I am so sorry this has taken SO long, I have just been flat out at work and I started my Chicago Fire Marathon and I have just been so caught up watching I just haven't written.

Anywho, this is the long awaited chapter…well I hope it's the long awaited chapter… hehe. Please let me know what you think! :D – I may have stolen the start of this from an episode of CF hehe.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed/favourite/alerted, I get very excited when I see something new in my emails hehe

Chapter 4 – Where the Sidewalks Crack

Matt groaned as she ground her hips against his, electricity shooting through his body, her lips against his neck, attacking the skin she found, loving the reactions she was getting, smirking against him.

Shifting slightly, Matt was able to bring his legs closer to him, she was on his lap, legs wrapped around his hips, moving against him, their naked bodies grinding against each other. Pulling away from her slightly, Matt was able to look her in the eye, a darkness there that he recognised, want, desire, lust, love…everything that was reflected in his eyes no doubt. They were so close, there was no space between them.

Stopping her movements with his hands on her hips, he waited a moment, watching her swallow deeply before he slipped his hand into her hair, bringing her lips to his, kissing her passionately, a groan leaving her lips as she kissed him back.

Within the kiss, she started rocking her hips against his again, tightening the grip of her legs around him, his hands slipping down her back, both spreading across the expanses of her shoulder blades, pulling her close to him as her movements became rapid and uncontrolled, tumbling over the edge the minute that Matt's lips found her neck, biting down playfully, her head rolling backwards, a deep moan coming from her lips as she came down from her high.

Shaking in his arms, Matt smiled as he kissed her lightly before flipping them over easily, his heart swelling at her giggle, she was so at ease and happy, that smile of hers would light up a room and it was lighting up his life. "I love you" he whispered as he leaned over, his lips touching hers lightly.

It wasn't until she whispered back an I love you that he began to move again, it was the first time they had uttered those words, the first time that bam had broken between them. With a wide smile, Matt rested his forehead against hers as he started to move, his hips rocking against her, her right leg hitched high against his side, bringing him close to her, bringing him deeper.

Her tightening around him was driving him crazy, he couldn't hold back anymore, letting a deep growl from his lips, Matt let himself completely lose control, letting himself fall over that edge, bringing her with him once again.

Slowing his hips, Matt raised himself up on his hands, looking down at her, messy hair, face glistening with sweat, her eyes closed but her mouth slightly agape, a smile playing on her lips.

Looking down at her, he brushed away a piece of hair that had stuck to her cheek, he smiled as her eyes opened, a lazy smile finding hers. Searching her face he sighed, "I love you Gabby…"

Matt shot up in bed, his heart racing and his mind all over the place. What the hell was that? What the hell had he been dreaming? Huffing deeply, he stared at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath.

Gabby?

Of all the people he could be dreaming about, why the hell was it Gabby Dawson?

He hated the girl…ok that was a lie, he didn't hate her, they just didn't see eye to eye but he didn't think enough of her to be having that dream.

And love? I love you Gabby? What the hell was going on? I don't love her; I don't know her enough to have any sort of feelings towards her.

Rolling over, he groaned as his lower parts brushing against the mattress, he sighed into his pillow.

Shift was going to be a bitch.

And he was right, from the minute he walked into the firehouse later that morning, it was going to be one hell of a shift. He was running late, that was the first thing, the look he got from Boden, he knew he was in trouble but that wasn't the worst of it.

As he stepping inside the common room, there was Gabby, sitting on the bench in the kitchen, her legs swinging as she listened to something that Shay was saying, throwing her head back, she giggled.

She giggled.

Oh he really hated her now. Flashes oh her head thrown back against his sheets, the hitch of her breath as he kissed her neck, the giggle she let out when he flipped them mover.

Oh how he hated her right now.

And she had no idea.

Moving further into the room, he nodded a good morning before moving towards the lockers. Sitting silently, he sighed, he needed to get his head straight, between his Gabby and her, he just didn't know what was going on.

He tired to block out her giggling; tried to block out her voice; flashes of his dream coming back to him as he sat their, his body tightening at those sounds. It had been a while for him and so it didn't surprise him that a dream like the one he had that night had rattled him, he just didn't understand why it had to be Gabby he was dreaming out. Yes she got under his skin, that didn't mean he had feelings for her.

"Hey Casey, you alright?" Shay called out as she noticed him sitting there, his hands on his knees, trying to calm himself down. "You look like hell…"

He rolled his eyes, "Gee thanks Shay. I appreciate that." He snapped, not looking at her. He wasn't in the mood for any of it, wasn't in the mood for being to centre of the jokes, he just wanted to get changed and sit in his office, he needed clear his head.

Shay backed away, standing by Gabby's side, her hands up in surrender, "Alright, alright. Just having a laugh. Don't bite my head off. She turned towards Gabby and Kelly, sending a glance in Kelly's direction; noticing that he looked worried as he watched his best friend. A look she had seen more often than not the last few months.

It wasn't long until both lieutenants had settled themselves into their own offices, trying to get through as much paperwork as they possibly could. Kelly was lost in his own thoughts until he heard a knock at his door, glancing up he found Matt standing there, looking back at him a little sheepish. "You got a sec?"

It wasn't often that Matt sought him out recently for a chat; it was something they used to do more often than not, both leaning on the other when they needed help. But lately Matt had been pulling away, not just from him but also from everyone. It really worried Kelly how much Matt was pulling away, how much he was closing himself off from his family and friends.

Matt moved inside the office as Kelly nodded, closing the door behind him before leaning against his desk. "I ah…I need to ask you something…." Matt rubbed his forehead, he felt stupid talking about this, but after the last hours he had been locked up in his own office, trying to clear his head, he needed to talk to someone.

Leaning back in his chair, Kelly rested his arms on the arms of his chair, taking all of Matt in. He looked tired, something that he come to expect from Matt over the last few months, he either looked tired or hung over and most of the time both. But this was different, he looked confused. Taking Kelly's silence as a means to continue Matt sighed, "I've been having these dreams, well one really, but I just don't know what to make of it…"

It wasn't often that Matt looked embarrassed, but he was, talking to Kelly about his feelings was embarrassing. "I dreamed about telling someone else I loved them…" He wasn't even sure if that made any sense at all, he just hoped Kelly understood.

He must have as he nodded, leaning forward, "Who are you telling?" He wasn't sure if it actually mattered or not, he just wanted to know.

Something crossed Matt's face before he shook his head, it was quick but it was there, "Doesn't matter who," But it was defensive, clear whoever it was wasn't just a random person. Matt knew this really had nothing to do with Gabby, he knew he didn't love her, it wasn't his subconscious telling him something. He tolerated her, liked her maybe, but he didn't love her.

Kelly thought for a moment, if Matt had been in love with someone new, he would look as miserable as he had been, he wouldn't have been drinking as much as he had been, "Maybe…maybe it's your mind's way of telling you it's finally time to move on from Hallie. That you can't stay stuck on her forever."

This caused Matt to look up, thinking for a moment, "I'm not stuck on Hallie, I want nothing to do with her." The thought of getting back together with Hallie made him sick, he moved on from her, it just still hurt.

"I'm not saying that you are," Kelly raised his hands in defence, he didn't want to upset Matt while he was there, opening talking to him. "But you drink more than you should most nights, you are miserable and honestly, you're kind of a jack ass most days…so whatever happened between the two of you is still affecting you."

He watched as Matt thought about what he was saying. He was right, Matt knew he was being an ass, he knew he was drinking like a fish and he knew it wasn't good for him, he just couldn't stop. The silence of his own home was deafening and the memories were always there, drinking just seemed to numb the pain.

"I'm just saying that maybe it's time to let the pain go. Whatever happened isn't worth hurting yourself over…" Matt nodded, looking away, he felt like he was going to cry, and honestly, he had had enough crying over all this, it just hurt so much some days.

Swallowing deeply Matt sighed, mumbling, "Yeah, thanks man," before moving from Kelly's office to his own.

Kelly sighed, leaning back in his chair, he really was worried about Matt. He still had no idea what had happened between the two of them, he wished he did because at least that way he would have an understanding of what was affecting him so much. Turning back to his paper, Kelly tried to continue writing, instead, he couldn't get his mind off the pain Matt was clearly in.

He had been so lucky to get a parking so close to the firehouse, usually when he was running late he would have to park around the corner and honestly that just sucked. Not for any real reason, just that the walk sucked. So when he realised he had forgotten something in his car, he was thankful that he didn't have to walk far.

His chat with Kelly the week before had helped a little, it had put a few things into perspective but it hadn't really stopped the drinking, it had lessened a little but not stopped. He still passed out most night, most morning waking up with a hang over, but instead of a full bottle of whiskey being drunk, it was only three quarters – baby steps right?

Glancing down at his phone, Matt smiled when he saw the picture of him and his niece Violet. God he loved that kid, she was too cute for her own good and he loved to spoiler her whenever he got the chance. She was the only thing that made him smile like he hadn't in a very long time, that only thing that made him think that his world was going to be ok. Smiling to himself once again, Matt slipped his phone back into his pocket, glancing up as he neared the end of the driveway, his smile fading instantly.

Matt stopped dead in his tracks, his hands clenching at his sides, his jaw locked, heat rising in his chest and his face, anger taking over his body as she stood there. She was coming towards him, her flowing dark hair, long legs, bright smile on her face, light in her eyes...she looked good.

Oh how he hated her.

He wanted to scream, wanted to throw something at her, wanted to turn and run, wanting to pretend he hadn't seen her but he couldn't. She was almost in front of him, not allowing him to bypass her.

"Hi Matt..." Her voice was as soft as it always was, light and airy when she smiled at him. Smile like it was the most normal thing in the world, like seeing her there should have made him the happiest he ever was.

But it wasn't, Matt was losing his composure, and he hadn't even said a word yet. Swallowing deeply he replied, "What do you want Hallie?" He didn't have time for this, he was tired from shift and from home and he was tired from his construction gigs, he honestly didn't want to even acknowledge her but it was kinda hard not to when she was standing in front of him, staring back at him, smiling at him.

Hallie could tell that this was going to be a short conversation, she expected nothing less, but the hatred in his eyes shocked her. She had expected to see anger, expected to see hurt and disappointment but she had never known Matthew Casey to look at anyone with the hatred she could see now.

Sighing, she dropped her voice, "I wanted to see you. I wanted to apologise for-"

But he cut her off, laughing at her as she tired to speak, "Apologise? You've gotta be fucking kidding me" he groaned, shaking his head "...Hallie, there is only one thing I want from you and that is to turn around and walk away. I don't need you apology and more to the point I don't want your apology."

He moved to brush past her, he really did need to get to his truck but as he did, Hallie reached out for him, her hand finding his, but Matt pulled away instantly, almost as if he had been burned, the look in his eyes deepening as he looked down at her. "Matt, please..." Her voice was barely a whisper, begging him.

"Hallie...walk away right now." He would never threaten her, would never hurt her but he would yell, he would raise his voice and he would explode with every emotion he had been holding in for the last four months if she didn't walk away from him right now.

Slowly her hand slipped from his, her eyes searching his, looking for the man she used to know. But he was gone and the man staring back at her now was not the Matt she knew, he was gone. Nodding quickly, Hallie turned on her heels, rushing from the driveway and back to her car, leaving a fuming Matt standing alone, trying to get his head around the fact that she had come to see him.

Glancing back towards the open garage doors, Matt looked away instantly, the members for the firehouse had been on the apparatus floor, chatting and laughing, enjoying the nice warm day.

They had seen it all. Seen the interaction, seen Hallie and seen Matt and seen the way he had react. He sighed, moving quickly to his car, out of sight for the firehouse, he needed to get his emotions under control or else this was going to turn into a disaster.

Gabby laughed as she sat on the floor, Pouch coming to her side instantly, looking for food that gabby almost always had. "Come on girl...can you find it?" Gabby moved her hands around, making Pouch work for her treat, getting a laugh when she started whine, gabby was making it too hard for her.

"No wonder she has been putting on weight! Eh Dawson! Stop feeding her!" Herman called from behind her, laughing when pouch decided to jump on Gabby instead, having enough of this game, she caused Gabby to fall backwards. "That as what you get for teasing."

Gabby smiled as she opened her hand for Pouch, the dog instantly sniffing out the treat. As Gabby turned to look outside, she saw Matt standing still, his arms at his side, his back straight. "Who is that?" It was just a curiosity of Gabby's, Matt didn't look happy, she hadn't really seen him stand the way he was, she had seen him angry at her, but he never stood like that.

She glanced up to find Herman at her side, the rest of the firehouse quiet, watching as well. Herman sighed, "That's Hallie. His ex fiancé..." That's all that needed to be said for Gabby to realise that something bad had happened to them, obviously something more than what she knew, she doubted the rest of the guys would tell her either.

And then as Hallie reached for his hand and Matt pulled away as thought he had been burned, she could tell that whatever had happened was hurting Matt more than it was hurting Hallie. He looked so lost and so angry, she kinda felt sorry for him. Gabby couldn't take her eyes off the two of them, then rest of 51 also watching unsure of what was going on.

It was true, Matt had never told anyone before what had actually happened between himself and Hallie, keeping that one close to the chest but it was clear that it was bad. Hearing Pouch growl deeply by her side, it pulled Gabby from her thoughts, her hand patting Pouch to calm her down, the dog focussed on protecting Matt, she had always been protective of Matt. Not liking having Hallie in the house, if a dog doesn't like you, chances are you have done something pretty bad.

It was strange how a dog could tell from that far away that there was a hostility in the air between them and her first instinct was to protect her family. Matt was as much Pouch's family, having done most of her training, she had grown attached to Matt the most, always by his side, sleeping at the foot of his bed on night shift.

With one last glance up, Gabby watched as Hallie moved away from Matt moments before Matt continued on towards his truck, but not before looking back over his shoulder at the firehouse, clearly hoping that no one had seen that interaction.

Furrowing her brow, Gabby watched as Matt disappeared from her sight, noticing that most of the rest of the firehouse had just gone on their way, back to their previous activities, all but Kelly, who watched the interaction with worry, before glancing to her, seeing the same worry reflected in her eyes.

Gabby didn't expect to find Matt out the back of the firehouse later that afternoon. Their relationship had eased a little since her apology at Molly's, most of the time just being civil enough to each other that they could get through the shift, both being too stubborn to apologise for how they had acted in the past, both thinking they were right.

She still thought that Matt was self-centred, egotistical and arrogant, at least that's what she had seen from him, he would bate her into an argument, she would do the same to him. Both staring each other down as they tried to prove who was better. She honestly felt like he had s chip on his shoulder about something. Something that he needed to get over before she really lost it with him. But she was happy that they had settled a little bit, it made work life easier when they weren't arguing all the time.

But as she stepped off that landing onto the ground and saw him hunched over in that chair, his head in his hands, deep, slow breaths escaping his chest, part of her heart broke for him.

He looked so broken sitting there; nothing like the strong man she had been butting heads with for the better part of three months. He looked small, tired and just sad. It was clear he was hiding himself away from the rest of the firehouse; his office would be too easy for someone to walk in, the common room to loud to think straight. He wanted to stay hidden, close himself off from the world around him.

She debated turning around and walking way, she was sure she was the last person he wanted to see and thought that leaving him in peace to continue in his thoughts was the best or maybe she should make sure he was ok, he might have been an ass but the person she was staring at was not the person she knew. But she couldn't, she suddenly hated seeming him sitting there like that, her desire to help him taking over. With one foot in front of the other, Gabby came close to his side, hoping the movement would alert him to someone being there. After a moments thought, she spoke, "You ok?"

It was a question that could be answered easily, however he wanted to answer, spouting off any type of lie she could think of just to get rid of the person standing there but at first she shocked him, he hadn't heard the door open or close, hadn't heard the foot steps she had made when walking to his side and had never expected Gabby to be the one asking him how he was.

Moving his hands from his face, Matt rubbed his eyes and his nose, sniffing back what was clear to Gabby as tears, her heart breaking for him even more, he had been crying, not just sadness but tears. This as not the person what she knew, this was not the Matt Casey who challenged her at every turn or that gave her attitude.

This was someone entirely different.

Sitting up straighter Matt sniffed again, he didn't look up at her, tears still falling from his eyes, he didn't want to show her, didn't want to show weakness, not that he thought crying was a weakness, just showing her would be his weakness, "Ah yeah. I'm fine."

He was angry

I'm fine.

He was numb.

I'm fine.

He was shaking.

I'm fine.

He was going to be sick.

I'm fine.

He wasn't fine.

Nodding to herself for a moment, Gabby debated speaking again but she didn't want to upset him even more, didn't want to cause any more problems between them. If he wanted to talk, he would and it was clear he didn't want to so she mumbled an 'OK' before turning around. But just as she reached the door, her hand outstretched for the handle, Matt spoke again.

"She's pregnant..." This caused Gabby to stop. She wasn't sure what he meant by that. Well it was obvious what it meant but his actions and emotions confused her. Turning back around, she moved to his side. He had opened up to her, he obviously needed something to talk to and as much as they had been at each other's throats, she was going to listen to him.

Gabby took a seat next to him, her hands folded into her lap but she leaned forward, looking up at his face, seeing the pain that was there. His eyes were red, tired. Matt sighed, "Hallie and I had been together for about eight years. We were engaged and in love...and then I found out about four months ago that she had been cheating on me. She had been sleeping with another doctor out at Lakeshore. Had been for about six months..."

He looked up at Gabby for a moment, a look in his eyes wondering how she would react to this information, would she use it against him or be kind. When he did look up at her, all he found was sadness. Sadness that someone had hurt him, sadness that he was still hurting.

He laughed a dry laugh, rubbing his eyes again, "We had this one shift that ended in us being involved in an explosion. The CFD sent us home early; we weren't capable of continuing out duties that day. We lost a fire fighter; I lost a close friend in that call so home we went. All I wanted to do was lay in bed with Hallie and cry. I knew she was home, I had spoken to her before that call, so I pushed open the bedroom door when I got home and there she was..."

Gabby felt terrible, not only had he lost his fiancé, he had lost a close friend at the same time. She didn't know what to say.

Luckily he continued, "She was asleep, in my bed, curled into the arms of this other man...So I slammed the door, waking them both up."

He sighed, he hated remembering this, it was like a bad fucking joke, "I don't really remember how I got into the kitchen or how long it took Hallie to follow me but I do remember standing there, hands on the counter, staring at the floor. God I felt sick...and then she told me she was pregnant...that the baby wasn't mine." He was shaking his head, still in shock from those words

Gabby wanted to cry for him, she wanted to hold him tightly and try to make the hurt go away, she would see the anger and the pain. He retold the story like he was reading a book, picking hid words very carefully as not to bring out too many emotions. "She didn't even want kids, she had never wanted kids...she told me that she would have them if it happened because I wanted them but she didn't actually want to have kids..."

He laughed again, this was insane, how could this be happening? "I wanted a family, I wanted kids…I want a family, I want kids and I was willing to giving up the one thing I really, truly wanted to be with her only to find out she is having a kid with someone else." Matt rubbed his face again, this time a tear had slipped down his cheek. It hurt so much for him to tell Gabby what happened.

He had never told anyone that the real reason they had broken up, they just assumed that it had just happened, that they had grown apart or it just didn't work out. No one knew what he was going through. Not Kelly or Boden…no one.

Except Gabby.

Gabby didn't know what to say, what do you say to something like that? Instead she gently placed her arm around his shoulders, resting her head against the side of his. She felt him tense for a moment before relaxing, before leaning into her side.

This was enough for him to understand that she felt for him, that words didn't to be said because this was something different. And so they sat there for a moment, just letting Matt think through what had been said. "They don't know, do they?" it was quiet but Matt heard it.

He shook his head against her, "No. No one does. As far as the firehouse knows, we just broke up. And I've been a jerk ever since," He shrugged against her, moving away, her arm slipping from around his shoulder back to her side. He had to laugh a little bit, he had been a jerk, he knew that but it was as though he couldn't change it.

They sat in silence again, something had changed between them both, it was only small, and it was clear to them both something had changed, this was a side of Matt she hadn't seen before. She hated seeing him so upset; clearly holding onto this pain without anyone else knowing was taking its toll.

That was something she knew all too well.

After a few moments of silence, Gabby rubbed her hands on her legs, trying to find the courage to tell him something she had been keeping herself. If he could open up to her then she could open up to him, maybe it would help him understand that it was ok to be angry but it shouldn't let it consume him.

"I ah...I was in a relationship, for about 5 years...it ended about 8 months ago...I never told anyone but he was abusive..." Gabby rubbed her hands together; this was also the first time she would be telling anybody about her previous relationship, except for Shay and Kelly. "He would come home at night drunk. Started off that he would be verbally abusive, he would blame me for things, yell and scream and then, then it escalated pretty quickly."

She looked up at Matt who was watching her closely, not believing what he was hearing, how could someone do that to her? They may have butted heads and he felt like he didn't like her but she was a kind, sweet girl who didn't deserve any kind of abuse like that.

"I know it probably doesn't seem like I could have been in a relationship like that for so long considering how you and I argue but I was, I was a different person back then, I don't even think you would recognise me…" She laughed a little, she honestly couldn't believe the sort of person she was back then. Clearing her throat, she continued, Matt looking over at her, his face soft, sad for her. "I'd ah…I'd wake up in rooms I didn't remember being in around the apartment. I'd have bruises to cover and cuts to explain away."

Gabby shrugged again, it was hard telling him but it also felt good, she wasn't sure why it felt good. Telling him felt easy, she felt better knowing that he knew. She didn't know why.

It was Matt's turn to place his arm around her shoulder, bringing her to his side, "I'm so sorry Gabby..." It was soft, gently and caring. Something she wasn't used to from him. He felt her rest her head against his shoulder, fitting into his side, feeling him squeeze her shoulder lightly.

Matt looked over to Gabby after a moment, his mind travelling back to their past interactions. It had suddenly dawned on him, how she had reacted that day in the bunk room, when he had confronted her about making Violet cry. She had cringed as he raised his hand, raised his voice. "That day in the bunkroom…when Violet was in the house…"

But he didn't need to continue, feeling her nod against his shoulder, "You scared me, it reminded me of him…" She turned her head to look up at him, blinking back the tears that had started to pool.

Matt sighed, "I'm sorry Gabs, I never wanted that."

They may have not been getting along but he never wanted to be the reason she was scared, he never wanted to be the reason for her remembering such an awful time. Gabby nodded once again against his shoulder, "Yeah I know. It's ok Matt. You didn't know…" she mumbled in reply, Matt thinking back to that time, hating that that is what had happened to her, that he was the reason for upsetting her like that.

Silence came over them both once more as they sat there quietly, holding each other up as their stories sunk in.

Herman eyed Gabby as she sat at the round table in the common room, she looked a little different, she looked happy but that wasn't what was confusing him, it was the fact that Matthew Casey was sitting by her side. Sitting quietly, head down over the paper he was reading but he was sitting next to her.

Watching Matt move away from the table after a few moments, a slight glance shared between himself and Gabby, Hermann tucked his paper under his arm, before taking the seat next to Gabby that Matt had once held up. No one else in the room was really paying much attention to him though, Mouch and Cruz were both watching TV, Otis on his laptop and squad were outside at their own table.

Gabby hadn't looked up at him as he took his seat, her eyes focused on her phone, playing some sort of game he wasn't sure about. But she could feel him watching her, studying her, "What's up Herman?" She didn't even look over at him, her fingers still moving over her screen as she played her game. As she waited for her reply, Gabby raised her eyebrow, wondering why he was watching her in such silence.

Leaning over with his arms crossed over on the table Herman, whispered, "What is going on with you and Casey?"

This stopped her in her tracks, why the hell would he think something was going on between them?" Looking over, Gabby raised her eyebrow once again, unsure of how to respond. "Not too long ago, you two couldn't stand each other and now you are sitting by each other's side, making jokes…"

Gabby opened her mouth, there wasn't anything going on between them; just had a mutual respect and understanding between them now. She shrugged; "So because we aren't biting each other's head's off, you think something is going on?" She raised her eyebrow once more, this time in a teasing manner, almost testing him.

"Nah…just weird…" Gabby was right, he couldn't assume something was happening between them just because they weren't fighting, it really was just weird. He watched as Gabby let out a small laugh, turning her head back towards the game, ending their conversation right there. Moving back to his original spot, Herman watched as Matt moved towards his office, a quick glance over his shoulder at Gabby before turning out of sight.

What the hell was going on?

"Hey Dawson, can I grab a beer?" Gabby looked up from behind the bar at Molly's, Matt sitting opposite her, his eyes dark and cloudy. It had been over a week since he had told her about that had happened with Hallie, over a week since she had told him what had happened to her. The air had changed between them, it had settled, shifted, a mutual respect and even type of friendship had grown, something special between the two of them.

The rest of the firehouse didn't understand the change, some confused by it, unsure, but they were happy when shift was easy, not having to worry about what would set them off next.

Gabby moved from Shay's side, the girls had been in deep conversation about something before Matt had interrupted. "Yeah of course…" She whispered, placing a beer in front of him. She was worried though, he had been drinking more since seeing Hallie, most of the time he would be sitting in the back corner of Molly's, alone and sad.

She had heard from Kelly that he hadn't been doing much construction since then, and that worried her the most, he was drowning himself, choosing not to do the one thing that would keep his head above water when he wasn't on shift. She watched as he placed his beer to his lips, taking a long swig before looking back at her, noticing her staring.

"Matt…" She leaned her hand over, touching his, but he pulled away like she had burned him, he was drunk and angry. "You gotta stop doing this to yourself…please…" But he had locked his jaw, tears brimming his eyes as he looked back at her before he stood suddenly, leaving the half empty beer on the bench, somehow getting to the door without falling, letting it swing open harshly, letting into a rush of air.

Swallowing deeply, Gabby looked over to Kelly and Shay, she wasn't just worried, she was scared for him now.

Thoughts? :D