Hello,

I'm sorry for taking a little longer to up load then usual. I had some exams to get through. Hopefully you will enjoy the next part of the story. Please let me know what you think.

Love Mirsch.

Casey hadn't heard from Taylor in over a month and he started to worry about her. Her phone was left in the fire, but she managed to call him from the shelter a couple of times. She had sounded like she was trying to keep her emotions, her life, her sanity in check and their conversations seemed to help her with that.

He had seen her twice since the fire. Once when she had a follow up interview with Antonio, which Antonio had told Matt about it. Matt really appreciated Antonio's efforts and thanked him profusely, when the day of the interview came. Antonio really tried to keep Matt in the loop about Taylor's dad's case. Matt wasn't allowed to sit with her during the interview, but he was waiting for her outside with a cup of hot cocoa. Afterwards he asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. They had talked for hours about their dad's, but also about easier stuff like hobbies and friends. He had learned that she liked playing the piano and that she was an avid ice hockey fan.

The second time he saw her was at her father's funeral. She looked well enough. Tired but alert. She was wearing a black dress, she had borrowed from a friend. Her dark brown lay in a long braid over her shoulder. She was the only family member attending the funeral. Matt wanted to stand in the back between the other attendees. Little did he know there wouldn't be a lot if them. There were a couple of colleagues. So Matt decided to stand next to her and hold her hand. Even though he and Christy weren't close, they had gone through the funeral together and support each other through that day as much as they could. Matt remembered needing his sister's hand in his as she needed his encouraging nods during her speech. Taylor didn't have family members around to do that for her, so Matt decided he would have to substitute for that.

The graveyard was covered in a serene blanket of snow. Everybody was quiet and didn't know what to say to the young girl, who had just lost everything. Taylor was met with awkward nods and half whispered condolences. The people attending the funeral barely even looked at her. Just like people didn't know what to say or do around him and Christy.

She tried to keep her emotions at bay during the ceremony. She sniffled a couple of times, but didn't cry, until she had to say a few words.

Just as Matt had done way back when. He had stood there struggling against his tears, while looking at the closed chest his father was lying in. As he started to say the words he had prepared he couldn't keep the tears back. It was nothing to be ashamed of, it had been a hard blow when he lost his father, he was sure it must have been for Taylor too.

'Matt' she said after the ceremony, wiping her tears away with a tissue. 'Thank you for coming' she said. 'Ofcourse, how are you doing?' He asked. She shrugged 'I'm not really sure' she admitted, looking at the place where she had just put her father to rest. 'I know' Matt said 'it's a weird time, huh?' She nodded. 'It's just that I can't really get my head wrapped around the situation. How did this all happen, why did it happen, you know?' It was Matt's turn to nod. 'Does that ever go away?' She asked. Matt had told her bits and pieces of his own past, so she knew that she talked to someone who'd understand. Matt took a couple of seconds to think about it. 'It doesn't really, but at some point it won't be on your mind all the time' he answered honestly.

He took her for dinner after the funeral. Just a simple diner really, nothing special, but he saw she enjoyed it. There was a semblance of a smile on her face, while they both relayed happy memories of their fathers, while slurping away on their milkshakes, she liked strawberry.

She told him about how she and her father liked to go rock climbing on the weekends from time to time. He told her about the Blackhawks games he'd visit with his dad.

She told him she might go to live with her grandmother from her mother's side of the family. She was happy to move, because she hated the shelter. Matt understood that all too well, having been in and out of them until he was 18 and joined the CFD.

He had driven her to the shelter, giving her a big hug, telling her to keep him up to date. That was the last time he had seen her or heard from her. And he started to worry.

Taylor was incredibly cold as she was walking through Chicago in the midst of winter. The icy wind went right through the black second hand sweater she was wearing. Still she kept walking. She had to find Matt.

The day after her father's funeral Taylor moved in with her grandmother, whom had begrudgingly agreed to take her in. Her little half brother had been living with her for a while now, since her mother had had some trouble with substance abuse.

It wasn't easy, living with her grandmother, who was a bitter woman. She made Taylor do everything around the house, telling her she had to repay the favor her grandmother did Taylor. She also wouldn't allow Taylor to call anyone, have friends over or even to go over to friends. Her grandmother said she needed Taylor, because of her old age, but Taylor started to feel like Cinderella more and more.

After two weeks of living with her grandmother, a lawyer came by to discuss her mother's case with them.

'Taylor, we would like you to testify on your mother's behalf' the lawyer said. 'Why?' She asked. 'We think your testimony will help her case. It might lessen the sentence if you were to say some nice things about her' he explained. 'Like she killed my dad and almost me in the process?' Taylor bit at the lawyer. 'She's the only parent you got left, sweetheart, and I...' 'don't call me that' Taylor interrupted the smug lawyer.

'Young lady, don't talk to mr. Franklin like that' her grandmother scolded. 'I don't what to testify in mom's defense. Period' Taylor stated determently. 'What about your brother? He will grow up without his mother' her grandmother shrieked. 'He will anyway, she committed murder, grandma. What do you think is going to happen?' Taylor argued heatedly. They were only talking about this, because her little half brother Thomas was playing at a friends house. He had been told that his mom was taking a trip and that she would be back.

Taylor knew better and her brother was not her responsibility. Getting Justice for her father was. She was going to testify against her mother.

'If you testify that your mother is a good and loving mother, she might get a lighter sentence and have a chance to get on parole sooner' her grandmother said. 'Did you see this?' Taylor asked as she put up her still heavily bandaged hands. 'I got these applying pressure on my dad's stomach, because she shot him and then set the frickin' house on fire! I lost my dad because of her. I can barely hold a fork because of her. I won't testify' Taylor said adamantly.

'Out' her grandmother said softly, barely above a whisper. 'What?' Taylor wasn't sure she heard it right. 'Get out' her grandmother screamed. She stood and started to push Taylor out of the room. ' ma'am' the lawyer tried to interject, but she wouldn't stop pushing and hitting Taylor with the thick paper, that she had grabbed of the table. Eventually chasing her out of the house. 'Don't you dare come back' her grandmother screamed as Taylor decided it was better to walk away.

After walking around for most of the day, she had managed to find herself a spot in a subway station, where she spent the night. It was still freezing, but it wasn't as bad as staying outside. She felt tears falling down her cheeks as she tried to make herself comfortable on a bench. What was she going to do now? She could try to find Matt. She didn't want to disturb his life, but she felt she didn't have another choice.

The next morning, after barely getting any sleep, she started walking again. She didn't know much about Matt other than that he was a firefighter. Her grandmother had taken his phone number away from her and she couldn't remember it. So she started walking trying to find anything that looked like a fire house.

She stepped into a building with the CFD logo on it. 'Hey kid, you lost?' A big man came up to her as she stepped in. 'I-I'm l-looking for Matt Casey' she managed to say, while shivering heavily. 'He doesn't work here' the firefighter said. 'D-do you know where he works?' 'Yeah, he's at 51' he said as the alarm bell went off. 'Stick around kid, we'll get you there once we come back' he said kindly.

She couldn't wait, she had to find Matt. She knew where 51 was so she started walking again.

She knew she was near. She had been walking in this cold for over an hour since she was at the other firehouse. She could barely feel her hands and feet anymore. She had stopped shivering about 15 minutes ago and the cold seemed to be in her bones. It had been snowing endlessly for hours. She licked the snow from her cold chapped lips, hoping to quench her thirst.

She saw the yellow building to her right, walking past an old Camaro. She found the door. As she opened it warmth gushed over her. 'Taylor' she heard a familiar voice. Then her legs gave out and she didn't hear another thing.