Matt's POV:

The fire at the Georgia Pacific Lumber Yard was verging on being out of control. But then again, it was a sawmill and wood burned so what could you expect. My crew as well as the Seaboard Fire Department and the Jackson Fire Department were fighting the flames as best as they could, but no matter how much water was sprayed or how much we tried to get it contained to one area, the fire outsmarted us, jumping from location to location. Facility itself was a total loss but we were working diligently to try and at least save the warehouse. And we were finally starting to get some head way too. We had gotten the flames down to a manageable level and it was time for some guys to go in to clear the structure, which was risky in itself since the structure had sustained some significant damage.

"Martin, Sawyer. Yall are with me!" I yelled over the sound of water flooding the structure and the noise in general that came from fighting fires.

With our heads on a swivel, the three of us began making our way into the massive warehouse. Martin took the east side of the building, Sawyer took the West side, and I took the North. Slowly and steadily, we worked out way through the building looking for anyone that may have been inside the warehouse when the fire jumped to the structure.

"West side is clear" I heard Sawyer say through the coms.

"East side is clear." Said Martin a few moments later.

I was just about to radio in that the north side of the building was clear when I caught a glimpse of what looked to be men's work boots. Hustling over, I moved cautiously. The closer I got, I realized that there was someone under a beam that had fallen

"Need some help over here! We have a victim!" I yelled into my coms as I tried to move the heavy beam. But it was useless. I was a strong man, but I couldn't even budge the beam. Trying once more, I lifted it all my strength. I ha just felt like I was beginning to make some headway when I heard Martin and Sawyer yelling something. It sounded a hell of a lot like get out the way but I wasn't sure. The sound of wood crashing had my head turning about the time a timber fell, hitting me across the back and pinning me to the floor. Pain radiated through my body as the world around me went black.

***

I had to be dreaming. That was what had to be happening right? That was the only reason I would be seeing Cass walking towards me, a glow around her making her look like angels do when you see them in the movies. The closer she got, the brighter the glow grew. Holding my breath, I watched as she knelt down in front of me and placed a hand on my shoulder. Yep, this had to be a dream. No way was I really feeling her touch.

"Matt, I've missed you so much." She said, her voice sounding just like I remembered. The sound of it washed over me, calming me in a way that I hadn't felt in years.

"You have no idea how much I have missed you." I said, tears clogging my voice. Damn she was more beautiful than I remembered.

"You know I have been with you every second since I gained my wings, right? I have been with you every step of the way. I've seen every close call. I've felt every pain you have felt. I've cried with you when you got to missing Danni and I so much that you didn't want to live without anymore."

"Cass I-"

"Matt., I love you sweetheart and I will always love you. I will always protect you as best I can." She said, placing a hand on my check. I couldn't help it. Tears started rolling down my face. "But I want you to be happy too sweetheart. I see the way you are with Stormy and Sadie, and it makes my heart so happy that you have found love again. But in order to keep that love, you have to wake up."

"But I don't want to wake up. I want to be with you. I miss you so damn much that it hurts Cass. But it's not just me Cass. Ebony misses you. You're parents, the ladies at the foundation. We all miss you so fucking bad." My vulgar slip earned a glare from me -something that she used to do all the time when my inner sailor came out- making me smile even as tears streamed down my face.

"I know, sweetheart and I miss everyone dearly. But you have to remember that I am with each and every one of you all the time. I'm that voice in your head telling you turn back when a call is too hairy. I'm the voice in Ebony's head when she's questioning herself about the care a patient needs. I'm the voice in the ear of the ladies at the foundation when they ask What Would Cass Do?. I'm with all of you every minute of the day Matt.

"But you have someone -two someone's actually- in your life that needs you more than I do right now. They need you to protect them and love them and show them the way that a woman is supposed to be treated by a man. Sadie is going to need someone to show her what she needs to look for in a man, a standard to hold all men to. And maybe I'm being partial, but you are the gold standard Matt. You are the best man I ever knew. Stormy is going to need someone that is going to give her the love that she had been wanting all of her life. She's going to need you to be her best friend, her lover, and her everything.

"I love her Cass. But I'm torn because I love you too." I said, voicing the thoughts that had been haunting me, but I had been to scared to entertain. I knew if I told Stormy what I was feeling, and it would hurt her. And that was something that I never wanted to do.

"Matt, I never expected you to spend the rest of your life alone. I have wanted nothing more for you than for you to find the happiness that you deserve. And I know that you have found that with Stormy. I knew that things would be different with her the day I watched you help save her from that tornado. You and I might have had a once in a lifetime love Matt, but it was my once in a lifetime love. Not yours. Stormy it that for you Matt. She is the one that you were meant to spend the rest of your life with. She is the one that the boss man hand selected for you the day he created you. Not going to lie, I was a little bitter at first when I found that out, but now I know that while I had your love for a little while and it was the best years of my life, Stormy is going to make you so much happier than I ever could. She is the other half of your soul Matt."

"Cass..."

"Matt, its time for me to go and that means its time for you wake up. Just know that no matter what, I am with you, watching over you and protecting you."

I watched as she turned away from me and began walking back towards the light. Every muscle in my body strained, wanting to get up and run after her but it was as if my brain wasn't telling my muscles to move. I watched as she grew smaller and smaller, and I felt like I was losing her all over again. I screamed out her name, hoping for her to look back one last time but she never did.

And then she was gone. The smell of smoke mixed with the smell of ammonia filtered into my senses and the urge to cough was too much to fight. Sitting up with a jolt, the first choking cough wrecked my system. I heard people around me talking but the vision of Cass telling me that she was happy that I found love was too strong, holding on and not wanting to let go.

I felt hands checking over me as I was pushed back down onto a stretcher. I heard voices asking if I was okay if, I was hurt anywhere. But none of it mattered. I had one thing on my mind and that was getting home to Stormy and Sadie. Fighting the ones checking me over once more, I finally got lose and ran for my truck, only to remember that it was at the station since we had all taken the tanker and ladder truck to the call. Fuck!

I felt someone come up beside me and turned to see who it was. I came face to face with my captain. "Matt, you had a close call back there, man. You need to get checked out." He said.

"What I need is to get home to the woman and child that waiting for me, probably scared out of their minds that something has happened." I said. I hated feeling antsy but that what I was feeling.

"Matt, something did happen and that's why you need to get check out." Said the Captain. I stood there glaring at him for what seem like forever, neither of us wanting to back down. Knowing that it was pointless and a waste of time to stand here going toe to toe with him, I felt my shoulder sag as I gave up the fight.

"I'll give them 5 minutes to do what they have to do. After that, I want the whole company on that truck since it looks like were done here." I said, scanning the yard. Smoke permeated the air but there were no flames, and the fire was under control enough that one station could now take over.

"Calling the shots now, lieutenant?" said the captain, a smirk on his face.

"And if I am?" I said. I knew it was a mistake to buck up to my captain but at the moment, I didn't give a shit.

"Give them five minutes and I'll have everyone on the truck waiting for you." Said the Captain.

"Yes Sir." I said, jogging over to the ambulance to go get checked out. I hope they work fast because I needed to get home. I needed to hold the woman I loved and the child that meant more to me that life itself in my arms. Especially now that I had Cass's blessing to move on with my life and be happy.  

***

By the time I got home, I was dead on my feet. The adrenaline had long ago worn off and the pain from the beam crashing onto me was radiating though me. But it was the sight that I found in my bedroom that made me forget all about the pain I was feeling or the exhaustion that was wreaking havoc on me system.

Laid in the middle of the king-sized bed was Stormy in one of my t-shirts, the moon shining in from the French doors glistening off her bare legs. In her arms was Sadie, sleeping soundly and looking simply angelic. My heart squeezed at the sight. I don't know that I have ever seen anything so perfect in all of my life.

Wanting nothing more than to just climb into bed and hold the two of them in my arms I kicked my boots off in the corner and removed my jeans and t-shirt. Striding across the room in my bare feet and boxers, I went to climb in the bed but stopped. I knew from baby books that so-sleeping was dangerous and as tired as I was, there was no way that I would ever feel if I was to roll over on the little one.

Lifting her carefully so I didn't disturb her or Stormy, I cradled her sleepy body in my arms. Leaning down, I placed a small kiss on her head that made her snuggle into my chest even more. Before I knew what I was doing, I felt myself walking out of the room. I found myself standing in front of Danielle's nursery. Lifting my hand over the door frame grabbing the skeleton key that stayed on top, I unlocked the door and walked in. Not going to lie, it felt weird being in here, especially since I hadn't stepped foot in here in over ten years. But surprisingly enough, the room didn't have that "packed up" smell. Instead, it smelt just like the laundry detergent that Cass had used for Danielle; all powdery and fresh and like a baby was supposed to smell. Waking further into the room, I made my way over to the crib and went to lay Sadie down on the mattress. As I did, she stirred and began to babble. When the realization of what she had just babbled hit me, my heart stopped. Had she just called me Dada? My hearing was proved to be right when I went to lay her down and she babbled it again, whining. I couldn't help the tears that sprang to my eyes in that moment. I wasn't this child's daddy, but she sure thought of me as that. But it was more the fact that I was in this room and the child I had just laid down had called me something that my own flesh and blood had never gotten the chance to do that had ne needing to sit down.

Collapsing into the rocker in the room, I sat there watching Sadie sleep as the vision of Cass from earlier came back to me. She had given me her blessing to move on with my life. She'd told me that God himself had created Stormy just for me, that she was the other half of my soul. I didn't know how to explain it other than it was a feeling of closure, but I felt different. I felt like for the first time in ten years I was finally alive again.

I watched as Sadie stirred and found myself sliding the rocker to the edge of the crib. I slipped my hands thought the rails and put my finger in the palm of her hand. She immediately wrapped her tiny fingers around it. Placing an arm over the top rail, I laid my head down and final let sleep take me over.

Stormy's POV:

The sun was blinding as it filtered into the room. As I pulled myself from my sleep, I had that weird sense of waking up in a strange place for a brief second before I remembered that I was at Matt's. But that feeling was soon forgotten when I realized that Sadie wasn't in bed with me. Springing from the bed with a jolt, my mind conjured up all sorts of possibilities. Had Joel found us? Had he taken her? Oh god, please let this be a dream...

My knees were shaking as I ran from the room and down the hall headed for the steps. I had to find her. I was just about to fly down the steps when I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the locked room from last night was now open, and I could see Matt sitting in a rocking chair his head rested on the top rail of the crib while the other was inside it as he slept. Easing into the room, I saw Sadie sleeping soundly and had to catch myself to keep from collapsing onto the floor. The relief that flooded my system had tears springing to my eyes. She was okay...

As if he knew I was in the room, Matt stirred, his blue eyes blurry from sleep locking with mine. Then that smirk that I loved came across his face.

"Good morning baby." He said, still not pulling his hand from the crib.

Instead of talking, I walked to him and climbed into his lap, letting the tears that had been threatening since I woke up and found Sadie was gone spilled from my eyes. I felt his free hand sliding up and down my back as he tried to comfort me.

"What's wrong baby? Talk to me." He said after a while.

"I was so scared Matt. I woke up and Sadie was gone and all I cou-could think about was that J-Joel had found us and had taken her from me." I said, my voice breaking as I tried to talk. The sobs came harder then.

"Ah shit, baby. I'm so sorry. I wanted Sadie to be comfortable. I wasn't thinking about what you would think when you woke up and she was gone." He said softly. "I promise it won't happen again."

"It just scared me." I said when my sobs eased up in intensity.

"I know." He said softly.

I don't know how long the two of us sat there like that -me in his lap with my head rested on his chest, him stoking a hand up and down my back. All I knew was that I could feel his cock growing beneath me and I felt a hunger building in me that only he knew how to satisfy. Felling needy, I knew what I wanted to do for now. I just hope that he is on board with my plan.

"Since Sadie is still sleeping" I said as I stood from his lap and grabbed him by the hand and tugged until he was standing upright. "Why don't you and I go lay back down for a while. That chair couldn't have been comfortable."

"Oh, it wasn't. But after Sadie called me dada last night, I couldn't bring myself to leave her." said Matt. His words made my head spin. Did he really just say what I think he said?

"You heard me right." He said with a smirk as he pulled me into his arms. I looped mine around his neck and his hand slipped down to my ass and lifted me up so that my legs wrapped around his waist. I felt us moving before he started talking again. "She called me Dada and I fully intend to make sure that little girl knows that while she doesn't share my DNA, she is my daughter. Just like I plan on making her mama see that she is the one I'm going to spend the rest of my life with." I didn't know what had changed in him since last night and now was not the time to think about it either.

I felt him toss me onto the bed moments before he climbed over me and kissed me with so much love and passion that I never wanted it to end. I knew that we were going to have to talk about what changed, but that could wait. Right now, I had a man who was hard and ready to bring me unsurmountable pleasure I fully intended to enjoy every damn minute of it.