Hello there everyone! I'm finally back from my trip, which means I'm back to posting updates for you all. And for this one, we've got a nice little Casey family-centered chapter for you all that I hope you'll enjoy. Writing this family is one of my favorite things, and you all seem to always like reading it as well so I hope this update doesn't disappoint.

That's pretty much all I've got for now, but thank you for reading this chapter, and for being patient while I was gone. I appreciate it so much and I can't wait to hear your thoughts. I'll see you all next time!

Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four

"Alright Sof, come here baby." Gabby spoke as she helped her two year old out of the bath, the little girl continued to splash water around until she could no longer reach it, before one soft, annoyed cry left her lips. "I know, I know you want to play. But we need to get ready for bed." She told her as she placed her youngest daughter down on the bathmat before wrapping her up in her towel. Even though she wasn't necessarily happy with her mom removing her from the bath, Sofia didn't put up much of a fight as Gabby dried her off, the hooded towel resting over her wet curls while they continued on with their night routine.

It was pretty late in the evening, later than they usually liked to finish up the girls' baths, but the day had gotten away from them a little bit after spending the afternoon working on Sofia's room. Between putting the bed put together, and giving Sofia as much time as they could to get acclimated to where she'd be sleeping from now on, their typical schedule got delayed, meaning their dinner and baths, as well as helping Caity with some of her reading homework, all got done later than normal.

But it was well worth it, as Sofia needed that time to get used to her new bed. And it hadn't hurt that her and Caitlyn both enjoyed the time they got to jump around, or bounce rather, on the new mattress.

"Mama… Mama, Mama."

Sofia's endless babbling pulled Gabby from her thoughts while she squatted down in front of her daughter, the mother's smile widening as she finished up getting as much excess water as she could off of her.

"Hi sweetheart." She murmured before leaning forward to press a few soft kisses against her head, the action prompting Sofia to lean into her mom as the longer she stood here, the more the child's exhaustion was beginning to catch up with her, even if she didn't want it to. And that was only made more clear by the big yawn that soon left Sofia's lips, Gabby smiling softly as she pulled back from her daughter before wrapping the oversized towel around her frame. "Yeah, you're tired, huh?" Gabby asked her with a warm, comforting tone in her voice, Sofia not letting her get very far as she leaned her small body back against her. "It's been a busy day, I know you're ready to go to bed, let's see if Daddy's still here so he can help… Matt?"

Gabby called out towards the hallway before pressing another kiss to the top of Sofia's head, the child nuzzling further into her mom's embrace while bringing her little fists up to rub over her eyes, Dawson waiting a few more seconds to hear if she got any reply from her husband.

"Matt?" She tried again. "You still up here?"

"Daddy, Mommy needs you." She heard Caitlyn's voice filter down the hallway, Gabby smiling softly while she ran a gentle hand up and down Sofia's back.

"I heard, thank you baby… Yeah, Gabby hold on." He called back, sounding almost out of breath as Dawson heard a bit of movement happening in Caity's bedroom, before she registered the sound of Matt's footsteps heading their way. Then soon enough he appeared, Casey coming around the corner with a soft grin on his face. "Hey babe."

Gabby matched his smile, the look over her features growing when her gaze moved down towards his shirt to find a rather large wet spot across his torso. One that hadn't been there when he left with Caitlyn after she got out of the bath about fifteen minutes ago.

"Hi there… Why is your shirt wet?" She questioned, her nose scrunched up a bit as Matt followed her gaze downward, before a sheepish look covered his face.

"Caity kept tackling me." He replied like it was the most normal thing in the world, Gabby laughing softly in response as he continued. "Her hair was still wet from her bath, and it kind of got on me."

"Ahh."

"Yeah." He answered her, Gabby smiling up at him.

"I take it she won." She responded back, Casey huffing out a playful breath before he nodded.

"Oh, definitely." He said, the two sharing another laugh until Matt's attention moved down towards Sofia, seeing their youngest baby wrapped up in her mother's embrace. One she hadn't moved out of since he came in here, as her head was tucked away against her mom's chest while Gabby cradled her body. "Is she alright?" He asked with a hint of worry in his voice, Gabby nodding almost immediately as she felt Sofia let out one more yawn.

"She's fine, she's just sleepy." She told him, earning another nod from her husband before he took a few steps towards them. "She started getting fussy a couple minutes before I took her out of the bath, like she usually does when she's tired. And now she doesn't even want to stand up, I think it just kind of hit her how exhausted she is… But she's definitely ready for bed." Dawson explained while looking up at Matt from her crouched position on the floor.

"Yeah, it's getting late for her, I'm not surprised she's tired… And who knows, maybe that'll help make the new bed transition go better."

"I hope so." Gabby said with a small smile, before glancing back down towards Sofia. "...Do you mind getting her changed? So I can clean up here."

"No, of course not." He replied, matching her look before walking the rest of the way towards two of his girls. "Come here Sof, you're gonna come with Daddy." Casey spoke softly while he bent down a bit to get closer to her level, Sofia just now registering his presence as she pulled herself back from Gabby to look his way. A wide grin appeared over her face as soon as she saw him, Sofia happy to see her dad despite her tiredness as she took a few steps out from Gabby's hold to move to her father. "Yeah, hi honey. Let's go get you ready for bed."

Casey continued conversing with his little girl as he picked her up and rested her weight against his chest, Sofia immediately cuddling into him as her body that was still a bit cold from her bath clung to the warmth he provided. While Matt held onto her with one arm, he brought his other hand down towards Gabby for her to grab ahold of, the woman offering him a small smile before she held onto him and stood up.

"Thank you." She replied, Matt shooting her a similar grin back before he placed his hand on Sofia's back. "I'll finish up here, get Caity settled, then meet you in Sof's room." She said, Casey nodding once more while he stroked his thumb up and down along Sofia's side. "I know normally we'd take her downstairs, but she's so tired…"

"Yeah, it's probably best to just get her to bed.. I'll go and get her changed, and see you in there in a bit."

"Thank you." She replied, the parents sharing one last small smile before going their separate ways.

While Matt took care of Sofia and went through their nighttime routine with her, Gabby made an effort to clean up the girls' bathroom quickly before going to get Caitlyn and bringing her downstairs so she could unwind a bit before bed, while also giving Sofia some space upstairs.

Normally it would be no issue for Caity to stay and play in her room while they put Sofia down, but with this being the toddler's first night in her new bed, they figured the less distractions and excitement around her the better. And if she heard her sister playing while she was trying to sleep, odds are the two year old would have a hard time resting, so Matt and Gabby both knew it was best for Caitlyn to just spend the rest of her evening downstairs.

"How's that, baby?" Gabby asked as she finished adjusting the plush blanket on top of Caity while she laid on the couch, the six year old smiling wide as she clutched onto her stuffed animal before giving her mom a nod.

"Good, Mommy." She replied, her voice mixing in with the sound of her favorite movie playing in the background while Dawson grinned back at her, before she leaned down to press a few gentle kisses to her head.

"Alright, good." She whispered against her forehead, Gabby giving her another kiss before she pulled back, seeing Caitlyn tuck herself up underneath the blanket coming up to her chin as she met her gaze. "I'm gonna go upstairs and help your dad get Sof to sleep, then him and I will be back down, okay?"

"Okay." She repeated, Dawson giving her one last smile as she rubbed her hand along the top of her head before she moved away from the couch.

But before heading to the stairs, Gabby made a point to check that all their doors were locked and that the garage was down, as well as making sure all the curtains were drawn, Dawson needing that assurance that their oldest daughter would be safe down here on her own. Then once that was done, she stopped to fill up a sippy cup with water for Sofia before making her way upstairs.

It was quiet when she got to the landing, Gabby able to hear the faint sound of Sofia's white noise machine, along with what sounded like her husband humming as she walked towards the toddler's bedroom, the small smile on her face growing once she came around the corner and saw Matt moving around the room with their baby in his arms.

Sofia was cradled up against his chest, the little girl now clothed in a new diaper and a pair of her favorite pajamas while she clung to her father. She wasn't completely asleep, Gabby could tell that just from one look at her, but she was close, that exhaustion she'd been feeling continuing to catch up with her as Matt slowly bounced up and down while he moved.

Casey continued on with his humming until he registered his wife's presence in the doorway, the man offering her a small smile before she stepped into the room, switching Sofia's sippy cup off into her other hand while Matt continued rubbing over her back.

"Looks like she won't even need this." Gabby murmured as she held up the drink, Matt chuckling softly before he shook his head.

"I don't think so, no. But we'll keep it in here with her just in case." He responded, earning an agreeing nod from Dawson before their attention refocused on their baby.

"I think she's ready to sleep." Gabby commented, Matt matching her nod before resting his head down against the two year old's.

"Yeah, she is." He said before turning to gaze towards her bed, Gabby reaching out to run her hand along his back before following after him. "Alright Sof, it's time for bed." Matt whispered against her head, the little girl holding on tighter to her father instinctively before he carefully laid her down in her new bed.

Soft whines left her lips, Sofia doing what she could to hold onto her dad for as long as possible, only letting go once he began to pull away from her when she was securely resting in the middle of the bed. But the second she realized what had happened Sofia immediately jolted awake, her eyes opening wide before she started looking around for her parents.

"It's okay, you're okay." Casey soothed her, resting his hand over her chest as the child brought her hands up to rub over her eyes, occasional whimpers still leaving the back of her throat as she tried to adjust to her new surroundings. "You're okay princess, everything's fine." Matt continued on when she had yet to settle, though his gentle words were only helping so much as Sofia kept wiggling around. And in just those few short moments, both parents could tell she was a bit uncertain of her new bed as it began to sink in that things were different.

She'd loved it this afternoon, and had the time of her life playing around on it, but that was before she was able to really grasp what it meant. Before now, it was just something fun and new for her, almost like a new toy. But now she was beginning to understand that this was the place she'd be sleeping, that this wasn't her crib and it was something entirely new for her. And they weren't really sure how she'd handle it.

"Yeah, see, you're okay baby." Matt spoke up once more while Gabby came around to the other side of the bed, the mother crouching down and reaching out to rub her hand over the top of Sofia's head while the tired little girl looked back and forth between her parents.

"Mommy and Daddy are here." Gabby said with a soft smile, while Matt handed Sofia one of her beloved stuffed animals, the small girl latching onto it instantly as her parents continued to comfort her. "We're gonna be here until you fall asleep, everything's okay sweet girl."

Sofia wasn't completely at ease, but as the minutes ticked by she continued to calm down more and more, their child getting more comfortable in her new surroundings while she had one arm around her teddy bear while her other hand was holding onto her dad.

"Be-be." Sofia said after a moment, Gabby drawing in a deep breath as she and Matt both knew what she was asking for. "Be-be."

Casey spared a quick glance towards his wife as Sofia continued to use her word for pacifier, knowing that their child clearly wanted her comfort item while she got used to sleeping in her new bed.

"Be-be." She repeated, it coming out more like a cry this time around when she hadn't gotten a response from her parents, Gabby immediately nodding before she leaned over to press a kiss to Sofia's head.

"Yeah, you can have your be-be honey." She replied softly, rubbing her hand through her hair once more before she got up to go and grab one of the pacifiers they'd stowed away this afternoon, as both Matt and Gabby were determined to stick to their earlier agreement. That they'd keep her binky's out of reach unless she specifically asked for them, which now she had.

"Momma's getting it, baby." Casey said while rubbing his hand over her chest, Sofia letting out another big yawn while she rolled all the way onto her back. While Gabby was across the room getting one of her pacifiers out of the drawer, Matt laid Sof's sippy cup down on the bed up against the white mesh railing, close enough for her to reach it if she needed but not too close to hit her while she was sleeping, as they were trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

"Here you go, Sof. Here's be-be." Gabby said as she got back to the girl's bed, Sofia's eyes following her mom before a small smile appeared over her lips, Casey chuckling softly when he noticed the near instant mood shift in his little girl the second her pacifier was in reach.

"Yeah, we're never getting her off those things." He joked, Gabby suppressing a laugh before handing the pacifier to Sofia, the child soon putting it in her mouth before relaxing back into her new mattress.

"It's gonna be hard, for sure." Gabby agreed while Casey continued rubbing a soothing hand over Sofia's torso, both parents sensing just how much more at ease she now that she had the comfort of her parents and her binky. "But right now we just need to worry about getting her to sleep… Yeah, everything's okay, isn't it Sof?" She said with a gentle smile, seeing Sofia grinning behind her pacifier before her head lulled to the side.

The room went quiet for a few moments aside from the sound machine on her dresser, Sofia focusing on the feeling of her parents comforting touches while she cuddled into her bed, the toddler dozing in and out of consciousness while she kept up just a little bit of a fight, like she wasn't ready to fall asleep just yet. But once Gabby started singing her favorite lullaby, the same one she'd been singing to her since she was born, it took all of a couple minutes before she was out, Sofia in a deep sleep while she leaned into her dad's touch.

"That still does the trick, huh?" Matt whispered once his wife had finished, Gabby giving him a soft smile before she shrugged.

"Seems to.. I'm just glad she's asleep." She replied, earning a knowing look from Casey before they both started to get up, the parents making sure to move slowly when they pulled away from their daughter, afraid that she'd sense the movement and wake up. But luckily she didn't, Sofia not moving a muscle while they both stood up and headed for the door.

Neither of them said a word while they stepped out into the hallway, Matt pulling the door a bit to try and help keep some of the sound out, while also not shutting it completely before the couple moved towards the stairs.

"That went surprisingly well." Casey commented while they maneuvered their way around the baby gate at the top of the stairs, Gabby nodding in agreement as she waited on one of the steps a few stairs down while he closed the gate behind him.

"It did, yeah… For now, at least." She added on, Matt chuckling softly before they continued down the stairs.

"Yeah, but she's always been a good sleeper. Hopefully she'll make it through the night without a problem."

"I hope so, too." She agreed just as they got down to the first floor, the parents walking in step towards their living room.

But when they came into the large room, their pace slowed once they caught sight of their oldest daughter on the couch in the same place Dawson had left her, Matt unable to stop the soft laugh that left his throat when they saw Caitlyn fast asleep.

"Looks like someone else was exhausted, too." He commented, Gabby smiling up at him before her gaze moved back to Caitlyn.

She was curled up underneath the big blanket Gabby had put her on, the material almost swallowing her whole as it was a little hard to see her, but between her lack of movement and the sound of her soft snores breaking through the television, it was clear that she was asleep. And likely had been for awhile, Matt and Gabby moving further into their living room before coming to a stop across from the couch.

"I could tell she was pretty worn out when I was down here with her." She mused, Matt reaching out to rub over her back for a few seconds before he started walking around the coffee table.

"Yeah, it's been a busy day… Both of them could use the rest." He said before reaching down to carefully pull the blanket off his daughter, the girl instinctively digging herself deeper into the couch when the cooler air hit her skin.

"Mommy…" She murmured while she was half asleep, Gabby smiling weakly while Matt rubbed over her arm.

"It's Daddy, baby." He replied quietly, before he started to pick her up off the couch. "We're gonna get you to bed, alright?"

The process took a few seconds, as Caity's dead weight combined with her nearly unconscious state had him moving a bit slower than he typically would, but soon enough he had his daughter in his hold. Her arms quickly circled around his neck, Caitlyn tucking herself into him while he held onto her securely, the father keeping one hand underneath her while his other rubbed soothing patterns across her back.

"Daddy." Caitlyn practically whined, like she was too tired to say anything else as Matt placed a few kisses to the side of her head.

"I know, I know." He replied, giving her one more kiss before he looked towards his wife. "I'm gonna get her upstairs."

Gabby nodded slowly as he walked towards her, the small smile never leaving her face as she leaned forward to press a kiss to Caity's temple. "I love you baby, sleep well."

"Love you, Mommy." She replied between breaths, Gabby stroking her hand along the back of her head before stepping out of the way, Matt moving back towards the stairs while Dawson headed for the kitchen, intent on cleaning up what was left of the dishes from their dinner earlier in the evening.

It didn't take her very long, in fact in the maybe five or so minutes that Matt was upstairs she'd managed to finish up everything, Gabby placing the last plate on the drying rack as her husband got back downstairs, the man letting out a heavy huff while she glanced his way.

"Caity asleep?"

"Mhmm." He hummed as he moved towards her. "She was passed out by the time I got upstairs, she didn't even wake up when I got her into bed." He added on, Gabby drawing in a slow breath while she dried off her hands.

"And Sof?"

"She was fine." He responded as a grin started to tug on his lips. "I didn't stay very long because I didn't want to risk waking her up, but from what I could tell I don't think she'd even moved."

"Good, that's good." She replied as Matt stood across the counter from her. "I'm glad they're both asleep… And I know it's pretty early for us, but I might not make it much longer, either." Casey laughed softly before giving her a nod in agreement. "Though I was thinking about taking a bath before bed, if you'd like to join me."

Matt's eyebrows raised slightly, his head cocking to the side after a sly grin appeared over his lips. "I'd love to." He replied without much thought, Gabby chuckling softly as she nodded back at him.

"Yeah, I figured you wouldn't say no."

"To a bath with you? Never." He spoke with a goofy smile. "Do you need to finish up anything out here, or are you good?"

"I'm good." She replied before tucking her bottom lip between her teeth, while leaning her weight into the counter.

"Alright, well then let's go." He said quickly, Gabby laughing once more before she grabbed the baby monitor and her phone, and started heading towards the bedroom with Matt in tow.

But just as they got to the doorway, they stopped when they heard an alert from their baby monitor, it being a sound they knew well as they looked down at the screen to see there was movement coming from Sofia's room. And after a second or two it wasn't hard to figure out why, as they could see their little girl sliding down feet first out of her bed before she started moving around the room.

A single chuckle left the back of Matt's throat, the man shaking his head lightly as they watched Sofia look around for a few seconds, like she wasn't sure what to do now that she could get out of bed, before she headed over towards the corner of her room where her toys were.

"Well, apparently she wasn't as asleep as I thought." He breathed out, Gabby swallowing her laugh as her free hand came up to cover her mouth. "I must've woken her up when I was in there."

"Maybe, yeah. But it's alright, I think we both knew she wouldn't make it the whole night." Gabby replied with a soft smile before her eyes moved back towards the monitor, seeing Sofia squatting down on the ground with a few toys in her hands. "Though it looks like we were right about her getting out of bed the first chance she got."

Casey laughed once more, the husband shaking his head a bit before he replied. "Yeah, that was to be expected."

"Definitely… But we should probably get up there and help her get back to sleep." She suggested, Matt offering her a soft smile before rubbing his hand along her back up to her shoulder.

"I got it." He responded before Gabby glanced his way.

"You sure?"

"Mhmm, yeah… You go get in the bath, I've got Sof." Matt assured her with an easy grin before he leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. "Just make sure you don't get out too quickly."

Dawson pursed her lips together, the gleam in her eyes unmistakable as she placed her hand against his chest, rubbing her fingers gently over his heart before she took a slight step back.

"I'll be in there waiting for you." She said softly, the words leaving her lips slowly as Matt was forced to take a steadying breath. "But right now, you go take care of our girl."

"Yes ma'am." He said lightly, Gabby unable to stop her laugh this time as she softly pushed against his chest before they started moving their separate ways.

While Gabby went into their bedroom, Matt quietly made his way back upstairs for the third time that night, the father already able to hear his youngest daughter before he got to the top floor, as the toys she was playing with weren't necessarily quiet. Blowing out a soft breath, Casey made a beeline towards Sofia's room, the man carefully pushing the door open to find his girl exactly where she'd been on the monitor, sitting down in front of a few of her toys while she played with them.

The noise of the door opening combined with the light flooding in from the hallway gained her attention rather quickly, Sofia's little head moving to look at him before a big, slobbery grin appeared over her face. Though even through her excitement, Casey could see that exhaustion still present in her features, as despite her not being able to fight the urge to get up and move around, she was still extremely worn out.

"What happened to my tired baby, huh?" He asked lightly as he stepped further inside, Sofia dropping her toys before she pushed herself up off the ground and started waddling towards her dad.

"Dada." She beamed, Casey chuckling softly just as she crashed into his legs. "Dada, up. Pease."

Another laugh left his throat before he reached down to pick up his daughter, Sofia immediately hugging herself to him as she tucked her head against his neck, Casey shaking his head a bit while rubbing his hand along her back. Before he could even get a word in, he felt her yawn against him, the father suppressing a sigh as he started to go through the routine of getting Sofia to bed for a second time that night.

"Yeah, I know you're tired baby." He murmured, feeling her small fists grasp onto his shirt while he bounced around with her nestled in his arms. "Let's see if we can't get you back to sleep, alright? I know everything's a little new, but that's okay… Let's just try and sleep."

He continued repeating that sentiment for a few more moments, before his words slowly began to morph into humming, Matt choosing the same lullaby Gabby had used to get her to sleep less than half an hour ago, as he was hoping it would do the trick in getting her back to sleep.

And thankfully, it worked, as within ten minutes Sofia was passed out in his arms once more, her little snores filling his ears while she started to drool on his shoulder. But the father didn't mind one bit, Matt just grateful that she was sleeping again as he continued to move around the room with her, silently hoping that this would be the last time Sofia woke up tonight.

But the little voice in the back of his mind told him it likely wouldn't be that easy.

A heavy yawn left Gabby's lips as she laid in their large bed, the woman stretching out her limbs while she waited for Matt to finish getting ready to go to sleep. It was late, much later than they'd hoped to be going to bed as their plans for an easy and early night hadn't really happened. Not when Sofia had been up and down most of the night.

After Casey went upstairs the first time to help her fall back asleep, she'd managed to get some rest for nearly an hour, giving Matt and Gabby the time to enjoy their bath and each other. But just minutes after they got out, Sofia woke up once more, this time the little girl opting to stay in her bed while she cried out for her parents. From the sound alone they knew she wasn't so much scared, just confused and wanting comfort. But she needed her parents nonetheless, so Gabby had gone up that time to sit with her and try and lull her back to sleep, it taking a half hour or so before Sofia managed to settle down and go to bed.

But the night only got more difficult from there, as over the next few hours Sofia continued to wake up off and on. Whether she would get all the way out of bed, or just sit and cry until someone came to be with her, Sofia wasn't able to sleep for any long period of time, leading to Matt and Gabby alternating who would go up there to be with her.

The parents weren't sure if it was just the new bed that was causing her to act this way, that her not being used to it was causing her to keep waking up, or if something else was going on. But whatever it was, any deep sleep was almost impossible to come by for Sof, and it was getting to be a bit stressful for everyone involved. Especially Sofia, as her tired little mind couldn't understand why she wasn't able to get the rest she so desperately wanted.

Overall, it just hadn't been the night anyone in the Casey family was expecting, those rough last few hours leaving them all feeling even more exhausted than they had been already. But now as it was passing one in the morning, Sofia had been asleep for almost an hour now and they were hoping it would stay that way.

"Man." Casey huffed as he stepped out of the bathroom, the man flicking off the light before making his way over towards the bed.

"You okay?" Gabby asked, the lamp by her bedside giving them enough light to see one another as Matt gave her a soft smile before he pulled back the sheets on his side of the bed.

"I'm fine babe, just tired." He replied just as he collapsed down onto their mattress, Gabby biting down on her lip before turning her body to face him. He was laying on his back, his hand instinctively reaching out to rest over her knee, Dawson shuffling herself a little closer to him as his thumb started to rub gentle patterns across her skin.

"Me too." She murmured, her hand coming up to brush across the side of his face before she leaned her head down to his shoulder, a soft smile covering his mouth as he rested down against her. "But when I last checked the monitor, Sof was sound asleep… So maybe we'll be able to get some rest."

"Yeah, I hope so." He said before he yawned, Matt continuing to run his hand over her leg in a comforting motion as a gentle silence fell over them.

The whole house was peacefully quiet, Gabby feeling her eyes starting to get heavier by the second while she curled up to Matt's side, his warmth acting like a security blanket as she was sure she could fall asleep in mere moments. And by the way Casey's breathing was slowing down, she figured he was close to sleep just like she was.

But all of that stopped when they heard a soft whine start to come from the baby monitor, Casey biting back a groan as both parents were suddenly on high alert.

Neither of them said anything while they waited to see if any more noise came from their toddler's room, Matt and Gabby both hoping that she'd either just made some noise while she rested, or if she had woken up a bit that she would be able to fall back asleep on her own. But when those soft whines persisted, before then turning into whimpers and cries, they knew Sofia was fully awake, Dawson sighing loudly once she lifted her head off Matt's shoulder.

"I knew it was too good to be true." Casey breathed out with a small smile, the father shaking his head lightly before he glanced over towards his wife, with an almost hopeful look in his eye. One that Gabby understood instantly as she let out a heavy scoff.

"Oh, I don't think so buddy." She spoke, while gently nudging his shoulder. "I went last time, it's your turn." Gabby reminded him, Matt mulling over her words before he grunted softly. "And besides, this whole bed thing was your idea, which automatically makes it your turn anyway." She teased, the man giving her a pointed stare before a playful scoff left his lips.

"Uh huh, since when did we make that a rule?" He asked back while sitting up.

"Since just now." She responded slyly, Casey chuckling a bit before he got out of bed.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." He joked, Gabby doing what she could to hide her smile as he headed for the door. "But just so you know, I'm starting to regret this whole new bed thing."

Dawson watched him with an amused gleam in her eye, the woman resting her arm over her stomach while he came to a stop in the doorway. "Well, I think it's too late for that now babe." She responded as another yawn came from his lips, the teasing feeling between them beginning to fall away as Gabby could see just how tired her husband truly was. "But you know, I can go up there." She told him, her tone a bit more serious as Casey gave her a look ."I know you're exhausted, let me go try to get her to sleep." She offered, but Matt immediately shook his head.

"It's fine, baby. I don't mind." He assured her, as Gabby sat up in their bed. "You're tired too, you stay here and try to sleep… I'll be back down in a bit." He promised, Dawson drawing in a deep breath as she nodded, the woman giving him one last small smile before he disappeared out of the bedroom, leaving Gabby on her own while Matt went to go take care of their tired baby.

Dawson's eyebrows furrowed as she slowly came into consciousness, her body rolling towards the center of the bed while she tried to fight off her mind's desire to wake up as all she wanted right now was a little bit more sleep. But soon enough she realized that wasn't going to happen, as her brain became more and more alert, Gabby huffing out a breath while she tried to gain some more of her surroundings.

She didn't remember falling asleep last night, the last thing she could recall being her waiting for Matt to get back from helping Sofia, but from the bits of sunlight peeking in through their curtains she knew it was morning.

Letting out a heavy yawn, Gabby moved a bit closer to the other side of the bed, wanting to curl up next to her husband in an effort to relax for a few more minutes. But she was met by nothing but a cold bed sheet, Dawson blinking a few times before her vision came into focus, only to find herself alone in their bedroom. And from the looks of it, she'd been by herself for a while.

While taking in a deep breath, Gabby slowly started to get up, her eyes moving over towards the clock to see they still had a little bit of time before they'd normally need to get up, before she started to get out of bed. Everything was quiet around her, Dawson wrapping her arms over her chest as she started making her way out towards the living room while she searched for her husband. But after a quick look, it was clear no one had come out here yet, Gabby pursing her lips together before she started to head upstairs.

Everything was equally as calm up on the second level of their home, Gabby moving around the baby gate as silently as she possibly could before she walked towards the girls' rooms. She checked on Caity first, the six year old still fast asleep in her bed like she'd been all evening before Gabby continued down the hallway towards Sofia's room.

And once she stepped inside, she quickly found out why she'd woken up alone as she was met by Matt sleeping peacefully in Sofia's bed, with the two year old nestled up against his side. A wide grin appeared over Gabby's face as she walked further into the room, the mother coming to stop by the bed while she took in the adorable sight in front of her.

The father and daughter were as close as they could possibly be, with Matt's arm wrapped around her small frame while Sofia's head rested on his chest, her thumb currently in her mouth as she cuddled her dad. While the position in the smaller bed couldn't have been too comfortable for Matt, Gabby already knew he didn't mind, as all he would've cared about was making sure Sofia was getting the rest she needed. Which, from what she could tell, she was, given how Sof hadn't moved a muscle since she came in here.

If she had to guess, Gabby would say they'd been like this most of the night, the mother beginning to realize that this must've been the only way Sofia would stay asleep, is with her dad by her side. And considering how he never came back to bed, Matt must have found that out too, Gabby knowing he would never leave their girl when she needed him as Dawson continued to watch the endearing sight of her husband and youngest daughter resting together.

Though the longer she stood here, the more she knew she'd need to wake them up soon, or at least Matt, as they all had to get ready for the day ahead. But for right now she decided to let them sleep, as this moment was too precious to end quite yet, Gabby seeing Sofia subconsciously cuddle closer to her dad while a feeling of complete contentment filled the room.

One that Gabby wanted to bask in for just a little bit longer.