"Hallie baby, wake up. I'm not gonna tell you again." Casey said poking his head in his daughter's room for the third time that morning.

Little Hallie rolled over and finally got out of bed. She kicked her PJs off and put on a simple white dress with a light pink ribbon around the waist that her father had put out for her the night before. She grabbed a picture off her night stand and scampered out to the kitchen.

"Well good morning sleepy head." Casey said when his daughter appeared in the kitchen.

He knelt down to tie the ribbon around her waist. "What kept you?"

"I was dreaming about mommy." Hallie said as she placed the picture she had carried out with her on the table and stared at it as she ate her breakfast.

It was a picture of her parents at the annual firefighter and police ball. Hallie kept it on her night stand in a pink frame with butterflies and glitter.

"Do you have the dress mommy is wearing in the picture?" Hallie asked.

Casey didn't even have to look at the picture. He knew the one. "Yeah, its in storage."

"Can I have it!" Hallie said.

Casey chuckled. "I think it's a little too big for you Hal."

"No, I mean when I'm older. Can I have it?" Hallie clarified.

"Of course." Casey replied.

Hallie smiled and finished her breakfast.


Hallie skipped around the bunk room playing an imaginary game.

"Hallie." Her father called from his office.

"Yes daddy?" Hallie said, still skipping around the room, humming to herself.

"Did you finish all of your homework?" Casey asked.

"Yes daddy." Hallie chimed.

"Let's see." Casey said.

Hallie paused her game to show her father her work. She had to write her spelling words three times each.

Casey smiled as he examined her work. "Excellent work."

"High five." Hallie said.

Casey chuckled. "Down low."

"In the middle." Hallie said pulling her hand away. "Too slow!"

"Alright off you go kiddo." Casey said, ruffling her hair and sending her on her way.

Hallie quickly went back to her little game. She skipped and twirled from the bunk room to the shower room where she saw someone she had never seen before cleaning.

"Hi" Hallie said.

The woman looked up. "Hello, who might you be?"

"Hallie." Hallie said.

"That's a pretty name." The woman said.

"Thanks. It was my mom's." Hallie said.

"Was?" The woman said.

"She died before I was born." Hallie said.

"Before you were born?" The woman echoed.

Hallie nodded. "She died in a fire and I lived in her tummy on life support stuff."

"I'm so sorry.." The woman said. "My mother died when I was little too."

"This is her engagement ring. Wanna see!?" Hallie said.

"Sure" said the woman.

Hallie showed her the ring around her neck. "You're pretty. What's your name?"

The woman laughed. "Thank you. I'm Rebecca."

"Please to meet you Rebecca!" Hallie said excitably. "Are you a firefighter?"

"I am. Today's my first day." Rebecca said.

"You're a candidate! My daddy's your boss!" Hallie said with even more excitement.

"Your Lt. Casey's daughter?" Rebecca said.

"Yep." Hallie said, grinning.

"Well how bout that." Rebecca said.

Rebecca Jones and Hallie talked and talked while Rebecca cleaned the showers.

"Do you wanna be best friends?" Hallie asked.

"I'd love too." Rebecca said, smiling.

"Great! I've never had a best friend before!" Hallie said.

"Well now you do." Rebecca said as she placed a bubble of soap on Hallie's nose.

It quickly popped and Hallie laughed.


Little Hallie sat at the squad table with Severide and a couple of his guys. They were playing poker.

"Alright, all in." Severide said.

"I'm out." One of his men said.

"Me too." Said the other.

"Alright princess its just you and me... what will it be?" Severide said.

"I don't know... is A heart, K heart, Q heart, J heart, and a 10 heart good?" Hallie said.

Kelly's mouth flopped open and the two guy huddled over Hallie's cards in awe.

"Yeah.." Severide finally managed to said.

"Ok, then I'm all in too!" Hallie said with a smile, pushing all her M&Ms to the center of the table.

Kelly and the guys laughed. Hallie didn't really understand why but she laughed too.

"You win." Severide chuckled.

"Cool! Thanks Kelly!" Hallie said, scooping up all the M&Ms.

"You're welcome." Kelly said.

"I'm going to go share these with daddy, Gabby, Shay, and my new best fiend!" Hallie said.

"Oh yeah? Who's that?" Severide said.

"Rebecca!" Hallie said as she scampered away.


Later that day Hallie, Casey, and Gabby sat together in one of the booths at Molly's.

"Tell your dad what you told me" Gabby told young Hallie. "Matt you're gonna love this."

"Ok, what is it?" Casey asked.

"I beat Lt. Severide in Poker today." Hallie said with a big proud smile.

"Oh yeah, what was your hand?" Casey replied as he took a swig of his beer.

"A heart, K heart, Q heart, J heart, and 10 heart." Hallie said.

Casey almost choked on his beer. He coughed a bit before he spoke. "A royal flush?"

Gabby laughed. "Told you you'd love it."

"Haha that's my girl. Way to show those squad boys what you got." Casey said. "Hey Hal, Gabby and I have something we wanna run by you."

"Ok." Hallie said, blowing bubbles into her drink.

"What would you think about Gabby and I dating?" Casey said.

"Are you guys gonna kiss in front of me and stuff?" Hallie asked.

"Not if don't want us to." Gabby said.

"Good because that's yucky mushy stuff." Hallie said sticking out her tongue.

Gabby and Casey laughed.

"So you'd be alright with it?" Casey said.

"Do you make each other happy?" Hallie asked thoughtfully

"Yes, we do." Gabby said as she and Casey exchanged meaningful glances.

"Good. Then I'm ok with it." Hallie said going back to blowing bubbles in her drink and telling her father and Gabby about her day.


R&R! Just added so really cute pictures to the website including the picture Hallie has on her night stand. :) Happy Reading! Stay tuned for Chapter 6!