good/right/real

Chapter 63: Quicksand

Summary:51 surprises Sylvie with a party at Molly's.

Matt holds open the door to Molly's and she grins at him.

"Are you really making this door thing a habit from here on out? Not that I'm complaining or anything."

He chuckles and shrugs. "I might. There's nothing wrong with a little extra politeness is there?"

She starts to answer him as she walks through the door but her words die on her lips. The minute she crosses the threshold she nearly jumps out of her skin. That's what happens when a bar full of her firehouse family yells "Happy birthday!" all at once, catching her completely off guard.

Matt's right behind her, though. He instinctively reaches out a hand to steady her when she nearly faceplants as a result of her surprise.

"What?" Sylvie asks, glancing from him to Shay as she stands at the front of the crowd. "What's happening?"

She hears Matt's low laugh in her ear before he speaks. "It's a surprise party, Sylvie. You know what those are right?"

Her eyes well up with tears and she feels a huge smile overtake her face. She's been smiling so much tonight that her cheeks are starting to hurt. "For—for me?"

"All for you, farmgirl," Shay replies. "With a special farmgirl theme."

Sylvie finally gets passed her shock enough to glance around the bar. There's hay bales, scarecrows, and little miniature green tractor centerpieces on all the tables. She also notices there are fewer tables and in the center of the bar is wide open floor space.

She laughs at the decor and points an accusing finger at Shay. "You know a farm isn't all hay and tractors, right?"

"Eh, you've seen one farm you've seen 'em all. Now, while you do look like a true knockout, we need to get you properly dressed for the occasion," Shay tells her as she steps closer. She pulls a cheap costume cowgirl hat from behind her back and pushes it down on Sylvie's head and then shoves a pair of pointy toed brown cowboy boots into her arms. "Put those on and get a drink. We've cleared the floor for line dancing."

"No!" Sylvie yells excitedly. "Are you serious?"

"It took some convincing but, yeah, I got Herrmann on board," Shay replies with a smirk. "Thought you might like that."

She throws her arms around Shay and hugs her tightly. "Like that? Oh my god, I love it! Thank you!"

"I'm gonna go get the music started," Shay tells her as she pulls away from the hug and kisses her cheek. "Have fun, partner. You deserve it."

She turns back to face Matt once Shay's gone and slaps his shoulder gently. "You knew! You were my distraction, weren't you?"

"Yes and no," he admits with a shy smile. "I had the reservation before Shay came to me about throwing you a party, but once we started planning it turned into a good way to keep you off her scent. You're not mad, are you?"

"Mad! No!" she replies, confused why he would even suggest it. "Matt, no one has ever thrown me a surprise party before! It was the best birthday ever before we pulled up to Molly's but this just takes it to a completely different level. This is amazing! Thank you!"

She hugs him too and lingers just a little longer than strictly necessary but she's loved spending time with him today. Everything felt so easy and right. She was nervous at first but that didn't last very long. She never had to try too hard to have fun when she was with Matt. She simply did. She felt safe being herself with him and that isn't an easy thing to find. She's never felt the sort of instant comfort she feels with Matt with anyone else. Not even Pete.