You know, I didn't plan for the episode with Matt, Kelly, and Eddie being in Austin to be the Lone Star episode that was all about romantic relationships . . . and yet here we are. Love how that timing worked out.

On another note, thank you to everyone for your massive amounts of patience while waiting for an update! I recently got into diamond art as a new hobby, and that is sucking me in completely. I also moved back with my parents after finishing my job in our previous home city and I'm back on the hunt for internships, so . . . I'm busy in general. Everyone's patience has really meant a ton - thank you!

And now onto the mess that is "Friends With Benefits." 51 doesn't let Casey and Severide team up at games for a reason, Amanda is on Buck's case, Paul and Mateo are interested in Marjan's not-brother, TK and Carlos hit a snag, my new favorite friendship is the New York power captains, and communication is key. That's working out well for a few people, isn't it? *rolls eyes*

Enjoy the first two-thirds of the episode!

***

"Don't say it."

"I didn't say anything – "

"Don't you dare say it!"

"I didn't say anything!"

Matt's shoulders shook as he tried to avoid snorting coffee up his nose, listening to his best friend and the girl they loved bickering at the end of the table at the breakfast diner. "That was probably in her training to get put on a squad rig, Sev."

"And whose idea was it to go rock climbing for one of our weekends off?" Kelly raised an eyebrow.

"I said don't say it!" Sylvie shrieked, smacking Kelly in the shoulder.

Matt burst out laughing. "I don't think she's thankful!"

"Oh, I'm thankful," Sylvie glared. "I just don't want to give him the satisfaction of an inflated ego."

Matt sank his teeth into his lip to avoid laughing –

"I think Severide would get that feeling even without you saying that, Brett."

Matt lost the battle and burst out laughing, having to put his coffee down before he spilled it all over the table. Kelly glared over the blond's shoulder at the innocently-grinning, dark-haired lieutenant standing behind him. "You suck, Grainger."

"For telling the truth?" Grainger smirked. "Good to know."

"You all right there, Casey?" Delaney walked up next, frowning in concern.

"Oh, yeah," Matt coughed, still laughing. "Just wishing I could take a picture of Sylvie's face right now."

Kelly looked over at Sylvie, her fork paused mid-stab motion towards him, her eyes bugged and mouth open in disbelief as she looked up at Grainger. He snorted loudly and grinned widely. "He's right. I want that picture, too."

"I'm sorry, what?" Sylvie finally sputtered. "What – when – ?"

"I think you broke her, Grainger," Delaney remarked.

"Is that possible?" Grainger laughed.

"Grainger here was kind enough to take command of Engine 51 when Herrmann went on vacation, so he was there right after you left," Kelly explained. "I stopped Casey from blowing up on him and scaring him away – " Matt inhaled his coffee the wrong way and spiraled into another coughing fit. " – and turns out we got another friend out of the deal."

"Or maybe Severide did and he's killing his other," Grainger frowned, pounding Matt on the back. "You OK, Casey?"

"Yeah," he nodded, blinking tears out of his eyes as he reached for his water glass. "I'm good. Gonna murder Severide later, though."

Delaney grinned. "'Bout time someone did."

"Hey," Sylvie narrowed her eyes. "No killing my boys, got it?"

Kelly leaned back, a smug grin on his face. "Yeah, no killing us. Got it?"

Grainger rolled his eyes. "Your egos are gonna get you killed first."

"Sev's ego is gonna get him killed," Matt pointed. "I'm gonna die trying to stop him from getting killed."

Sylvie closed her eyes, dropping her forehead onto her forearms. "If anyone asks, this is why I moved to Austin."

Kelly squawked indignantly. "Ouch," Matt cringed.

Grainger snickered. "You two asked for it."

"I know, I know," Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. "God, I'm not prepared for tonight."

"You're gonna have a ball, though," Sylvie grinned. "I just want to see someone finally beat the Ryders at their own game . . . literally."

"I don't know," Kelly shrugged. "The SVU officers might win."

Delaney snorted. "Please. I've heard all about why no one ever wants to play any game with the two of you."

Sylvie grinned. "Tonight's gonna be fun."

***

Grace leaned forward that evening, a smirk curling her lips. "It all comes down to this," she declared. "The next 60 seconds are critical. There can be no hesitation, no second-guessing. Are you ready?"

"It's a word game," Fin deadpanned, causing Olivia to snort into her wine glass. "There's always second-guessing."

"And third guesses," Matt added.

"See, that's coming from the police sergeant," Charles pointed triumphantly at Fin.

"I'm just making a point, OK?" Grace gave a sweet smile. "I'm sure the firefighters will do great." She cleared her throat. "Judd, tell 'em how much we up by?"

"We're up by nine!" Judd crowed, making Michelle roll her eyes fondly. "The Ryders are up by nine!"

"Nine words in a minute?" Grace whistled. "OK, well, we should change the name of this game to Mission Impossible, then."

Sylvie giggled hysterically from where she was keeping tally on a notepad, and Kelly looked around incredulously at the assembled teams: Judd and Grace, Owen and Michelle, Olivia and Fin, and Tommy and Charles. "Are they always like this during game night?" he asked.

"Insufferable?" Tommy rolled her eyes. "Yeah. Yeah."

"Crush them," Charles begged. "Please."

"Crush them!" Michelle started chanting. "Crush them!"

Owen took the chant up, and Judd scoffed. "Please," he taunted. "Please, crush us."

Matt snorted, setting his beer down on the table and standing up. "Alright," he rubbed his hands together, watching Sylvie hand the phone with the game over to Kelly. "Remind me how we let you drag us to this?"

"I asked," Sylvie smiled innocently. "Very nicely. And you never say no when I ask very nicely."

Matt sighed. "We need to work on that."

Kelly snorted. "Like we're ever gonna be able to refuse her."

"Good point," Matt conceded, missing Olivia's eyebrows shooting up and Fin looking between the three curiously. "Ready?"

"Let's go," Kelly nodded.

Matt gave double thumbs up, and Kelly lifted the phone for Matt to see the word. "Oh!" Judd cackled. "Have fun with that one!"

Matt didn't blink. "Animal burrows in the ground, long snout!"

"Aardvark," Kelly answered.

Matt nodded, and Kelly flicked the phone, going to the next one. Matt frowned. "American outlaw, Bruce Springsteen song Tony complains that Capp likes."

Kelly smirked. "Jesse James!"

"What?" Grace protested.

The next clue made Matt burst out laughing. "Sylvie refused to go to the circus with us because of the – ?"

"Clowns," Kelly snickered.

"Hey!" Sylvie protested, Judd and Grace staring in shock as Matt nodded eagerly. "They're terrifying, OK?"

The disbelief further went on as Matt gave exact clues that Kelly figured out in only a few seconds. "Deepest part of the ocean named after islands," Matt rattled off.

"Marianas Trench!" Kelly grinned.

"Oh!" Charles cheered.

"How is this possible?" Grace demanded, looking between Matt and Kelly in shock.

"We are experiencing a full-on mind meld here!" Tommy grinned eagerly.

"Come on, one more!" Michelle leaned forward.

The final clue came on, and Matt grinned triumphantly. "Thank you, House Hunters International," he crowed, making Sylvie cackle hysterically. "The Mediterranean coast in France!"

"The French Riviera!" Kelly answered in less than a second.

"What?" Judd's jaw dropped.

"Time!" Sylvie called.

"Yes!" Matt cheered, and Kelly whooped in glee. "That's how you do it!"

"Oh, thank God!" Owen sighed in relief as Tommy and Charles cheered, Judd and Grace staring in shock. "Dethroned!"

"That's what I'm talking about!" Kelly grinned, holding up his hand.

"That ain't fair!" Judd complained as Matt high-fived his best friend. "That ain't fair, no!"

"Should I have warned everyone that there's a reason no one at 51 ever wanted these two paired up for game nights?" Sylvie snickered.

"Yes!" Grace scowled.

"How long have you two been friends?" Fin asked, leaning forward.

"Oh, geez," Matt whistled, leaning back on the couch. "How long's it been since we started the fire academy?"

"We graduated in '03," Kelly grinned.

"That long?" Charles's jaw dropped.

"OK, so how long have you known them?" Michelle pointed at Sylvie.

"Uh, I was assigned to 51 in the fall of 2014," Sylvie answered, setting the pad with point values on the coffee table and plopping down on the couch next to Kelly, who laid his arm along the back of the couch for her to rest against. "I was the replacement for a paramedic killed in the line of duty."

Tommy winced, looking down into her glass. "Oh, my God," Grace swallowed. "I'm so sorry."

"It, uh . . . " Kelly cleared his throat. "It was one of the hardest losses our house ever had. Shay was my roommate and best friend. I was in a bad place for a long time after her death." He nudged Matt with his elbow. "It took Casey practically dragging me back to 51 to get my head out of my ass."

"Grief doesn't have a time limit," Owen said softly.

"No, it doesn't," Olivia agreed, reaching over and squeezing his shoulder supportively.

"Then all of us had a bunch of relationships that went south, and the three of us have been best friends for about two years now," Matt nodded.

"Hence why I knew if there was ever a chance of beating the Ryders, these two had to pair up," Sylvie grinned cheekily.

Judd scowled as laughter rang out in the living room again. "You're a menace, Brett."

"Oh, she knows," Matt nodded hastily as Sylvie preened. "She's very aware."

Kelly snickered into his beer, and Owen turned when Olivia leaned closer. "Just best friends?" she asked dubiously.

Owen snorted. "Yeah, if Buck and TK were here, they'd be arguing that, too."

***

The moment the whistle blew, the women on the track burst into a flurry of motion. "Here we go, Marj!" Buck leaned forward, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes. "Let's go!"

Marjan, easily identifiable to the group assembled in the bleachers, shot forward like a rocket, and Maddie winced, watching her fling opponents off the track. "Oh, God, I could never do this as a hobby."

"Good thing it's Marjan, then," Nancy grinned. "She's a beast!"

One of the skaters Marjan hit slammed into the railing around the track, and Kat outright cackled. "Oh, I like her!"

"You like anyone who can throw a punch like that," Sonny snorted.

"So?"

"Look out!" Eddie suddenly shouted.

Marjan's head whipped to the side as she took an elbow to the cheek, and the entire group protested. "Oh, come on, ref!" Paul complained loudly. "What are you, blind?"

"How do you miss that elbow?" Carlos protested.

"Oh, she's gonna make her pay," Amanda narrowed her eyes.

"She's right," TK nodded, pointing. "Here it comes, here it comes . . . "

"She's about to bring the pain!" Mateo shifted excitedly.

Sure enough, Marjan skated up to the girl who had elbowed her and responded with a jab that ended with the girl landing hard on her ass. "Oh, there you go!" Eddie snickered. "Payback!"

"That's my girl!" Mateo whooped.

"So let me see if I get this right," Eddie leaned into Buck. "You guys answered a call here about a girl that was injured, and Marjan took her place?"

"That covers it," Buck nodded.

Eddie chuckled. "And free entertainment for the rest of you."

"Hey, TK," Amanda nudged her friend. "You know that guy?"

TK peered where she was pointing, to a man in the front row that was cheering enthusiastically for Marjan. "No, I don't think I do," he narrowed his eyes.

"I don't," Paul frowned.

Kat tilted her head. "Looks like Marjan's got a fan."

***

TK walked up to the bartender, watching a pair walk away before stepping up to the bartender. "Hello," he greeted with a smile.

The man smiled back. "What can I get you?"

"Three IPAs, a mineral water, and an iced tea, please," he answered, seeing Sonny walk up for the rest of the orders.

The bartender raised an eyebrow. "You're thirsty."

"Only four of those are for me," TK joked.

The bartender laughed, moving around to collect the drinks. "I've seen you here before, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, were you here the night that Kitten Crusher got impaled?" TK asked. "I was one of the firefighters that responded."

"Firefighter?" the bartender smirked, looking TK up and down. "Sign me up for the calendar."

Sonny raised an eyebrow, then saw Carlos appear at TK's side with a snark of, "And his boyfriend is a cop."

The bartender's smile was sour. "Cool."

Sonny snickered. "That line always works."

"Oh, does it?" TK gave him a sly look. "You never gave it to me."

"Mind out of the gutter, my friend," Sonny rolled his eyes, patting him on the back.

TK just turned to Carlos with a grin. "Well, that was aggressive."

"I think it's the atmosphere," Carlos gestured to the rink. "But I do like people to know you're mine."

TK's grin widened. "Well, then I think we should come here more often."

"Maybe we should," Carlos agreed.

The drinks arrived, and TK smiled. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Carlos agreed, grabbing a few of the drinks.

The bartender gave a sarcastic two-finger salute, and Sonny gave him a cheeky grin. "You get used to it."

***

Buck heard a phone chirp, and he turned to see Amanda pull out her phone and look at the message she received. She laughed heartily. "Oh, I owe Stone so much."

"Is he the one looking after the kids?" he asked.

"Yeah, he is," Amanda nodded, walking over. "He's so good with them."

Buck checked the photo she received, and he smiled, seeing Noah, Jesse, and Billie eating. "It's always good to have a close friend willing to do that for you."

"It's especially good he and Liv finally got their heads straight," Amanda snorted, following him around the rink. "Stone bonded with Noah quickly, but when it's a late night at the office for us and we can't get back quickly enough, my girls go to him since that means Dominick and I are working the same hours."

"Is that weird?" Buck wondered. "Dating your co-worker?"

Amanda smiled softly. "Not when I can't see my life without him in it."

"Without who?" Sonny appeared behind them, drinks in hand.

Buck cleared his throat, seeing Eddie and Maddie follow him. "Nobody in particular."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, just chatting."

Eddie frowned, then his gaze drifted to where Paul was leaning against the bleachers, watching where the skaters were emerging. "Has Marjan come out yet?" he asked.

"Not yet," Paul shook his head, then pointed to the man pacing back and forth. "Feels like maybe we aren't the only ones waiting for her."

Amanda pointed. "And that's the guy who was cheering for her, right?"

"Right," Paul confirmed with a sigh. "I keep telling her to make her social media private."

Mateo shrugged. "You don't get three million likes by being private."

"Three million?" Maddie's eyes widened.

"Yep," Mateo confirmed.

"Well, you wouldn't get creeps showing up after your games," Paul countered.

Sonny narrowed his eyes. "You think he's gonna be a problem?"

"Let's hope not," Buck frowned, then plastered a smile on his face and walked over when Marjan emerged, looking surprised at the man who walked up to talk to her. "Hey, Marjan!" he called loudly, startling the pair. "Good job out there!"

"Thanks, Buck," Marjan smiled, watching the rest of the group walk over. "Thanks for coming, everyone."

"We wouldn't miss it," Amanda smiled. "Not for a friend of TK's."

"Speaking of friends . . . " Paul trailed off. "Everything good?"

"Yeah," Marjan nodded. "Uh, yeah." He turned to the other man, who was looking at her expectantly. "These are friends from work: Paul, Mateo, and Buck. That's Buck's sister, Maddie, and his best friend, Eddie. The rest are TK's best friends, Amanda and Sonny. Everyone, this is Salim."

"Oh, so you know this guy," Mateo smiled in relief.

"Only our whole lives," Salim nodded with a grin.

Buck blinked. "So . . . brother, or – ?"

"Salim's my fiancé," Marjan answered.

Buck did a double take, and Paul's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Oh," the squad firefighter managed to say.

"'Sup, guys?" Kat sauntered over, drinks in her hands. "We come bearing gifts!"

"Seriously, we need these," Nancy agreed.

"How's it going?" TK asked with a wide grin.

"Uh . . . " Paul swallowed. "Marjan got engaged."

Nancy choked on her drink. "What?" TK scoffed. "No way!"

The nervous smile Marjan gave clearly said the opposite. "Congratulations?" Carlos offered timidly.

"When did this happen?" Nancy looked around.

Marjan shifted uneasily. "When we were twelve."

Buck could've cut the tension in the air with a blunted knife. "Awkward," Eddie mumbled under his breath, taking a long drink from his beer.

***

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?"

"It's worse than the Red Wedding!"

***

"Ladder 126. Squad 9. EMS 126. Rescue and medical assistance."

***

"You know," Kelly adjusted the headset he wore, "it's different being in the back of one of these vehicles after so long."

"Not used to not calling the shots, Lieutenant?" Owen asked from the front seat.

"That's one way to put it," Kelly nodded.

"I'm still not completely used to being on a rig like this and not an ambulance," Sylvie grinned across from him.

"So you're only a paramedic?" Eddie asked from her other side. "Not a firefighter?"

"Right," Sylvie nodded. "Paramedic only."

"Captain Vega and Nancy are like that, too," Buck said. "It's kind of nice, though. No need to pull paramedics into the line of fire unless they're really needed."

"Yeah," Eddie nodded. "It'd be bad luck for us if Hen and Chimney got injured."

Sylvie felt Kelly's eyes on her, and she licked her lips, already knowing he was thinking of the Arnow factory fire. "What are we heading to, Cap?" she asked, trying to divert the subject.

"Apparently the best man at this wedding was in the middle of his speech when everyone started vomiting their meals," Owen answered. "One thing led to another, and the structure collapsed on everyone."

"Oh, God," TK groaned from the driver's seat as Kelly's and Sylvie's phones chimed. "That's just great."

Owen frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Sylvie's eyebrows raised as she looked at her phone. "Does it have anything to do with why Matt is saying the ladder crew gossiping is worse than Squad 3?"

Kelly barked in laughter. "That's got to be impossible."

Buck winced. "You . . . weren't at the roller rink."

Owen twisted in his seat, looking back at the sheepish firefighter. "And what happened at the roller rink?"

***

"Let me make sure I get this right," Matt rubbed his forehead as he helped Marjan go through the compartments on Ladder 126. "You've been engaged to Salim since before you were even a teenager?"

Marjan sighed. "I'm going to kill those two."

"But is it even legal?" Mateo wondered. "Doesn't that make you, like, a child bride?"

"They're engaged, not married, Probie," Paul sighed.

"You do realize that half the marriages in the world are still arranged?" Marjan challenged.

Mateo blinked. "I did not know that. But, like, you don't even get a say?"

Marjan rolled her eyes. "It's not like my parents drew his name out of a hat. Our families have known each other since our grandparents immigrated here. We have similar values. We're a good match. We were babies together."

Matt had to bite on his tongue to refrain from saying something. Unfortunately, Mateo did it for him. "That almost makes it weirder."

Matt sighed. "Can I pull rank and say 'stop talking?'"

"Please, can you?" Marjan begged.

They rounded the rig to see Owen jump from the officer's seat of the squad rig, a grin on his face. "How'd you fare, Captain?" he asked.

"I'm reminded why I'm so glad I'm an officer now," Matt answered instantly.

Kelly laughed, jumping down from the back of the rig and helping Sylvie out. "Maybe you should ride with us next time."

"As long as I'm not kicked out," Eddie snorted.

"We weren't that bad!" Mateo protested.

"Yeah?" Kelly raised an eyebrow. "I heard Marjan got engaged when she was twelve."

"Probie!" Marjan hissed.

"Actually, that's on me," Buck raised his hand. "Sorry."

Sylvie shook her head, then saw Tommy and Nancy approach with an anxious woman in pink. "From what we can tell, only the guests who had fish got sick," she said. "Though I can't say we got a lot of compliments on the chicken, either."

Judd laughed. "Score one for red meat!"

Sylvie frowned, thinking. "It can't be salmonella if everything came out of the same kitchen . . . "

"Scombroid poisoning," Tommy snapped her fingers. "Improperly stored seafood."

"That'll do it," Sylvie nodded.

"Nancy, radio dispatch," Tommy ordered. "Tell 'em all RA units need to bring as much Zofran, saline, and Epi as possible." Nancy nodded, unclipping her radio from her shoulder. "Captain, can I borrow a few hands?"

Owen nodded. "Marjan, Mateo, Paul, assist the captain – "

"Help!" a man stumbling towards them shouted. "Help, please! Please, they're still in there!"

"Who's in there?" Owen asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Jeff and Kelsey," the man wheezed. "The bride and groom."

"OK, you get yourself taken care of with medical," Owen gestured to Nancy. "You don't look good. We'll take care of your friends."

"Oh, no, I'm OK," he shook his head. "I got most of it up . . . all over the bride."

Kelly raised an eyebrow, then gave Matt an amused look. Sylvie just shook his head and swung her medical bag onto her shoulder. "Might need a hand if things in there don't look so good," she told Eddie.

"Copy that," he nodded, adjusting his helmet.

Buck and Judd adjusted the coverings, and Owen ducked down, starting to crawl inside. "Hello?" he called.

"Over here!" a woman's voice answered. "Over here, over here!"

"Oh, man," Eddie winced when he caught a whiff of the air. "Ugh."

"You're telling me," Buck gagged.

"Thank God," Kelsey swallowed as Owen and Sylvie crawled to join them. "We tried to lift it, but it was too heavy!"

TK peered at the structure, and Kelly shook his head. "Don't move it yet," he said. "The trusses are aluminum, but all these lights mean the weight adds up to about nine hundred pounds."

Buck winced. "Ouch."

"Alright," Owen crouched down. "Hey, Jeff, how you doing? Big day, huh?"

"Yep," Jeff croaked.

"Jeff, my name's Sylvie," the blonde shifted next to him. "Where are you hurting?"

"Pretty much everywhere," he wheezed. "I think my leg's broken."

"Alright, let's secure this area," Owen looked around. "Get some saws . . . and some gas masks."

TK did a double take. "Gas masks?"

"Yeah," Owen grimaced. "Can't you smell it?"

"Wish I didn't," Sylvie mumbled, causing Buck to laugh and quickly cough to cover it.

***

"So, how long is he in town for?" Paul asked, joining Marjan.

"Who?" she played dumb.

Paul rolled his eyes. "Your fiancé? The guy you're totally into and haven't seen in a year?"

Marjan sighed. "He flies back to Miami on Monday."

"So kind of a surprise visit?"

"Mmm," Marjan tilted her head side to side. "He's been meaning to come visit once I got settled."

"So there's no particular occasion?" Paul questioned.

Marjan gave him a cocky smile. "I am always the occasion."

Paul chuckled. "It is a little odd, though, that you've never mentioned him before."

"It never really occurred to me," Marjan shrugged. Paul gave her a dubious look, and she huffed. "What?"

"OK, maybe it's not that odd," he said. "I mean, I didn't see a lot of heat coming off you two last night."

"Seriously?" Marjan rolled her eyes. "You, too?"

"It's not a cultural thing, all right?" Paul held up his hands defensively. "It's just an observation. I just didn't peg you two for a couple."

Marjan smirked. "No, you thought he was my stalker."

"I thought like Buck," Mateo chirped as he joined them. "I thought he was your brother."

Marjan snorted. "Guys, your thinking is so Western. When you marry for chemistry, there's a 50% divorce rate. You know why ours is ten times lower? Because we don't start with heat. We believe that love is something you grow into."

Mateo mulled it over, then smiled softly. "That's kind of beautiful, actually." Marjan nodded in agreement. "So, when's the big day?"

That made Marjan scoff. "Hell if I know. He still has to finish dental school, and we agreed to hold off the wedding and our parents until we'd established ourselves as individuals."

"You gonna have a big to-do like this?" Mateo gestured to the field.

Marjan snickered. "Hopefully with a lot less vomit."

Paul chuckled, nodding in agreement. Mateo, however, wilted. "Does that mean you'll move back to Miami?"

Paul stopped his actions, having never thought about that. "Eventually," Marjan admitted, putting a hand on Mateo's arm. "It's years away."

Paul swallowed, saying what he and Mateo were both thinking. "Is it?"

***

"Alright," Buck readjusted the mask over his face. "Let's get him out of here."

Matt watched, impressed, as TK supported the beam Buck cut into, Owen watching with an eagle eye to make sure his two firefighters made no mistakes. After Buck had made the correct cuts, the two went to work on removing the beams, clearing room for Sylvie to crawl to Jeff and start working on him. "They're a good team, aren't they?" Judd grinned from behind him. "They're demons, all three of them, but it's hard to make a team that perfect. Somehow Cap managed it."

"Don't let my dad hear you say that, Judd," TK smirked.

"Let me hear what?" Owen poked his head up from where he and Eddie were assisting Kelsey.

"Nothing!"

"OK," Sylvie sat back on her heels. "He's good to transport."

"Right," TK twisted. "Backboard?"

"Right here," Judd slid it towards them.

It slid right into Kelly's hands, the lieutenant helping Sylvie slide it into place under Jeff. TK took over buckling him into place, then he nodded. "Good to go."

"On my count," Sylvie grasped the end of the board, Buck and TK on either side. "One, two, three!"

Judd and Matt held the tarp off them as they carried Jeff out of the tent to where Tommy and Nancy were waiting with a gurney. Owen and Eddie helped Kelsey out behind them, and Kelsey fidgeted, watching her husband be secured. "Is he gonna be all right?"

Owen removed his mask, inhaling fresh air greedily. That tent had seriously almost made him vomit everywhere. "You may have to postpone the honeymoon, but he's gonna be fine."

"Well, we've waited this long," Jeff winced. "A little while longer won't kill us, right?"

Kelsey nodded in agreement, then she got a funny look on her face. "Watch her veil!" Sylvie called.

Matt turned to see Kelsey turn and double over, and he quickly pulled the fabric out of the way, grimacing as Kelsey vomited into the grass. "Can we get a chair over here, please?" he called.

"No, I'm . . . I'm fine," Kelsey batted his hands away. "Really, I'm . . . it's OK."

"Not if you had the fish," TK shook his head.

"She didn't," Jeff said. "She's vegan."

The firefighters exchanged confused looks. "You were in there when the tent came down," Owen stepped forward. "Were you hit on the head?"

"No," Kelsey shook her head.

"But you're feeling nauseated?" Tommy double checked.

"She's been sick all week," Jeff reported.

"Maybe she's pregnant?" Mateo suggested, making everyone look at him with wide eyes. "I mean, my cousin Sophia barfed at her wedding. It was morning sickness. Also at her graduation."

"Mateo," Sylvie hissed.

"It can't be that," Jeff chuckled. "We're proudly waiting until the wedding night. Right, babe?"

Kelsey abruptly burst into tears. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed, making Eddie's eyes widen and the man look between the two. "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't want to ruin our wedding!"

The best man, who had been hovering until then, came forward, eyes wide. "Wait, hold on . . . you're pregnant?" he asked. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why would she tell you?" Jeff frowned.

"Because it's not your business!" Kelsey snapped, staring at the best man.

"How is it not my business?" he retorted.

"How is it your business?" Jeff countered. Kelsey looked guiltily at him, and Jeff balked. "Oh, my God."

"And on that note," Eddie cleared his throat. "Nancy?"

The other paramedic nodded quickly, her eyes wide. "OK, let's get him to the ambulance," Owen nodded, taking the other end of the gurney.

"You're gonna have to get him an ambulance!" Jeff roared, thrashing as Owen, Nancy, Eddie, and Buck wheeled the gurney away, Kelsey sobbing. "I'm gonna kill you, Drew! I was saving myself!"

Kelly whistled, shaking his head. "Maybe not quite the Red Wedding."

TK gave him a bewildered look. "You've seen Game of Thrones?"

Kelly just pointed to Sylvie, who blushed. "She watched the Blackhawks and other sports with us, she subjected us to Game of Thrones and HGTV."

"I hate you so much right now," Sylvie hissed, her face almost as red as their rig.

"See?" Marjan told Paul and Mateo smugly, gesturing to the ambulance. "Bad match. On the other hand . . . " She waved in the direction of Kelly and Sylvie, the man grinning as Sylvie swatted his shoulder, Matt grinning fondly at them. "Exhibit A for perfect match."

Paul guffawed.

***

"Alright, everybody," Owen announced as he dropped out of his seat from the squad rig. "Hit the showers. That includes our guests."

"Thank God," Matt groused. "I've never been to such a disgusting-smelling scene."

"No kidding," Kelly growled.

"And what am I supposed to do with these turnouts?" TK followed Kelly out of the rig, holding a trash bag full of turnout coats away from him, his nose wrinkling.

"Burn 'em," Paul suggested.

Mateo hummed thoughtfully. "Is it weird that I'm hungry?"

"As long as it's not fish," Sylvie huffed.

"I have it on good authority there's something much better than fish being cooked in here!" Olivia called from where she leaned against the staircase.

TK sniffed, and his eyes brightened. "Is that – ?"

"Carisi's chicken parm, including homemade pasta?" Amanda grinned. "Yes. Yes, it is."

"Oh, yes!" TK whooped, racing for the stairs. "I'm getting through the shower first!"

"Wait, TK!" Buck barreled after him. "That's not fair!"

"You haven't had my best friend's chicken parm!"

Peter peered out of the kitchen, watching the 126's mad scramble for the stairs. "I guess that's one way to get everyone's attention."

Owen chuckled. "I swear, the days all of you came to the 252 and surprised us with a meal were everyone's favorites."

"What a surprise," Amanda grinned. "A police officer's cooking is all it takes to get on firefighters' good sides."

Owen nodded, then paused, eyes zeroing in on the treat Amanda was snacking on. "Did you bring processed snack cakes into my firehouse?" he accused.

Olivia bit her lip, smothering a grin. "And on that note, I need to help Carisi," Peter backed up into the kitchen. "Fin! Damage control!"

"What happened?" Fin emerged from the common area.

"It's a Ho Ho," Amanda corrected loftily. "And I found it in the cabinet, hidden behind the kale chips. Where I have always found them."

"Did you say always?" Owen narrowed his eyes. "Who brought processed sugar into my kitchen?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "Gee, how many other firefighters do I personally know like you, Owen?"

Owen paused, then glowered. "I'm gonna kill my son."

Amanda giggled. "What's new?"

A sigh came from behind them, and Owen turned to see Matt and Kelly walk out from behind the rigs, Kelly putting his phone into his pocket. "I swear, one of these days Grissom is not going to be happy with something I suggest," the lieutenant said.

"What did you do?" Fin frowned.

"Explained TK was gonna burn out turnouts and we needed new ones," Matt deadpanned.

Fin frowned. "The hell is TK doing burning turnout coats?"

Olivia sniffed, then blinked. "Who smells like vomit?"

Matt scoffed. "Maybe we should hose down the rigs while we're at it."

"Thanks for volunteering, Cap," Owen smiled blandly.

Matt pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is when I really wish I had Squad 3's members to threaten. Again."

"I still don't know how they got the rigs as sparkling as they did," Kelly remarked, the two officers heading for the showers.

"Neither do I. I'm really wondering if we want to know."

Owen watched them go, chuckling and shaking his head. "Let's just say wedding guests have bad reactions to improperly stored seafood."

"Ah," Olivia nodded. "Hence the stampede to the showers."

"Indeed."

"In that case," Fin frowned. "What're you standing here for? You got a shower to catch, Owen."

"And I need to interrogate Buckley," Amanda nodded, finishing the Ho Ho and brushing her hands off.

"Wait," Owen blinked rapidly. "What did my firefighter do?"

"Nothing that concerns you!" Amanda waved him off as she jogged up the stairs.

Owen gave Olivia a bewildered look, but his best friend just shook her head. "She seemed insistent that she wanted to talk to Buck about something," she explained. "The rest of us thought it would be a good idea to finally see the station."

"And is it up to standards?" Owen asked teasingly.

Fin snorted loudly. "Carisi approves of the kitchen, that's for sure."

Owen laughed loudly. "He's welcome to it while he's here."

"You may regret that, Captain Strand!" Sonny's voice called dimly from inside.

"Doubt it!"

Olivia shook her head fondly. "I have a good team."

"You do," Owen agreed. "So do I."

"Definitely," Olivia nodded. "Buck and Sylvie look completely comfortable with you and TK."

"They are," Owen confirmed. "It's like we have a mini family inside our firehouse one."

Olivia nodded. "Maybe getting three more?"

Owen balked. "Three?!"

"Well, five," Olivia amended. "I'm assuming you count Carlos because of TK?"

"Absolutely," Owen nodded. "I think TK's working on trying to meet his parents. I'm interested, for sure."

Olivia nodded. "Then you know where I'm going with this."

Owen frowned, scratching his head. It finally dawned on him what Olivia was thinking, and he couldn't help but laugh. "So TK plays matchmaker for Rollins and Carisi, and now you're all playing matchmaker for my firefighters?"

"Actually, I'm in it for Sylvie," Peter emerged from the kitchen. "That girl deserves the world, and I'm confident Casey and Severide would willingly walk through hell to give it to her."

"You didn't see those three at the game night," Fin snorted. "She has them completely wrapped around her finger."

"Sylvie has everyone wrapped around her finger," Owen countered.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. "And just from what I've observed, Buck would do anything for the Diaz boys."

"Pretty sure that's what Rollins is trying to find out," Peter nodded.

Owen sighed. "Believe me, nothing would make me happier than having everyone in the same city if it meant they were happy, too. I just don't know how realistic that goal is, Liv."

Olivia smiled. "You never know with the universe, Owen. You never know."

***

"You asked because of Diaz, didn't you?"

Buck almost smacked his head on the doorframe when he heard Amanda's voice behind him. "What the – ?!" he sputtered, spinning around to see the blonde lounging against the wall, head tilted. "What do you mean?"

"That was a very specific question you asked me at the roller rink, Buck," Amanda smirked. "Falling in love with your partner? I distinctly remember TK saying you were very close with your former partner in Los Angeles . . . that would be one Eddie Diaz. Hot as hell, by the way."

Buck's mouth felt like a desert. "Better not let Carisi hear you say that."

"Oh, he'd agree," Amanda snickered. "We've been friends with TK for years. We all got involved with agreeing who the hot men were. Now . . . " She raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Diaz?"

Buck slumped, rubbing a hand over his face. "I never want to see you and TK team up as matchmakers."

Amanda laughed. "You know you just admitted it, right?"

"You're a detective, I couldn't get this past you if I tried, apparently," Buck groused, dropping onto his bunk.

Amanda sat across from him, hands clasped in her lap. "When did you figure it out?" she asked.

"I don't know," Buck admitted. "I don't – I don't know where you just suddenly cross that line when your best friend is suddenly the one you love."

"It's exactly how it was with me and Dominick," Amanda smiled softly. "It's when you can't imagine your life without them in it."

Buck blew out his breath slowly. "The well," he answered. "When Eddie was stuck down the well and I tried to dig him out with my bare hands."

Amanda froze. "I remember seeing something like that on the news," she breathed. "One of my former best friends in New York relocated to California, and he said . . . that was Eddie?"

"That was Eddie," Buck confirmed. "And I felt like my heart was gonna jump out of my chest and dive through the mud for him."

"Oh, my God," Amanda swallowed hard.

"There's so much to think about, Rollins," Buck let out in a rush. "I mean, he's my best friend, that's my primary thought. But he has Christopher, who's the best kid in the world, he lives all the way in Los Angeles, and they've already packed up their whole lives to move before, I would never ask them to do it again, and – "

"OK," Amanda scooted to the edge of the bunk and reached over, taking Buck's hands in hers. "Breathe for a moment, Buckley. Breathe." Buck closed his eyes, taking a few moments to breathe. "There you go," Amanda nodded, satisfied. "Now. Let me get this straight. Your concerns are being best friends, Eddie's son, and the distance."

"Yes," Buck nodded.

"OK," Amanda nodded back. "Fact: Carisi and I were practically inseparable before we got our heads out of our asses. We were best friends for years. I thought the same thing, and I didn't want to burden him with me and my life's messes. That brings me to point two . . . I have two daughters by two different men. Yet it's Carisi who acted like their dad. He's been there for them, and for me, no matter what. If I couldn't pick them up from school, he volunteered and was out the door before I could say a word. From what I've heard, that's what you are to Chris and Eddie, too. As for the distance . . . well, both you and Eddie seem determined to make your friendship work over long distance. I wouldn't rule out a romantic relationship without . . . oh, maybe talking to the man?"

Buck's blush had deepened with every point Amanda made. "I'm also not the best with relationships," he admitted quietly.

Amanda stared at him, then burst out laughing. "Oh, Buckley . . . did you not hear me say my daughters had different fathers? I'm the queen of not being the best with relationships."

"What gave you that award?"

Buck almost jumped off his bed when he heard Eddie right behind him. "Oh," Amanda leaned back with a smirk. "I'm pretty certain TK handed it to me . . . right before turning to Peter and starting laying into him about when he and Liv would get together."

Marjan snickered, walking into the bunkroom behind Eddie, both freshly showered. "That honestly sounds like TK."

Amanda gave a sharklike grin. "Oh, the stories I could tell you about TK!"

Buck's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'm begging you."

Amanda all but cackled as Marjan sat on her bunk, looking at a text on her phone. "OK, so . . . the first time Owen and TK met with the SVU squad when Dominick joined – "

"Ae you sure I got it all off?" Mateo's voice interrupted, and Buck sighed at the lost opportunity as he walked into the bunkroom, sniffing himself. "I can still smell it." He turned to Paul. "Can you sniff me?"

Paul looked offended at the very thought. "I ain't sniffing you, Probie."

"Don't look at me," Buck held up his hands. "I'm not sniffing for vomited seafood."

"Eugh," Amanda shuddered.

Marjan groaned from the bunk next to her, flopping onto her back, phone on her stomach. "That bad a text?" Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"Salim just texted," was all Marjan responded with.

"He didn't break it off, did he?" Amanda asked.

Marjan snorted. "We've been engaged since we were twelve. He wouldn't do that over text." She sat back up, readjusting her hijab. "No . . . he wants to go for dinner before he heads back. He's making reservations at Osteria Cielo."

Eddie and Amanda looked confused, but Buck's eyes widened, and Paul whistled lowly. "Baller move," Mateo nodded. "Place is nice."

"So it's a good text," Eddie clarified.

Marjan nodded. "Then why do you look like someone just drowned your puppy?" Paul asked.

"This is a big deal," Marjan answered. "We've never been on a date without a chaperone. Unmarried couples aren't really supposed to."

"Do you want one?" Amanda asked.

Marjan smiled thinly. "Thanks, Amanda, but . . . I don't think that's what Salim's going for."

Paul's expression tightened. "He's here for a reason."

"Yeah," Marjan nodded.

Mateo frowned, looking between them. "Reason? What reason?"

"He's tired of waiting," Paul guessed.

Marjan bit her lip, nodding. "I think you might be right."

"Tired of waiting for what?" Mateo still looked confused.

Buck sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He wants to marry you . . . now. That's why he's here."

Marjan didn't look happy, but she nodded in agreement. "What?" Mateo squawked, sitting up. "No! We had a deal!"

"We?" Eddie mouthed to Buck, who smothered a snicker.

Mateo continued, offended on Marjan's behalf. "He's supposed to finish dental school first! I mean, do we even know what kind of grades he's been getting? This is wrong!"

"I mean," Buck looked back at Marjan. "Based on what Casey said . . . I thought you were here a few more years before moving back to Miami?"

Marjan shook her head helplessly. "I thought we did."

***

Carlos shook his head in disbelief after TK finished running through the story. "Wow . . . back to Miami?"

"Maybe, yeah," TK nodded as they walked through the outdoor market, examining the herbs in pots. "I guess that was always the plan once they got married, but . . . I just think Marjan expected it to, you know, happen after she was 30 or something."

"Kind of a long time to wait," Carlos remarked. "For him, I mean. She's very beautiful."

"Yeah," TK agreed. "I would not be able to hold out that long."

"Yes," Carlos smirked smugly. "I recall the first fifteen minutes after we met." TK barked in laughter, continuing on, Carlos following. "So why does it have to be Miami? We have teeth in Texas. Why can't he open up a dental practice here?"

"Well, both their families are in Florida," TK pointed out.

Carlos nodded understandingly. "Family. Right." TK frowned at the weird tone, but Carlos hastily shook his head. "No, I get it. Take a lot to leave that behind."

TK tilted his head, curious. "Would you?" he asked.

Carlos gave him a pointed look. "For the right person? Sure." TK preened, then paused when he saw Carlos look just past him and pale. "Oh, you're kidding me."

"What?" TK blinked. That was an abrupt mood change. "What is it?"

"Carlitos!" an excited voice from behind him exclaimed, and TK turned to see a middle-aged couple walking towards them, recognition in their eyes. "Carlitos!"

"Hey!" the man wearing a stetson smiled happily.

"Oh, mamá," Carlos grinned; TK noticed the small strain in it. "Hi, Dad."

"Are these your parents?" TK perked up at once.

"Well, you wouldn't know by the way this one still hasn't hugged his mother," the woman scoffed. "Come here!"

Carlos hugged his mother, and TK beamed, extending a hand towards his father. "So nice to finally meet you!" They shook hands, then TK shook Carlos's mother's hand, too. "Hello."

"Mom, Dad, this is my friend, TK," Carlos introduced, and TK nearly got whiplash from looking at his boyfriend so quickly. "We work together."

Years of mentoring from Amanda and Sonny was all that kept TK from letting his jaw fall open. That had not been what he had expecting Carlos to say when he finally met the parents. "Oh, you're police, too, TK?" Carlos's father, Gabriel, asked with interest.

"Firefighter, actually," TK said slowly.

"Ah," Gabriel nodded. "Well, I won't hold it against you."

"He will," Carlos snorted. "Dad's a Texas Ranger." He eyed the bags they held. "Since when do you eat microgreens?"

"Ever since an investigation made him have to quarantine," Carlos's mother, Andrea, snorted, gesturing. "Mira. He's running out of notches on that belt!"

"Fat-shaming isn't OK anymore, Mom," Carlos sighed.

She snorted. "Yeah, well, tell that to his hypertension."

"Why do I need a belt when she wears the pants in the family anyway?" Gabriel chuckled. "And at 15 bucks a bag? I should arrest them for larsony!"

"Come on, mi amor," Andrea laughed, taking his arm and guiding him past the boyus. "I see Swiss chard with your name on it."

"The only thing I want charred is a nice ribeye," Gabriel muttered, winking at Carlos. "See you Sunday at Tia Lucy's!"

"For sure," Carlos nodded, waving. "Love you guys!"

They waved back. "Nice meeting you, TJ" Andrea added.

TK winced. "Yeah . . . you, too!" he called halfheartedly.

Carlos whistled. "So . . . that was a little weird."

TK gave his boyfriend a nasty look in reply. He was calling that weird?!

***

"Why are you so mad?" Carlos asked as TK flung open the door to the house.

"I'm not mad," TK lied through his ground teeth, placing the bags on the floor.

"Really?" Carlos raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Then why didn't you say more than two words the whole drive home?"

TK raised an eyebrow right back. "I thought you were talking to TJ?"

Carlos sighed. "Seriously? Is that what this is about? My mom gets people's names wrong all the time."

"And you didn't correct her, Carlos!"

"I will next time!"

"No," TK growled, finding his meds and his tennis shoes, then his duffel. "You didn't correct her 'cause it didn't matter, and you don't think there is gonna be a next time!"

Carlos blinked, taken aback, then finally noticed what else TK was doing . . . packing. "Stop it, what are you doing?"

"'Friend from work?'" TK muttered, then scoffed. "You know, if I was your friend from work, then what we did this morning was very unprofessional!"

Carlos snickered. "Yeah, HR would definitely have its hands full on that one." He sighed. "I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting to run into them."

"Yeah," TK narrowed his eyes. "And ever introduce me to them!"

"That's not true!" Carlos protested.

"I thought you were out to them!"

"I am!" Carlos insisted.

TK blinked, then scowled. "Wow. Well, that's even worse. You're out to them, and you still didn't tell them I was your boyfriend?"

"It's more complicated than that," Carlos shook his head.

"How complicated can it be, Carlos?" TK challenged.

Carlos pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, not all of us were raised in Manhattan with parents who couldn't tear the closet door off fast enough," he scowled. "My parents are more traditional. I just don't like to . . . " He struggled to find wording. "Rub their noses in it."

He realized he had spoken the wrong words again when he felt the temperature in the room drop several degrees. "Rub their noses in it?" TK repeated icily. "You didn't want to rub their noses in the fact that you have somebody who loves you, and that you supposedly love back?" Carlos opened his mouth to reply . . . yet found he had nothing he could say on the spot. TK shook his head, slinging his duffel over his shoulder. "I freed some more space in your closet, Carlos," he muttered, storming past the cop.

Carlos swung around to try and stop him, but the door slammed shut behind TK before he could get a word out.

***

"What time does your shift at the dispatch center start?" Eddie asked, meeting Maddie in the hotel hallway.

"Uh, Grace is treating me to breakfast, and then I think we start around noon," Maddie answered, checking her watch. "I'm both excited and nervous to see what calls Austin gets compared to Los Angeles."

Eddie snorted. "If they're anything like the calls we get in LA? You're in for quite the day."

"I bet," Maddie nodded. "What're you doing before you get into the 126?"

Eddie opened his mouth to answer, then stopped when his phone chirped. He pulled it out and blinked, seeing he had been added to a new chat. Thankfully, he recognized all the numbers.

Carlos: Any chance we can meet up before you three go to the 126?

Carlos: I need people to talk to.

Matt: TK not available?

Carlos: Pretty sure TK doesn't want to see me any time soon.

Eddie frowned in concern, typing out his reply.

Eddie: I'm free to meet.

Kelly: We are, too.

Carlos: Breakfast on me, then.

Carlos: Since I'm gonna be spilling my guts.

Matt: Should we be worried?

Carlos: Let's hope not.

"Well," Eddie shrugged, pocketing his phone. "Looks like I'm meeting the Chicago guys and Carlos."

"Enjoy," Maddie grinned.

***

Owen tilted his head, seeing Olivia looking through her laptop at the counter, her reading glasses on. "You're up early."

"Yeah," Olivia sighed, taking off her glasses and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, crime doesn't stop just because the police captain decides to visit Austin."

Owen snorted. "Yeah, I know that feeling. Just, you know, with fires instead of crime."

Olivia smirked. "You take vacations?"

Owen stopped pouring himself coffee and leveled her with an iron glare. "I hate you."

Olivia clicked her tongue. "You wish, Owen."

"I feel like I'm walking in on my parents flirting," Buck announced as he walked into the kitchen. "And I've never seen my actual parents flirt, so . . . "

"Do we need to banish you to your room?" Olivia quipped, not missing a beat.

Buck's mouth hung open as he stared at her, and Owen burst out laughing. "You started it by saying we're your parents, Buck!"

"Yeah," Buck shook himself out. "That's my bad."

"Look what the cat dragged in last night!" Sylvie bounced into the kitchen, followed by a frowning TK.

"The grumpy cat!" Buck cheered, then frowned. "Who is . . . actually grumpy, for once."

"Shut up," he griped, looking through the fridge.

Olivia frowned, setting her phone down. "You OK, TK?"

"When did you get home?"

"I'm fine," TK answered curtly, which one look from all four in the kitchen decided meant he was not. "And last night."

"I thought you were staying at Carlos's," Owen frowned.

"We're in quarantine," TK drawled. "From each other."

"What?" Sylvie's eyes widened.

"What happened?" Buck asked in concern.

TK sighed. "We got in a fight."

Owen and Olivia exchanged looks. "You want to talk about it?" Owen finally asked.

"Not really," TK shook his head.

Owen smirked at Sylvie. "Someone very wise told me it's not good to keep things bottled up."

"Yeah, look at Pilot Knob, for example, you saw how well that turned out," Sylvie agreed.

Buck grimaced. "Too soon, princess."

"Sorry."

TK scratched his head, then plopped down across from Olivia. "We ran into his parents, who I've never met, and I've been dying to meet them, and he introduced me as his friend," he summarized.

Buck choked on his coffee. "He what?" he sputtered.

"Carlos said that?" Sylvie's eyes widened.

"Maybe he's not out to them?" Owen suggested.

"He's out to them," TK denied.

Olivia bit her lip. "What did you want him to do?" she asked.

"Not treat me like I didn't exist!" TK exploded. "I wanted him to tell them who I was and what I meant to him!" He rested his elbows on the counter, rubbing his temples. "Maybe he did," he mumbled. "Maybe we are just friends."

Buck finished clearing his throat, and he shook his head. "If you're saying what Sylvie and I have seen is 'friends with benefits,' then I really worry what you're labeling Carisi and Rollins."

"You're definitely more than that," Sylvie agreed. "And Carlos knows that. Does it need to be some big, official announcement?"

TK dropped his face into his palm. "I just want him to acknowledge what we are."

Olivia sighed. "I can't speak to you and Carlos, as I've been here for less than two weeks," she told him. "But I saw what you and Alex were like. We know how that ended."

"Don't remind me," Owen shuddered.

"I like Carlos far better, and that is not just because he's a cop," Olivia told TK as she patted Owen on the arm. "And if you really like him as much as I think you do, I think you should hear him out."

"Did he say anything about why he might not want to introduce you like that to his parents?" Sylvie asked.

"He said he had every intention to," TK muttered. "But his parents are more traditional."

"Well," Owen grimaced. "We're definitely not in Manhattan anymore."

"That's practically what Carlos said."

Sylvie sighed, sitting at the counter. "You know, I can have fingers left over if I count who I'm out to?" she told TK. "Part of it's because I don't want to share who I am to some people, but also because I'm wary of how the people I want to tell would react. TK, my family back in Indiana don't know, and I dated two people for a few months my last year of high school. I felt safer with my boyfriends than I felt telling my parents about me because I was scared of how they would react. Indiana isn't exactly Manhattan, either. The one time someone found out when I had no intention of telling them?" She gestured around. "Well . . . here I am."

Olivia straightened, scowling. "You moved because you were outed?"

"I was threatened with being outed," Sylvie corrected. "The point is, TK . . . there might be another reason Carlos hasn't told his parents. I told two of my friends before I left Chicago, and the key point I told them about making my relationships work? You have to communicate. Will you have fights? Of course, every human being has fights. It's how you communicate afterwards that determines where you go from there. That's when you find out how safe you are in your relationship."

TK nodded thoughtfully, chewing on his lip.

***

Eddie raised an eyebrow as he found the booth Carlos had nabbed, finding the cop already drinking a cocktail. "You know three of us can't have mimosas since we're going on a shift, right?" he said.

"This is for me," Carlos shook his head as Eddie slid into the booth and nodded to the Chicago officers across from him. "You guys don't need to drink. I just need company." He eyed his glass. "And maybe a ride back to my house."

"It was that kind of a night, huh?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"More like that kind of day," Carlos groused. "Of all the places I thought TK would meet my parents, a farmer's market was not the place I imagined."

"Oh," Eddie nodded. "Meet the parents day? That's always terrifying."

"Especially a spontaneous one," Kelly agreed. "What, did they not like TK?"

"Oh, they liked him," Carlos chuckled bitterly. "When I told them he was my friend and we worked together."

Eddie's eyes widened. "You what?"

"Yeah, that explains why TK wasn't available," Matt sighed. "OK . . . I was not expecting to hear that."

"So what prompted the friends route?" Kelly asked. "Do your parents not know you're gay?"

"They do," Carlos nodded. "I told them when I was in high school." He sighed, taking another drink of his mimosa. "And then it was like it had never happened."

Eddie winced. "Oh, I know that feeling."

"That happened to you, too?" Matt asked.

Carlos perked up, looking between the two. "I realized I was bisexual in middle school," Eddie nodded. "My parents found out when I started dating a guy. I told them I was bi, they . . . well, they weren't upset, but they didn't seem too happy, either. So it was never brought up again, especially when I often found myself leaning more towards women than men." He snorted. "Of course, ever since Christopher was born, they've been more concerned with what kind of parent I am than where my romantic interests lie."

"And my mom went to prison for shooting my dad, so . . . not too many opportunities for additional discussions there, either," Matt winced. "I'd never come out to my dad since he was . . . far from a great parent. I told my mom and my sister, who were both slightly more vocal in support. It still doesn't come up in every conversation. Like Eddie, I've swung more towards women with the occasional guy."

"My dad knew I'm pan, and I think he was more accepting of it than my mom," Kelly mused. "Of course, I was also known to sleep with anything with a pulse for a good amount of years, so . . . that probably made me take a hit or two."

Matt snorted. "Your dad walking out on your family when you were ten didn't help, either."

Kelly shrugged. "Things got better with us towards the end of his life, though. Who'd've thought it took actually talking to smooth things out."

"Really?" Matt's voice was layered with sarcasm. "Wow."

Kelly punched Matt in the shoulder. "Let's not forget how my brothers and two close friends found out our sexualities."

"How?" Carlos asked curiously.

Matt grinned unashamedly. "We flirted with each other."

Eddie covered his mouth to avoid spitting his coffee everywhere. "You what?" Carlos's jaw dropped.

"Yep," Kelly nodded. "Capp and Tony have been on my rig for close to ten years now, and they never even knew. Took us doing that for them to realize I wasn't straight. And that's just because it never came up."

"Communication is key, no matter what," Matt nodded. "It's what makes you realize whether you're on the same page with your partner, the same word . . . or maybe you're not even on the same book." Kelly grumbled something into his coffee that sounded like "Dawson," but Matt ignored the lieutenant aside from giving him an iron glare. "Did you bring any of this up with TK?"

"No," Carlos shook his head. "I couldn't find the right words before he left." He sighed, palming his face. "God, I screwed up."

"You did," Eddie agreed. "In a way, so did TK. You tried explaining, even if it was a bit of an awful explanation. He should hear you out. I haven't known TK for very long, but he seems the guy to eventually get his head on straight . . . maybe with a little help."

"You'll get there," Kelly nodded in agreement. "Just let TK cool down a little."

Carlos gave them a small smile. "Thanks, guys."

"Hey, that's what we're here for," Matt grinned. "We have to hold our own against the dumbasses."

Eddie barked in laughter. "At least you know for sure Sylvie is just Dumbass. Buck and TK alternate the other titles."

"Oh, TK is definitely Dumbassest," Carlos shook his head.

Eddie narrowed his eyes. "It's definitely Buck."

Kelly sighed. "And here we go."

***

"Hey, guys," Buck waved as the trio of firefighters walked into the 126. "We wondered where you had gone off to."

"Eh, sightseeing," Matt shrugged. "Did we miss anything?"

"Uh," Buck glanced over his shoulder. "Just Marjan looking like she's prepping her tools to go on an axe murdering spree."

Eddie blinked once, then twice. "Come again?"

Buck just led them to where Marjan was sharpening one of the ladder rig's axes, seeming to be in her own world. "Ah," Matt said unnecessarily.

"She's been at this for . . . " Sylvie, who was checking the jumpbag on the squad rig, glanced at her watch. "Close to twenty minutes now."

Kelly blinked. "That long for an axe?"

"I don't think she's doing it just to sharpen the axe," Amanda snorted, popping a Frito into her mouth from the bag she had in her hands.

A glance around the apparatus floor saw Paul watching Marjan intently, apparently waiting for her to stop grinding. As sparks continued to fly, the man finally walked forward. "Marjan?" he said loudly to be heard over the grinding, knocking on the table. Either Marjan didn't hear him, or she ignored him. "Marjan?" he tried, walking closer. He finally spoke directly into her ear. "Marjan!"

She side-eyed him, but didn't say a word. "OK," Matt sighed, walking over to the extension cord. He held up the cords so they were in Marjan's line of sight, then pointedly pulled them apart, stopping the grinder.

She gave him a murderous look in reply. "Well, nice knowing you, Case," Kelly snickered, patting him on the shoulder.

"So?" Paul asked impatiently.

"So?" Marjan scowled.

"So are we gonna be visiting your wedding registry or what?" Paul raised an eyebrow.

"Right, the date," Amanda straightened from where she leaned against the ladder rig. "What did he want?"

Marjan sighed. "Wedding's off."

Eddie's eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Oh, that's great!" Mateo grinned.

"Not great, Mateo," Sylvie hit him with her clipboard, nodding at Marjan's face.

"I'm sorry," he balked. "Are you sad?" Marjan's blank face said it all. "You're sad."

"What happened?" Matt asked in concern, folding his arms.

"Did you break it off?" Paul asked.

"No, he dumped me," Marjan answered bluntly, then snorted at Paul's thunderstruck expression. "Bet you didn't see that one coming, Sherlock, did you?"

"No," Paul admitted. "No, I did not. I . . . " He shook his head, chuckling. "I guess I just never imagined anyone letting you go."

"Did he say why?" Buck asked, looking like he wanted to hug Marjan but refraining from doing so. Eddie figured it had to do with the fact Marjan still had a wickedly sharp axe in her hands.

"He met somebody else," Marjan answered, laughing bitterly. "Her name is Madison, and she's training to be a periodontist."

Kelly looked at her blankly. "A what?"

"Gum disease and dental implants specialist," Sylvie supplied.

Amanda tilted her head side to side. "Guess that fits with someone in dental school."

Mateo scowled. "You know, I never liked that guy, even when he was your brother."

Buck closed his eyes. "Mateo . . . you barely know the guy since you saw him for the first time a few days ago."

"I've formed correct opinions on less time," Amanda shrugged.

"It's not all his fault," Marjan shrugged, wiping the blade of the axe down with a rag. "Eventually anybody gets tired of being a friend with no benefits."

That made everyone look at her in surprise. "Wait, you . . . " Mateo blinked rapidly. "You guys never – ?"

"Probie!" Paul seethed, punching Mateo in the shoulder. "Boundaries!"

"He said I'd never felt a spark," Marjan nodded, her shoulders tense as she spoke faster. "He accused me of never having been in love with him, and the truth is, I never really thought I was until he dumped me!"

"OK," Matt frowned in confusion. "So . . . you are in love with him?"

"I doubt it'd feel like my heart's literally been ripped out of my chest if I weren't!" Marjan snapped, her voice trembling with emotion. "So, yeah. I'm in love with him."

"OK, how about I just . . . " Buck quickly reached for the axe, pulling it from Marjan's surprisingly non-resistant grip. "Yep. Let's not try and decapitate the visiting captain."

Matt watched in amusement as Buck took over wiping the axe down. "Thanks, Buck."

"No problem," he nodded. "Besides, Sylvie would kill me if I let that happen with her right there." He paused. "Or is it Severide I need to worry about?"

"Yes," they said at the same time.

"OK," Buck nodded, smiling nervously. "Great. Good to know."

Eddie shook his head, getting back on topic. "How long?" he asked Marjan.

She slumped against the table. "I think I have been my whole life," she said quietly. "How did I not see that until it was too late?"

There was silence for a moment. It was Buck, again, who spoke. "Maybe because for the first time, you didn't feel like you had to."

Eddie frowned at his best friend, wondering where that had come from, when Sylvie nodded and placed the jumpbag back in its compartment on the rig. "Tell him," she said simply.

Marjan's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious!"

"Deadly," Sylvie nodded. "You really want to let Salim fly back to Miami without knowing how you really feel?"

"He made his decision!" Marjan protested. "I'm not gonna show up at his hotel room and humiliate myself!"

"Would it be humiliation if it ends up in your favor?" Sylvie countered.

"It's a risk," Amanda admitted. "Love always is. It hurts . . . but the regret I felt whenever I never told Dominick how I felt hurt much worse."

Marjan gulped, looking down at her feet. "I think they're right," Mateo said in a small voice. "I mean . . . the last thing I want is for you to leave. But the heart wants what it wants."

Marjan looked up hesitantly. "Even if it might be completely out of reach?"

"That's when you need to see if that's the case," Sylvie nodded. "Maybe you just need to make the move to have it within reach."

Marjan nodded slowly, mulling it over. "And if it goes to hell, you are paying for drinks after it's done," she decided.

Sylvie laughed. "All on my tab. Copy that."

Marjan nodded, muttering something about meddling paramedics as she turned to do inventory on the ladder rig. Sylvie shook her head fondly, then froze when she saw the pointed look Buck was giving her. "What?" she asked defensively.

Buck blinked. "Nothing!" he said quickly.

Sylvie glared. "Shut up," she seethed.

"I didn't say anything," Buck threw both hands up in the air.

"Shut up!" she threw her clipboard in his face before hurrying for the stairs.

Buck fumbled to catch the clipboard, shouting "I didn't say anything!" as he ran after her. "Sylvie!"

The seven remaining on the apparatus floor watched after them in surprise, then Eddie looked at Matt and Kelly in bewilderment. "Did I miss something?"

The two Chicago officers exchanged confused looks. "If you did, so did we."

***

I forgot how much of a trainwreck the initial episode was without the Brettseyride and Buddie drama thrown in. Oh, you poor firefighters and odd cop out.

Not much of Maddie (or Kat and Sonny, for that matter, I guess) this chapter, but there will be more of them next time! It will conclude the episode, and everyone will start heading back to their home cities.

On a completely different note . . . Sylvie Brett in Los Angeles for "Jinx," anyone? ;)

As always, keep your eyes open for updates!

graphic by marvelity