Hello there everyone! I've got the next chapter for you all, and I hope you enjoy it!

I don't have much to say before we get into it, so just thank you all so much for reading. I appreciate y'all so much, and I can't wait to hear what you think about this one.

Happy reading, and I'll see you all next week!

ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR

"51! I'm giving you five minutes before you need to get out of there." Boden ordered while he stood outside the fiery building, his strong voice flooding through all the radios of first responders both inside and outside of the structure as they did their best to help those that they could.

The fire was pretty bad, and had been from the moment they arrived as the top few floors were completely up in the flames. And it wasn't much better down below, with the thick black smoke making it hard for any of the firefighters to see much past a couple feet in front of them. Overall, it just wasn't looking good, any first responder would tell you that.

And that's exactly what Gabby was feeling as she stood outside the building helping those who had been brought out from the flames, that this wasn't a good call. That it had all the makings of ending terribly for anyone in that building.

But those were thoughts she'd never voice out loud as she connected one of her patients up to oxygen, the woman having been barely conscious when Herrmann and Mouch brought her out, as she had at least second-degree burns covering a large portion of her body.

"Shay!" Gabby called while she started to dress her wounds, the chaos surrounding them somewhat drowning out her voice as there were so many paramedics and firefighters running around the scene. "Shay!"

"Yeah, Dawson?" She called back, Gabby hearing the almost defeated tone in her voice as they caught each other's gaze from about ten feet away.

"I could use some help over here, once you finish up." She told her, as with each passing second she was seeing more and more of the damage done to this woman's body. And it didn't help that she wasn't completely unconscious either, as from the occasional groans, whimpers, and pleads Gabby was hearing, this woman was able to feel every ounce of pain her body was in.

"Yeah, yeah I'm on my way." Shay responded, Gabby giving her a nod before returning her attention back towards her patient.

"Ma'am- Ma'am, it's okay. I know it hurts, but I just need you to breathe for me." Dawson spoke towards her when she opened her eyes. "I'm gonna give you something for the pain, but just try and breathe. Take deep breaths." She did her best to coach the woman through this, but there was only so much she could do given the pain she was in.

"My-" She tried to speak, but between the damage her body had sustained and the oxygen mask covering her face, it was hard to make out her words. "My son." She coughed, Gabby's neck tightening the instant she realized what she was trying to ask. "Where is-" She began to cough once more, every movement sending more and more pain through her body before Dawson tried to soothe her.

"It's okay, it's alright… Just breathe for me." She repeated herself, Gabby doing all she could to remain calm despite the stressful situation surrounding them. "Everything's gonna be fine, I'm sure they'll find him. What's his name?"

"Tommy." She coughed out once more from behind her mask, Gabby nodding as her eyes moved back towards the building, like for just a moment she was trying to see if she could catch a glimpse of any child being brought out of that building. But she couldn't see much. "His name's… Tommy." She repeated, Dawson giving her a weak smile before she continued dressing her wounds.

"Hey, you needed me?" The sound of Shay's voice registered in her head after a few moments, the PIC glancing up to see her partner coming to a stop on the other side of the gurney.

"Yeah, I did… Did you finish up with your patient?" Dawson asked, sparing a quick look back in the direction Shay came before meeting her solemn gaze.

"She didn't make it." The blonde answered her, Gabby's face faltering slightly in response before giving her a quick nod.

"Tommy…" The woman on the gurney beneath them muttered once more, before a soft cry escaped her lips.

"Hey, it's okay. It's alright." Dawson tried while waiting for the woman to look at her before she continued. "They're gonna do everything they can to find him, he's gotta be around here somewhere and when I get a chance, I'll try to figure out where he is." She explained the best she could, though in this woman's pain-induced haze Gabby wasn't sure how much she was understanding. "Right now, we just need to help you though, okay? You've got some pretty bad burns and we need to get you to a hospital."

The woman muttered a few more things once Dawson finished speaking, but none of it was anything she or Shay could make out, the two paramedics doing their best to help her burns as much as they could before getting her out of here.

"Can you tell me your name?" Gabby suddenly asked after placing another bandage, the woman forcing herself to take a breath before responding.

"Sa… Sam-Samantha." She got out, Dawson giving her a weak smile as she nodded.

"Alright Samantha, we're gonna take good care of you, yeah?" Gabby reminded her, her voice staying as positive as possible before she glanced towards Shay, Dawson's demeanor soon shifting before her voice dropped down. "We don't have any more time, we need to get her to med. Now." She spoke firmly, Shay nodding back at her before she started looking around.

"Okay, yeah… let me just see if- Hey Jones!" Shay called to another paramedic when she saw them rushing by, the man stopping in his tracks to turn back towards the two of them. "Can you help us for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"My patient over there is a black tag, can you take care of her?" Shay asked, nodding towards the poor woman who hadn't survived the blaze. "Dawson has someone we need to get to med."

"Yeah, yeah of course." Jones replied, the man having no issue in helping his fellow paramedics as Shay and Dawson began moving towards 61.

"Thank you." Shay responded as they passed, before continuing on towards their rig.

They were moving quickly, both of them knowing how important it was that Samantha got to a hospital sooner rather than later, as time wasn't a luxury they had at the moment. So they were doing everything in their power to get her loaded up as quickly, and safely, as possible.

But just as they had finished, Dawson and Shay both stopped what they were doing when they heard Casey's voice through the crowd, the blonde paramedic hopping down out of the back while Gabby looked out towards the fire.

"Gabby!" He yelled once more, Dawson soon locating her fiancé through the maze of bodies as she saw him running towards her with what looked to be a child in his arms. And though now wasn't the time for it, Gabby couldn't help but feel a bit of relief knowing that Matt was out of that building. "Gabby!"

"I'm here." She called back, Shay getting out of the way as Dawson placed her foot down on the back step of the rig. "What is it?"

"Do you have the woman Herrmann brought out?" He questioned once he got to her, Casey nearly out of breath as he adjusted the little boy in his arms, his mask hanging off his other shoulder giving Gabby the perfect view of all the sweat and soot covering his skin.

"Yeah, Samantha, is her name. We're about to take her to med." She replied, as the pieces were beginning to come together in her mind. "Is that her son?"

"Tommy, yeah."

"She was asking for him, I'm so glad you found him." She told him, earning an understanding nod from him before he glanced back into the ambulance. "Is he alright?" Gabby questioned while looking over the young boy for any obvious signs of injury. And, unfortunately, she saw a few.

"He has a couple burns." Casey answered after coughing. "They're just first degree though, from what I can tell… And his breathing is a bit labored. I think he inhaled some smoke." He continued on, while Tommy only further hid himself against Matt's body, the little boy no doubt terrified of what was going on. "He needs to get checked out."

"Okay, we'll take him." She replied, Matt giving her another nod before he carefully climbed into the back of the rig with the young boy, the Lieutenant making sure to not jostle him around too much before sitting him down on the bench by the wall.

"Tommy…" Samantha spoke when she realized her son was here, the woman fighting through the fog her mind was in as she was just so beyond grateful to have her son back. "Tommy, baby. Everything's okay." She continued, doing her best to reassure him despite the pain she felt.

"You're gonna head to the hospital with your mom, alright?" Casey told him once he pulled back, feeling that Tommy was a little reluctant to loosen his grip on his jacket. Even when his eyes moved towards his mother.

"Mommy." He cried out, Matt and Gabby's hearts nearly breaking at the sight in front of them. "Is she okay?" He asked while tears streamed down his cheeks, as he was finally getting a look at his mom up close. And with all the bandages and burns, it was a hard sight.

"I'm okay, baby." She coughed out once more. "Don't worry, everything's alright."

Gabby watched on at the mother and son reuniting, knowing that this woman was using all her strength just to make him believe she was alright. Even though she wasn't.

"I'm scared." He whimpered, Matt rubbing over his back as Tommy looked between him and his mother. "My arm hurts."

"I know it does, buddy." He replied with a sad smile. "And it's okay to be scared, but you and your mom are gonna go to the hospital so they can help the both of you. My friend Gabby is gonna take really good care of you on the way there, okay? I promise." He spoke while keeping eye contact with him, Gabby watching on at the two of them with sad eyes as Tommy slowly gave him a nod. "Everything's gonna be fine." He repeated as he looked over the boy one last time before getting down out of the ambulance, knowing they didn't have much time to waste.

"You guys good?" Casey asked, nodding towards the back before meeting Gabby's eyeline once more, only to find her staring intently at his arm.

"We are… Are you okay?" She questioned while focusing on the char on his jacket's sleeve, Matt following her line of sight before releasing a soft sigh.

"Oh, that- I'm fine, yeah I'm good… Just got hit by a bit of burning wood from the ceiling when it fell." He answered, though his words weren't doing much to relieve her worry.

"Did you get hit anywhere else?" She asked him, Matt immediately shaking his head in response. "It didn't burn through?"

"No, it didn't. I'm good." He promised, Gabby taking another breath as she nodded.

"Alright." She told him, the two sharing one last longing look before she climbed up into the back of the ambulance, Matt reaching out to rest his hand over her back for support until she was out of reach.

The second she was inside that rig she immediately went to work, Gabby doing all she could to keep Tommy calm while assessing his injuries, as Shay climbed into the drivers seat, ready to get them med. And with one last glance towards his fiancée, he shut the back doors, Casey taking a few steps away from the rig before they peeled out of the parking lot, leaving him there to continue helping in getting this awful fire under control.

"How many more minutes, Shay?" Gabby asked as she checked over Samantha's vitals, a slight grimace tugging on her lips as her numbers had been steadily dropping the entire ride to med. But since they weren't enough to be critical, she tried to not show her worry for her patient, as all that would do was upset Tommy more than he already was.

He hadn't spoken much since they left the scene, but he hadn't stopped crying either as the events of today were certainly taking their toll on the child who couldn't have been more than five or six years old.

"We're almost there." Shay called back, their loud sirens helping them to get through the traffic faster as Gabby drew in a deep breath before glancing back towards the monitor, the PIC still not liking what she was seeing.

But luckily, as Shay had promised, they made it to the hospital within seconds, everything around them starting to all happen rather fast as they rushed to get Samantha out of this ambulance and into the hospital. There was a doctor outside waiting for them, Shay and a few nurses helping to get her into a room while Gabby stayed back with Tommy. He was already scared enough, so she didn't see the good in letting him get too close to his mom's hospital room, especially when he needed to get checked out himself.

So while doctors and nurses were rushing around to get Samantha taken care of Gabby got Tommy all squared away, the paramedic being led to a separate room for him while he followed beside her, his hand clasped firmly in hers until they got to the bed.

"Alright, come here little man." She spoke before hoisting him up onto the hospital bed, Tommy soon beginning to glance around as a doctor he didn't know started to check him.

"You all came from that fire downtown, right?" The older man asked, Gabby glancing towards him before she nodded.

"Yeah, we did… His mom's in another room here, but Tommy seemed to make it out okay. Just a few burns."

"Okay, well we'll get him checked out and see if we can't find some family we can call." He said, Gabby nodding slowly before she started to step away from the bed, knowing she'd just be in the way more than anything.

But she wasn't able to get very far before Tommy reached out for her, the little boy's grip on her arm instantly gaining her attention as she turned back towards him, only to find a pleading look in his eyes.

"Can you stay with me?"

His voice sounded so small, and scared, that it nearly crushed her. But she nodded regardless before stepping back towards the bed, Gabby leaning up against the edge of the mattress as a soft, warm smile formed over her lips.

"Of course I'll stay with you." She responded, seeing Tommy begin to relax before she glanced back towards the doctor, seeing him give an approving nod to say it was fine if she stayed. Once she had that permission, she readjusted her positioning beside him, Gabby sitting herself down on the bed while they began checking Tommy, the little boy leaning into her side as a source of comfort while they did all the necessary steps to ensure he was okay.

And that was where she stayed for a good half hour or so, as Gabby was afraid of what would happen if she left him, even once they'd given him the all clear that he was okay. Now the two were just waiting for a nurse to get in here to treat his burns, Dawson doing all she could to help keep him distracted from what was going on. Which, thankfully, seemed to be working.

After a few more minutes, the curtain to his room opened, Gabby looking up to find Shay standing there with a soft smile on her face. "Hey."

"Hi." Gabby responded, glancing down towards Tommy to see him still nestled into her side. Though now he was practically asleep, as he'd been fighting some exhaustion for the last ten minutes or so, and it seemed to finally be winning. "...How's his mom?"

"She's doing well." Shay answered, seeing her partner's eyes fall closed in relief before she nodded. "They got her vitals under control, and she's been stable ever since. Now they're just working on treating her burns… She's got a long road ahead, but she should be okay."

"Good, that's good… Any word on his dad?" She asked, knowing that the hospital had contacted Tommy's father a while ago, to let him know what all was going on.

"Not yet, no." She replied with a soft smile. "I guess he seemed pretty frantic on the phone, based on what some nurses were saying. So I'm sure he'll be here when he can." Her partner added on as she took a few steps inside, Dawson nodding back in agreement. "...The little guy looks comfy." She commented after a moment, Gabby matching her grin before glancing down towards Tommy.

"Yeah, he's pretty exhausted… I hope he can get some sleep." She replied, Gabby drawing in a deep breath before shifting the conversation a bit. "Have you, uh- Have you heard anything from 51?" She questioned, Shay's eyebrows furrowing slightly as her head tilted to the side. "Do you know if they got back to the house?"

"I don't, no." She replied, Dawson taking another breath before she nodded. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. That call was just a rough one, so I was wanting to know if they'd finished up at it yet." Gabby responded, earning an understanding look from Shay before she nodded, the room then falling silent around them for a moment.

And when it did, Dawson couldn't fight the urge to at least check in on Matt, the paramedic carefully reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone, her movements slow in an attempt to not wake up Tommy. Which fortunately, she hadn't, as she was able to unlock her phone without him moving once, Gabby taking another breath before she clicked on Matt's name to send him a message.

'Hey baby, just checking in. Wanted to make sure you were doing alright, and got back to the house okay. Shay and I are still at med, but hopefully we'll be leaving soon… I love you'

As soon as she got the message sent, a near frantic man hurried into the room, almost bumping Shay over on his way to the bed.

"Tommy! Oh, Tommy, are you alright?" He cried out, the loud noise pulling the young boy from his rest as he wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Not until he saw the man standing above him, tears immediately springing to his eyes before he lunged out of Gabby's hold towards him. And in that moment, Dawson quickly figured out who this man had to have been, as Tommy held onto his father as tight as he possibly could.

"Daddy!" He sobbed, while Gabby slowly pushed herself up from the bed to get out of the way, the man pulling Tommy up into his arms while clinging to him for dear life. "Daddy, I was so scared… Mommy's hurt." He cried, Gabby and Shay both sharing a look knowing that their job was now done as they were no longer needed here.

"I know, I know, but it's okay. She'll be okay." He continued to soothe his son before looking away from him for just a moment, his eyes moving back and forth between Shay and Dawson as they stood at the entrance to the room. "...Thank you." He told them, with nothing but gratitude in his voice as Gabby nodded back at him with a look on her face that said more than words ever could, before the two paramedics left the room.

"That was…" Shay breathed out as they got to the nurse's station, Gabby glancing towards her with an agreeing look on her face.

"Definitely." She said quietly, the two taking a second to gather themselves before the blonde spoke up once more.

"I'm glad he's here, though… They're gonna need him." She said, Gabby glancing back towards the room where Tommy and his father were, the man now checking over his son to see what kind of damage had been done. But after too long, it almost felt like they were intruding on a private moment, Shay glancing towards her partner before nudging her arm gently. "...You ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah, I am." She answered after a breath, Shay shooting her a soft smile before the paramedics began to walk back out towards their rig.

But as they got close to the doors, Dawson's steps slowed when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket, Gabby pulling the device out to see Matt had answered her while she continued following Shay outside.

'Hey babe, I'm alright. And yeah, we're back at the house. Hope everything's going okay at the hospital, and I'll see you soon. Love you too'

His words brought a small smile to her face, Gabby reading over them once last time before shoving her phone back into her pocket and climbing up into the rig, the air around them a bit quiet as after the day they'd had both Shay and Dawson were just ready to get back to the firehouse.

Casey sat at the head of the table in the common room while a few other first responders were scattered around him, a few firefighters eating the lunch they'd missed, even though it was now well into dinner time, while others were taking a moment to catch up on the news or read the paper, everyone just content to do their own thing while they decompressed after that call this afternoon. Surprisingly, the air wasn't too tense around them, most everyone able to leave what they saw behind and move on from it, as all the men and women in the room were holding onto the firm belief that they'd helped as many people as they could. Even if it wasn't everyone.

"Herrmann, you think we could turn the game on here in a bit?" Otis spoke up from the small table behind Christopher's seat on the couch. "The Blackhawks are playing St. Louis, it should be a good one."

"Yeah, sure thing Otis… As long as you all don't place bets on the game again." He replied without looking his way, the younger firefighter opening his mouth to protest before he quickly shut it after being on the receiving end of a knowing look from Severide.

"...Fine." He gave in, his response earning some chuckles from around the room just as the double doors from the garage opened, and their paramedics walked inside. When Matt saw them, he couldn't help the smile that formed across his face as he locked eyes with Gabby, the two sharing a look meant only for them while Dawson and Shay continued into the room.

But Herrmann's greeting for the girls wasn't nearly as sweet, the man grinning softly as he was unable to hold off the urge to tease Dawson and Casey a little bit. Especially after the rough afternoon everyone had, he figured a little joke would help to lighten the mood. "Yeah Otis, no bets on the games. At least not in the house… And if you want to bet on something, maybe we should be placing bets on when the wedding is finally gonna happen." He spoke with a sly grin, his words catching Casey's attention first, before Gabby soon caught on to what he meant a few seconds later, her steps then slowing down as she gave him a deep glare. "Oh hi, Dawson. I didn't see you there." He continued to tease, Severide and Cruz both doing what they could to hold in their laughter while Gabby reached over to swat the back of his head.

"You're so funny, Herrmann." She responded dryly, the older man holding his hands up in defense as she continued back to the table where Matt was, seeing that he himself was trying to bite back a smile as well. "What? You think it's funny too, huh?" She asked her fiancé, her words much lighter this time around as Casey laughed softly.

"I love you." He said suddenly, knowing there was no way out of the hole he'd dug himself in as Gabby shot him a playful look, before her eyes softened while a small smile formed over her lips.

"Uh huh."

"Yeah, you know I was just messing with you, kid." Herrmann chimed in, glancing back towards her and Matt with an amused look on his face.

"Herrmann brings up a good point, though." Otis interjected. "Is there an ETA on the big Dawson day?" He questioned, Casey narrowing his eyes as everyone in the room turned towards the firefighter. "...What?"

"Dawson wedding?" Matt repeated, Gabby pursing her lips together to hide her smile as Otis shrugged in response.

"Yes, Dawson wedding." He responded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "We all know Gabby's in charge here." He added on, Otis getting a few laughs from around the room at Casey's expense, the Lieutenant shaking his head as he started to turn in his chair.

"Okay, you could at least hyphenate it." Casey spoke shortly, Dawson doing all she could to stifle her own laughter as she ran her hand along the back of his head. "But to answer your question Otis, we still don't know exactly when we're getting married." He responded, earning a couple nods from their friends.

"Yeah, nailing down a date is harder than anyone ever really mentions." Gabby added on, her body weight leaning back into the table while she continued rubbing her fiancé's head. "Though we have planned a few things."

"Yeah, Dawson got her dress a few weeks ago." Shay piped up, Dawson giving her friend a soft smile before she nodded.

"Mhmm, and Matt's got his tux fitted, too…. And we did decide last week that we're gonna have our wedding in late September." She told them, Gabby sharing the news that her and Matt hadn't told anyone yet, as a few interested pairs of eyes focused on her.

"Late September, huh?"

"Yup." She replied with a smile. "After talking about it, we figured it would be the perfect time… It's not too far away, but not too soon. It won't be too cold, but it won't be unbearably hot either. And it's past summer, so we won't have to worry too much about anyone trying to take vacations." She explained, Matt nodding in agreement with a proud, yet goofy grin on his face before reaching out to rest his hand over Gabby's hip.

"It seemed like the perfect time of year for us." He quipped, their friends nodding back at them with their own smiles before Herrmann spoke up.

"That sounds great, you guys."

"Thank you, we're excited… We still have to find a place to have it, but we're taking things one step at a time." Casey continued on with a soft laugh, before glancing around the room. "So just make sure you all are free at the end of September."

"Will do, boss." Cruz spoke, Gabby chuckling softly before similar responses were heard from around the room.

"I'll keep my schedule open." Severide joked, Casey glaring playfully in the direction of his best man before returning his attention towards Gabby, while the rest of the room slowly went back to their own things as well.

"Well, at least we finally got that out of the way." He joked, Gabby scrunching her nose up slightly. "I know we said we were gonna wait until we figured out the actual date to tell them, but…"

"It's fine, babe." She responded, Gabby angling her body towards him before reaching up to brush his hair back. "And at least now they have a general idea of when we're getting married, and can stop pestering us about it."

"Thank God for that." He breathed out lightheartedly, Dawson shaking her head in amusement as Matt tightened his hold around her waist. "Although you know, once we finally have the actual date, that means we're gonna have to start sending out invitations." He reminded her, Gabby giving him a knowing look. "Maybe that should be the next thing on our list, figuring out who all we're inviting… You know, aside from everyone here." He finished with a grin, Gabby running her tongue along her bottom lip to help fight off her smile before she nodded.

"Yeah, we can do that… Maybe tomorrow night or something, we can at least get some idea of how many people we're inviting. And that should help us figure out what size place we'd need, too."

"Sounds good." He replied, giving her hip another squeeze before he shifted the subject a bit. "Oh, and I meant to ask, how did things go at the hospital?" He questioned softly. "I never heard back from you."

"Right, I'm sorry, I got your message as we were leaving, but things went fine." She responded, Casey nodding softly as she ducked her head down closer to him. "Samantha should be okay, after she heals… And Tommy is doing alright." She assured him, seeing a quick flash of relief in his eyes before he nodded. "He was scared, but he's fine. His dad got there right before we left."

"He did, but I swear Dawson was the only reason that kid stayed calm." Shay cut in from her seat beside them, Casey glancing her way for a moment before looking back towards his fiancée. "He wouldn't let Gabby leave his side, she even sat beside him while he slept."

Matt's face softened as he listened to Shay, his gaze staying locked on Gabby as she began to shake her head, before glancing back towards her partner.

"I didn't really do anything, but yeah we were able to keep him calm… At least long enough for his dad to get there."

"She's being modest." Shay pushed, Gabby shaking her head lightly before finding Casey's gaze once more, only to see nothing but complete admiration shining back at her.

"I'm glad you could be there for him." He said quietly, Dawson's smile growing a bit as she stroked her hand along the side of his head.

"Yeah, me too." She responded, just before the bells rang out above their heads as 61 and squad 3 soon found themselves being called out yet again.

Blowing out a heavy sigh, Gabby rubbed over his cheek once more before dropping her hand and getting up off the table, Casey keeping his focus on her for these last few moments he had before she'd be gone for a while.

"Be safe out there." He told her, just as he always did, his usual words earning a soft smile from her as she leaned down for a quick kiss.

"I will." She spoke against him, the two kissing once more before she pulled away and jogged out towards the garage, Gabby shifting her focus to the job while Matt stayed put in the common room where he intended to wait until she got back.

Matt and Gabby sat curled up together on the couch in their living room as the TV was droning softly in the background, Dawson's legs and feet currently laying over his lap while Matt mindlessly ran his hand up and down her shin. They had been sitting like this for a while, after spending a lazy day at home once getting off shift this morning. But now that evening had come, Gabby was ready to start figuring out their guest list as she was armored with a full glass of wine in her hand, and a notepad in her lap.

"It can't really be that many people, right?" Casey asked after a moment, as Gabby was tapping her pen against the paper, her wine glass currently resting against her cheek when she looked his way. "I mean, we hardly have any friends." He added on while rubbing his palm over her leg, Dawson chuckling softly before she leaned over to place her glass on the coffee table.

"That's… fair. We really don't." She mused, Matt grinning softly as he watched her get comfortable on the couch once more. "But that makes it even more important that we don't forget anyone." Gabby reasoned, Casey drawing in a deep breath before he nodded in agreement.

"Okay, yeah. That's a good point." He replied sheepishly, Dawson watching him with that soft look in her eyes that made him fall in love with her as she nodded back at him. "Though I still don't think it needs to be a big wedding… I know we said we wanted to do something pretty small, and I think that's the right choice. Cause all that matters to me is we get married." He reminded her, seeing her smile start to widen as his words went straight to her heart. "But you're right, we can't forget anyone or we'll never hear the end of it."

Gabby gave him an agreeing look before glancing down towards the notepad in her lap, a thought suddenly starting to dawn on her as she looked back up at her fiancé. "What if we do this?" She prefaced, Casey's eyebrows raising a bit when he met her gaze. "Why don't we both just make a list- I'll start writing names down, and you do too… Of everyone you think should be there, and then we'll go over them together. That way we can at least see where we're at."

"Sounds good to me." He agreed, Gabby giving him a soft smile before she glanced down towards the paper and began writing.

Over the next half hour or so, they sat in almost complete silence while writing down their respective guest lists, the two focusing as hard as they could as they wanted to make sure they didn't miss anyone, while also making sure the people on this list were important enough to them that they'd want them there.

And truthfully, the longer they spent on their lists the easier it became for them to truly decide who all they wanted there, as by the time almost an hour had passed, they felt sure in their choices for who they chose to invite.

"You done?" Gabby asked as she placed her pen down on the end table behind her, Matt giving her a nod while his free hand absentmindedly stroked over the inside of her knee.

"I am. You?"

"Mhmm." He hummed, earning a soft smile from his girl before she held her notepad out towards him, Matt soon copying her movements as they traded off lists and began to look over each other's.

And to no one's surprise, as Gabby read through his she was finding that their guest lists were nearly identical. There may have been a few differences here and there, but for the most part it was exactly the same, that thought making her smile a bit before she spared a quick glance to her fiancé.

But once she'd stopped admiring him and looked back down at the paper, after a few more minutes of reading over all the names he'd written down there was one omission she couldn't help but notice. And that was the name of his sister.

It wasn't a shock to her, as from what little Matt had told her about him and his sister's relationship, it wasn't great. In fact she wasn't even sure the last time they'd spoken to one another, so the fact that her name wasn't written down with his mom's wasn't the most surprising thing in the world. But still, she couldn't help but wonder if he'd be open to the idea of inviting her. Or if he even wanted her there at all.

She'd thought about it a few times since their engagement, but she never knew when to bring it up, or if she even should bring it up. But as they were starting to seriously sit down and plan their wedding, it felt like now was as good of a time as any to ask him about it, as this list gave her the opening she'd been looking for.

"Hey babe?" She asked after a prolonged quiet, Casey humming in response before he looked up. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." He answered her with a soft smile, though it began to falter a bit when he started to pick up on some of the hesitation she was feeling. "What is it?"

"I, uh… I know you probably don't want to do this, or maybe you haven't even thought about it, but do you… Would you like to invite your sister?"

Casey's back tightened the second those words left her lips, her question catching him off guard as he hadn't necessarily expected that from her. And by the look on his face, he was sure Gabby realized that as well.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up, I know it's not the easiest thing for you, but I just wanted to mention it because… This is our wedding, and everyone you want there should be there. So I thought I should at least ask." She breathed out, Casey taking a second to gather his bearings before he slowly nodded in understanding. "Do you want to invite her?"

"I… I don't know." He answered after a long pause, Gabby offering him an understanding look before she nodded. "To be honest I have thought about it, a few times since I decided to propose. That it would be nice to have all my family there. But everything with Christie and I, that's all just been… We haven't spoken in so long, I wouldn't even know how to go about asking her." He admitted, earning a sad smile from Gabby. "Though to answer your question, yeah… I think I would like her to come. But I know she won't."

A slight frown began to set in over her features, Gabby shaking her head slightly before reaching out to rest her hand against his shoulder.

"She'd never come, she wouldn't even pick up the phone when I called. She wants nothing to do with me, and especially not my mom… And if mom's there, she wouldn't even think of showing up." He told her, his eyes focused down on his lap as Gabby slid closer to him. "She'd make me choose, and I want my mom there. So I think it's best to just leave it." He finished with a somewhat unsteady breath, Gabby watching him with regretful eyes before she nodded.

"Okay." She murmured, her hand sliding down to rub over the front of his chest as he looked back towards her. "I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"It's fine, babe. Really. I had already been thinking about it too, you didn't do anything wrong." He assured her, as a small smile appeared over his lips. "I know you're just thinking of me, and I appreciate you asking, but I can't see her ever agreeing to come, so I don't think it's worth inviting her." He added, Gabby giving him yet another nod before she leaned forward to wrap her arms around him.

She was practically in his lap by this point, but neither of them cared as they melted into one another's embrace, Casey breathing her in as she tightened her grip on his side.

"I love you." She murmured, feeling him smile against her neck as she pressed a kiss over his shoulder. "And no matter who's there, you and I are going to have the best wedding ever."

"Yeah, we are." He agreed, before placing a soft kiss against her skin, the two staying in this position for a few moments longer as Gabby wanted to give him all the comfort she could.

"And I love you, too."