So, usually I try and keep my chapters around 5 A4 pages on Word. This one is 11. I know you're all really disappointed about that. I want to keep this story to one chapter per 'moment' and there was just a lot I wanted to cram in. I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear what you think.

Chapter 3

This time last year, Sylvie thought, as she curled up on her sofa in her comfy PJs and opened a box of cookies, she was knocking back Vodkas at Molly's before being carried home by Gabby and, of all people, Capp. She laughed to herself. She would probably feel better in the morning this year.

As she was just about to finally settle on a movie to watch, there was a knock at her door. She momentarily debated whether to just pretend not to be home, but reluctantly stood up, a task that was getting more and more difficult with every passing day, and opened the door.

Antonio stood in the hallway holding a bunch of flowers and looking more than a little attractive in a navy suit.

For a moment, Sylvie just looked at him, but then blinked, coming back to her senses. "No" she said, and turned back to her living room. She walked away but left the door open, and left Antonio standing on the threshold confused.

"What do you mean no?" asked Antonio, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's your birthday and I'm taking you to dinner. No is not an acceptable response."

Sylvie groaned and sat back down on the sofa. "I'm happy here Antonio" she said, pleadingly. "I have dinner." She waved the box of Nutter Butters in his direction.

Antonio folded his arms. "Nutritious."

"Don't start."

Antonio put the bunch of flowers down on the coffee table and sat on the arm of the sofa. "You deserve to be spoiled by someone" Antonio said. "I made reservations and everything."

Antonio didn't say it, but she knew what he was thinking. That her parents were miles away, and he didn't want her to feel lonely on her birthday. She didn't, truthfully, but Sylvie was touched that Antonio thought of it. He didn't need to do half the things for her that he did. Sylvie didn't mean being there for the pregnancy stuff, constructing cribs and picking out paint for the nursery. She meant the little things that were entirely focused on her wellbeing and not anything to do with the babies.

"None of my dresses fit" she said, trying another excuse to let him down gently.

"You will look beautiful in anything" he said, sincerely, then the twinkle in his eye betrayed him. "Except maybe those pyjamas."

Sylvie laughed. "Come on Antonio, tomorrow's a busy day."

"You don't have to tell me. It's all the more reason why we should relax tonight." Sylvie raised one eyebrow and indicated her current outfit. "Fair point" Antonio said, but he wouldn't give up. "Sylvie. I will not take no for an answer. Trust me when I say that in 4 months' time we will not have a single moment to ourselves, we have to make the most of it while we can."

Sylvie looked into Antonio's eyes. How could she refuse this sweet, thoughtful man who had stepped up for her in such a big way in the months since she had told him she was pregnant? She had never felt so warmly towards someone and yet been so confused by her feelings before. Their relationship, whatever that may be, was so complicated. The only thing that made sense was that being in the same room as Antonio felt good. "Alright" she sighed, and then reached her arm out. "A little help?"

Antonio jumped up and helped her to her feet, a smile on his face. "Great." His smile was infectious and Sylvie smiled back, hoping that she wasn't coming across quite as giddy as she felt inside. She felt her cheeks redden and hoped that the lighting inside her apartment was too dim for Antonio to notice.

Sylvie felt like a love-struck teenager all over again, and the irony that they were doing this all backwards was not lost on her. Most people dated first. She quickly pushed that thought away. This wasn't a date.

Was it?

Buying maternity evening wear had not been high on Sylvie's list of priorities these past couple of months, but she had managed to find something half decent to wear and had dressed it up with a gold necklace her grandmother had given her.

Sylvie had butterflies as they drove to the restaurant, but the good kind. Despite her best efforts, lately whenever she looked at Antonio she got the same feeling she had done when they first started to date, when she started seeing him in a different light and not just as Gabby's big brother.

Antonio had parked across the street from an Italian restaurant and helped Sylvie out of the car. He had held the door open for her, pulled out her chair at the table and checked she was alright every step of the way. In short, he was being the perfect gentleman. It had been a while since someone had made her feel this special.

But she was refusing to think of this as a date. Part of her was enjoying his easy company without the anxiety that came with romance, and neither of them needed an added complication. But sometimes her mind would wander into the realm of 'what if?' and she had to fight to keep her thoughts from getting too far away from her.

"I want to hear about your work" Antonio said after they had finished their main course, taking a sip of the beer Sylvie insisted he ordered. Just because she wasn't drinking didn't mean he couldn't. He had seemed grateful for that, it hadn't occurred to Sylvie until that moment that he was just as nervous as she was, despite being the one to initiate the evening.

"It's good" Sylvie replied. "It's different. But I'm learning a lot and I think it could really help me when I can get back out there. Whenever that may be."

For the last month or so Sylvie had been working in a 911 call centre. Answering emergency calls and helping people without ever seeing their faces was a long way from what she was used to, but being the one that people spoke to at what could be the worst moment of their life, reassuring them and calming them down, and even giving medical advice, had been rewarding in its own way.

"Do you miss the rig?" Antonio asked.

"Sometimes. I miss Gabby and the guys at the firehouse. But it was getting too dangerous for me to continue working as a paramedic. I'm glad I stopped."

"I'm glad too" Antonio said.

There was a solemn pause. Sylvie knew they were both thinking the same thing. One of the last shifts she had worked with Gabby before deciding enough was enough, an agitated patient had accidentally knocked her to the ground. Everything was ok, she got checked out at the hospital straight away and no damage was done, but it had frightened her, and it had frightened Antonio too when he learned what had happened. As much as she loved her job, Sylvie decided then and there that it was not worth putting herself and her babies at risk.

Sylvie took a deep breath and smiled broadly, keen to change the subject. "Are you excited about tomorrow?"

"Are you kidding me? It's all I can think about. I finally get to see my kids."

Sylvie rubbed her belly. "It's pretty special."

"Listen, you can absolutely say no, I will understand, but I reckon I'd like to know if they're boys or girls." Antonio swallowed. "We're going to need a lot of stuff, you know, and it would be nice to get a head start."

Sylvie smiled reassuringly. They hadn't really talked money, the subject made them both uneasy, but Antonio was right. "Are you sure you don't want to be surprised?" she asked cautiously.

"I think finding out there were two of them in there was surprising enough, don't you?" Antonio said with a glint in his eye.

"Yes" Sylvie said. "We can find out." Antonio smiled, but Sylvie could tell there was something bothering him. He went very quiet. "Are you worried about your custody meeting afterward?" Sylvie saw Antonio's shoulders slump and hated herself for spoiling the mood. She reached across the table and touched his arm. "I'm sorry."

Antonio looked up. "You have nothing to be sorry for. Yeah, I'm a little nervous. I hate this mess, I hate what it's doing to Eva and Diego. Laura's just…." Antonio shook his head, his anger began to rise but he very quickly put a lid on it. He didn't want to be talking about his ex-wife now. This evening was about Sylvie, not him, but it was hard to get off his mind. Laura was making him feel as though he had to choose between his kids and Sylvie and the twins and he hated her for it.

He'd been trying so hard to be there for Eva and Diego, more so than ever since he had told him about the new babies. Diego had taken it well, he knew and liked Sylvie and had been a little sad when he found out she and his Dad had broken up. Eva had taken the news less well. Fiercely loyal to her mother, Antonio suspected that his daughter had harboured a secret hope that her parents would work things out and they would go back to being a family. It was taking her a long time to get used to the fact that that wasn't going to happen. She had been by to see him only a couple of times since he had told them both Sylvie was pregnant. He didn't want to push her, but he missed her like crazy, and now Laura was making it even more difficult to see his kids. He would fight her though, as hard as it took. He wasn't the type of man to walk away from his responsibilities.

He had been thinking constantly about the first times he'd seen Eva and Diego on an ultrasound screen, the first time he'd held them, all the times he woke up in the night to care for them, and all the days he and Laura were too exhausted to move but so overwhelmed with joy it didn't matter. He wondered how and where everything had gone so wrong between then and now, and hoped he had learned enough to not make the same mistakes again.

Antonio was brought out of his thoughts when Sylvie placed her hand on his. "What can I do for you?" she asked. "I want to help."

Her sincerity was appreciated, but there wasn't much she could do. Antonio's problems with his ex-wife were the very reason their relationship had fallen apart in the first place, he wasn't going to let it come between them again in any way. He wanted, as far as possible, to keep the two things separate. It was Sylvie's birthday, they were at a lovely restaurant and would be seeing their babies tomorrow. "Enough about my drama" he said, "I wanted to bring you out to have a good time and I'm spoiling it."

"You're not" Sylvie said. "I promise. I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be tonight but here with you."

That comment caught Antonio a little off guard but he hoped he didn't let it show. Sylvie had been bold to say that, the look on her face said she was anxious to see how he'd react. He couldn't find the words. Instead he reached across the table and cupped Sylvie's face tenderly, letting his hand linger on her cheek. She blushed, and it made Antonio's heart flutter.

Neither of them had noticed a waiter approach their table, and that realisation made Antonio pull his hand away and Sylvie look down at her lap nervously.

"Desert?"

"Thank you for a wonderful evening" Sylvie said as the reached the door to her apartment. It was pretty late and she was tired but she didn't want the day to end. Sylvie took her keys out of her purse but made no move to open the door. She turned to face Antonio, playing with her keys in her hands.

"No problem" Antonio said. He stood opposite her, unsure what to do. A relaxed, easy evening had suddenly turned awkward, neither of them sure how to end the night, or even if they wanted to. Antonio wanted so much to spend even just a little bit more time with her, but knew it wasn't his place to suggest he come inside He gave her a chance of escape. "So, I'll pick you up tomorrow to go to the hospital?"

The question hung in the air for a moment, but then Sylvie slowly smiled. "I was hoping you might like a coffee? I think I can rustle up something other than decaff."

Antonio's pleasure at her suggestion was clear to see. "Absolutely." He didn't know what it meant, and he wasn't going to ask. He was just happy to be in her company, even if only as friends. Sylvie unlocked the door and flicked on the light. She put her purse and her keys down on the table beside the door as Antonio stepped up behind her. "Here, let me help you with that." He reached around her and took off her coat. She smelled amazing and Antonio momentarily forgot what he was doing. Unconsciously, he breathed in her perfume. Sylvie giggled, embarrassed, and he shook his head to bring his thoughts back to reality.

"Have a seat" he said. "I'll put the kettle on."

Sylvie obliged. What was she thinking wearing heels in her condition? That was the last time, she thought, as she kicked off her shoes and fell back on the sofa. She closed her eyes, listening to Antonio clatter about in the kitchen, and must have drifted off because the next thing she knew, Antonio was shaking her gently and calling her name.

She opened her eyes. "Sorry."

"I can go if you want to sleep."

"No, stay." As if to prove that she meant it, she picked up her mug of green tea that Antonio had placed on the coffee table. He sat down and took a sip of his coffee.

"What are we doing Sylvie?" Antonio said after a minute. He didn't look at her straight away, nor did Sylvie answer. He sighed and put down his mug, then turned his body to face her. "I like you, you know that. I like spending time with you. It feels right. This" he placed a hand on Sylvie's swollen stomach. "This feels right."

Sylvie closed her eyes. "It does" she admitted. "But all the reasons why we broke up, they haven't gone away."

"I can think of two reasons why none of that matters anymore."

Sylvie turned to face Antonio, curling her legs underneath her. He pulled his hand away. Part of her wanted to say to hell with it all and give in to his pleading gaze, but the realistic and practical part of her was currently winning the battle raging in her conscience. "Antonio, we can't. Things have been good, you're right. But that's why we should do anything that might mess it up."

"That won't happen." He leaned in closer.

"You don't know that." Sylvie met his gaze, hoping to convey that she meant what she said. "If I wasn't pregnant, would we be having this conversation?"

"Does it matter?"

Sylvie placed her free hand, the one that wasn't holding the mug, on his chest and gently pushed him away. "Yes, of course it does."

Antonio wanted to be honest, but at the same time didn't want to say anything that Sylvie might take the wrong way. He was taking his time to find the right words to say, but Sylvie took his silence as confirmation of her fears and she sank back into the sofa. Antonio quickly took her hand.

"No, Sylvie, no." He sat up straight and tried to get her to look at him. "Sure, if you weren't pregnant maybe things would be different between us. But you are. And I'm here, and maybe at the start it was because I wanted to do the right thing by you and our children, but it's gone way beyond that now. Tonight made me realise that I want more than friendship and co-parenting from you, and I think you want that too."

The irrational part of Sylvie's conscience was slowly gaining ground. "I think I do" she whispered. "But I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Of losing what we have."

Antonio reached out and took the mug from her hands, placing it on the table next to his own. He took hold of both of her hands. "Who said anything about losing something?"

"Antonio…" Sylvie's protest was weak and she knew it. Fear was preventing her from giving in but her resolve was weakening.

"We could be happy Sylvie, I know it. You just have to say the word and we can try again."

Sylvie said nothing but Antonio took a chance, he leant across and kissed her.

Antonio's lips on hers made all her misgivings melt away and she was powerless to stop them, but did she want to? For a second she allowed herself to imagine what might be if she gave in to her feelings.

She returned his kiss, deeper this time, and felt his hands run through her hair. Antonio was on top of her now, a little awkwardly, being careful not to crush her belly. His hands moved from her hair to her shoulders, and his lips moved from her mouth to her neck. He paused for a moment, catching his breath, then whispered in her ear.

"Happy birthday."

Things didn't go any further the previous night, and Antonio slept on the sofa. It was enough. Sylvie woke up feeling happier than she had in weeks, the awkward tension that had existed between them for some time now had lifted and she felt peaceful. The nagging doubts and insecurities would surely return eventually but Sylvie hoped she could ride this wave of bliss for at least the rest of the morning without getting into what the evening meant from now on.

By the time Sylvie had showered and dressed it was almost time to leave for her check-up. When Sylvie picked up her jacket and purse to leave, she realised Antonio was not in the apartment. She heard his raised voice coming from the hallway and sighed. So much for the bliss. Before they had had a chance to say a proper good morning, something had already burst their bubble. Sylvie opened the door sheepishly. Antonio had his back to the door and his cell phone to his ear.

"Laura, I don't want to hear it" he spat into the phone. He was making an effort to keep his voice down out of consideration for Sylvie's neighbours but his anger was palpable. "I'll be there at eleven, like we agreed weeks ago. You know full well why I can't be there sooner, trying to change the time out of spite to make me look bad is not going to work." Antonio stopped pacing and leant against the wall. "How dare you accuse me of not caring. If I didn't care do you think I would be putting up with this? Believe me, I could do without." There was a pause. Even with his back turned Sylvie could tell he was upset. "You are unbelievable. I am not choosing Sylvie over Eva and Diego. What I am doing is choosing to see my babies for the first time over listening to any more of your bullshit." Antonio stood up straight with an air of finality. "I will be at the lawyer's office at eleven. Don't call me again."

Antonio hung up and phone and turned around slowly. When he saw Sylvie standing in the doorway his shoulders slumped. He walked towards her with an apologetic look on his face and held out his arms for an embrace. One that she gladly agreed to.

"Good morning" she said, allowing him to wrap her arms around her.

"Morning. I'm sorry you had to hear that."

"It's alright, really."

"No, it isn't. Last night was perfect, this morning will be perfect, I didn't mean to wreck the bit in between."

Sylvie pulled away. "You haven't, really. But we need to go or we'll be late."

"In a minute" Antonio said, catching hold of her hand as she began to walk towards the stairwell. He gently pulled her back and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Now we may go."

"It's great to finally meet you Daddy." Dr Marks entered the room and introduced herself to Antonio with a handshake. "How are you feeling today?" she asked Sylvie, who was sitting on the edge of the examination table.

Sylvie caught Antonio's eye and saw him smirk. She suppressed a giggle and looked away. "I'm fine. The nausea has gone."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"We'd like to find out the sex of the babies" Antonio said, but then looked at Sylvie just to make sure. "Unless you've changed your mind?"

Sylvie shook her head. "No, I haven't."

"Are you sure?" Dr Marks asked. "A lot of parents prefer to wait for a surprise. Once you find out you can't take it back."

"We're sure" said Antonio. "Twins was surprise enough."

Dr Marks smiled. "Alright then. But first we need to get the less fun medical stuff out the way. Lie back for me Sylvie, I'm going to run a few quick tests before we do the ultrasound."

Sylvie obliged, and as Dr Marks took her blood pressure she kept one eye on the doctor and the other on Antonio. He stood by nervously, not really sure what he should do. It was sweet really, to see him like this. He was usually so confident and sure of himself, especially when it came to his work. After a few minutes, Dr Marks pulled the machine over and sat down on the stool. Antonio stepped closer to the bed and crouched down, taking Sylvie's hand in his.

"Right. Are you ready?"

"More than ready" Antonio said urgently. "Come on doc, I'm dying here."

Both women shared a look, enjoying the excitement in the air and on Antonio's face. When the sound of the babies' heartbeats could be heard Antonio audibly gasped and squeezed Sylvie's hand a little tighter. It took a moment for the doctor to bring up a clear image on the screen and a few more minutes for her to take measurements of the babies and check their growth. All the while, Antonio and Sylvie stared at the screen transfixed.

"Is everything alright?" Antonio eventually said, unable to stand the waiting any longer. "Is everyone healthy?"

Dr Marks scribbled one last note on Sylvie's chart. "Yes" she said, turning to the expectant parents. "Your boys look perfect."

Sylvie had been at work a couple of hours when her supervisor had told her she had a visitor and she decided to take her break early. It was a while since Antonio's meeting was supposed to have ended and she had been checking her phone, expecting him to call and tell her how it went. But when she walked through the glass doors and saw who was waiting for her she was surprised to see a different Dawson waiting for her.

"Diego, what are you doing here?" It was the school holidays, Sylvie knew that, but she was still shocked to see Antonio's son at her place of work. "Do your parents know you're here?"

Diego shrugged as he stood up, avoiding answering Sylvie's question. "I wanted to talk to you" he said. "I wanted to apologise. And give you this." Diego held out a wrapped present. "Happy birthday for yesterday."

Sylvie didn't know what to say. She took the parcel from Diego and opened it to find a book about learning chess inside. "Thank you, Diego" she said. "This is so sweet of you."

Diego grew embarrassed. "It's stupid."

"No. It's great."

Across the street in a café, they sat in a booth across from each other and Sylvie sipped her juice as she listened to what Diego had to say. "What have you got to apologise for?" she asked, when he had finished explaining.

"My Mom" he said simply. "She's making life difficult for all of us but it's not fair that you're caught up in it."

Sylvie smiled sadly. This young man shouldn't have to apologise for Laura's actions. He was just like Antonio, taking the burden of everyone else's problems and making them his own. "Diego, I knew what I was getting into when I started seeing your Dad."

"Yeah, but it's why you broke up too isn't it? The day Mom came to pick me up from the firehouse and had a go at you."

Sylvie sighed. She didn't think he had heard that. "You shouldn't be worrying about me."

Diego stared out the window. "I'm worried that Mom will get her way and I won't be allowed to see Dad anymore."

Now it was Sylvie's turn to feel guilty. Despite Antonio's attempts to reassure her, she knew she was the reason Laura was putting up such a fight. Without knowing it, Diego had voiced her own fear, that she would be the thing that stopped Antonio from seeing his kids. She didn't know if she could live with that.

"You want to see your Dad?"

"Of course I do. I want my parents to stop fighting. They're acting like me and Eva are little kids and don't have a say. I can't speak for my sister, but I want to spend time with Dad." He paused, deciding whether or not to continue speaking what was on his mind. Eventually he seemed to decide to be honest with Sylvie. "And you. Whether you and Dad get back together or not, pretty soon I'm going to be a big brother to your babies and I want to be part of my brothers' or sisters' lives."

Sylvie was truly touched, so much so that she decided to let Diego be the first person to know this morning's news. She had a feeling Antonio wouldn't mind, but felt the need to warn Diego anyway. "Brothers" she said. "They're both boys. We found out this morning, but you can't tell anyone and you can't tell your Dad I told you."

A grin spread across Diego's face. "Man, Eva's going to hate that!"

"I think she hates it anyway" Sylvie said pointedly, and Diego stopped smiling.

"She'll come around. But I think it's great, I always wanted a brother, and now I get two."

The bell on the door of the café rang then and Sylvie looked up to see Laura storm through the door looking furious. "Diego, come here" she barked, and Diego turned. "What are you doing here with her?"

"She has a name Mom" Diego said, sticking up for Sylvie.

Laura didn't so much as glance her way. "You can't just run off wherever you like without telling anyone."

The look on Diego's face was equally furious. "I didn't. I left a note, you knew where I was. Stop freaking out."

Laura grabbed his arm and roughly and pulled him out of the booth. Diego protested loudly and the other diners turned to see what the noise was about. Sylvie froze, wanting the ground to swallow her up. Drama like this was exactly what Antonio was trying to protect her from, she understood why he didn't want her involved.

"Mom, let go of me." Diego struggled free and picked up his backpack, swinging it onto his shoulder with purpose. "I'm going to the firehouse to see Aunt Gabby" he said, daring his Mom to stop him. "You're driving my crazy." Laura opened her mouth, shocked that her son was defying her. She glared at Sylvie then, blaming this on her with on poisonous look but turned on her heel and left the café without another word.

"I'm sorry" Diego said, his anger morphing to upset. Not knowing what else to say, he said a hasty goodbye and left too. Sylvie remained seated, in shock.

As soon as Sylvie had finished her shift, she headed to the firehouse. They guys were all out on a call when she arrived, so after having a quick catch up with Connie she settled down in the break room to wait for them. Sylvie was thankful for the peace, it gave her time to think. She had called Antonio when she had composed herself and had left him a teary voicemail. He must be deep in a case and hadn't had a chance to check her messages, Sylvie didn't think for a moment he would ignore her when she was upset, not after their day had started out so perfectly. She had struggled to remain focussed at work after she had returned, and was relieved when it was time to leave.

She heard the voices of the returning crew before she saw them, and took a deep breath to ready herself as Gabby, and the Truck company entered the room.

"Look who it is." Herman was the first to see her and greeted her so warmly and genuinely that she wanted to cry. Laura had made her feel like absolute trash, right now a friendly hug from anyone may just tip her over the edge. She stood up from the couch and was enveloped in a hug. She hugged Herman back and caught sight of Stella, Mouch and Otis over his shoulder, who all looked pleased to see her too. She missed this, her firehouse family.

When Gabby and Casey entered the room Matt's arm was around her shoulder and they were sharing a joke, but when Gabby saw Sylvie her expression changed from one of joy to concern. Harman let Sylvie go and she followed Gabby into Matt's office. As soon as the door closed behind them Sylvie burst into tears.

"Come here" Gabby said, comforting her friend with a hug. "Diego told me what happened, I'm sorry you had to put up with that."

Sylvie sniffed. "This day was so perfect" she said, remembering the morning that had brought her so much happiness and hope for the future. "Am I making a mistake getting involved again?"

Gabby looked at her with confusion. "Honey, you're carrying Antonio's babies, you are involved."

Sylvie laughed through her tears. "No, it's more than that. At least, I think it is." Gabby released Sylvie, and Sylvie sat down on Matt's desk chair. "He took me out for my birthday last night and ended up staying over. He slept on the couch" she added quickly. "Nothing happened. At least, 'that' didn't happen. This morning I really thought we could have a real future, but was I just fooling myself? Antonio's problems with Laura and his kids are never going away."

"Have you spoken to Antonio?"

"I left him a message. He hasn't called me back."

"Right" Gabby said, pulling out her own phone and dialling Antonio's number. "I'll get him here and give him what for."

"Gabby, please don't…" but it was too late.

No sooner as Gabby had hung up after reaching his voicemail there was a knock on the door. Matt opened it but didn't have the chance to say anything before Antonio had pushed past him and entered the room.

"Sylvie. Baby, I'm so sorry."

Sylvie took a deep breath, she didn't want to cry again. Antonio moved to embrace her but she took a step back. Gabby made a hasty retreat and shut the door. "Laura had no right to speak to you that way, believe me, I've given her a piece of my mind. I've told her that if she comes near you again, she'll regret it."

Sylvie smiled up at him sadly. "This is what I was afraid would happen, Antonio. Maybe we should wait."

"No" Antonio said fiercely. "Listen to me. What we said last night and this morning, what we feel for each other, that means something. It's worth fighting for. I won't let my crazy ex-wife ruin what we could have."

A tear slid down Sylvie's cheek. "I'm just making things worse for you."

"No way. You make everything better. I want a life with you and our sons, I want us to be a proper family. Sure, I wish things were easier with Laura and the kids, but not enough to throw away whatever this could be between us." Seeing that Sylvie was far from convinced, he gently lifted her chin to look her in the eye. "I've never been more sure about anything."

"I want all that too, but…"

"If we both want it, we will find a way."

"I think I know one person at least who will be in our corner" Sylvie said. "Diego. He bought me a birthday present. A book about chess."

Antonio looked surprised, but beamed with pride at his thoughtful son. "I reckon that means he wants you around. He's not the only one."

Outside in the hallway, Matt watched Antonio and Sylvie through the blinds. "Did he just call her 'baby'?" he asked his wife.

"Yeah."

"Are they back together?"

Gabby shrugged, as ever at a loss to know what was going on in her brother's life. "Who knows. I hope so."

Later, when they had both calmed down and wiped the tears away, Antonio and Sylvie emerged from Casey's office and wandered to the break area. The place seemed deserted. How long were they in there? When she heard them approach, Gabby closed the refrigerator and regarded them expectantly.

"Where is everybody?" Sylvie asked.

"Benson is downstairs cleaning the rig. The Truck and Squad guys are outside running drills. Did you sort things out?"

Antonio and Sylvie looked at each other. Antonio was the one that replied. "Yes, we did."

"And?"

Antonio put his arm around Sylvie tellingly. "We're going to take it one step at a time."

Gabby smiled. "About time!" she punched Antonio playfully in the chest then flung her arms round both of them. "Although, you know, 'one step at a time' would be dating first and then having babies, you've already taken the mother of all steps."

Antonio rolled his eyes. He should be used to getting ribbed by his little sister by now. "Alright, enough."

Gabby turned to Sylvie. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I think so." She spoke to Gabby, but looked at Antonio. "I know it won't be easy." She looked back to Gabby. "So, erm, did Diego tell you our other news?"

Antonio raised his eyebrows. "You told Diego?"

Sylvie grimaced. "Yes. I'm sorry. I was so touched that he came to see me it just kind of slipped out."

"What news?"

Both Antonio and Sylvie turned back to Gabby with huge smiles on their faces, the earlier tears forgotten for now. Deep down, Sylvie knew they had a big struggle ahead of them, trying to navigate a relationship on top of impending parenthood and all the unresolved Dawson family drama, but looking at each other and thinking about their twins, Sylvie knew that it would all be worth it if they could make it work.

"Can I tell her?" Antonio asked. Sylvie nodded, so he did. "You're going to have two new Dawson men to keep in line. I hope that's alright."

A/N: Who guessed the gender of the babies then? It was always going to be boys in my head, I don't know why!