A/N: This is it! The final chapter! I have truly been overwhelmed by the support for this story! Thank you so much to everyone who's been reading and especially to those of you who left comments and reviews! Every comment and review meant the world to me! A special thank you to katertots for all her help! You've been a life saver, my friend! Thank you for even pushing me toward this ship to begin with!

Anyway, happy reading! Enjoy the conclusion!

angellwings

PS - it's late and once again I didn't do a final proofread! Sorry!

Part 7: Looking For You

"Love is looking for you.

I've been looking for you.

Baby, I've been looking,

I've been looking for you."

-"Love Is Looking For You" by Miranda Lambert

On the car ride over, her anger fades. It's replaced with humiliation and grief. Tears have been gathering in her lashes, just waiting for her to blink and let them fall. She blows through the front door, hurries passed Cruz and Chloe as they make breakfast and then slams her bedroom door behind her.

She doesn't hear her friends greet her good morning or ask her if she's okay. All she knows is she needs to be alone. She locks the door, presses her back against it, and then sinks down into the carpet.

She's so fucking stupid. Why didn't she see this coming? What signs did she miss? Finally, she blinks and the tears she's been withholding immediately fall. She pulls her knees to her chest, resting her head against them, and cries long and hard.

Casual? What the hell? He couldn't have mentioned that last night? Why all the hemming and hawing if all he wanted was a fuck buddy? Yes, she was stealing from Stella's vocabulary because that's what he described to her. Why all the build up to ask her out if he never wanted—

Oh, she wants to punch something. She's equally as pissed as she is devastated.

Her phone rings from her coat pocket. She glances at it briefly and scoffs at Matt's name. What is the point of him calling her? What's left to say?

She tosses the phone onto her bed so she can't see it from her spot on the floor and shifts from sitting to lying on her stomach. She sniffles and rests her head on her arms. Is it possible to forget the last twenty four hours ever happened?

There's a hesitant knock on her door and she sighs. She must have made quite the scene as she ran through the apartment.

"Sylvie?" Joe asks through the door. "Everything okay?"

"Fine," she lies. "Just tired."

"Okay," he replies. She can tell he doesn't believe her. "You hungry? I'm about to make some eggs."

All that does is remind her of the cozy breakfast she shared with Matt before it all went to hell. She furiously wipes away a tear before answering her roommate.

"No thanks. I already ate."

"Right, well...let me know if you need anything."

"Will do."

Joe sighs in frustration and then his footsteps retreat back toward the kitchen. She lets out a relieved breath and then crawls onto her bed. She hides her phone in her nightstand drawer and then burrows under the covers.

She has 24 hours before she has to face Matt again. She plans to hide for every single one of them.

Several hours later, she's forced to realize that plan won't work. Forced because someone is banging on her bedroom door.

"Open up, partner!"

Foster? Sylvie asks herself with a slow sleepy blink. Where did she come from? Sylvie groans and rolls over. Maybe if she ignores her then she'll go away.

"Open the door or I'll have Joe break it down with his Slamigan. You know he's always looking for a reason to do a demonstration."

"She's not kidding. I'll do it," Joe chimes in. "It'll piss the landlord off and we'll probably get a fine, but if that's the only way…"

She rolls her eyes and huffs irritably. Her legs kick at the blankets until they're free allowing her to stomp across the room and yank open her door.

"What?" She snaps.

Emily's eyebrows rise as she takes her in. "You look like a grumpy racoon. Did you sleep in your make up? And where's your hairbrush, girl? Have you used it?"

"Do I appear to be in the mood for criticism?" Sylvie asks her with a dry look.

"No, definitely not. I see that now," Foster replies with a wince.

"What happened?" Joe asks. "You were gone all night with Casey and then suddenly you show back up—"

"Hold on," Foster says, cutting Joe off with a wave of her hand. She beams excitedly at Sylvie. "You were gone all night with Casey? And this is how I'm finding out about it? You should have texted me as soon as you left!"

"Don't get your hopes up," Sylvie tells her. "That's already over."

"The hell it is," Foster quips back with a determined glare. "I haven't been pushing you two together every chance I get for it to end after one date. What happened? Talk to us."

Joe's eyes narrow dangerously. "What did he do?"

"He didn't do anything," she answers truthfully. She steps through the door and heads for the couch, resigning herself to this conversation. "We just want different things. That's all."

"Like what?" Emily asks in confusion. "You and the Captain seem to be pretty well matched. I can't imagine—"

"Casual," she blurts out. "He said he wants casual."

Chloe moves over from the kitchen as Joe and Foster react at once.

"Seriously?" Cruz asks in outrage while Emily laughs maniacally.

"I call bullshit," Emily says through her laughter. "Matt Casey and casual are two words that do not go together. Especially, when in reference to Sylvie Brett."

"Why didn't he just tell you that from the jump?" Cruz asks loudly. "Especially after the chat I had with him last night. I cannot believe him."

"Frankly, you shouldn't," Chloe adds. "I don't know the Captain that well but I'm with Foster. He's not the casual type."

"Then why would he say it?" Sylvie asks them. "No, I have to take him at his word. Besides, getting him to tell me what he wants shouldn't feel like pulling teeth. I'm not going to argue the idea with him anymore. I mean maybe...maybe he's still holding on to Gabby. There's no way I can compete with a memory."

"Have you considered that maybe his heads just all fucked up?" Foster asks her as she pulls Sylvie down to sit on the couch with her. "I mean his marriage fell apart pretty quickly from what I understand and there wasn't really any one thing to blame. That's gotta be a terrifying concept. You know? He worked his ass off and it still fell apart in the end. Who's to say it won't happen again? And worse, what if he thinks that he's the problem? I don't know. I just think maybe there's more to it than even he knows."

"Has he tried to call you?" Chloe asks.

She bites her bottom lip as she mulls over Emily's words. "Um, yeah, but I ignored it."

"Just the one time?"

"I don't know. I put the phone away in my nightstand. I didn't want to look at it," she replies.

Chloe walks away toward Sylvie's room, giving Joe a warning look when he tries to stop her.

"Just forget him, Sylvie. He should have been upfront with you from the beginning and I'm not sure how him possibly not knowing what he wants makes any of this better," Joe advises through a tense jaw. "Didn't you go through something messy like this with Antonio already?"

"Not exactly like this, no. That was messy in a totally different way, but you're right. Him not knowing what he wants doesn't make any of this better," she admits with a furrowed brow. "I thought I knew what this was with him and now...now I'm just completely confused."

"You need to see this," Chloe announces as she comes back into the room. She hands Sylvie her phone with a small hopeful smile. "He's called you three times in three hours and texted you twice."

She feels tears pricking her eyes again as she reads his texts.

"I'm sorry. I fucked up. Can we talk?"

Followed by another text half an hour later.

"Please, just let me explain."

He had a chance to explain this morning and she didn't like his explanation. Does she really want to hear it all over again? Then again, if she's honest with herself, she didn't give him much room to talk. She also made more than a few hurtful assumptions. Although, that doesn't mean her assumptions can't be true. Would it make anything better if he directly confirms everything she's afraid of?

"What do I do?" She quietly asks her friends. "I mean what's left to say and how can I trust it? Then again, I'm worried I wasn't very fair to him. I might have overreacted."

"Might?" Foster asks with bemused grin.

"Fine, I definitely wasn't as open to an honest discussion as I should have been," Sylvie admits in embarrassment before her anger resurfaces. "But casual? I mean I wasn't expecting labels or forever but pursuing anything with him is high stakes! We work together and we're friends. I wouldn't have risked ruining that for casual. And now I don't know what to do."

"What do you want to do?" Foster asks.

She breathes through frustrated tears and blows out a loud breath. "I don't—I don't know."

There's a knock at the door and Cruz leaves them to answer it.

"Maybe I can help," Chloe says as she sits down on the other side of Sylvie. She takes her hands and meets her eyes with an encouraging smile. "Do you remember when you took me out to lunch while I was in my head about Joe?"

Sylvie nods as she tries to figure out where this is going.

"We talked about that snapchat filter?" When Sylvie nods again, Chloe continues. "Well, when you look at Casey what do you see? Does he make you see floating hearts? You're the one who reminded me that not everyone finds that. If you've found it then...give him a chance. What can it hurt to hear him out?"

She's still contemplating that when Cruz appears with a huge arrangement of flowers. Violets, orchids, and purple hydrangeas. He gives Sylvie a flat look and huffs tiredly.

"They're for you," he tells her. "There's a card."

He sets the flowers down on the coffee table and then hands her the small card.

The flowers are gorgeous and she immediate knows they're from Matt. Her fingers stall over the envelope opening. Chloe's words had already softened her heart and she knows what's on the card will finish her off. She could avoid it — tuck it away and pretend she never saw it.

But that feels unfair to Casey. Especially after walking out on him earlier.

She swallows thickly and opens the card.

"Texts and phone calls aren't good enough. I fucked up, Sylvie. I'm very aware of that. Please, can we meet? I owe you an apology and an explanation. —Matt."

Her chest rises and falls rapidly as she continues to hold tears at bay. His words seem sincere. The flowers are exactly what she would have chosen for herself. Despite her inner turmoil they make her want to smile. But what does that mean? What could have changed for him between this morning and now?

Emily scoffs as she reads over Sylvie's shoulder. "Yeah, huge ass bouquets of flowers delivered on a rush with a handwritten note are not a trademark of the casual relationship. Trust me. I'm the queen of casual."

Sylvie turns to look at Foster with conflicted tears still lingering in her eyes.

Emily gives her a warm smile and rubs her back in a gesture of assurance. "Talk to him. I have a feeling it'll be worth your while."

She hopes Emily is right, but even if it isn't she said a few things to him that she's beginning to regret. Maybe they were true, maybe they weren't. Regardless, she could have handled herself differently.

Matt isn't the only person who needs to apologize.

But first, she wants to hear his explanation. She feels like he duped her, and maybe it's horrible of her, but she wants an explanation for that before she apologizes for anything.

"Okay. Let's talk. When?"

Relief washes over him the minute his eyes scan the words. He's not in the clear yet but it's a step in the right direction.

"Now? Is that okay?"

He holds his breath and watches the undulating dots at the bottom of the screen until a message appears.

"Yes. Where?"

"You tell me. I'll go wherever's best for you."

There's another heartstopping pause and for a moment he thinks she's changed her mind.

"My place is best for me. Can you come over?"

He grabs his wallet and his keys off the counter, pockets them, and replies as he walks out the door.

"On my way."

He passes Cruz, Chloe, and Foster on the sidewalk as he pulls up. Cruz glares at his truck while he parks. Matt fully expects a confrontation but Chloe manages to pull him away, further down the block. Foster gives him a quick wave and a brief stern glare. He gets the message. Tread carefully or suffer the consequences.

He can hardly blame her for being protective. He was a dumbass this morning who took out his own issues on Brett. She didn't deserve that. He did everything wrong.

He's the one who let Sylvie think she means less to him than she does. He should have taken the time he needed to think through his emotions before answering her question about where they might be going. He should know by this point in his life that knee jerk reactions rarely serve him well. When will he learn that and let it stick?

He takes a deep fortifying breath as he knocks on Sylvie's door. He knows this won't be easy and it's going to involve letting his well honed defenses drop. He needs to let Sylvie in on the mess in his head. She needs to know about the fear that's holding him back.

The door opens and Sylvie stands in front of him, but she doesn't motion him inside. The damp hair falling across her shoulders forces him to notice she's cleaned up since he saw her last. The green dress is gone in favor of leggings and a well worn sweatshirt. If possible, she looks more tempting than she did last night.

She crosses her arms over her chest, hugging herself protectively.

He clears his throat to get him through the wave of longing and looks away from her to collect himself.

"Hi," he greets as he dares to look up at her again.

She chews the inside of her bottom lip and nods. "Hey. You, um—you wanted to talk?"

"Here?" He asks as he glances around the public hallway.

"Good a place as any, I think," she quips. "What is it you wanted to say?"

"I'm sorry," he declares. That's probably the best way to start. "I lied to you this morning. I...lied to myself too, actually. I wasn't expecting the question and what came out was the chickenshit answer."

"Chickenshit?" She asks. "Meaning what exactly?"

He takes another deep breath and decides to just let the truth fly. If that doesn't save him then nothing will.

"This," he says as he motions between them. "Terrifies me. It's good, Sylvie. But it's gotta be too good. Too good for me not to wreck it, you know?" He pointedly looks away from her and focuses on her bare feet and painted toe nails. Anything but her face. "And I can't watch another good thing fall apart. I don't think I'd survive that. I mean, I tell myself Gabby and I were both at fault in how things played out but what if—shit, what if I'm wrong and it was all me? I can't do that to you."

He still refuses to meet her eyes but he watches her shift her weight as she uncrosses her arms. He thinks she might reply but after another moment of silence he figures he was wrong and keeps barrelling through the things weighing on his mind.

"So, this morning I thought if we avoided all the complications then maybe...maybe you and me would stay good. I thought I could avoid running it into the ground if we just never really tried. That's no excuse and it's lame as hell but...I didn't see you coming, Sylvie, and you spin me all around. I don't know. I'm—I'm a mess. My head is a big damn mess," he finishes with thick swallow and a sigh. "I'm sorry."

She leans against the doorframe and he looks up just enough to see her fingers idly playing with the frayed bottom hem of her sweatshirt.

"So, what is it that you want then, Casey?" She asks.

He reads nothing in her tone. It doesn't do anything to encourage him.

He smiles softly to himself as he finally looks up and meets her eyes. "I want to say to hell with all of the shit I'm afraid of and do it anyway. I—I want to be with you. Not casually. Not while seeing other people. Just you. I don't want to sit around and wonder what we could have been. I want to let it play out. You make me happier than I've been in a long time. I'd be an idiot to let that go without a fight."

There. That's it. That's the honest to god truth. It's humiliating and depressing and she probably won't buy it for a second but at least he can walk away knowing he gave it everything he had.

He feels her eyes on him for a lingering tension filled minute. When that minute ends, she steps back and pushes the door open wider.

"You should come in," she tells him with a blank expression.

He's not sure what's happening but inviting him in has to be a good sign. Otherwise, wouldn't she just slam the door in his face?

Once the door is closed behind him, she slaps his shoulder. Hard. He brings a hand up to the sore spot and stares at her in surprise.

"Why didn't you just tell me that this morning?" She asks in an outraged voice. "Instead of blurting out the first answer that came to mind, you could have just said that."

"What?" He asks. He doesn't mean to sound confused but...that's exactly what he is.

"Did you think I wouldn't understand that? Or that I don't somehow feel like the grim reaper of romance?" She asks as her mouth ticks up in a dark grin. "Casey, I've ended two engagements in five years. Not to mention how things crashed and burned with Antonio. If anyone gets it, it's me."

He stares at her as her words sink in. He'd never thought about that before or considered that she might have similar struggles. He should have but—

Somehow it never occurred to him.

"I should have spilled my guts this morning. You're right," he tells her. "Honesty, probably would have worked out better."

She chuckles dryly and for the first time he notices the tearful shine to her eyes. "You think? Just because you feel alone doesn't mean you are, Matt. I know this kinda happened fast but...it doesn't change the fact that you can talk to me. You can always talk to me."

He nods and takes a step closer to her, risking breaking into her personal space. His eyes bore into hers and he knows his nerves are easily visible through them. "You can talk to me too, you know," he assures her.

"I know," she replies, almost as softly as a whisper. "And I should have this morning, instead of running away. Oh god, and some of the things I said to you! Matt, really, I'm so sorry. I was angry and hurt. I just felt totally blindsided by your answer. I had a lot of ideas on what you might say and that—that wasn't one of them. I wish I would have kept my head and stuck around. We might have had this talk sooner if I had."

"Sylvie," he tells her with a shake of his head. "I don't blame you for being upset. All the build up to that conversation had obviously been leading somewhere that wasn't casual. Had the roles been reversed—well, I don't know that I would have handled it any better."

Silence surrounds them. It's full of hopeful yet anxious tension. He's waiting for her. He bared his soul earlier and confessed everything he wanted, but she's yet to reciprocate. That fact worries him. He clears his throat and decides to address it directly. He needs to know.

"What about you?" He asks, hesitantly. Yes, he needs to know, but he's not sure her answer will be the one he wants. "What do you want, Sylvie Brett?"

A smile slowly curves across her lips and a flush spreads over her cheeks. "You, Matt. I want you. Yes, okay, this morning was awful but I'd have to be heartless not to sympathize with how scary all of this can be. And aside from that, you came to me and apologized. You know what you want now, and as long as you know that, then I'm not afraid to keep trying with you. So," she says, pausing to take in a deep breath. "I want you. Just you. No one else."

"No one else, huh?" He asks with a pleased grin. "No more online dating or painfully awkward blind dates? Or trying to set me up with anyone you know?"

"I have hated online dating this entire time and that blind date turned out to be not so bad — thank you very much. And no definitely no more setting you up with anyone I know," she retorts with a playful eyeroll. "Happy?"

"Extremely," he replies as his hand finds the back of her neck. "You?"

She shrugs and feigns a halfhearted response, but he can see her relief and joy reflecting in her eyes. "Eh. I guess you'll do."

He laughs and then uses his hand on her neck to swiftly pull her lips to his. She's laughing with him as their mouths meet for a quick succession of open mouthed kisses, but she's definitely not laughing by the time they finish. Her arms have gone around him, idly sliding up and down the plains of his back through his t-shirt. When she instinctively presses herself closer to him, the feeling of her chest against his is all he can think about.

She pushes away from him with a giddy grin and laces her fingers through his, pulling him toward her bedroom.

"Did you bring anything?" She asks him.

He knows exactly what she's talking about. There's no need to clarify. He smirks and nods, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. "I've got it covered." He pauses and then chuckles at himself. "Literally."

She stops walking as they reach her bedroom door which causes him to bump into her back. She turns with a dry glance and genuinely amused smile. "Really, Matt?"

"It was right there," he says with a shrug and a smile. "I had to pick it up."

She releases a short laugh and shakes her head at him. "God, you're a dork."

"Yet you seem to like me anyway," he reminds her.

Her good humored face turns heartfelt. She wraps her arms around his middle and then nods. "Yes, I do. I really do."

"I really like you too," he responds with an easy smile.

Her hands drift around the front of him and down his abdomen until her fingers can curl around his belt loops.

She pulls him forward and then gestures toward her bedroom door with a nod. "Then what are you waiting for? Prove it to me, Captain Casey."

"You know, you can't just use my rank any time you want to get me hot and bothered," he tells her with a teasing grin. Although, she can. He knows she can because his blood is practically boiling in his veins as they speak.

"That's what you want me to believe, but I know better," she tells him as she walks backwards and uses her hold on his belt loops to drag her with him. "Captain."

He bites back a groan and then glares halfheartedly at her. "Not gonna work."

She feigns a careless shrug and releases his belt loops, but she can't suppress her grin. That grin totally contradicts her deadpan tone. "Oh, well, it was fun while it lasted. Here, let me walk you to the door."

He lunges for her as she tries to sidle past him and manages to grab her around the waist. "I'm not going anywhere."

When she nearly squirms out of his hold, he lifts her and tosses her over his shoulder as easily as if he were carrying a hose up a flight of stairs. Her laugh sounds more like a shriek of surprise and he lets himself memorize it. It sounded too rewarding to forget.

She lightly swats at his back while still laughing. "Jerk! Put me down."

"If you insist," he says as he walks them the rest of the way to her bedroom and tosses her onto her neatly made bed.

There's more shrill laughter as the bed bounces underneath her before she reaches up and grabs fistfuls of his shirt. A split second later she's using that shirt to yank him down and pull him onto the bed with her.

It doesn't take long for roughhousing to lead to heated kisses. The kisses lead to wandering hands and, before he really registers what's happening, his shirt and hers are on the floor. Sylvie keeps escalating things before his brain manages to catch up, but finally, when there's no more layers of clothing between them, the ability to be in the present with her returns.

"Tell me again how addressing you by your rank won't get you into bed, Matt," Sylvie says with a wide gleeful grin while she straddles him. "I could use a good laugh."

His hands grip her hips and squeeze. "You calling my by rank is not how we end up here. You grabbed my shirt and mauled me like an animal. That's how we got here."

"You really don't like to lose, do you?" She asks with a good humored scoff. "You'll even go so far as to lie to make it happen."

He laughs against her lips as she kisses him again. Joy and relief fill them both and what follows is a lot of passion and genuine fun. The pressure and awkwardness of the first couple of times is gone. They know more about each other than they did just a night before.

Later, when they're satisfied, exhausted, and tangled in her sheets, they realize neither of them have eaten anything since breakfast. Hours ago.

"You should stay," Sylvie offers as she tucks herself into his side. "We can order take out. Watch a movie or maybe just pretend to watch a movie and fool around. Whatever you want."

"Take out and option two," he answers with a smirk. "Definitely option two."

That's exactly what they do, on and off, for the rest of the night.

Fighting with Sylvie may have been gut wrenching, but making up with Sylvie? That was exhilarating. When she's happy, truly happy, it overflows into every part of her and everything she does. Witnessing that brightness up close and personal is more than enough motivation for him to work a little harder at making her happy from here on out.

When their alarms go off in the morning, they're both still comfortably cuddled together. Based on two nights of sleeping next to her, he can already tell spooning is not Sylvie's way. She prefers to use him as a pillow — not that he minds. Her face is buried in his neck, she has one arm slung across his chest, the other is partially cushioning her head (in between his pillow and hers), and her legs are intertwined with his. She's a bit like an octopus with all her limbs firmly attached to some part of him. It should be uncomfortable, but surprisingly it isn't. This actually feels a lot more natural to him than spooning. He avoids choking on hair, for starters, and neither of his arms appear to be numb from lack of circulation.

Plus, waking up with Sylvie wrapped around him leaves a warm fondness floating in his chest that's been a much too rare occurrence in his life lately.

And now he has a chance to feel like this more often. No more hesitating over the two of them. He's completely in this and plans to pursue their potential to its fullest extent. Sure, he has no idea what that will ultimately look like, but it's a risk worth taking. He knows better than anyone that happiness like he's feeling now doesn't come around every day. He needs to stop being so afraid of losing it that he lets it slip through his fingers.

From now on, he's seizing every bit of brightness he can find. Starting with Sylvie Brett.

He reaches for his alarm and turns it off just as Sylvie wines and snuggles deeper into him.

"It can't be time to get up already."

"Afraid so," he replies with a groggy chuckle. "Shift starts in just over an hour."

Her alarm is still blaring so she reluctantly rolls away from him to stop it.

"Fine," she says with a resigned sigh. "I guess a shower would be nice."

He sits up and presses a quick kiss to the top of her head. "You go first. I'll see what I can do about breakfast."

"You are a very attractive and intelligent man," she says with a playful smirk as she watches him pull on his boxers and t-shirt. "Anyone ever tell you that?"

"Are you just saying that because I'm letting you use the hot water first and making you breakfast?" He asks, knowingly.

"No," she says with exaggerated defiance, though the mirthful twinkle in her eyes says otherwise. "And I'm offended by the very suggestion."

"Right," he replies with a dry smirk. "Well in that case I apologize."

She swipes her sweatshirt off the floor and slips it over her head. It's long but still only just covers her ass. It's not a bad view at all. His gaze follows her as she crosses the room, kisses his cheek, and then saunters off to the bathroom.

Getting used to this side of Sylvie is going to be fun. He can already tell.

He makes his way to the kitchen and starts breakfast. Eggs and bacon. In the middle of frying the bacon, Cruz walks through the front door.

His eyes narrow on Matt and he shakes his head with a scoff. Addressing what happened right now is probably the best course of action. The last thing any of them need is for conflict to follow them to the firehouse.

"Cruz," Matt says with a nod of acknowledgement in his direction. "Can we talk?"

"We already did," Joe replies with a bored expression. "A couple of nights ago. And you ignored everything I said to you. I don't know what's going on with you and Sylvie now, and I don't care. Just don't jerk her around anymore. You got that?"

Matt sighs and nods. "Got it." There's a beat before he risks saying anything else. "I know it doesn't seem like it now, but I did listen to you. You're right. She doesn't deserve second best and I'm going to make sure she knows that from here on out. You have my word."

Joe quirks a brow at him with a stiff nod. "I'd better."

"Joe," Sylvie says brightly at she comes out of her room in her uniform, but with her hair in a towel. "You're back!"

"Yeah, just need to grab my bag and then I'll be out of your hair," he tells her with a forced smile.

"What's the rush?" Matt asks, still trying to soothe the tension. "Stay for breakfast."

"Oh, yes! You absolutely should!" Sylvie declares before turning away from Joe to address Matt. "I'll take over from here. Shower's free."

Matt nods as Sylvie takes his place at the stove. "Thanks."

He glances down at his phone as he starts to leave and sees a notification from the dating app on his lockscreen. A thought occurs to him and he stops mid stride to share it with Sylvie, and by default Cruz.

"You know what we should do?" He asks her.

She flips the bacon and then settles a curious expectant look on him. "What?"

"Deactivate our profiles," he says as he holds up his phone. "I don't need mine anymore." He pauses and takes in a nervous breath before continuing. "Do you?"

She smiles softly. He can tell that his idea touched her by the warmth in her stare. The nervous breath releases.

"No, I don't. Let's do it."

She pulls out her phone and, side by side, they navigate through the app until they find the option to deactivate. A few screens later, they both hit the final cancel button at the same time.

They share a lingering glance and he notices her eyes drift to his lips before she clears her throat and looks away from him.

"You should go get ready before I start something we don't have time to finish," she tells him as she reaches out and lightly shoves him toward her room. "Go."

He laughs and nods. "But save whatever idea you just had for later, when we do have time."

"Noted and filed," Sylvie calls out as he turns to leave.

He smiles to himself while he walks toward the bathroom, and he decides mornings with Sylvie are his new favorite thing. Which really only means one thing.

He's going to have to make sure they happen a lot. His place or hers doesn't matter, as long as it's the two of them.

If someone had told him weeks ago that Sylvie's online dating idea would lead him here, he never would have believed them. He could never have predicted it.

Sometimes it's the unexpected events that end up being the most important.

And any choice that gives him another chance at happiness is a pretty damn important one. Choosing to go along with Sylvie's dating plan did just that.

He found another chance and there's no way in hell he's letting it go to waste.

"Really, Sylvie?" Joe asks as soon as Matt is out of earshot.

"Stop," Sylvie says with a stern glare as she retrieves the eggs from the fridge. "He explained and apologized. Sincerely."

"Yeah, I bet Antonio was sincere too."

"Cruz," Sylvie replies with a pained groan. "Yes, Antonio broke my heart and he wasn't ready. But that was a completely different situation. There were kids involved so, really, it probably turned out for the best. Not only that, but Matt is not Antonio, and, last but certainly not least, I think you're forgetting that it's my heart to risk not yours."

She cracks the eggs with more force than necessary and when Joe tries to speak again she talks over him.

"I appreciate the concern. I truly do. Your support yesterday meant everything to me. But now you need to trust that I understand the risks I'm taking," she tells him. She cracks the last egg and then reaches over to pat Joe's hand. "I got this. I don't really know how any of this will go with Casey, but no matter how it turns out...it's still a risk I have to take. I'd rather know for sure than always wonder. Does that make sense?"

Cruz lets out a deep sigh and then reluctantly nods. "Yeah, it does. I'm still worried but...if this is what you want then you're right. You should go for it."

She leans over and quickly kisses his cheek with a bright smile. "Thank you. Now, are you staying or going? Because if you're staying I'm making you some eggs."

"I'm going," he answers with a chuckle. "I don't really enjoy having a front row seat to the honeymoon phase. Especially, when it comes to my captain and my best friend. That's just awkward."

She rolls her eyes at him and laughs lightly. "Whatever. We're adorable and you know it."

"It's day one," he says with a teasing quirked brow. "Of course you're adorable. I'll see you at work."

"See ya," she calls to him as he heads to his room for his bag.

She's finishing the eggs and Joe is walking out the door as Matt emerges from her room. She eats quickly, leaves Matt a plate, and then hurries to dry her hair. She expects Matt to pop in and say goodbye at any moment but he doesn't. She finishes her hair and then goes to check on him. The dishes are done and he's leaning against the counter, scrolling through his phone.

Her brow furrows. "You're still here?"

He looks up at her in amusement. "Seems like it."

She laughs and shakes her head at him. "No, I just mean...I didn't expect you to wait."

"Just thought since we're going the same direction, I'd give you a ride," he offers as he pockets his phone and takes several strides to meet her in the middle of the room. "Is that okay? I can go if you—"

"No!" She protests urgently before she can stop herself. An embarrassed blush covers her cheeks. She clears her throat and then studies the hair tie on her wrist while she collects herself. "What I meant was, a ride would be wonderful. Thank you."

She feels his affectionate smile before she manages to look at his face again. That smile is there waiting for her when she does.

"All set?" He asks.

She grabs her duffle from just inside her bedroom door and slings the strap over her shoulder before nodding. "All set."

When the door is locked behind them, he takes her hand and threads their fingers together. The ride is quiet, but not uncomfortable. Now that they both clearly know where they stand there's minimal awkwardness.

When the truck stops outside of the firehouse, Casey gives her a questioning look.

"I'm following your lead on this," he says. "How do you want to handle them?"

She knows exactly who them is. She shrugs and grins dryly. "I feel like half already know what's happening and the other half suspect it anyway. So, maybe we just...don't say anything? Let it happen on it's own?"

He nods and smirks. "I can work with that."

They hold hands until the Firehouse comes into view and then they drop them, but they don't put any additional space between them. They share a small secretive smiles as they reach the apparatus floor and then part ways outside the bunkroom. Sylvie glances around to make sure the coast is clear before leaning up onto her toes to kiss him.

She intended it to be quick and chaste, but Matt has other ideas. His arms tighten around her and he deepens the kiss, letting it linger much longer than it should in a professional setting.

He pulls away with a satisfied grin as he observes her slightly dazed state.

"You okay over there, Brett?" He asks, smugly.

She blinks herself back to reality and then glares playfully at him. "That was completely unfair."

"Gotta get in one more kiss before the bells go off," he replies with a chuckle. "And if I recall correctly, you started it."

She may have started it but he escalated it! She's about to open her mouth and point that out to him when Mouch comes strolling down the hall. He inadvertently reminds them to carry on with their day.

Brett continues into the locker room while Casey waves and then heads to his quarters. She puts her things away and then heads out into common area. She takes a seat between Kidd and Foster.

Foster immediately leans in with raised eyebrows.

"So, I haven't heard from you since yesterday. How'd it go?"

"Oh, well, we talked," Sylvie answers, unhelpfully.

"Uh huh, and since Casey didn't come back to the apartment last night, I'm going to assume it was a good talk?" Stella asks, hopefully.

"Casey didn't come home last night?" She asks with feigned cluelessness.

"Girl!" Foster says scoldingly. "Stop playing with us!" A few heads turn toward her and Emily ducks her head with a wince. When she speaks again she lowers her voice considerably. "Spill."

She can't help but smirk and blush in response. "It was definitely a good talk. We were honest about what we want and how we feel and...it may have ended with him staying over."

Stella and Emily fistbump under the table.

"Called it," Foster announces with pride. "So happy to be right."

Just then, Casey walks into the room and heads for the coffee maker — right next to the table where she and the girls are sitting.

Stella leans toward her and whispers, "I got you, Brett." Before standing and relocating to a seat next to Kelly at the long table on the other side of the room. Casey casually finishes preparing his coffee and then slips into Stella's empty seat.

"Brett," he greets with a nod and a barely visible grin.

"Casey," she replies as she pulls out her phone and tries to distract herself.

They still have roll call before the day actually starts but that's not for several more minutes. Hermann takes the last seat at the table, on the other side of Foster and then focuses a suspicious stare on Matt and Sylvie.

"Spit it out, Hermann," Matt says as he lifts his eyes from his coffee to give the Engine Lieutenant a pointed stare.

"How's it going with that online dating pact you two started?" He asks with narrowed eyes. "I haven't had an update on that in a couple of days. You know, since neither of you have popped into Molly's since last shift."

Had she really not been to Molly's in forty-eight hours? Oh god, she hadn't! No wonder Hermann is suspicious.

Matt gives her a look that she can tell means the answer is up to her. He's fine with however she prefers to handle it.

"Um, we...are actually not doing that anymore," she reveals slowly with a nervous bite to her bottom lip. "We deactivated our profiles today actually."

"Both of you?" Hermann asks.

"At the same time?" Mouch adds.

"Yes and also yes," Casey answers.

Gallo stops preparing flapjacks and turns to face them. "Hold on. Did you guys each meet someone at the same time?"

"Yes," Sylvie replies with a knowing grin.

"You met each other, didn't you?" Hermann asks as the corner of his mouth ticks up in half of a smile.

They really aren't fooling anyone, are they?

Sylvie feels heat flush her face, indicating a blush, and nods slightly.

Matt gives her an amused glance and lightly rubs a sympathetic hand across her back. He knows she's shit at keeping secrets.

"I knew that weird online dating thing was a scam!" Hermann exclaims with a triumphant grin. He stands and repeats himself one more time just to make sure everyone knows. "I knew it!"

"Yeah, Hermann, you knew it," Sylvie agrees with a dry chuckle. "Congratulations."

Matt laughs quietly and shakes his head. "Never mind us. The two people who are actually dating each other."

He waves a hand at them dismissively. "Eh, you're a good fit. You'll be fine. Me, on the other hand, I need the win. Let me have this."

"He needs the win," Sylvie says with a playful eye roll as she leans toward Matt and speaks in a low tone. "We're the ones who've been on all these terrible dates with strangers. We deserve the win."

"I'm pretty sure we already got the win, if last night was any indication," Matt says in a hushed voice, smirking sharply at her. "Also that kiss in the hallway a few minutes ago."

"True," she agrees with a coy smile. "Those both felt like pretty solid wins, and, as soon as roll call is over, I fully intend to retaliate for that unfair sneak attack of a kiss earlier. You will not get away with that."

"Looking forward to it," he replies with a wink. "That's the kind of retaliation I fully support."

She laughs and gives in to her instinct to lean into his body heat, just a little. "It was a bit risky initiating a full scale war like that in the Firehouse, don't you think?"

"Probably," he agrees. "But you know what they say?"

"No, what do they say?" She asks with a teasing quirk of her brow.

"No risk, no reward," Matt answers with a cheeky grin. "There's a lot of possibility for reward that outweighs the risk if you ask me."

No risk, no reward. That's exactly what started all of this, isn't it? She thinks over his words and beams at him. She doesn't know what's going to happen in the end. It's all still a huge risk, but Matt's right.

The possibilities for rewards far outweighs the risks.

Their pasts don't determine their futures — no matter how messy. This risk may be the start of a future she never would have seen coming. It's a future they can decide...together.

Matt Casey is a risk worth taking. She's more convinced of that now than she was before, and nothing or no one will ever change her mind.