A/N: I'm an awful person. I forgot to put a note thanking you all for hanging with this story last chapter, so I will thank you doubly now for reading, commenting, following, and favoriting! You all are fantastic!
For the most part, Severide and Kidd's wedding was simple. Brett and Foster had dug through their closets to figure out which dresses matched best. They discovered they both had navy dresses in two different styles. Foster's was a spaghetti strapped v-neck. The top fit comfortably, and the bottom was much like a pencil skirt, stopping just above her knees. Brett's dress was an off-the-shoulder that fit snugly on top, then flowed loosely to her knees from her waist. Stella decided to go buy a dress for the occasion. She'd found a simple, white, floor-length, halter-top dress.
"Ready for this?" Brett asked Kidd, putting the finishing touches on her makeup.
"Ready as I'm going to be," Kidd replied, adjusting her dress for what felt like the hundredth time. "I am so glad I only had to wait two weeks. Any more than that and I probably would've gone bridezilla on someone."
"Good thing we don't have to find out," Foster said, pinning one last stubborn hair into place. "Haven't you been through this before?"
"Yes but no," Stella sighed. "Grant and I eloped even faster than this. . . And back then, I didn't have pregnancy hormones messin' with my head."
Brett's phone vibrated. "Matt says he and Severide are on their way. We should probably get going."
The three women hopped into Foster's car and drove down to the courthouse. The men were waiting for them there.
Half an hour later, they were pronounced Mr. and Mrs. Severide, although Stella opted to keep her maiden name. For tonight, they were going to go home and spend the 36 hours they had until next shift embracing the official beginning of the rest of their lives. . . and probably breaking the bed.
Brett, Casey, and Foster congratulated their friends, wishing them well until next shift. Foster drove Brett and Casey home, then she went to meet Skye at the movie theatre.
As soon as he closed and locked the apartment door behind them, Matt pressed Sylvie against the wall, kissing her passionately. "Can you believe," he asked, nipping at her ear, "that we get to get married in just over three months?"
Sylvie pushed his jacket off and pulled him back in for another kiss, then started working on his belt. "Can't. Wait," she panted.
Matt picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. "Me either," he growled, pressing her back against the wall.
Sylvie pulled back. "Take me to bed, Matt," she commanded, then pressed their lips together again.
It wasn't easy finding his way across the apartment with her face attached to his, but he managed to get them to the bedroom, where he deposited her on the bed and lowered himself on top of her.
They lay in a tangle of limbs later, Sylvie drawing circles with her fingers through his chest hair.
He pressed a kiss into her forehead. "I am so ready to start this life together."
She smiled up at him. "You realize the only thing changing is some paperwork, right?" she teased. "But I'm ready too. I can't wait to call you my husband."
He winked at her. "Maybe we should have talked to the judge while we were there today."
"And have the same anniversary as our best friends? Uh, no."
"Would that be better or worse than having kids at the same time?" Matt asked, more seriously now.
"Definitely worse," Sylvie replied. "I think it would be really cool to have our kids grow up together, but Foster would kill me if Kidd and I were out on maternity at the same time."
"I have a feeling if I had to get Foster's permission to have kids with you, we'd never be able to, because she'd never want to give up her partner."
"You're not wrong," Sylvie said, giggling.
Matt leaned down to kiss her. "Luckily for us," he said, a playful sparkle in his eyes, "We both outrank her."
Sylvie laughed. "I adore Foster, but there's no way she'd keep me from that future, even if we didn't outrank her. I am so excited to start a family with you someday soon. "
"Soon," he replied, imagining her with a swollen stomach, picturing what they would look like holding their theoretical baby for the first time. An overwhelming feeling of euphoria washed over him. He squeezed his fiance tightly and pressed a kiss into her temple, and she nestled even closer to him.
Soon couldn't come soon enough.
Two days after their courthouse wedding, Severide and Kidd walked into the Firehouse like they would any other day.
"Look at this!" Foster called across the common room, "The newlyweds made it on time!"
"The newlyweds?" Mouch said, craning around from his spot on the couch to look at Foster, then he turned back to Severide and Kidd.
"You guys got married and you didn't tell us?" Herrmann accused.
"It was kind of a fast decision. We were going to tell you all, but Foster beat us to it," Severide said.
"We plan on celebrating with you all at Molly's after shift tomorrow night, if you all would care to join us," Stella said.
Everybody affirmed that they would be there and everyone took their turn congratulating the new couple. It wasn't long before the bells went off, and they all ran to their rigs.
When they got on scene, it was what appeared to be a standard residential fire in a two-story suburb home. Once everyone was out of the truck, Casey started calling out orders for the primary search. Gallo, Herrmann and Ritter went to the second story. Cruz and Severide went to the basement. Casey called Kidd to come with him onto the main floor. As soon as they had their partners by their side and their masks on, they ran into the flames.
Ritter was the first one out with a middle aged woman. He brought her to the paramedics and asked if there was anyone else inside. The woman said her two kids had been playing on the main level with her husband.
Boden relayed the message over the radio. Herrmann and Gallo quickly cleared the second floor. Severide and Cruz did the same in the basement, and radioed that they came up a back staircase, so Herrmann and Gallo left out the front of the house.
Casey and Kidd made their way from the living area to the dining room. They didn't have much time. The fire was now on the ceilings above them.
"There!" Kidd called to Casey. The two kids were huddled under the table.
Cruz and Severide rounded the corner into the dining room from the kitchen. They still couldn't find the dad.
Casey sent the two squad members out with the children. He and Kidd just had an office and a bathroom to check. They quickly cleared the bathroom, then moved into the office, yelling, "Fire department, call out!" every so often.
Casey was the first one to see the father. "Kidd!" he yelled, "over there!"
She looked. There was a man, seemingly unconscious, underneath the desk.
Boden called for an update.
"We found him, Chief! We're on our way out, " Casey replied.
As it turns out, the man was still somewhat conscious, so Casey and Kidd each took a side and helped him walk.
They made their way back through the dining room, then into the living room. The ceiling was starting to cave. They had to hurry.
But they weren't fast enough. The ceiling gave out, and a bed from the room above fell through the floor.
In one swift motion, Casey got out from under the man's arm, and pushed him and Kidd toward the door from behind. He saw the light flood in from outside, then his world went black.