Disclaimer: disclaimed.

March and April passed in a blur. There wasn't a single night the two didn't spend together. Matt's wardrobe made his way to Sylvie's a few outfits at a time. By the first week of May, only Matt's furniture remained at Severide's apartment. Unless Matt had a construction gig after shift, they rode to work together and they usually went to Molly's after. Occasionally, they'd just go home and enjoy each other's company, but they tried to avoid doing that too much since they saw each other at work and they all but lived together. Early on, they'd discussed the importance of time apart. Each had known the significance from previous relationships, but they liked to talk things out. There were far fewer miscommunications between the two of them than either of them had gotten into with previous partners.

When Mother's Day came around, both of them took a week off and drove to Fowlerton to spend time with Sylvie's family. Matt wasn't nearly as nervous as he could have been meeting her parents. He supposed that, being forty, he was too old for that now. Regardless, he didn't need to be worried. Sylvie's parents welcomed him with open arms. On the drive home, they were laughing about some ridiculous soap opera Sylvie's mom had been watching. They stopped off in Lafayette to get gas and some lunch. When they got back in the truck, Sylvie asked, "So, how rich do you think we would be now if we got a dollar every time my parents hinted at wanting grandchildren.?"

Matt chuckled. "They do realize we've only been together a few months, right?"

"Well, at least we know they approve of you," Sylvie said.

Matt reached for her hand that was resting on the center console and intertwined their fingers. "You'll make a great mom someday. I just hope you keep me around long enough to see it."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," she replied earnestly.

Matt flashed a smile at her. "Someday," he said.

"Speaking of someday," Sylvie said after a beat, "You know I don't want to rush this, but it seems like you're always over at my place, and you have a lot of clothes there, too. Do you want to just move in, officially?"

"I think I could handle that." He gave her hand a squeeze and the two shared a smile.

The rest of the drive home passed quickly, the two of them making plans for when Matt could officially move. They decided to use his bedroom set, as his queen bed allowed more space than her full size, and Sylvie was completely enamoured by the dresser Casey had built for himself nearly a decade prior. They decided to make the move the following weekend.

Matt was first to wake up the morning after the move. They didn't have to go to work that day, but they were planning on going out with Kidd and Severide that night. The two had helped Matt move out, and the four had talked and decided to set up a monthly double date night. He felt Sylvie begin to stir and placed a kiss on her cheek. She hummed her appreciation.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said. "Ready to get up?"

She gave Matt her best puppy dog eyes. "Five more minutes?"

"Well, who could argue with that face?" he asked. "As if your wish weren't already my command."

Sylvie smiled and pulled him back in for another kiss. When they broke apart, she said, "You are an incredibly charming man, Matt Casey."

Matt smiled. "Is it too soon to say I love you?"

The question caught Brett off guard. Her heart leaped into her throat and, for a brief moment, she was speechless.

Matt, suddenly self-conscious, began backtracking, "Of- of course it is, you can just ignor-"

Sylvie cut him off, pressing a finger against his lips. She situated herself so she could look him in the eye. "It's not too early if you truly mean it," she said.

"Well then," Matt said, swallowing hard, "I love you, Sylvie Brett."

She beamed at him, and her smile lit up the room. "I love you too," she said, then captured his lips with her own.

He wrapped her in his arms and they held each other tight until they eventually decided to get up for the day.

By the time Sylvie's birthday came a month later, Casey was overwhelmed. He'd had a number of ideas and had asked Foster, Kidd and Severide for their input. He wanted to make sure it was perfect. As he'd told the others: Brett only deserves the best, and he'd be damned if he couldn't provide that for her. They had to work the day before her birthday, which was a Saturday, so some of his ideas were nixed solely because many places weren't open on Sundays. Luckily, their family at 51 was eager to help out with a bigger celebration the day before.

Severide and Kidd took point on the dessert, deciding to get her a giant ice cream cake after they saw one at the grocery store. Foster put herself in charge of some decorations for the common room, and Gallo and Ritter put their heads together for supper ideas, since they were on kitchen duty anyway.

The morning before her birthday, Casey intentionally took his sweet time getting ready for shift. He wanted to make sure everyone else got to the firehouse before them. Unfortunately for him, Sylvie seemed to be moving faster than usual that morning. Fifteen minutes before they normally left, she was ready to go.

He tried to stall, but she was starting to become annoyed. He decided it was better to keep her happy and possibly not get the full force of the surprise than to be successful with the surprise and have her be in a foul mood.

When they got out to work twenty minutes later, however, he realized he needn't have worried. There was a fifteen-minute-old text from Severide saying everyone was ready.

When they walked into the common room, a chorus erupted as everyone said, "Happy Birthday, Brett!"

Sylvie beamed. She turned and gave Matt a playful smack on the chest. "So this is why you were being a slow poke this morning!"

He gave her a small smile. "Guilty as charged," he said, and he pressed a kiss into her temple. "Happy early birthday, Sylvie."

Foster and Kidd sandwiched their friend in a hug. Kidd said, "We know your birthday isn't until tomorrow, but it's a lot harder to decorate and surprise someone at the end of shift."

"You won't hear me complain. Thanks, guys," Sylvie responded, squeezing her two friends, then making her way around the rest of the firehouse giving hugs.

Just then, the bells went off. "Another reason to celebrate early," Matt said. "Let's go, everyone!" At that, they all responded to the building fire.

Calls came in steadily the rest of the morning, but slowed down after noon. The crew at 51 was able to gather around and not rush their way through supper. Afterward, Emily walked over to Sylvie and put her hands on her friend's shoulders. "We have one more surprise for you, partner," she said.

Sylvie raised her eyebrows. "Oh? What's that?"

Foster made way for Severide and Kidd to set the cake, which now had flaming candles on it, in front of Sylvie.

Sylvie's jaw dropped as she stared at it. "This is huge!" she exclaimed.

"What are you waiting for?" Herrmann asked, "Blow out the candles. We want a piece of that!"

Sylvie laughed, then obliged. Everyone cheered, then large pieces of cake were distributed.

After everyone had their fill, the little bit of leftover cake was put in the freezer, and almost everyone went to the bunkroom to rest.

Sylvie went into Matt's office to finish her reports from the earlier calls. When she was done, she stole his bunk while he wrapped up his paperwork. When he finished, he shut off his desk lamp and curled himself around her, nuzzling into her hair and placing a kiss on her neck.

She snuggled tighter into him, and the two fell asleep like that.

On the drive home after shift, Matt asked, "What would you like to do the rest of the day?"

"You didn't have a full day of surprises up your sleeve?"

"That would be telling," he chuckled. They rolled to a stop at a red light and looked her in the eye. He leaned over and kissed her. "I just want to make your birthday special."

"It's already special because I have you," she replied. She reached over the console and put her hand on his knee.

He took her hand in his and they drove the rest of the way home in companionable silence.

When they got home, they dropped their bags and coats in the closet and made their way to the bedroom to change. Matt pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it toward the laundry basket. As he was making his way to the bathroom, Sylvie grabbed his arm, pulling herself flush against him and running her hands over his bare chest. "I just thought of something I'd like to do today," she purred. She gave him a gentle push and he let himself fall onto their bed. She crawled on top of him and situated herself so her face was mere millimeters from his.

Eyes wide, Matt cautiously asked, "Are you sure?"

"I want this," Sylvie replied confidently, but, seeing his uncertainty, she pulled back and softly asked, "Don't you?"

Matt swallowed hard. He had to be honest with her, although he knew he was ruining the moment. "I'm afraid I'm going to screw this up."

Sylvie's face fell, and she rolled off of him, sitting on the edge of the bed. She folded her arms in front of her and stared at the floor.

Matt sat up and angled himself toward her. "Sylvie," he said softly. When she didn't respond, he said, "Sylvie, baby, look at me."

She glanced at him without moving her head.

Matt sighed. He'd just have to hope she was listening. "I-It was just so hard when Gabby left. I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with her and then she just. . . went. I kept telling myself that she would come back, that she had to come back," Matt was having a hard time keeping a steady voice, "but then the only thing that came was signed divorce papers." He could feel tears threatening to fall as Sylvie finally turned to meet his eyes. "First Hallie, then Gabby, and I just, I can't go through that again, Sylvie. I can't survive losing someone else I love." He couldn't go on, letting himself cry, waiting for some sort of response.

Sylvie pulled him close to her, rubbing circles on his back as he cried on her shoulder. She felt her eyes tearing up, and she bit her lip, trying to quell them. She felt his pain, among some of her own. She had never known Hallie, but she knew what he went through when Gabby left for Puerto Rico. Sure, they'd been friends before, but his wife and her best friend leaving like she did really brought them together. That's how they found themselves here.

After a few minutes, the tears had subsided. He pulled back a little and ran his hands down her arms, taking her hands in his, giving them a gentle squeeze. Their eyes locked as he tried to find his voice again. "Sylvie, if we do this, there's no going back."

"Matt," she said softly, searching his eyes as a tear rolled down her cheek, "I love you, more than anyone or anything else in the world. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to leave you. Ever." She took a deep breath. "If you aren't ready for this, that's okay, but if this is something you want and you're just scared that it's too soon, know that I'm ready. I'm here for the long haul and it's going to take a lot more than having sex to scare me away. I'm not leaving you. I promise."

Their eyes searched each other for a few moments before Matt pulled Sylvie onto his lap and gently brushed his lips against hers. She began to lean backward, not wanting to pressure him, but he pulled her right back in, planting another kiss on her lips. She wrapped her arms around him, one hand sliding to the back of his head as she deepened it. Each found the other completely intoxicating. Soon, kisses became more desperate and they knew they couldn't stop now, so they didn't, and they spent the rest of the morning fulfilling the promise that they were in this thing together, forever.

A/N: Aaand that's the end of this story! I have more ideas in store for these two, but that will be another story, as I'm not inclined to writing marathons. Thanks so much for y'all's continued support and, as always, feel free to let me know what you think!