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Matt's POV

I woke up with the sun shining through my living room window. I remembered tangling myself with Abbey after Heather had called with her good news but she wasn't in my arms anymore. I noticed that the blanket that was usually on the back of my couch was on my legs. I smiled at myself before getting up from the couch. I figured she was in the kitchen so I walked in that direction. I walked in and no one was there but I noticed the note with my name on it in the middle of the table. I picked it up and read what it said.

I'm sorry I'm not there when you wake up. I woke up in the middle of the night and felt the boys needed you today more than anything. I'll let you have the reunion as a family. I left some breakfast in the fridge, call me later if you want.

Abbey

I walked to the fridge to see what she had left. Pancakes, the boys would be happy. I walked up the stairs and went to wake the boys up. Both grunted as I shook them lightly.

"Wake up guys. I'll get the pancakes started while you guys get dressed. We leave in an hour." The boys imediatly perked up and scrambled to get up. I left them but as soon as I stepped out of the room, I heard Griffin talk with Ben so I waited to make sure everything was ok.

Griffin's POV

I faintly remembered falling asleep with a feeling of excitement still in my chest. My mom was finally coming home. These past few months had not been easy for anyone and my behavior during the first few weeks had made it more difficult for uncle Matt. From bad attitude to getting into fights at school, dealing with the teasing of kids in the halls had been hard. Then, after my visit to the academy with uncle Matt and finally letting all of it go, things got better. Teasing slowly stopped and my friends started acting like my friends again, also making things easier. Uncle Matt nudged us awake the next morning to get us up.

"Wake up guys. I'll get the pancakes started while you guys get dressed. We leave in an hour."

"In less than two hours, we would see mom and we would be a family again. Ben was taking too much time to get out of bed.

"Come on Ben, get dressed, we have to hurry up so we can go get mom."

"Is she really coming back home?" His voice was small and unsure.

"Of course she is. You heard what she said yesterday."

"Ok." He accepted my answer and finally got up and we started getting dressed.

Matt's POV

After I had listened to the beginning of the discussion between the two boys, I went down to start breakfast. Today would be the last time that I would make breakfast for the boys. I started thinking about the past few months with the boys. It had been a very hard beginning between us. The hardest had been Griffin's attitude. Gabby was the one who finally made me see that I had to let him come to me instead of taking him head on, advice that had come at the best time because soon after, I had visited the academy with him and things had taken a turn for the better. Abbey had certainly helped as well. Since I started dating her, I suddenly had an ally to take some part of the responsability, even though it had come naturally on her side, without being asked to contribute. I flipped the second pancake as the boys came down.

"Where is Abbey?" Ben asked as he sat down, waiting for me to fill his plate.

"She went back home so we can go pick your mother up just the three of us."

"Can we still spend some time with her after we go back home?" Ben's question took me by surprise a little bit.

"Of course you can. I'm sure she'd be happy to see you guys whenever you want." I put a pancake in each of their plate before putting two in mine.

"Is mom going to be dressed in the prison clothes when we see her?" Griffin shoveled some food in his mouth.

"No, they are going to give her her clothes so she'll be dressed in normal clothes when you see her." The rest of breakfast was spend in silence and then we went upstairs to finish packing the boys things. "Go brush your teeth and I'll finish getting your things ready." It didn't take very long for me to pack their things and they came back in the room so they could bring their bag down. I gave them a once over and made sure their shirts were properly tucked in and that their clothes were clean.

"Is it time to leave?" Griffin asked when I was sure they were presentable.

"Yes. Put your coats and we'll be heading to pick your mom up." It took us ten minutes to get everything in the truck and we made the half hour drive to the prison. During the whole time, they boys could barely sit still. Griffin had a smile plastred on his face while Ben kept talking about the things that he would get to do now that his mom was going to be back. I parked in the visiting area an we made our way towards the front door. The lady at the front desk gestured towards a room farther down the hall. It was the same direction as when we went to visit her but after following the woman's instructions, we were led to a private room where I guessed Heather was waiting to be reunited with the boys.

"You can go inside." Griffin wasn't sure but he put his hand on the knob and pushed the door open. When they took sight of their mother, they were practically flying to her.

"Mom." They both screamed in excitement as she bridged the gap between them to wrap them in a giant hug.

"I've missed you so much." I leaned against the wall and just witnessed this family being brought back together. Heather had tears in her eyes as she looked up at me but they were happy tears because her smile wasn't like anything I had seen on her before. She got up with the boys still attached to her.

"Matt." I left my spot against the wall and went to hug her. I stayed in her embrace a little while before we pulled away from each other. "Thanks for taking care of my boys." She kissed my cheek.

"I love these boys."

"You will be a great dad, I'm sure of it."

"One day maybe. Come on, let's get you home." She wrapped her arms around both boys and I lead them out towards my truck. We squeezed both boys between us and I slowly made my way towards the Darden house. I parked my truck behind her SUV and turned off the ignition before turning towards her. "Are you ready?"

"You have no idea." she stepped down and the boys followed behind her. I grabbed their bags from the truck bed and I followed them from a safe distance to be able to give them their space. She opened her door and stepped inside with the two boys. Automatically, they ran upstairs towards their rooms. I picked up their bags and went inside to join Heather.

"How does this feel?" I stood shoulder to shoulder with her in main hallway.

"I never thought I'd see the inside of this house for the next ten years at least."

"It's finally over and your back with your boys. Everything is going to be ok." I pulled her against me.

"Thank you again for taking care of them Matt. I don't know what I would have done otherwise."

"I had a lot of help, it was nothing." We walked together towards the kitchen and I put the boys bags down next to the stairway before going in behind her.

"Sorry I don't have anything to drink."

"It's ok. I won't stay long, I'll leave you with the boys to settle back in. I'll go upstairs to tell them bye before going." I felt I had taken enough of their new found time together.

"Promise me you'll come over for diner with Abbey. The boys told me great things about her."

"I'll talk to her about it and get back to you." I kissed her cheek and smiled. "I'll go the see the boys. You should stop by the house next shift, everyone will be happy to see you."

"Count on it." She smiled back before I went upstairs to find the boys in their rooms. I stopped by Griffin's room first.

"Hey Griffin. How does it feel to be back in your own room?"

"It's great uncle Matt. Thanks for taking care of us while mom was away."

"You know, I loved your dad and he was one of my best friends. There's nowhere I would rather have been than taking care of you two." I pulled him into a hug.

"I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too but you can come see me at my place or at the firehouse whenever you want. That will never change, I'll always be there for you."

"I love you uncle Matt." He squeezed me tighter.

"I love you too." I kissed his hair but heard footsteps behind us. Ben had made his way to us. "Hey buddy, come on in." I motioned for him to come join us on the bed. He came in a wrapped his around what he could hold onto on my waist since Griffin was still attached to me.

"I'll miss you uncle Matt." He mumbled into my side.

"I'll miss you too Ben. Like i told your brother, you can come hang out anytime you want. All you have to do is give me a call."

"And Abbey too?" he looked up at me.

"Sure, Abbey too. I've got to go so you two can spend some time with your mother. Be good ok?" They both looked at me and nodded. They reluctantly let go of me and the three of us went downstairs and found Heather in the living room, sitting on the couch, smiling and deep in thought. "I'm heading out."

"Thanks again Matt." She got up and hugged me before I left.

"Anytime." I stepped outside and closed the door behind me. I let go of the breath I was holding and went down the stairs and to my truck. As soon as closed the door, I took my cell of my pocket and dialed her number. "Hey, do you mind if I come by?" Sure, join me for lunch? "Sure. I'll be there in twenty." I hung up and slowly made my way towards Abbey's house. I parked in front of her place and when I got out, I noticed the garage door was open and she was working on her dad's old car. I could see her feet sticking out from under it. She rolled out from under and put her head in the opened hood. She obviously hadn't heard me drive up and come out of my truck.

Abbey's POV

After I got home in the middle of the night, I crashed on my bed without bothering to change. I woke up a few hours later to the sun peeking through my un-closed window blinds. I cursed under my breath because I always forgot that little action to ensure I slept longer in the morning. I got and made toast for myself with a coffee. Once I was done eating, I went to sit on the back porch with my mug of coffee. All I could think about was Matt and the boys. Today was a huge deal for them all. The boys would finally have their mom back and Matt would find himself in an empty house again. I decided I would finally spend some time working on dad's car. After he passed and i had gotten my anger out on it, I hadn't touched it since. It was about time I got it up and running again. I changed into some mecanic suit and made my way to the garage. I always loved the smell of the equipment and specially cars. Old ones had a particular scent to them. Just as I opened the garage door and the hood of the car, my phone rang in my pocket. Hey, do you mind if I come by? "Sure, join me for lunch?" Sure, I'll be there in twenty. I put my phone back in my pocket and proceeded in doing an oil change to start. When I tried starting it, nothing happened. I went back under the car to see if something wasn't ok but found nothing. I rolled from under there and took a look under the hood.

"How much do you charge?" Matt's voice startled me a bit but I smiled at the fact that he was here.

"Too much for what you can give." I smiled. "How did it go?" I wiped my dirty hands on a rag.

"It was great. The kids were all over the place."

"And what about you? How are you feeling?" I walked back in the garage and closed the door behind us.

"I'm good. It was great to see them together again." I looked at him as I cleaned my hands in the garage sink with special mecanic soap to remove the grime. I didn't believe a word that was coming out of his mouth.

"Didn't your mother ever tell you that it was bad to lie?" I smirked at him. "Do you want a beer?"

"Sure." I handed him his bottle and we left the garage to go in the kitchen. "I'll miss them." He answered truthfully this time. He sat at the island as I made our sandwiches.

"I'm sure they'll miss you too. Andy would love the bond the three of you have now. And I'm sure they'll want to hang out with you all the time."

"They asked if they could hang out with you too. I think you made an impression."

"They're great kids. I loved spending time with them."

"Oh by the way, Heather invited us over for diner some time soon."

"Tell her I'd love to. Did you ask her about Lake Caroll?" I took our plates and headed for the backyard. It was still beautiful outside for September so we enjoyed the sun while eating lunch.

"No. I told her to swing by the firehouse to see everyone soon. I think I'll ask her then."

"That's fair enough. It will give her time to settle in with the boys. Hey, do you have plans this afternoon?"

"Aren't you working on your dad's car?" I took a pull of my beer and set it next to me.

"It'll take more time than I have right now. Maybe I'll work on it when you boys are going to be up by the lake. It will give me something to keep me busy so being alone in the house doesn't drive me crazy."

"How is Mills rehab going?"

"Too slow for his taste but you know how Peter is, it has to be now."

"That would be him alright." He chuckled. "Well I have some construction job I have to do a little bit later."

"Join me for food and a hockey game tonight? Haven't watched one in forever." I took Matt's empty plate and took it to the kitchen. He followed right behind me.

"That would be great. I'll see you back here at six?"

"That sounds perfect, I'll see you later." He kissed me and left to get his things ready for his job.

Once again, I was left alone in the house, usually filled with laughter, music and just day to day noise. I wondered if Mills had anything planed for the day. I picked up the phone in the living room and called his cell. It answered on the first ring but Peter wasn't the one answering, it was Gabby. "Is Pete there?" Yeah he's doing exercises with his leg. She handed the phone over to him then."You got something planned right now?" No, what were you thinking of? "Keep me company at the gym? We haven't hung out in FOREVER." Sure. See you there in thirty? "Yes." I hung up and packed my gym bag and was out the door. I needed to do anything to keep me occupied until Matt came by later. I was already on the ring when Pete arrive.

"Where did the cane go?"

"Doc said I was good to walk. I'm just not aloud to run. Want some help up there?"

"Are you up for it?"

"You under estimate me." I wasn't looking for anything heavy, just a quick workout. Mills strapped on some gloves and I proceeded in hitting them. I didn't want him to move around too much so I kept it only at punching. "Something bothering you?" He asked after a while.

"What makes you say that?" I did a combo punch before stopping and starting to unwrap my hands.

"I've known you all my life, I think I can tell when something is bothering you Abbey."

"I miss you and I miss us. The house is too quiet when you're not there." I huffed.

"It's not as if I moved out. You know I'll be back. And isn't Matt spending a lot of time with you?"

"Yes but that's not the same as hanging out with my best friend is it?"

"I guess not." he chuckled. "Come on, grab a shower and we can go have fun at the arcade, let our inner kids out." For the next two hours, we had fun at the arcade, eating candies and drinking soda's having a blast." We returned to our place after and just grabbed a beer, talking about how our days were, like old times.

"How are things going with Gabby?"

"They are going great. She accepted to come have diner with me and mom next week, just the three of us."

"Wow, the next big step. I'm happy for you. Sorry again for acting like an ass when I found out." I leaned into the couch and brought my legs up and wrapped my arms around them.

"Aww come on, it's water under the bridge. And what about you? Things are good with Matt?"

"Yeah, we're going slowly." I swear if Mills didn't know me before, the blush creeping on my face was a dead giveaway.

"YOU SLEPT WITH HIM?" It was more a playful shock than anger.

"Yeah, you know, couples do that when they date you goof." He just laughed at me. "He already met mom when we did your coming home diner. He was so nervous. He didn't know what I had told her about us so he was just babbling. You should have seen the wave of relief that went through his face when I told him she knew about us." I was laughing now just remembering about it.

"That must have been something. Hey, do you have plans tonight? Gabby is with Shay, I was wondering if you wanted to catch the game with me." Just when I was about to answer him, there was a knock on the door and Matt just let himself in.

"In here." I called so he would come join us. "Hey, how was the job?"

"Finished a shed, standard stuff." He smiled when he saw Peter. "Mills, how's it going?"

"Better. Lost the cane, I'm hoping to be back at 51 soon."

"We can't wait to have you back."

"I'll let you two spend the evening together. Rain check Mitchell?"

"Didn't you want to watch the game?" I was about to address his earlier proposition.

"We can watch the next one, I think you had something planned already." He pointed between me and Matt.

"Tell you what. Severide asked to watch the game with him and told him I couldn't but why don't you two watch it and I'll go hang out with Kelly." Matt offered. "This one has missed you." He grabbed me by the waist and kissed my temple.

"Are you sure? We could all watch it here." I suggested, looking up at him.

"No, you spend some time with Mills and I'll keep Severide company. Call me before you go to bed."

"Will do." I smiled, grabbed him by his shirt and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "Thanks." I whispered.

"No problem. Have fun." He said the last part so Mills could hear it too.

"You too. And don't let Kelly get you into trouble." I chuckled. He kissed me one last time before I walked him to the door.

"Later baby." He kissed me again and left. I smiled as I closed the door and returned to Mills that was still in the living room.

"So what do you think about chicken wings, cheese sticks and beer?" I exclaimed.

"Sounds perfect." We went to make the cheese sticks because we didn't have any and popped the wings in the oven. Then we sat on the couch and got into the game. It had been forever that I had watched a game and even longer that we had done it together. We spent it cheering and screaming at the television and were happy when the Hawks won by two points against Detroit. What had started as a somewhat bad day ended in a great day. Things felt like they hadn't changed between us.

a/n FINALLY I managed to finish this chapter and be happy with the end result. Ok so I was supposed to have Heather drop by the firehouse in this chapter but ended up foregoing it for now. I'll probably write it in next chapter but like I said in my note, I just might write a few chapters first to make sure I'm satisfied with them and the way the story flows so please be patient with my on and off writers funk for this story.

As always, please leave a review. It helps me to know if I'm doing something right.