Title: Before Sunrise

Summary: Erin and Kelly meet at Molly's for a friendly drink but before sunrise both will realize that something more is already starting to develop. #lindseride

Disclaimer: Same as always. I own nothing but my muse and my love for all things #firefighters #Sevasey & #Lindseride

A/N: Okay so I have been a bit mean to my Kelly as of late hehe (sorry can't help it!) so for those that have asked this is a happy date – just for the sake of a happy date! lol its pure #lindseride fluff! Hope you all like it!

"Anytime you need something fixed…call," Kelly offered as he closed the hood on Erin's car and then pulled back with a friendly smile as she neared. "Won't charge you this time."

"You did the work, only seems fair. I'd pay any other mechanic," she replied as her eyes rested on a bit of grease smudged on slightly stubbled cheek; his slightly mussed appearance and husky scent playing with her senses.

"Okay," he agreed as he pulled a cloth from his pocket and then tried to rub it off his face; making it worse in the process.

"You…hold on a sec," Erin stated as she playfully tugged the cloth from his grasp and then tried to do a better job of rubbing it off. However, that didn't work and she actually succeeded in making the smudge cover a bit more ground.

"By that expression I think you made it worse," he retorted with a snicker as she shook her head. "Can I wash up inside?"

"Better or else you might blame me for sending you out into the world looking like you don't own a bar of soap. Course…mine might be a bit scented."

"Fruity?"

"Vanilla," she replied a bit nervously as they neared the door to her apartment.

"Vanilla's good," he agreed as he waited for her to open the door; his mind wondering why his heart rate had suddenly started to flutter a bit faster. "I'll just be a sec."

"Take your time," Erin called out as she watched him disappear into the bathroom and close the door. She leaned against the somewhat cool exterior of the fridge and fanned herself with her hand; her mind recalling how she watched his perfect body bend over the front of her car, his muscles as they flexed with the work he was doing and how much she just wanted to him and devour every, lightly sweat-covered inch.

Kelly offered an amused smile to a picture of her on the wall making a funny face with a little dog right next to her and instantly his heart melted a little bit more. "Guys at the House would never let me live this down," he snickered softly as he washed the grease from his face and then prepared to leave.

"I smell like dessert or something," he chuckled as he entered her kitchen.

Yeah good enough to eat! Her brain added silently as she just grinned and then offered him a cold drink; something he readily accepted. "I ran out of the woodsy stuff."

"Course," he grinned as took a sip from the cold bottle. "So…in the market for a new car soon?"

"Subtle."

"Yeah…never been good at that," he tossed back with a grin.

"Hint noted. And yeah… I know it's falling apart."

"What do you like?" He inquired as he took another sip and then moved in a bit closer.

"Vanilla…I mean something domestic," she gently stammered as his manly scent started to tease her overheating brain. "Any…suggestions?"

"If you want…sometime we can go car shopping," he suggested as they held their ground a few feet apart.

"Okay," she agreed slowly as she felt herself moving in a bit closer. "Here…spend it wisely," she whispered as she planted a soft kiss on his freshly scrubbed cheek. "Mmm vanilla."

But before she could fully pull away, his hands were on her cheeks, holding them captive as he planted a searing kiss on her waiting lips. Just as her body moved in closer the phone rang and two audible groans were heard. "Sorry," she uttered as she answered the phone with a slight snap, something that made him chuckle with amusement. "Duty calls."

"Thought you had a day off?" He asked with a frown.

"Trudy needs help with something. I had offered help and now…she needs it."

"Okay," he replied with a tone of disappointment. "You busy later on?"

"Shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, why?"

"Show up at Molly's," he turned to her with a smile.

"It's a da…" she started as her cheeks slightly flushed with presumption. "I'll be there."

"Good."

She watched him leave and then leaned back against the fridge and closed her eyes, once again using her hand as a fan. "I could think of a lot of ways to spend his time…." she mused to herself as she hurried to get ready; hoping her time with Trudy wouldn't take too long.

XXXXXXXX

"Hey buddy!" Matt greeted Kelly later that same night as Kelly walked into Molly's with a confident stride. He glanced around to see if Erin had gotten there ahead of him before he headed toward Matt and offered him a friendly pat on the back. "You here alone?" He gestured to the seat beside him as Dawson, on the other side of the bar, looked at him in expectation.

"Right now I am," he replied with a small huff.

"Hot date?" Dawson chimed in as Kelly's lips naturally tugged upward. "Who is it?"

"It's a…I guess a date," Kelly grinned as he heard the door open and turned to see Erin enter. "Hopefully there'll be another one following."

Matt offered his friend a confident nod before he and his wife turned and watched 51's Squad Lieutenant as he gestured toward a booth near the back and then turned back to his wife with a thrilled expression.

"Hope I'm not too late," Erin apologized. "Trudy needed help with…something."

"What's their place like?" Kelly inquired, referring to 21's Desk Sergeant.

"It's…actually a bit like 51. Mouch has his favorite couch and I wasn't allowed to…disturb anything," she recalled with a smile. "Was kinda surreal."

"Well you have one up on a few of us…Herrmann aside of course…we've never been in the McHolland residence."

"Those two…they just fit," Erin mused as she took a few sips of beer. "So…what am I hungry for? I know Dawson would say everything's good."

"It is!" Dawson called out with a grin.

"Slightly biased," Kelly mockingly teased.

"Heard that!"

"Honey…you want me to take care of the rowdies?" Matt piped up as Kelly looked at him and mockingly gestured they could go at it.

"Think he just wants to end up in her cuffs," Dawson retorted proudly which caused both Kelly and Erin to trade embarrassed glances.

"And that's why you never take on one of the Dawson siblings," Kelly chuckled before he turned back to the menu for a few seconds before he glanced up at Erin with a mischievous smile. "Didn't mean to embarrass you."

"She was talking about you," Erin tossed back as Kelly grinned and nodded in agreement. "So about something to eat…"

"Almost hungry for dessert now," he mused softly as he purposely looked back down. "Maybe something…vanilla."

"Hmm vanilla flavored chicken wings," Erin pondered as Kelly looked up in wonder. "I'm a messy eater. Be warned."

"Like it already," he replied with a widening grin.

A few moments later they had decided on their meal items, mostly a few things to just share, telling Herrmann they were the official Chicago Menu Food Critics who only posed as first responders to avoid restaurant bias. Herrmann just walked away shaking his head as they laughed.

"So what kind of car do you want?"

"How's the mustang for gas?"

"Seriously?"

"No," she denied flatly as his lips pursed. "You bought it for looks right?"

"That's rhetorical right?" He countered as she nodded in agreement. "Like me a Lady with some muscle to her."

"Really," Erin stated seriously a few seconds before she pulled up the sleeve on her sweater and offered him a small flex.

"Yup…that'd be it," he chuckled as she pulled her sleeve back down and the conversation about cars continued. A moments after that their food arrived and then the friendly banter turned to that of which chicken wings were better Molly's or someplace else and why.

"Molly's!" Herrmann's sarcastic comment is heard a few minutes into their discussion. "Because I said so."

They could only laugh and then carry on with their discussion which soon turned into sports and then housing locations; anything but work, unless it was humorous anecdotes. Both worked in high stress professions, and serious talk would only cast a dim pall over their delightful evening so far and that was something both wanted to avoid on a first date.

"So…you feel up to a bit of dessert?"

"You know just because I have vanilla soap doesn't mean I'm vanilla…I mean like vanilla," Erin quickly corrected as she felt her cheeks instantly flush at her flirty comment.

"Good to know," Kelly agreed as he playfully wagged his brows. "Could always split the ooey gooey brownie sundae."

"What makes it ooey?"

"Is ooey even a word?"

"Well you can't have gooey without ooey," Erin retorted seriously. "Unless its gooey (Geoduck) duck."

"What? Is that food?"

"Actually yes it's a species of very large, edible saltwater clam. Not related to or even look like a duck. More like…giant worm," Erin explained in truth as Kelly looked at her in surprise. "Yeah I know a few useless things," she added with a giggle.

"Care to explain?"

"I have a friend who lives on the West Coast," she shrugged with a dimpled smile; the same smile that had been driving him crazy all night.

"Okay …but is it ooey?"

"Does slimy count?" She laughed and shook her head as Herrmann returned with a less than impressed expression.

"We don't have gooey duck or whatever….why is it called duck if it's a clam?" Herrmann deadpanned as Otis laughed in the background.

"Do you listen to everything we say?" Kelly asked with a smirk.

"Everything everyone says. You're not special," Herrmann retorted. "One brownie Sundae coming up."

Kelly could only chuckle as Herrmann took the small dessert menu and headed for the back and then looked at Erin with an amused expression. "He's a hoot to have around the House."

"Good thing he didn't hear that."

"Don't be too sure," Kelly countered. "Okay so…West Coast huh? Where?"

"Just a bit north of Seattle but…" Erin started and this time the conversation turned into talk of travel; past, present and future.

The dessert is enjoyed by both, finished off with two Spanish Coffee's which completed their culinary journey and both leaned back on their respective sides of the booth very satisfied.

"That…was money wisely spent," he mentioned with an endearing smile as she quickly recalled her advice to him and readily agreed. "Wanna walk for a bit?"

"Sure. There's a Park just a few blocks down."

"Let's go."

They pulled on their jackets and offered a goodnight wave to Matt and Dawson and then disappeared outside into the somewhat cool night air and headed toward the Park.

The talk turned to the area they were in and then to areas they grew up in and if they could afford any kind of home in the area which would they want to live in.

"Interesting," Kelly commented as they reached the edge of the Park.

"The bigger it is, the more you have to clean," Erin mused with a small frown. "Course…the downstairs bowling alley might be fun."

"If you could afford it then you could afford one of those pin guys to keep it maintained for you."

"Yeah…bowling shoes. Think I'll stick to the goooey (Geoduck) duck," she retorted with a small snicker. "If you're ever game…"

"To try it? Yeah…I'd like to see it."

"It's….kinda creepy looking."

"Now I'm really intrigued," Kelly shot back with an eager tone. "Next…date?"

She shot him a sideways glance as her lips automatically parted and she offered a mischievous wink. However, a few seconds later, her foot caught the edge of the uneven sidewalk and she found herself about to tumble forward. But a strong hand quickly grabbed her forearm and pulled her back.

Kelly, however, slightly misjudged the forced he had applied and she ended pinned up against his chest; looking up with a grateful smile. "Got you," he whispered as he leaned in closer.

"Yeah…you do," she whispered in reply as her right hand automatically lifted and wrapped around the back of his head as his lips neared hers.

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

His hands rested on her sides and pulled her closer as the warmth from their lips crushing together started to flood them both; each of them so lost in the other they didn't care about the few amused expressions from onlookers as they slowly passed by.

The day had started out with the promise of something more, a second date and before sunrise, it would have concluded with a firm outline to see that promise fulfilled with the plan for another.

THE END!

A/N: Okay so aside from a few steamy M pieces for our couple don't do too many all fluff/romance standalone pieces but hope you all liked it a little and please do review before you go (so I'll know if my attempt was worth it) and thanks so much!