A/N: I know, I know. You all hate me for leaving you on that cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 25. But I can promise you that Chapter 26 makes up for it. So, read! Enjoy! Review! You won't regret it!

Antonio Dawson stood in the kitchen, smiling at Sylvie as she walked in the door from her long shift at the firehouse. In front of him, on the counter, sat a plate full of blueberry pancakes, her favourite.

He looked at her, not moving his eyes from her, even as her bag fell from her shoulder and her hands flew up to her mouth. She began to walk slowly toward him and it was clear to Antonio that she was shocked to see him.

"I know I said some things last night that I shouldn't have," Antonio began to speak, watching as Sylvie continued to walk toward him. "I know that the two of us have a lot to talk about and I figured that it'd be best to do it over blueberry pancakes. What do you think?"

He was feeling hopeful. He knew that he should have sent a message to her yesterday when she was at work, like he usually did, but he'd been too busy in his own thoughts to do so. Even late last night when she'd sent him a text goodnight.

He'd been up half the night planning out their morning, everything he needed to talk to her about, just hoping that she'd agree to talk to him.

Antonio would never admit it to Sylvie, or himself, that he'd asked Laura for her advice on the whole situation. While they were relatively new partners at work, they were getting along somewhat well - when it came to the cases.

Naturally, Laura hadn't been too much of a help when Antonio had asked how to fix a relationship that was going to be on the rocks if something wasn't done. She'd simply glared at him from across her desk and said "Just fix it, Dawson."

Sylvie had reached him, now, and was standing in front of the counter. Her hands had fallen from her mouth and her arms were now crossed as she looked at him. She was worried, just as Antonio was, about what was going to happen.

"Listen, baby," Antonio sighed. "I know you're probably drained and tired from work, and if you want to sleep, I won't stop you. But we do need to talk."

Across from him, Sylvie slowly found herself nodding.

"I'm tired, yes. Exhausted, drained, all that," she agreed. "But you're right, Antonio. We need to figure all of this out. And talking about it all over blueberry pancakes sounds great."

She moved around the counter and grabbed the stack of pancakes, taking them carefully to the dining table. Antonio smiled softly and grabbed a plate for each of them, following her to the table and setting them down.

Once the two of them were settled at the table, pancakes beginning to be devoured and topics of conversation whizzing through each of their heads, Sylvie began to speak.

"I was being stupid, Antonio," she frowned, shaking her head. "When you took me out for dinner, I know you were just being kind. I know you weren't just trying to compensate for spending time with your family. But I... I was jealous, okay? I don't often get to spend time with my family. You're the closest thing to it here in Chicago. I got hurt and upset when you said that you don't want more children, because it means you don't want a family with me. You know that I want children, Antonio. You know that I've always wanted children. And I know that it's too early to be thinking about children in our relationship, but I need to say it, Antonio. I want children, and if you don't want any more, I don't know how this can work out."

Sylvie's mind was buzzing as she finished speaking and she immediately continued to eat some of her pancakes. She tried not to look at Antonio across the table, who was sitting, staring at his pancakes and thinking. This was why Sylvie had been so cold to him. Because he'd made an off-hand comment about not wanting more children.

He took a deep breath before speaking. "I want you to be a part of my family, Sylvie. It's why I took you out to dinner. Because I wanted you to feel as special as my kids had when I was spending time with them. I'm not saying you're like a kid to me, because you're not, Sylvie. You-you're wife material, Sylvie. But I feel like both of us were on edge at dinner that night. I guess I sort of figured that you could become a member of my family without having to have kids, you know?"

Antonio paused, shaking his head in thought. He was choosing his words carefully, not wanting to push her away with them. He was worried that if he said even one wrong thing, she'd be out of the door and out of his life before he could even fix it. He didn't want her to leave him like Laura had.

"Here's the thing, Sylvie," he continued. "I don't know if I want more kids. I never envisioned having more after Eva and Diego. Laura was the one person I created a family was, and I always thought it'd stay that way. I'll be honest in saying that I thought you could become a part of my family before we even started dating. But kids? Kids never came into the equation for me. Maybe I was thinking about it in the back of my head, I don't know. But what I do know, Sylvie, is that maybe one day, in the future, it'll be the right time and we'll start a family together. Until then, I can't guarantee anything. And I know that might be a deal breaker for you. You deserve someone who can give you everything, Sylvie Brett. Someone who can make you happy and can give you everything you want in life. If you don't think I'm the one for that, that's okay. I'll be accepting of it."

Sylvie couldn't take her eyes off of Antonio after hearing his words. They all meant something, every single one of them was so carefully chosen just to try and make his point. And to Sylvie, it worked. His point was made crystal clear to her. He didn't think he was good enough for her, but if she thought he was and if she was willing to risk it, maybe children might be an option in the future.

Though, at that moment, the thought of Harrison and his text popped into her mind and she frowned. It wasn't the right time to tell him now, but she sighed and told herself to mention it to Kim later that night before she looked back up at Antonio and smiled weakly.

He hadn't moved since he'd stopped talking. He was still, full of worry. It was now or never. Sylvie was either going to get up and walk out the door and out of his life, or she was going to stay and risk becoming a part of the crazy Dawson family. He wished he could say he knew her answer.

Sylvie prepared herself before she spoke. "Antonio, when I was younger, my mom said something to me that meant a lot. She told me that I should never enter into a relationship with someone if you can't imagine marrying them. If you can't imagine a future with them. She told me this because of my real parents."

She watched as a flash of confusion passed across Antonio's face and resisted the urge to laugh at it.

"I'm adopted, Antonio," she continued. "I don't want it to be a big deal, I don't want it to be some massive thing that we keep coming back to. Because it doesn't matter, Antonio. I gave my parents a family, and I'm so happy I was able to do that, even as a child. But what my mom said was true. I can imagine a family with you, Antonio Dawson. It's why I'm here. You're a family man. The love you have for everyone? Eva, Diego, Gabby, even Laura? It's amazing, Antonio. You hold so much love in you and you don't even realise it. And I know you're trying, Antonio. I know you're trying so much for me, and for your kids and your family. I appreciate that."

She paused to watch him take everything in before she spoke again, wanting to deliver her message to him slowly, not wanting to overwhelm him with everything.

"I'm willing to risk it, Antonio," she smiled. "I've never felt this way with anyone else, not in any of the relationships I've been in. I've never had the children conversation with any partner I've been with. You say that I deserve someone who can give me everything. Antonio, that's you. You've been with me through thick and thin lately, and I can't thank you enough for all of that. But I'm willing to give us the time, Antonio. Are you?"

He watched her, the hope obvious in his eyes. She'd just said that she wasn't going to leave him. She wasn't going to pull a Laura and bolt at the first sign of conflict. Antonio couldn't help himself when he found himself moving from his seat and to hers, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest. He couldn't help the happiness he felt at her hugging him back.

"I never thought I'd get a second chance at the real thing after Laura," he muttered, holding her close. "But then I met you, Sylvie Brett, and everything changed."

"Don't be too late," Antonio smiled, watching as Sylvie grabbed her handbag and slung it over her shoulder. "Try not to get drunk, either."

She laughed at him and shook her head. "I promise I won't come home drunk, okay? I'm just going out with Kim, everything will be fine. Don't worry yourself too much about little old me!"

Antonio jokingly rolled his eyes and smirked at her. "How am I supposed to not worry about the possible future mother of my children? It's impossible."

He moved closer to her and pressed a kiss to her lips before moving back, grinning at her. "Really, though. You deserve a night out, baby. Enjoy yourself."

She smiled at him and nodded. "Thank you, Antonio. I promise I won't be too late or too drunk. I'll still be sober enough to safely cuddle with you before we go to sleep, don't you worry about that."

Sylvie couldn't help but move closer to him and pull him into a longer, more passionate kiss. She'd missed kissing him, and after kissing him tonight, she knew she'd made the right decision to stay.

"I'll see you later tonight," she grinned after pulling away and heading to the door.

"Drive safe, baby!" He called after her.

"You two have already had the children conversation?" Kim gaped at her, her hand, holding her wine, paused mid-air in shock. "Adam and I had barely discussed that in our relationship. And we were engaged."

"I know, I know!" Sylvie chuckled, taking a sip of her own wine. "I was technically the one who brought it up, but I'm glad I did. If I didn't, I feel like our relationship would have gone downhill pretty fast because of all the unsaid things between us. You know?"

Kim nodded at her. "Yeah, I totally understand. It's going to be better for your relationship if you're communicating. I think that's why Adam and I ended so badly."

"Because you weren't communicating?"

"Exactly," Kim agreed. "If we'd spoken about our worries a bit more, I don't doubt that we'd be still together. But everything works out for a reason, I suppose!"

Sylvie took a sip of her drink and nodded slowly at Kim, taking in her words. "Hey, uh, did I ever mention Harrison to you?"

"Yeah, the douche of an ex-fiancé, right?" Kim asked, raising her eyebrows.

"That's the one," Sylvie chuckled at her words. "He sent me a text a few weeks ago and I haven't mentioned it to Antonio. It wasn't anything important. He just wanted to see me and I never actually replied to him. Do you think I should have said something to Antonio?"

Kim thought for a while, occasionally taking a sip of her wine. "I mean, maybe? Do you think that Antonio is the type to make a big deal over things like that? Your ex contacting you?"

Sylvie shook her head. "Antonio hangs out with his ex," she shrugged. "I don't see why it'd be a big deal for one of mine to send me a text. I didn't reply to it. But I feel kind of guilty about it. I hate keeping things from him."

"Then tell him, Sylvie," Kim frowned. "If you're right, maybe he won't even make a big deal about it all. How will you know if you don't try? You didn't reply to Harrison, so I don't see why it'd be that big of a problem. But it's up to you, Sylvie. He's your boyfriend."

Sylvie sighed. She agreed with Kim. It was clear now that she had to tell Antonio about Harrison. But it had to be at the right time. She couldn't just spring it on him randomly. She thought about it in her head for a while. Tomorrow, she went back on shift at the firehouse, so the day after...

She frowned at the prospect, but shook off the feeling. Kim was right - maybe he wouldn't make a big deal out of it. At least, Sylvie hoped he wouldn't.