A\N: I'm so sorry it has taken me a little longer to write and post this chapter. Life has been pretty bust for me lately, I have a little,more time in the next couple of weeks to write. I'm hoping to start writing the next chapter soon.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Spoilers: None

Warnings: None

Chapter 5

When Gabby dropped Tommy and Sophia off at Antonio and Laura's house it was late in the afternoon. It was still quite warm out, so Eva and Diego were still playing outside. Tommy raced up to Diego and the two started playing ball hockey. Sophia toddled towards Eva who was becoming one of her favourite people. Eva happily took her baby cousin's hand and helped her walk into the backyard. Gabby followed Eva smiling as her eight-year-old niece played house with Sophia in the backyard play kitchen.

"Antonio's playing ball hockey with the boys," Gabby told Laura as she sat down beside her sister-in-law on the deck, "Thanks again for watching them overnight. I appreciate it."

"It's not a problem. We love having them, Diego plays with Tommy and doesn't bug Eva and Eva loves playing with Sophia." Laura reminded her, "Are you going to tell me more about this dinner with Matt?"

"It's not a big deal," Gabby attempted to sound convincing. The truth was she was more nervous about the diner than she wanted to be. She kept telling herself that she and Matt needed to be friends, but somehow the message wasn't working. She found herself worrying about things like what to wear and what she could cook for dinner.

"Gabby," Laura gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "He'd want you to be happy, and for what it's worth I think Matt is a great guy."

"I never let him talk about what would happen if-"Gabby didn't finish, "But one night he told me if something did happen he would understand if I moved on. It's all too soon though, it's just been a year."

"Gabby, I've known you since you were twelve years old. I've seen you at your happiest and your lowest. These past few months when Matt's been around you've started to brighten up again. Your smile has come back, you're happy and you deserve to be happy, You and the kids deserve to be happy."

"I still love Michael Laura. I'm not ready to move on. How can I do that?"

Laura looked at her with sympathy, "I don't know but I think maybe it starts with telling Matt more about him. You said he asked you to tell him more. He understands how hard this is for you."

Gabby shook her head, "You know I haven't been able to talk about Michael a lot, not even when his parents visit."

"Maybe now is the time to start," Laura told her.

"Maybe," Gabby stood up, "I should go and start getting ready for dinner tonight." She walked over to where Sophia was still happily playing with Eva. Gabby noticed Sophia was attempting to copy everything her older cousin did. "Sophia, Mommy needs to go now. I'll see you tomorrow."

Gabby said goodbye to Sophia and Tommy before driving back to her apartment. She couldn't figure out what to wear and she found herself going through almost her entire wardrobe. Finally, she settled on a light red summer dress. Checking her make-up again she began to go into the kitchen to cook. She had decided to cook a traditional Dominican dish that Matt had joked he couldn't even pronounce. She remembers that making her laugh as she also promised to teach him a little Spanish. Her father was from the Dominican Republic and her mother was from Puerto Rico so she was almost fluent in Spanish.

Matt had stopped by Laura's new bakery the previous day to pick up a snack but mostly to ask for her advice. He wanted to impress Gabby; he also didn't want her to feel any pressure from him about starting a relationship. Laura was able to suggest flowers for him to bring. After Gabby buzzed him into her apartment Matt took the elevator up to her floor. He knocked on the door and found himself straightening out his outfit a little.

When Gabby answered the door with a smile Matt found himself almost out of words. He had also thought she was beautiful but seeing her a little more dressed up she was simply gorgeous, "You look… beautiful. These are for you," Matt tried to remind himself how to talk as he stumbled out the words and handed her the flowers.

"Thank you," Gabby smiled as she took the flowers, her hanks lingering a top of him a few seconds longer than necessary, "Dinner is almost ready. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. The apartment is probably a little different than what you're used to. I know I always find it strange when Tommy and Sofia aren't here."

"Yeah," Matt nodded his head, "It's quieter." He looked around the apartment as he tried to think of something to say. The idea of talking to her seemed so much harder now that they were alone. He reminded himself they had been alone at the house he was helping her re-modelling though. This seemed so different though as they didn't have anything to do. He had to stop himself from fidgeting as he followed Gabby back into the kitchen.

"Is this Michael?" Matt asked as calmly as he could as he saw a family picture on the fridge. He gently picked it up and took a closer look at it. He could see that Tommy certainly looked more like his father.

"Yeah," Gabby nodded, "I had pictures put away for a while but I'm starting to look at them again. "We were very happy together."

"You look happy," Matt told her, "Again I'm sorry that happened,"

"Me too," Gabby turned the stove off, "He grew up in California, and his parents still live there. They're coming to visit in August. The last time I saw them was just after the funeral, it didn't go so well. They wanted us to move to San Francisco with them. I said I couldn't move away from my family, not when I needed them the most. Michael was an only child and I think they're afraid of not getting to see Tommy and Sophia."

"Family can be complicated sometimes," Matt nodded in agreement, "My sister and I don't talk much, and I barely see my mother."

"I'm sorry," Out of comfort Gabby gently squeezed Matt's hand, they looked at each other and Gabby felt a great emotional connection.

"What can I do to help? Matt asked, "I know you like your kitchen a certain way so I don't need to help but I'd like to."

Gabby laughed, "You can set the table if you want."

"That I can do," Matt walked over to the cupboards, he'd spent enough time at her apartment to know where most of the things were. He got out two plates and glasses and sat them on the table. When dinner was ready, they sat down at the small table. For a while talking was easy, they talked about what needed to be done to fix up Gabby's house and the kids. Gabby asked Matt about his work and told him about how things at the hospital were going.

When dinner was almost over and the conversation seemed to be stalling Matt spoke about something he hoped would be alright, "You mentioned Michael was Antonio's friend first? I'm sure he wasn't too happy about the two of you dating and getting married?"

Gabby sighed and offered Matt a sad smile, "Antonio wasn't impressed at first and he always made sure to overly groan whenever we kissed," She laughed at the memory "By the time we got married he had realized how much Michael loved me. When he found out about the shooting he got to the hospital as fast as he could. I wouldn't have been able to get through those first few days and weeks without Antonio, Laura, and my parents. Sometimes I see something I know he'd like, and I remind myself to tell him…" Gabby trailed off as she started to cry, "I'm sorry."

"No," Matt shook his head, "You don't need to be. I can't imagine how hard it is to talk about," He patted her hand for comfort and then offered a hand to help her up, "How about I rinse off the dishes and place them in the sink? That way I can help you, but you can load the dishwasher later when you're feeling better."

Gabby appreciated how much Matt understood and respected her need for the kitchen to be her space. One of the things she and Michael fought about most was the fact that she had the kitchen organized the way she liked it. On most other things she was willing to compromise but not that. She was grateful Matt understood.

"If you want, we can do the dishes together," She suggested, "That way maybe you can see how I load the dishwasher." She suggested.

"Are you sure? I know you don't even like your Mom helping you out."

"My mother often takes over," Gabby informed him as she helped him carry dishes to the sink, "Kind of like I can do, we don't work together well in the kitchen. Laura tends to have to be the peace officer.

"You seem to have a lot of great cooks in your family. Sometimes I think Sophia already knows more than I do."

"When I left Antonio and Laura's house Eva was trying to teach Sophia all the different types of cupcakes she has in her play bakery. She loves everything Eva does so she may need her own play kitchen by Christmas and her birthday.

When the dishes where finished Matt took a quick look at his phone and realized it was later than he thought. He would have preferred to stay longer but he had to go to work early the next morning. "I'm so sorry but I'm going to need to head out," Matt told her.

"Right, you're on shift tomorrow," Gabby remembered, "Thank you for coming over for dinner, be safe tomorrow," She added, she couldn't stand the idea of him getting injured on the job.

"I will," Matt told her, he leaned in to hug her. Before he had time to think it through, he gently kissed her cheek. He was about to apologize but he saw a faint smile on her lips and decided to leave it alone, "See you later," Mat said as he left her apartment and closed the door.

Smiling and blushing Gabby touched her cheek where he had kissed her. So many conflicting feelings and emotions were building up inside her she finally admitted herself she did have a crush on Matt, and it was only getting stronger. As her mind shifted to Michael and how she still loved him she became upset and angry at herself. She walked to the coach hoping some TV would distract her.

TBC

A\N: If you have a chance please review and let me know what you thought about the chapter.