's important to see where their heads are at in all this, along with what's going on with Matt and Gabby. Antonio especially, I didn't want anyone reading this to be confused as to where he stands with Matt and his feelings towards everything that's happened. I didn't want to just throw him into a scene, and you all not know why he feels the way he does towards Casey and the rest of 51. Hopefully this is making sense, and I hope you all don't mind them being included so much. But I promise you, this is a Dawsey story and more with them are coming very soon.