Disclaimer: I own nothing except my imagination.
A/N: So I know that I haven't updated since FOREVER, literally. I had a total block in my inspiration flow when I was writing it to begin with (not that chapter ideas have been in short supply for them) and I hope this chapter will make up for it and I will try to update more often.
Antonio woke up early and let Sylvie sleep a bit as he finished the preparations for his surprise week-end with her. He had made a reservation of a small log cabin in Milwaukee so they could spend some time alone amid all the chaos around them lately. She woke up to the smell of coffee and he was waiting for her, a cup in hand
"Antonio, where are we going?" Sylvie chuckled from the passenger side.
"Follow the truck, it's a surprise." He clasped his hand around hers in the middle console.
"Just a small hint?" She begged, her bottom lip slightly pulled out.
"Just another forty five minutes." He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
"At least tell me what I did to deserve this."
"We've had a few crazy weeks and I figured that we cold use a week end away."
"Sounds perfect then." She smiled at him the rest of the road was spent in silence, watching the Chicago scenery pass them by. He watched her while she wasn't paying attention to him and a smile lingered on his lips. He was lucky to have her and it was about time that they had time to themselves, the final piece of his plan starting to take form. He had rented a cottage by the lake in Milwakee where they could spend the whole week end by the lake and a fire and it was the perfect setting for him to properly pop the question to her, this time with a ring. "Are we there yet?" She looked at him with a smirk on her face.
"Just around here." He looked to make sure it was the right street and he took a right turn and onto a dirt road.
"Where are you taking me?" She grew confused as they drove farther into the trees.
"Just another mile or so and all your questions will be answered." He gave her a bright smile.
"I know," She pulled her hand away from his. "You brought me here to kill me."
"Definitely won't be doing anything of that babe, would be far too messy." He smirked and winked at her. She let the whole scenery pass by until Antonio took a gravel road to the right off the main path.
"You got us a cabin? Her smile was contagious when she turned to look at Antonio, he was sporting a similar one.
"Just you and me and trees."
"You are damn lucky that you are driving Antonio Dawson." Her smile turned into a flirtatious smirk.
"It shouldn't be too long now." He kissed her knuckles. It took about an extra fifteen minutes before Antonio stopped his truck and put it in park. It was a small wooden cabin with a dock with a gorgeous lake as a backdrop.
Sylvie hopped down and marveled at the view. "Antonio." She sighed in awe. "It's beautiful here." She shielded her eyes from the morning sun as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
"That's why I took you here." He whispered to her ear. "Just you and me; no interruptions and some quiet."
"That's exactly what we need." She turned in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaning up for a kiss. When they pulled away, Antonio grabbed their bags and they headed inside to settle themselves in. It was a small, single bedroom cabin with a fireplace in the living room, a small dining room right next to it.
"What did you pack exactly?" She questioned out loud when she started exploring.
"Enough food to last the whole week-end and some essentials." He took a large cooler in the kitchen to put all the food away.
"Essentials huh?" She poked her head out of the room after she looked through the bag to see what he had packed.
"I never said we had to go outside." He chuckled without even looking at her. The truth was that he had packed mostly clothes for the outdoors and loungewear for the evening.
"What are your plans for this week end?" She walked back into view.
"This lake and this cabin. And in the evenings, we can make a fire inside and snuggle on the couch with some wine."
"Or beer."
"Or beer." He laughed as he pulled her to him. "How about I grill up some food and we can just relax tonight."
"Sounds perfect." She kissed him. They went into the kitchen and while Antonio took the food out of the cooler, she grabbed two beers and handed him one, taking a spot on the counter while she looked at him work. Time had gone by since the evening where he had cooked for her and she had broken things off with him but since getting back together, cooking was always a team thing but she always did like watching him cook. "Thanks again for bringing me here." She looked out the window.
"We've had enough chaos to last for a while, let's just concentrate on us."
"Amen to that." She raised her bottle and he collided his own with it in a cheers before he returned to his cooking duties. They ate in comfortable conversation on the back porch, overlooking the water. When they were done, Sylvie started picking up the dishes and taking them to the kitchen where she started washing them. They had come to a silent agreement a while ago that the person who cooked didn't do the dishes and for a few minutes, Sylvie was alone with her thoughts. She looked outside as she did circular motions against the plate, thinking how lucky she was to have such a wonderful man in her life even if they had a bumpy road in the past.
"I'm pretty sure that the plate is clean." She jumped at the sound of his voice, soapy water exploding around her.
"Jesus Antonio. Don't sneak up on a girl like that." That made him chuckle but not even the death glare she gave him affected his mood.
"I'm sorry babe." He walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Make it up to me." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, totally oblivious to the soap falling on his shirt. When air became necessary, Sylvie pulled away ever so slightly before Antonio moved swiftly and swung her over his shoulder, making her squeal before the giggles started. "Put me down."
"Are you sure?" He chuckled, walking towards the room.
"Yes." He set her down unceremoniously and crawled over her.
"Now, for no interruptions." He pressed his body into hers and started kissing her feverishly. They made love and when they climaxed together, they ended up tangled in the sheets, both breathing heavily.
"I think I'm going to like this week-end." She traced her fingers against his chest.
"That's exactly why I picked here." He pushed a strand of hair that was stuck to her forehead to the side and kissed it. He watched her as her fingers traced lines against his chest and saw her stop at one of his scars. She just kept her eyes on it, not saying a word. They had never talked about those scars and she didn't seem to want to find out about them but he watched as she frowned. "It's ok if you want to know." He prodded gently.
"I feel like I shouldn't." Her voice was a soft hum against his shoulder.
"We're going to get married Sylvie, I'm pretty sure that you gives you full disclosure rights."
"How did it happen?" She simply asked, not beating around the bush.
"I was working undercover, deep, and one of my CI's overdosed on bad drugs. Gabby was rushing in because Shay's girlfriend at the time had given birth and we argued in the parking lot because I looked like crap and I pushed past her but when I made it to my car, there was a car that drove by and shots were fired. If Gabby hadn't heard everything, I would have bled out." He remembered that scene like it was yesterday but it was actually a long time ago. He could see the pain in her features and he hated that but this had happened before they had even met and there was nothing he could do to take that away from her.
"Are they all from a different cases?" She touched every scar she could find on his torso.
"Three different. These ones, are from the case I just told you. These two." He pointed his shoulder and one right next to his heart. "These are from the fallout of Diego's kidnapping."
"Is that why Laura left?" Gabby had told her vaguely about that a while back.
"We don't have to talk about that." He didn't want to rehash that part of his life, he was happy with Sylvie now.
"You said full disclosure rights." She pressed her chin on her hand and looked him in the eyes.
"She left because I was in a hurry to get back on the job."
"I bet she was just worried about you." She tried to reason.
"I don't want to talk about that, we're supposed to be here together, no interruptions." He ran a thumb against her cheek, Sylvie closing her eyes as he did so.
"Ok. But I just want you to be careful, it's all I'm asking you." She sighed, dropping the subject, a scar still untouched.
"I am, I promise. And in case your wondering, the last bullet hole, it's just bad timing, a through and through."
"Doesn't make it easier that you went through that four times." She admitted.
"I'll try not to make you worry to much. Now where were we?"
"We were, tangled up in the sheets, blissfully happy." She gave him a blinding smile. "And I want to stay in those sheets until tomorrow."
"I can live with that." He smiled at her. "And tomorrow, we'll spend the day on the lake."
"Sounds perfect." She pushed herself higher to be able to kiss him. They lazied around for most of the day, Sylvie enjoying the quiet with Antonio for a change. They had turned their phones off for more privacy but had given their location to Matt and Gabby in case an emergency happened.
Sylvie was the first to wake Up the following morning, a thin line of sun shining through an open curtain. She decided to let him sleep a little bit more, giving some more time to recuperate from the last few weeks. The sheets hung low on his hips and the scars that graced his torso were on full display. An ache pulled at her heart but she tried not to dwell on it as she went through the bag Antonio had brought for her. She put on a pair of shorts with a t-shirt that fell lower on her right shoulder, deciding to throw her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She figured that since he had taken care of the food the previous day, she would take care of food today. She pulled out everything she needed to make breakfast from the cooler and found some cheese and some vegetables. She was humming a song as she swayed her hips while she did the preparations so she didn't notice Antonio standing in the doorframe behind her.
Antonio woke up and knew from the shape of the mattress that he was alone. He got up and made his way towards the humming he could hear, the cabin too small to conceal anything. He found Sylvie in the kitchen, dancing to a song that she was humming softly. She was dressed casually and that's how he liked her best. She looked relaxed, more that she had since he had been shot and he knew he had made the right decision in escaping here. He walked towards her and put his hands on her hips, hoping not to startle her.
Sylvie stiffened ever so slightly when some hands appeared against her hips but quickly realized they belonged to the man she loved. "How did you sleep?" She asked, a smile spreading on her lips.
"Amazing. How come you didn't stay in bed?" He pressed a kiss to her shoulder.
"I figured I'd let you sleep, let you recuperate some more."
"You're supposed to be doing that too." He turned her around gently so she could face him. "I'm sorry I had you worried last night. It wasn't my intention."
"I know it wasn't but I can't help the way it makes me feel, like I felt you going through all of that."
"Still sorry." He gave her lips a peck. "How about we forget about my bullet holes for the rest of the trip and we just enjoy being together, no interruptions?"
"I can get behind that." She finally smiled.
"So what were you planning while I was asleep?"
"I was thinking that we could bring the cooler, take the boat and spend the morning on the lake."
"That sounds perfect. I'll take care of the cooler while you take care of breakfast." He kissed her before he released her body and they took care to start their day in comfortable silence. Every movement that they made had them touching and Antonio had a smile on his lips the whole time. They walked hand in hand to the lake where a boat was tied to the dock. "You're going to do the rowing?" She asked skeptically.
"Don't act so surprised." He laughed. He put the cooler in the boat and helped her get in before he sat opposite her, the oars flanking him. "Ready?"
"Absolutely." She looked around as Antonio rowed them towards the middle of the lake. She was in awe f the beauty that surrounded them and she was glad that there was nothing remotely close to them that would interrupt their time away. She was already feeling the stress of the last week fade away from her body and she knew it was all thanks to him and this beautiful surprise. Once he stopped rowing and left the boat drift to a stop, Sylvie put a hand in the water. "The water is great."
"What are you doing?" He gave her a smirk and a raised eyebrow as she took the bottom of her shirt and puled it over her head, leaving her clad in a powder blue bikini top.
"Going in for a dip." It was obvious t her but clearly he hadn't thought about it. "You're more than welcome to join me." She stood carefully in the boat and removed her shorts before diving in, making the boat rock gently.
"Trust me I will." He threw his shirt over his head and next to Sylvie's clothes before he jumped in too. She tried swimming away from him but he was faster and he pulled her by the ankle and flush with him. "You are right, the water is great." He whispered against her lips.
"I'm glad we're doing this." She kissed him.
"Too bad we're not closer to the she because I'd rather do something else right now." He kissed her back.
"I'm kind of hungry." She giggled. "We could just eat out here and go back inside and not come back out." She said suggestively.
"I like that thought." He released her and let her swim a bit before they climbed back in the boat. Antonio had done sandwiches and Sylvie was sprawled in the bottom of the boat with her feet on the bench Antonio was settled on. "What are you thinking about?" He was subbing her foot.
"How lucky and grateful I am to have you."
"I'm not going anywhere." He promised.
"It could have gone a thousand different ways if our paths hadn't crossed again, if you hadn't survived that last shift."
"Don't think like that. I'm grateful that we'll get to spend the rest of our lives together. The rest doesn't matter." He slowly rowed back to the shore when they were done with their snack, Sylvie still lying down in the bottom of the boat.
Antonio barely had time to tie the boat before Sylvie was all over him. They left the food in the boat and made out until Sylvie was firmly pressed into the cabin door. "If we keep this up, we won't do anything this week end." Sylvie was out of breath.
"That's exactly what we came here to do, relax." He rubbed his nose against hers and slowly opened the door to allow them to go back inside.
"Well I'm not sure it'll qualify as relaxing but I'm all for it." She gigged as he scooped her up. They were cooped up inside the cabin for the rest of the afternoon, the soft breeze coming from the windows. They were still lying down in bed when the sun was setting and Antonio was slowly combing through her hair as her head laid on his chest. It was completely silence between the two and Antonio's mind was on how he was going to propose again. He didn't want to wait until the next day and wanted the ring to be on her finger sooner rather than later.
"How about you lie down here and I'll go start a fire outside? Then I can fix us something to eat and we can enjoy a fire and the stars."
"How about you take care of the fire and I'll take care of the food?"
"Sylvie Brett and a grill? I'd pay to see that." His laugh rumbled under her ear.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Antonio Dawson." She ran her fingers against his chest.
"I'm looking to forever to find out." He untangled himself from her and kissed her. "Meet me outside?"
"Mmm." She stayed in bed a few minutes before she got out and headed for the shower. She found one of Antonio's shirt and slipped on a pair of shorts, letting her hair dry naturally. First thing she did when she made it to the kitchen was to fill two glasses of wine and looked through the fridge for some food. She found shrimp and salad and decided to settle with that. She prepared them and once the salad was done, she took the shrimp out to the grill and found Antonio sitting on one of the lounge chair. "Here you go." She handed him with glass and took a step towards the grill but he stopped her by holding on to her wrist.
"Not so fast." He pulled her on his lap and kissed her. "I love you."
"I love you too." She rubbed the lipstick off his lip.
"That shirt looks good on you by the way." It was one of his V-neck shirts that dipped low on her in the front.
"I'll let you take it off later I promise." She pressed her body into his. "I'm getting hungry." She pushed herself up from his lap and turned the grill on. He watched her mover around between the grill and the cabin and she finally came back 15 minutes later with food on two plates. "Tell me what you think." She made a shrimp salad with balsamic vinegar and small pieces of peaches. She pulled her legs under herself and took a sip of wine.
"This is amazing babe."
"Told you there was some things you didn't know about me. I used to cook at my parents house when mom found out I had a thing for cooking."
"Well I'll have to thank her for that cuz this is great. They finished their food in comfortable silence, the flames keeping them warm. Antonio cleared the food once they were done and washed the dishes as he forced her to stay put and enjoy the heat of the fire. When he returned outside, he leaned against the doorframe and just watched her as she brought her glass to her lips and took a sip of wine. He pushed his hand down his pocket and his fingers held onto the velvet box firmly between his fingers. He took a deep breath and he knew that it was the right time. The stars were shining bright in the sky and they were finally peaceful surrounded by nature.
"The stars are beautiful tonight." Sylvie said out loud, knowing that Antonio had been standing behind her for a while now.
"It's not the only thing that's beautiful tonight." When she looked to her right, Antonio was bending down on one knee.
"Antonio." Her eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"I know that you already said yes but I wanted to do this properly." He showed her the box and opened it to reveal a beautiful, three diamond ring with a white gold band. The middle one was a bit bigger than the two flanking it but it was just the right size for her delicate fingers. Sylvie was speechless so he continued. "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life but finding my way back to you is not one of those. I want to be able to spend the rest of my life with you and prove to you that you didn't make a mistake in taking another chance on us. Sylvie Brett, will you marry me?"
"Yes, the answer is always yes." She didn't even stop the tears from falling as Antonio placed the ring on her finger.
"Right where it belongs." He stood and took her hand to pull her to him as he kissed her soundly. He pulled her back to the cabin and Sylvie let him remove his shirt before he made love to her. They celebrated well into the night and Sylvie had never been so happy in her entire life. Antonio had been right about how getting back together was not a mistake. She had finally found the man of her dreams that treated her like she was the single most important person in the world and she had found a family that had welcomed her with open arms and that was the best decision she had made.
Antonio was packing their things in the car the next afternoon. They had to get back into town, the real world waiting for them at 51 and 21st in the morning.
"Thank you for bringing me here, it was the best week-end of my life." She wrapped her arms around his neck, his hands resting on her hips.
"It's up there all right." He leaned down and kissed her. Their tongues battled for dominance and they were forced to pull away when air became an issue. "Let's go back home." She smiled. And back home they went. They smiled as they received congratulations texts when they both turned their phones on, Antonio having filled everyone in on the purpose of this trip.
"You sneaky man." She laughed as they made it out of the dirt road.
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Sylvie Brett." He winked at her.
"Well I can't wait to find out." She linked her fingers through his over the middle console and they drove back to the city, a new chapter of their lives waiting for them.
A/N: I finally made it to the end of it. If anyone has prompts and ideas for chapters to go with the story, feel free to leave it in a review, it'll be my pleasure to bring it to life and as always, take a few seconds to leave a review before you go, I always love to hear your thoughts - Sarra