51 rallies behind their own, Sylvie is there for her boys, a promise is renewed, a party is thrown, and surprises are plotted, but no surprise is greater than the one that came unexpected from all angles.

Enjoy the end of two episodes and the start of another!

***

Joe: So

Joe: Um

Joe: Slight problem

Buck: What

TK: Define "slight"

Capp: I was about to say

Capp: This isn't slight

Buck: What did you guys do

Tony: We didn't do anything

Capp: Now

Capp: Our dumbass captain on the other hand

TK: Shit

TK: OK

TK: What did Casey do

Buck: And should we be asking Sylvie to do damage control

Joe: That depends on which officer returns

TK: . . .

TK: I think we're still missing something

Buck: Seriously

Buck: Do we ask Sylvie about damage control

Joe: Not sure what she could do

Joe: Considering Severide said

Joe: And I quote

Joe: "If I'm not back by the end of shift, assume one of us has murdered the other"

TK: Holy shit

Tony: He's not kidding

Tony: Severide looked ready to commit murder

Capp: And we saw how he looked at De Leon after the San Angelo disaster

Capp: He was looking like that at Casey

Buck: What the fuck did he do

Joe: I don't know

Joe: But whatever it is

Joe: It's pretty bad

Joe: Considering they were as close as ever before these past shifts

Tony: I just

Tony: Has Brett said anything?

Tony: At all?

TK: No

TK: Then again we've all been worrying about my dad

TK: So we haven't discussed much else

Buck: If she's heard anything she hasn't said

Joe: And if she didn't think it was worth sharing

Joe: She wouldn't betray their trust like that

Tony: I know

Tony: I'd just like to have my lieutenant back in one piece

Tony: And my captain of course

Tony: But I'd rather not get a new lieutenant because my old one was murdered

Capp: ^

Joe: No kidding

"Why are you three here and where's your lieutenant?"

Joe yelped and fumbled with his phone, hearing Capp muffle a curse as he dropped his on the floor. Tony, by far the most put-together of the trio, merely put his in his lap and blink innocently up at the amused engine lieutenant standing by the table. "Possibly getting murdered," he answered.

Grainger froze in taking a sip of his coffee, then turned to the open ambulance doors, where Violet and Gianna were restocking. "I can't tell if they're serious or not."

"What are they being serious about?" Gianna asked, looking up from her clipboard.

"Either Severide or Casey finally killing the other," Joe answered.

Gianna winced. "Oh, man . . . "

"Severide looked pissed at Casey before they left," Violet nodded grimly.

Grainger balked. "What happened?!"

"We don't know," Capp shook his head.

"All we saw is Severide order Casey into the chief's buggy, and off they went," Tony nodded.

"I think a threat to call Sylvie was included in there somewhere?" Gianna tilted her head thoughtfully.

Grainger grimaced. "Oh, boy."

"Hang on," Violet stood on her toes. "They're back!"

Grainger twisted to see Kelly drive the chief's buggy into its assigned spot on the apparatus floor, and both men exited the vehicle at the same time. To his relief, neither man seemed angry with the other, though Matt looked miserable about something, and Kelly looked more exhausted than he had ever seen. "Whatever happened, they both went through the ringer," Capp mumbled under his breath.

Grainger was grateful Violet gave him a warning look; he was too focused on walking over to his friends, surveying both. "Hey," he greeted them. "Everything good?"

"It's . . . " Kelly trailed off, sighing and rubbing his forehead.

Matt's flinch was damning, and the captain bit his lip. "We're working on it," he finally said.

"OK," Grainger nodded, accepting the answer. "Anything I can do?"

"No." Kelly had a solid answer that time, shaking his head. "This is between the two of us. We'll figure it out, Grainger. It'll just . . . "

He struggled with the wording, and Matt gave a grim smile. "I screwed up."

"Damn right, you did," Kelly mumbled under his breath.

Grainger's eyebrows raised, but he didn't press. "Well, if there's ever anything I can do, just let me know."

"Thanks," Matt nodded.

The door to the apparatus floor abruptly banged open, and Kelly winced at the sound. "Yeah, that's really helping the headache," he groused.

"Kelly Severide!"

The bellow made even Gallo and Ritter poke their heads out of the doors. "Oh, no," Violet bit her lip, watching with wide eyes.

Kelly seemed to brace himself, turning as Chief Mercer stormed across the floor. "Chief," he greeted blankly.

"Where do you come off blaming that incident on one of your recruits?" Mercer snapped. "You're responsible for their well-being! It's your job to teach them the safety protocol. So if they failed, it's because you failed."

"Hey!" Gianna shouted, fury in her eyes as she stepped forward.

"Stay out of this," Mercer glared at her.

"No, don't you yell at my partner when you barge into our firehouse on our shift," Violet stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. "You're the one yelling at Lieutenant Severide in a public setting. You think you can get away with that?"

"I think I can when he's the one who put his recruits in danger," Mercer sneered.

"He did?" Grainger repeated incredulously. "We're talking about the same Severide, right?"

"Yeah, the same Severide who has his idiot son in his class," Matt nodded. "Oh, wait . . . had his idiot son in his class."

Mercer whirled around, practically frothing at the mouth. "You dare – !"

"Yeah, I'm gonna dare, Chief," Matt spat, green eyes all but glowing as he held his head high. "Someone's gotta say it, and Sev is too polite to do it. So I'll say it for him. You say it's his job to teach them the safety protocol? Follow-up question . . . can your son read?"

Gallo's eyes were wider than saucers as he watched, Ritter disappearing from view then rejoining them with Mouch and Herrmann. "What kind of a question is that?" Mercer sputtered.

"A valid one," Matt snarled. "Because the safety protocol Sev's supposed to teach? Plastered all over the place! The sign clearly says 'Do not use near exhaust fumes.' You know what your son did? He filled those air bottles right next to an idling engine! And when the CO alarm went off, your son didn't do the smart thing and say 'oh, there's an alarm going off, I should stop!' No, he turned the damn thing off! Where the hell is your son's common sense? We have it nailed into our heads all the time that air bottles should never be filled next to exhaust fumes. If your son did that while he was on shift? No one would've known until the entire crew was dead. I told Severide myself I wouldn't want your son on my crew way before he finally cut him. There is no way in hell I would take him after the stunt he pulled."

Mercer flushed, whether from embarrassment or anger, Grainger didn't know. "You're out of line, Captain."

"I have a question, Chief," Violet abruptly cut in.

"I do not have time for this, Paramedic," Mercer began.

"You do, actually," Violet interrupted. "Since we're on the topic of common sense. I lay out a thermal imaging camera with a pair of gloves and tell you to find a piece of metal that's been in a fire. What do you do?"

Mercer scoffed. "Put on the gloves, take the camera and go find the damn metal."

"Five of Lieutenant Severide's recruits did that," Violet nodded. "Your son, on the other hand, went straight for the camera, never grabbed gloves, and proceeded to pick up a wrench that gave him burns. If your son doesn't even know not to wear gloves while working, how should any of us expect to trust him while on shift?"

Mercer stared, his mouth hanging open. "Let me guess," Gianna said slowly. "That never made it to your ears."

Grainger shook his head, stepping forward. "Chief, I observed that drill with Captain Delaney of Firehouse 20," he said. "Severide wanted our opinions on his recruits. It was as the drill occurred that we realized he specifically wanted our opinion on your son. I watched him fumble all over the house, no pattern or strategy to his movements, and he knocked into Paramedic Mackey in the process. If that was a fire scene and the paramedics were required to be in the burn zone, he could have ended up pushing her right into a flame. He was able to find the wrench, but he didn't hesitate to think before he picked up the wrench. I told Severide point blank I would never have your son on my crew if that's what he does on a drill."

"Severide gave Jacob chance after chance after chance, even after we told him we would rather see him cut," Matt bit out. "Severide made the right call, Chief. You're the only one who thinks differently."

The bells rang and an address was rattled off, but Grainger heard nothing except it was an ambulance only call. Violet pursed her lips, then pointed at Mercer. "Lieutenant Severide is right in this, Chief," she declared. "And if you bring this to the brass, I will defend that decision myself."

"I'll be right there with her," Gianna agreed, not bothering to hide her nasty glare.

"What's going on here?" Boden finally arrived, looking from officer to officer.

"Chief Mercer here thought he could come to the firehouse and chew Kelly out for doing his job in front of everyone," Matt answered at once.

"My son," Mercer began.

"You know, I wish my dad had my back the way you have Jacob's," Kelly finally spoke, and Mercer whipped around to glare at him. "You want the best for him, I can respect that. He deserves it. He's a good kid . . . but he's not a firefighter, and if you come at this like a chief instead of a father, you'll see that. You heard what Casey and Grainger said. Would you send your men into a burning building with someone you knew who wasn't up to snuff?"

"Never," Herrmann said instantly. "And I don't know the full story about what's been happening."

"You're right to blame me for what happened at the Academy," Kelly added.

"What?" Capp rose to his feet, tense for a fight.

"The hell you weren't, Sev!" Matt exclaimed.

Kelly held up a hand, stopping everyone. "But the mistake I made was giving Jacob too many chances," he finished his sentence, staring down Mercer. "I should have cut him sooner. I'm sorry it didn't work out, but he'll be OK. He'll land on his feet wherever he ends up because he has a father who supports him." He took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Now, if we're done making a scene, I need to take some aspirin and lay down."

"Boss?" Cruz's voice was quiet.

"More like I need a drink when this shift is over," Kelly muttered, walking past everyone and back to the kitchen.

"Chief Mercer," Matt's voice was like ice. "I say this with all the respect of your station . . . please get the hell out of our firehouse."

Mercer was the color of sour milk. "Captain – "

"You heard Captain Casey." Boden's voice, somehow, was even more glacial. "Please leave my firehouse."

Mercer finally seemed to comprehend the glares all aimed at him, and the chief all but fled out the door, his tail between his legs. Grainger watched him leave, then heard Tony scoff. "Good riddance."

"Cap?" Gallo asked quietly. "Are you OK?"

It was then that Grainger realized Matt was practically vibrating next to him, and he turned to see Matt's jaw clenched. If he could glare lasers, Grainger was certain there would be nothing left of the door through which Mercer left. "Casey?" he prompted.

"I'm good," Matt seethed, and because he knew just how pissed Matt was on Kelly's behalf, Grainger let the lie slide. "I just have a call to make."

The engine lieutenant watched Matt stalk into the firehouse, Herrmann and Mouch parting to allow the man between them. "Uh," Mouch trailed off. "Should we – ?"

"Leave them be," Cruz shook his head, and Grainger saw the resigned look in his eyes. "I think I know who he's calling. And if I'm right, this is something only they can sort out."

***

Matt sat in the locker room, fingers pressing into his temples, wincing as his headache throbbed. It had been a long, long time since his anger was that ferocious. The last time he wanted to throttle someone for going after someone he loved was when De Leon had refused to allow a strike team to find Owen and Sylvie.

He dialed the number he needed on instinct, not even having to look at the screen. He pressed his phone to his ear, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Hey, Matt!" Sylvie chirped. "What's up?" Matt was certain a distressed noise of some kind escaped him, because Sylvie sounded very worried when she asked again. "Matt? Matt, what is it?"

"I screwed up, Sylvie," he finally managed to say, his voice choked. "I screwed up badly, Sylv, and I have no clue how to fix it."

"OK, Matt, hang on a second." He heard her shuffle around, then her voice was clearer. "Talk to me. Walk me through it."

Matt closed his eyes, already predicting her words. "I lied," he admitted.

"Lied about what?"

"The headaches," he admitted quietly. "I told you I was fine, and I told Kelly I had talked to a doctor about them after they stopped. I lied about it all."

There was silence on the other end, and it made Matt's skin crawl with wrongness. "Oh, Matt," Sylvie finally sighed, her voice dripping with despair.

"I'm sorry," Matt whispered, voice breaking for . . . God, how many times had it happened that day? "Sylvie, I'm so sorry, I thought I could handle it."

"Head injuries are serious, Matt," Sylvie chastised.

"I know," Matt nodded. "Believe me, I know, I heard it the first time. And I thought I knew better." He scoffed. "Sev made it pretty clear that I don't."

"Oh, God," Sylvie's voice became panicked. "How is he?"

"Pissed to hell and back," Matt admitted. "Dragged me out in the chief's buggy and ripped into me like you wouldn't believe."

Sylvie's giggles rang in his ear. "I'm sorry, I know this is serious, but Kelly . . . oh, God, I can see that happening."

"Oh, it happened," Matt snorted. "I'm honestly surprised I didn't get a punch in the face."

"No, he'll likely save that for me." And Matt winced, because he had no doubt that someone in Austin (he'd put his money on Judd or Carlos) would teach her a mean right-hook just for this purpose. "Right," she cleared her throat. "So . . . Kelly's rightfully pissed at you. You don't know how to fix it."

"Yeah, you got it in one."

"Look, Matt, I know you, and I know how you officers go about trying to keep stuff bottled in. It was all bound to come out eventually. I'm just glad I'm hearing this from you instead of someone else."

"I wondered if Kelly would beat me to it," Matt confessed.

"He didn't," Sylvie told him. "So thank you for being honest this time around. Words go a long way with me, but you need to do more with Kelly. He's a man of action, he always has been. I assume you've apologized more times than you can count?"

"Something like that," Matt mumbled.

"Then stop apologizing and start acting on them," Sylvie told him. "Show him you mean it. He wants you to get better . . . well, so do I, but this is Kelly we're discussing right now, not me. Get a consult from a doctor, actually make sure there's nothing wrong with your head. The sooner you do that, the more likely it is Kelly will forgive you sooner."

Matt sighed in relief. "Thanks, Sylv."

"You're welcome," she said warmly. "Is there anything else I can do while we're on the line?"

I love this woman, Matt thought fondly. "No, not right now, Sylvie," he shook his head. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome. Now, I need to knock some sense into another officer I know, and I get the feeling this might not go as smoothly as this did."

Matt's eyebrows raised. "Who in Austin is being that hard-headed?"

Sylvie sighed. "Someone who should know by now there's no need to be bottled up around me."

***

It said how tired Owen was that he forgot to bring his phone with him up to bed the night before. He grumbled in annoyance as he went through the shower, then trudged down the stairs. He missed the full carafe of coffee on the counter and instead went straight to his phone, praying he hadn't gotten any emergency calls or texts while he was asleep.

Then again, none of those were what he focused on when he turned the screen on. "2:30?!" he yelped in shock when he saw the time, and he spun to look at the oven clock.

"Yep!" Owen dropped his phone, turning to see Sylvie perched on the arm of one of the chairs, flipping through a magazine with one hand, cup of coffee in the other. "2:30 in the afternoon. In that time, I have called every member of the 126 to say you haven't woken up, there's no need for a stampede into the house, and for the love of God, no, a mass intervention is not going to help." She paused. "And I got a call from Matt about something that went down in Chicago, but that's not important right now." She looked up from her magazine, raising an eyebrow. "You gonna get a cup of that coffee or what?"

Owen slowly moved over to the carafe, watching her as if she was going to pounce on him at any moment. "How did you get in the house?"

Sylvie smirked. "I believe your words when I tried to give my key back is 'mi casa es tu casa,' unless I heard wrong."

Owen sighed, filling a mug and walking over to join her in the living room on the couch. "Alright, mass intervention? Thank goodness, it's just you."

"And what makes you think that's the better option?" Sylvie snorted, shutting her magazine.

"You've heard my woes already," Owen pointed out.

"I repeat," Sylvie folded her arms. "What makes that the better option?"

Owen sighed. "Sylvie, I love you dearly, but is this really – "

"Necessary?" Sylvie finished his sentence. "You canceled your surgery, Owen. Yeah, this is necessary."

Owen paused, rapidly replaying every conversation they had. "Where'd you hear that?"

"From TK," she answered.

" . . . where did TK hear that?"

"From Mateo."

Owen stifled a growl. "Where did Mateo hear that?"

"From you," Sylvie deadpanned. "When you were drunk off your ass from tequila."

"Well, so was he," Owen countered. "Whose memory are we gonna trust, his or mine?"

"Considering I checked the shift rotations for when you were meant to get your surgery, I'll trust Mateo's," Sylvie answered. "Because it looks like it's business as usual. Nothing blocked out for any kind of medical leave . . . and that means you plan for none. You canceled your surgery, Owen. You can't fool me."

Owen sighed, rubbing his temples. "Sylvie . . . "

"What happens in the mineshaft stays in the mineshaft, alright?" Sylvie rested her arms on her knees, leaning forward. "I remember everything we said after Tim's death. It's not something easily forgotten. We lost Tim, we nearly lost Judd and Grace. It seems to me you're always so wrapped up in taking care of others that you don't take care of yourself."

Owen scoffed. "I don't take care of myself?" he repeated. "Between the two of us, who has a six-step skin care regimen? No one takes self-care more seriously than I do." He saw her intense look, and he shifted, suddenly feeling much smaller than he was. "What?" he asked defensively.

"The first thing you felt when you heard you had lung cancer is relief that the universe was finally evening the score for you making it out of 9/11," Sylvie said quietly, and his blood froze. "Everything made sense. And now that you're in remission . . . nothing makes sense."

He swallowed, hearing his words repeated back to him. His own words, his own statement to her . . . words he knew he couldn't excuse. "Yeah," was all he managed to say.

"Owen, you don't just roll with the punches that come your way," Sylvie sighed, switching to sit next to him on the couch. "You go looking for them, too. When aren't you the first to volunteer for a rescue if it promises high danger?"

"It's all I've known since the Towers," Owen quietly told her. "There's always someone who needs help. The 252, after 9/11. Liv, after Elliot left. Again, when Barba left her in front of the courthouse. TK, after his overdose. Everyone here at the 126, when I moved. You and Buck, when you came from your firehouses. Tommy and Nancy, after Tim's death. Judd and Grace, after the car crash. And now that everyone's all but back on their feet and moving . . . there's no one to help."

"There's you," Sylvie pointed out gently.

Owen laughed bitterly. "And that's a first."

"Well," Sylvie scooted towards him, bumping his shoulder with hers. "Good thing you've got a whole bunch of people behind you for this first."

Owen closed his eyes, reaching blindly for her hand. "Thanks, Sylvie," he whispered.

"What else are friends for?" she asked, shifting closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "I've got your six, Owen. Always have."

He smiled, kissing the top of her head before resting his head on hers. "Loyal to hell and back."

"You know it." Owen nodded, then felt Sylvie frown. "Hey, where's Buttercup?"

"What?" Owen raised his head and looked at her in surprise.

"Buttercup," Sylvie repeated, looking around. "I haven't seen him since I walked through the door."

Owen frowned, looking at her. "I dread to ask when that was."

Sylvie scratched her head, checking her watch. "Somewhere around 11?"

Owen's gut twisted into knots, and he quickly stood. "Buttercup!" he shouted, quickly moving around the house. "Where are you?"

"Buttercup?" Sylvie was on her feet quickly, too, and she took the other end of the house. "Come on, boy! C'mere!"

"Buttercup!"

He heard a smothered gasp from where Sylvie was searching. "Owen! Get over here, now!"

Owen skidded into the next room, and his heart dropped when he saw Sylvie kneeling on the ground by a whimpering Buttercup, the loyal St. Bernard on his side, dark eyes sad as he looked from Sylvie to Owen. "Oh, no," he whispered.

***

"Cálmate, cariño."

"I'm sorry, OK?" TK burst out in the middle of his pacing, turning to his boyfriend, who was giving him a pointed look. "I mean . . . 2:30 in the afternoon?! Come on, Dad should've been up way before now!"

"And according to Sylvie, he is," Nancy held up her phone. "So take a deep breath. She seemed pretty certain she could get through to him."

TK snorted. "Dad's a stubborn idiot when he wants to be."

"Don't I know it," Judd grumbled from next to Paul on the couch. TK gave him a stinkeye, and Judd shrugged. "C'mon, we've all seen it."

"Yeah, when Cap gets his head set on something, there's nothing anyone can do to change his mind," Marjan nodded.

Eddie smirked. "Same with Sylvie, though."

Buck, who at some point during the waiting period had laid with his head in his boyfriend's lap, frowned up at him. "If we weren't dating, I'd think you were in love with her."

"Everyone's a little in love with Sylvie," Mateo piped up.

"Including everyone back in L.A.," Maddie grinned.

"Yeah, we're just not suicidal to attempt anything," Paul agreed.

"Seriously?" Tommy turned from the kitchen to give him a dubious look.

"I would pay so much money to whoever tried to date her and isn't Casey or Severide," Marjan sniggered.

"I'm pretty sure Squad 3 has a running bet regarding that entire circle," Buck remarked, then frowned. "Or is it a triangle?"

"I never understood the whole triangle thing," Mateo mused. "Each point on the triangle is still connected, after all."

Paul pointed to Mateo, nodding. "Probie's got a point."

"I had to explain to Charles that none of them were together after game night with Captain Benson and Sergeant Tutuola," Tommy revealed.

Nancy groaned, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. "I'm going to lose my mind if nothing happens between any of them."

"Well, God help our cities if anything goes wrong," Judd snorted.

The blast of TK's ringtone cut through the tense atmosphere, and all heads swiveled to TK as he immediately answered. "Sylvie?" he asked eagerly. "How'd it go?" Carlos frowned, hearing Sylvie's rush of words but unable to comprehend any of them. "Whoa, OK, slow down," TK frowned, sitting down next to Carlos. "Slow down. Where did you say you were going?"

"Where are they going?" Buck sat up, eyes narrowed.

TK's face blanched. "What's happened to Buttercup?!"

***

The doors to the vet burst open, and Sylvie, who was pacing anxiously while biting her nails, and Owen, who was fidgeting in his seat, turned to see the entirety of the rest of the 126 tumble into the building, tripping all over each other. "Buck!" Maddie sputtered.

"Sorry!" Buck flailed to get his way out of Maddie's path, only to crash into Mateo. "Sorry!"

"What the – ?" Owen began, then narrowed his eyes. "Were all of you waiting to see if you needed to crash into my house?" he demanded.

Several pairs of wide eyes looked at him in response, and Sylvie sighed. "Yes, they were."

Owen pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sylvie and I talked, we worked things out, I'm fine," he summed up.

"Oh, good," TK sighed in relief, jogging over. "But . . . Buttercup?"

"Yeah, any news from the vet?" Marjan asked anxiously.

Owen sighed, rubbing his forehead. "It's a, uh . . . serious bowel blockage," he admitted, watching everyone's faces shift from worry to panic. "And most likely a new tumor."

All of the 126 who had been on shift when Owen first brought Buttercup to the station looked pale. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Owen," Carlos gulped, knowing the implications.

"What does that mean?" Judd asked.

"He's getting X-rayed, and if it is cancer again, we're gonna have to make some decisions about what's best for him," Owen answered quietly.

Mateo abruptly sat down, looking very faint. "We are?" Nancy whimpered, and Maddie quickly squeezed her hand.

"Yeah," Owen nodded with a sigh. "We all know Buttercup wasn't the youngest, spriest dog when he joined the station, and we knew he had the cancer. I just . . . " He closed his eyes. "I thought Buttercup had more time," he admitted.

A hearty bark caught their attention, and Sylvie's jaw dropped. "Buttercup!" she gasped, immediately crouching to the floor. "Oh, my God!"

"Look at him!" Marjan gushed as the St. Bernard was led into the waiting room, his tail whishing back and forth like a banner as he nosed Sylvie's hands.

"He looks so much better!" Owen stared in awe.

"He is better," the woman leading Buttercup confirmed, handing Owen the leash.

"So it was a false alarm?" TK asked hopefully.

"No, not exactly," she shook her head. "He definitely had an obstruction, but it wasn't a tumor. He just passed this little guy."

She held up an object in a plastic baggie, and Tommy frowned, leaning forward to squint. "What is that thing?"

Eddie, too, leaned forward to look. "I think it's an otter?" he guessed.

Owen blinked slowly, then groaned as TK burst out laughing. "It's a sloth," he grumbled, taking the baggie and glaring at its contents. "It belonged to my ex-wife. She visited for a time after TK was shot, and . . . " He cleared his throat. "Well."

"But is Buttercup OK?" Mateo asked.

"Yeah, his X-rays are all clean," the woman nodded. "He's good to go."

The younger members of the 126 cheered, and Tommy smiled. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you so much," Owen agreed, bending down to gently poke Buttercup in the nose. "Hey, you are not gonna do this again," he ordered. "Isn't that right, boy?"

Buttercup woofed and wagged his tail in response, making Maddie giggle. "Oh, what a good boy."

"Yeah, he is," Owen agreed, then straightened and turned to his team. "I'm gonna rebook my surgery," he announced, watching everyone brighten. "Sylvie gave me a good kick in the ass this afternoon and set me straight. I've been focused on everyone else, and I haven't let myself focus on me. So that's changing."

"Oh, thank God!" TK leapt forward and crushed Owen in a hug.

Owen smiled, wrapping his arms around his son. "I'm sorry, son," he whispered. "I've been a bit of an ass."

"As long as you get better, that's enough for me," TK told him, smiling happily. "So . . . are you rebooking it today? You never know how long it might take for you to get it set up."

"Not today," Owen shook his head with a smile. "I've been thinking . . . we need to have a party first."

***

"So you ended up cutting him?"

"I had to, sir," Kelly sighed, taking a sip of his beer as he sat in the corner of Molly's, watching Herrmann talk with Ritter and his boyfriend. "What kind of firefighter doesn't wear gloves around hot objects? And what kind of firefighter doesn't know the basics of filling air bottles? He could've killed someone in the drills, and that kind of person doesn't deserve a place in the fire department."

"I agree with you completely, Severide," Owen assured him. "I'm just peeved at the battalion chief."

Kelly frowned. "You wouldn't be pissed if it was TK?"

"I'd be more pissed at my son for not having that kind of common sense," Owen admitted. "I want the best for my son, of course, but if he isn't a firefighter . . . well, I'd support him with whatever else he does with his life. I haven't been in the business for this long if I thought more like a father instead of a fire captain. You did the right thing, Severide. Good on you for trusting yourself."

Kelly smiled. "Thanks, Cap. I needed to hear that."

"Any time, son," Owen chuckled. "Now, if you excuse me, I owe my chief paramedic so many drinks for what she had to put up with this afternoon."

Kelly blinked. "Is she OK?"

"Oh, she's fine," Owen snorted. "She just had to deal with a bunch of my dirty laundry and keep the rest of the firehouse off my back. She's a gem and deserves to be treated as such."

Kelly couldn't help the fond smile that spread across his face. "Damn right, she does."

"Well, I'll handle that for you until you and Casey come back to Austin," Owen chuckled.

Kelly laughed. "At this rate, we're not gonna have any furlough left because of all our trips out there."

"Trips well worth the furlough, I hope," Owen quipped.

Kelly shook his head. "All worth it," he promised. He saw Matt walk through the door, his green eyes looking across the bar and instantly finding him. Kelly bit his lip, bracing himself for what had the potential to be another atomic bomb in the making. "I gotta go, Cap. Thanks for everything."

"My ringer's on any time you need me," Owen told him. "Have a good evening, Severide."

"You, too, sir." Kelly hung up his phone and waved Matt over, and he saw the pure relief on his friend's face as he walked to the table. "Hey, Case."

"Hey, Sev," Matt smiled. "Everything good?"

"Yeah, all good," Kelly nodded. "Including everything with Chief Mercer."

"Really?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, he backed off," Kelly grinned. "My academy gig is safe."

"Yeah?" Matt grinned widely. "That's great!"

"It's a relief," Kelly nodded in agreement. "I mean, considering how everyone got in his face on shift . . . "

"Once again, not my finest moment," Matt winced. "I'm sorry – "

"Hey, no," Kelly instantly shook his head. "I didn't get the chance to say it before shift ended . . . thank you for standing up for me like that. I didn't expect anyone to say something . . . but it means a lot that you did."

Matt smiled shakily. "Well, actions speak louder than words, right?"

Kelly shrugged. "Sometimes, I think it depends on the words."

"Touché," Matt conceded. "And on that note . . . I need to thank you, too." Kelly tilted his head, and Matt blushed. "For pushing me," he elaborated. "Everything you said to me . . . you're right. I was too quick to move on when the headaches stopped. I deserved every word of your anger."

"You did," Kelly agreed. "What pissed me off the most is this isn't the first time you've had a head injury, Matt. You know better.

"I do," Matt nodded. "And like you said, Sylvie wasn't here for the first one. You were." He tapped his fingers on the table, then sighed. "The reason I didn't want to think about something being wrong . . . when I got that first hit a few years ago, the doctor said if I get another bad hit, it could mean the end of my career . . . or worse."

Kelly balked at the thought, feeling like ice was dumped down his back. That . . . that had not been something Matt had shared before! "You're kidding," he rasped.

"No," Matt shook his head. "And the thought that it might be over for me? That scares me, Kelly. That scares me to hell."

Kelly swallowed, wishing his heart would beat back to normal rhythm. Matt was scared? He was terrified by the thought! "OK," he said slowly, forcing himself to take a deep breath. "OK . . . we don't know that's how this is gonna end. We can't think about that extreme yet. But it's important, now more than ever, for you to make an appointment and get checked out, the sooner the better."

"Yeah," Matt nodded. "I gave Sylvie a call towards the end of shift, and she read me the riot act and said the same thing."

Kelly snorted. "Sylvie's been doing that a lot in the past few days, apparently."

Matt blinked. "What?"

"Tell you later," Kelly waved it off. "So, the appointment?"

"The sooner, the better," Matt nodded. "No holding off on making it."

"Good," Kelly nodded, looking at Matt intently. "I'll go with you."

Matt blinked in surprise, then shook his head. "No, you don't have to do that, Kelly," he began.

"Shut up," Kelly pointed his beer bottle at Matt, and the captain obediently shut his mouth with a click. "I did not just blow up on you about taking care of yourself just to make you think you should do this by yourself. You've been there for me through hell and high water, any time I've needed you. You're not doing this alone. Let me come with you."

Matt smiled, flattered by Kelly's words. "Alright," he nodded. "That'd be great. So, uh . . . I'll make the appointment for Friday? After shift?"

Kelly nodded, then paused. "Friday," he repeated slowly. That was the day and time he and Stella had arranged to go over Squad material for her lieutenant's exam.

"If you have plans, I can handle it solo," Matt told him.

That wasn't even an option for Kelly. "No, I can reschedule it," he said firmly, looking Matt in the eye. "I'm going with you, and that's that."

Matt ducked his head, unable to hold Kelly's gaze for long. "Thanks, Kelly," he whispered. "I appreciate it."

"Hey," Kelly reached over, putting his hand over Matt's. "We promised each other to be there for each other. I'm not backing down on that promise."

Matt nodded in agreement. "Neither am I."

***

"I can't believe the deputy chief is letting us do this," Eddie shook his head, his shoulders shaking with his laughter as he drove behind Squad 9. "Seriously, how are we getting away with this?"

"Because I'm pretty sure Owen is his favorite, and he has no problem showing it," Sylvie giggled. "Come on, this'll be fun!"

"Yeah, Dad!" Christopher chirped from his seat behind Sylvie, Maddie giggling from where she perched on the gurney. "This'll be fun!"

"Yeah, a lot of fun," Eddie agreed, but he was smiling.

"Everyone ready?" Owen's voice came over the radio.

"Ladder's ready," Judd answered.

"EMS 126 is ready," Tommy reported.

Sylvie grinned. "EMS 99 is ready, Cap."

"Wonderful. Let 'em rip!"

Eddie obediently leaned over, flipping the lights and sirens on as the other three rigs and single police cruiser on the street did the same. The cacophony of sirens and horns made every resident in the neighborhood look out their doors. "Yeah, that got their attention!" Sylvie cackled.

"Attention, attention!" Owen called over the megaphone, broadcasting to the entire neighborhood. "This is Captain Owen Strand, Austin FD, Firehouse 126. Please evacuate your homes to help us celebrate the sixth birthday of Shawn Meyers and enjoy all the ice cream you can eat!"

Keith and Sheila pulled their shop's ice cream truck up to the street, leaning out the windows and waving at the cheering kids. The rigs finally came to a stop, and Owen and Sylvie hopped out from their seats as Shawn came barreling from his house, a wide smile on his face when he saw them. "You came!" he whooped.

"Well, of course we came, buddy!" Owen laughed, holding up his hand for a high-five. "We're friends, right?"

Shawn nodded eagerly, high-fiving him, and Sylvie winked. "We brought a few new ones for you, too!"

Tommy opened the side door to her ambulance, and Evie and Izzy jumped out, immediately running to EMS 99 as Eddie held the door open for Maddie and Christopher. "Who're they?" Shawn peeked around Sylvie.

"Why don't you go ask?" Sylvie smiled, patting his shoulder.

Shawn nodded eagerly, running over to EMS 99, and he was met by the blinding smiles of the paramedics' children. Owen, in turn, rotated back to face Whitney, who had tears in her eyes as she smiled at him. "Thank you," she managed to say. "Thank you so much."

"We're happy to give him a happy first birthday here," Owen extended his hand. "On behalf of the AFD, welcome to Texas, Whitney."

***

It was hard to tell what the biggest hit was at the pop-up birthday party on the block. Judd was demonstrating the ladder, Paul, Marjan, and Mateo were leading a dance party by the rig's speakers, and Owen, Buck and TK were indulging the older children by showing the various tools used by Rescue Squad. Eddie and Sylvie were darting back and forth playing tag with the younger kids with Tommy refereeing, while Carlos and his partner watched with wide grins.

Nancy took up her post by the ice cream truck, complimenting every choice of frozen yogurt that was delivered by Keith and Sheila. Thankfully, there had only been one brain freeze thus far, and that was from a poor girl who tried to shovel her entire treat into her mouth in one go.

Eventually, Maddie joined her, and Nancy turned to smile at the dispatcher. "I have to admit, Captain Strand had a good idea with this," she remarked.

"I don't think I've ever seen a happier kid," Maddie agreed, watching Shawn tackle Sylvie to the ground, the blonde paramedic giggling.

"Do you mean Shawn or Sylvie?" Nancy japed.

Maddie threw back her head and laughed, and Nancy bit her lip, unable to keep from noticing how the sunlight turned her hair a rich dark chocolate. "Both of them," Maddie decided. "They both look like they're having a ball."

"They do," Nancy nodded. "Though I think Christopher looked happier when he saw Buck for the first time in, like, ever."

"Oh, yeah, good point," Maddie agreed. "He's happy here, and so's Eddie. I'm glad they can make someone else happy, too."

Nancy leaned against the ice cream truck, folding her arms. "And you?" she asked, watching Maddie blink in surprise. "Are you happy here in Austin?"

"I'm with the people who mean the most to me," Maddie smiled. "I couldn't be happier.

Nancy grinned. "Then happy roommate, happy life."

Maddie tilted her head teasingly. "Mmm, I don't think that rhymes, Nance."

Nancy burst into a fit of giggles, and as Maddie did the same, the two women leaned on each other for support.

***

TK hummed happily as he stuck his spoonful of frozen yogurt into his mouth, scooting over on the sidewalk so he sat pressed against his father. "Pretty awesome idea, Dad," he complimented.

Owen shrugged, grinning through a mouthful of frozen yogurt. "Just being friendly."

TK chuckled, watching Nancy and Maddie lead a group of kids in a game of Bullfrog, then blinked when he heard a phone ring. "Is that mine or yours?" he asked, twisting to reach his phone.

"No, it's mine," Owen told him, fishing his phone out of his pocket. He checked the Caller ID, then grinned. "Oh, no."

"What?" TK leaned over to see the ID.

Owen just accepted the Facetime call. "Did hell finally freeze over?" he asked.

Amanda and Sonny burst into laughter while Fin scowled. "I know how to use phones, Strand," the sergeant growled.

"Really?" Owen smiled innocently. "Because I don't think I've ever seen you Facetime us before."

"He's right!" TK nodded, jumping at the chance to tease the older man. "You haven't!"

Fin turned to Kat with a grumble of, "Damn firefighters."

Amanda was still giggling as Owen set his frozen yogurt down, allowing him to hold the phone so both he and TK were in the shot. "What's up with you guys?" he asked.

"We get to party on Thursday night," Kat said smugly.

"And you're doing it without us?" TK pouted. "Kat!"

"Actually, that's why we're calling," Sonny said. "And why we're doing it without Cap in the room."

"We'd put Stone in this call, too, but something came up at the courthouse," Fin shrugged.

Owen and TK exchanged bewildered looks. "So . . . we're getting invited to a party on Thursday?" Owen asked slowly.

"Liv's getting an award," Fin explained. "NYPD Women in Law Enforcement."

"No way!" TK's eyes lit up.

"Good for her!" Owen grinned. "She deserves it!"

"She does," Amanda agreed. "So we were hoping you two might be able to make it for the night? Maybe spend the next day celebrating?"

"See, the NYPD has given us all invites, and they all say plus one," Fin explained. "And, well, Rollins and Carisi each got individual invites, and Stone got one, too, but since he's dating Liv . . . we've got a few openings for who to take."

Owen paused. "Like?" he prompted.

Fin grinned. "NYPD's also inviting former SVU members. We've already got confirmation that Amaro's coming . . . along with another to surprise Liv."

Owen could read the lines easily, and he knew TK did, too. They exchanged looks, TK looking delighted. Someone to surprise Liv . . . that had to mean Elliot. "Alright, Tutuola," Owen leaned forward. "What's your plan?"

"Stone and Amaro have already agreed to the plan," Fin grinned. "There's six of us with invites, which means six plus ones. You've got a three-person crew, two paramedics, and a cop who are all family. What say you get out of Austin for a few days and come to New York?"

TK's eyes widened. "All of us?" he squeaked. "Us, Carlos, Eddie, Buck, Sylvie?"

"Oh, yeah," Amanda nodded. "About time we got the entire family back together, right?"

"Besides, Stone's been saying he's wanted to invite Sylvie to New York for a long time," Sonny added. "This just gives him the perfect excuse to do that."

TK turned to Owen eagerly. "Can we make that happen?" he asked. "I know it's short notice, but – "

"We've got the furlough stored up," Owen thought aloud. "And our shift can just run the ladder company while we're gone . . . talk to Carlos, see if he can do it. We'll need to talk to the others, though, make sure they're onboard."

"Yes!" TK whooped, rocketing to his feet. "I'll go talk to them right now!"

"Hey!" Amanda exclaimed. "Tyler Kennedy Strand!"

"Oops." TK ducked back into the frame, waving sheepishly. "Bye, guys!"

Kat laughed at Amanda's disgruntled face. "Why am I best friends with him?" the detective sighed.

"Because you've been stuck with him longer than any of us," Sonny patted her shoulder.

"Oh, really?" Fin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I win that honor, Carisi," Owen raised his hand.

Sonny snorted. "You know what I mean."

Owen rolled his eyes fondly. "You said Stone knows about this?"

"He called dibs on Sylvie," Kat grinned. "'Course, I volunteered for that, too, but it probably makes more sense for her to be on his arm at the party until Cap's got the award."

Owen paused. "Does Liv know you're making this offer?" he asked slowly.

He got four devilish grins in reply. "She has no clue," Fin said smugly.

Owen laughed loudly, startling the kids nearby. "Oh, I am so making this party just to see her face."

"And that's exactly what we were hoping to hear," Fin grinned.

***

"I wish I could go to New York," Christopher pouted as they stopped at the doors to the airport.

"I know you do, buddy," Eddie smiled, bending down to meet Christopher's eyes. "But we're only gonna be there two nights, and it's gonna be a lot of adult stuff. We'll go to New York together to do some exploring."

"Promise?" Christopher tilted his head.

"Pinky promise," Buck offered.

Maddie smiled. "And Buckley pinky promises are sacred."

Eddie rose to his feet as Buck made the promise, looking between Maddie and Nancy. "Thank you for watching him while we're gone," he said gratefully. "I would've asked the Vegas – "

"But Charles already does so much while you and Captain Vega are on shift," Maddie finished. "I'm happy to have him to myself for a few days."

"Yeah, and Christopher's the third coolest kid I know," Nancy grinned. "I'm kind of obligated to put my captain's kids first."

"That's your only excuse," Eddie snorted.

"Alright!" He turned as Owen rejoined them, passing out tickets. "This should get us to Manhattan in enough time to get to the hotel, get ready for the ceremony, and then get to the venue. We'll be meeting everyone there, and I guess we'll figure out who's the plus one to each of them once we get there."

"Sounds good," Sylvie nodded.

"My first time in New York, and I'm meeting basically your entire first responder family," Carlos looked nervously at TK.

"You'll be fine," TK promised, patting his shoulder. "You already know all the important people."

"Then we better get going," Owen smiled at Maddie, Nancy, and Christopher. "We'll see you in a few days."

"Have a good flight!" Maddie waved.

"We'll do our best!" Sylvie grinned, tugging her suitcase into the airport.

***

Peter was pulled out of his case files when he heard a knock on the door. He looked up in surprise, then beckoned Amanda inside. "Hey," he said, setting his paperwork on his lap. "What's up?"

"Just letting you know, TK texted, they just got their baggage and are heading to their hotel," she reported. "That gives them plenty of time to get ready and to the venue."

"Good," Peter smiled. "Liv still has no clue we've arranged this behind her back."

"She might be pissed off at that," an unfamiliar voice said, and Peter's attention was drawn to the dark-haired man that leaned in the doorway, an easy smile on his face that made Sonny roll his eyes. "She'll be happy eventually, but pissed we kept this from her."

"She doesn't even know you're here, does she?" Sonny asked.

"Not a clue!" the man chirped. "Haven't been in Manhattan at all since I shipped out to California."

Peter understood as soon as that sentence concluded. "Sergeant Amaro?" he guessed, rising from his desk.

"Please, family of Liv's calls me Nick," the man smiled, extending his hand. "Good to meet you, Stone. These two have all good things to say about you."

"Well, that's a relief," Peter eyed his two friends, and he sighed when he got two innocent looks in reply. "I have to ask, did they learn that from TK, or did he learn from them?"

"From Tyler," Nick smirked. "Definitely from Tyler."

"Great," Peter sighed. "I forgot . . . all of you are going to be trouble."

"Hey, we're giving Cap this one night," Sonny grinned. "Then yeah, we're causing trouble."

"Captain Strand is going to love that," Peter shook his head.

"Did he ever get that shaving cream out of the car?" Amanda grinned, taking a quick look at Sonny when his phone chirped.

"Yeah, Tyler helped him at the end of the day," Nick nodded.

"OK, just so everyone knows," Sonny announced, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Owen's driving Sylvie and Eddie, TK's bringing Buck and Carlos. Owen's with Fin, TK's with me, Sylvie's with Stone, Buck's with 'Manda, Eddie's with Amaro, and Carlos is with Kat."

"Well, glad we got that sorted out before Liv walked into the building," Amanda grinned. "We'll see everyone tonight!"

"Liv's gonna get the surprise of her life," Nick chortled.

"Looking forward to it," Peter smiled.

***

Olivia was not looking forward to how her night would end up. After all, who wants to hear an emergency radio call on the way to their party?

She barely heard her phone ring over the sound of her sirens, and she risked looking away from the road to check who called. She sighed, seeing Fin's number, and she put his phone on speaker, quickly turning back to drive in the rain. "Fin, I'm sorry!"

"Where are you?" Fin demanded.

"Something's come up."

"You're the guest of honor!" Fin protested. "Everybody's waiting on you! What's going on?"

"I'm not quite sure yet," Olivia admitted, maneuvering her way through traffic towards the rest of the flashing lights. "I got a 10-13, a vic near Center Street, so I'll be there as soon as I can, OK? Thank you."

"Wait, did you say Center – ?"

Olivia hung up before Fin could finish his question, and she pulled up to where she could see yellow crime tape being hung across a portion of the road. As she exited her car, she saw what appeared to be civilians at the edge of the line, one of them speaking to an officer at the edge of the line. Olivia stepped out of her car, badge in her hand, and she froze when she recognized the dress uniform of a fire department captain. She'd never seen this uniform before, but she recognized the man immediately. "Owen?" she asked in shock, jogging to the tape.

He whirled around at her voice, eyes wide. "Liv!" he called. "I thought you were supposed to be at the venue?"

"Me?" she demanded. "What're you doing in New York?"

"Here for the ceremony, of course," Owen snorted. "It was supposed to be a surprise, then we hit this on our way over."

"You said we?" Olivia repeated.

"Captain Benson!" She turned to see Eddie and Sylvie make their way over, Sylvie shivering with Owen's uniform jacket over her bare shoulders, the sequins of her dark purple dress glittering in the lights of the police cars. Eddie merely held a hand over his eyes to shield his vision in the rain. "Hi," Sylvie smiled as best as she could. "It was meant to be a surprise, so . . . surprise!"

"TK, Buck, and Carlos beat us," Eddie said obviously.

Olivia took a deep breath. "OK . . . what exactly happened?"

"They say it's a car bomb," Owen nodded to the smoking vehicle, and Olivia gestured them through the yellow tape. "One victim, as far as we can see. Based on what Sylvie's heard, it doesn't look – "

He abruptly cut off, and Olivia saw why a moment later. Paramedics rolled the gurney past them, and to her horror, she recognized the brunette woman lying unconscious. "Kathy?" she gasped, tripping over her feet to run after the gurney. "Kathy?"

"Oh, my God," Owen's eyes were wide.

"Cap?" Eddie looked in confusion. "What is it?"

Owen swallowed hard. "That's Elliot's wife."

Eddie's eyes widened, and Sylvie gulped, pushing her way to the front. "We're paramedics!" she called, and Eddie took his cue to follow her.

"They're Captain Strand's!" Olivia called, proud of herself when her voice didn't waver.

It spoke to Owen's reputation in the FDNY when the paramedics accepted Sylvie and Eddie's assistance without complaint. "We gotta go," one of them said.

Sylvie nodded, shimmying out of Owen's jacket. "We'll let you know the details!" Eddie called.

Owen nodded, helping shut the doors to the ambulance. He rapped on them twice, and the ambulance peeled away from the scene, sirens wailing. "She's in good hands with them," he promised.

Olivia nodded faintly, then paused, rewinding the last few seconds. "They knew Elliot's name," she murmured.

"What?" Owen blinked, turning to look at her.

"They know Elliot's name," she repeated louder, turning to Owen. "They knew and moved into action like that."

Owen frowned. "Yeah, they do, they . . . " He trailed off, and he scowled. "Oh, I'm gonna kill him."

Olivia shook her head, bewilderment clouding every thought. "Owen, I appreciate the surprises, but please . . . will you tell me what in God's name is – ?"

"Owen! Liv!"

She froze at the familiar voice, and she and Owen turned at the same time. "Elliot?" she croaked in disbelief.

"Elliot!" Owen called worriedly, placing a supportive hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"Oh, my God," she whispered, covering her mouth with her hand and turning to Owen in shock. Her partner of years, the partner who had been missing for years, was back in New York . . . and how long had Owen known?

Elliot swallowed hard as he joined them, and it was hard to tell what was rain and what was tears that ran down his face. "They tried to kill her," he whispered. "They tried to kill Kathy!"

Owen was the first to move, stepping forward and tugging Elliot in for a tight hug. The man crumbled almost immediately, clinging to Owen's wet shirt like a lifeline. Owen hugged him just as tightly, knowing that if the bomb had been in the car . . . if Elliot had been in the car, like it looked like Kathy was . . .

He couldn't finish his thought, even as he looked back over at Olivia, who looked like her entire world had just been flipped on its axis . . . and Owen knew it just had.

***

Welcome to New York, folks! And welcome back the prodigal son to Law & Order!

I knew when this episode aired that Owen and TK were going to be in this episode, and then I thought I wanted Sylvie for reasons *wink wink* and of course that means Buck has to be along for the ride . . . and of course, that meant getting Carlos and Eddie in New York, too. Suspend your disbelief, it all worked out like it was meant to. XD

So up next we're getting "Return of the Prodigal Son" and, depending on how the time works, we'll get parts of "Natural Born Firefighter" as well. Unfortunately, I seem to have lost "What Happens in Puglia" from my YouTube TV, so I can't write the Law & Order: OC part of this, which is a bummer. Still, a few things will come up that I think everyone will be happy with, one of which has been a long time coming.

And to those of you still wanting to figure out who Sylvie's half-sibling is . . . there's a very good reason she's in New York aside from being a good friend of Peter's. For those of you who want another hint . . . it is an attorney. ;)

graphic by marvelity