Title: Groceries & Guns
Chapter 1 – Shopping for Trouble?
Summary: Erin gets a call about a late night robbery but when she arrives, is told that there are a few hostages inside, some are wounded and one is dead. But what happens when Erin finds out one of the hostages is Kelly Severide?
Disclaimer: Chicago Fire and its characters are the property of Dick Wolfe, NBC and….well sadly not me if so then the ever yummy Lt. Severide would be all mine
A/N: Okay so back with another little ficlet and of course it has some Kelly danger/whump b/c I love me some hurt Kelly and worried/caring Erin and hehe of course gotta have some Kelly/Matt in here hope you all like it!
"Think we're out of…everything! You know…why can't we have good groceries to cook with!"
"Herrmann's about to lose it," Casey deadpans as he looks at Severide who snickers and then both 51 Lieutenants look at Herrmann who looks back at them with a distressed expression.
"We have a box of Quinoa and Mr. Noodles. How do you expect us to function on this crap…stuff," he quickly recants as Boden enters the room.
"I gotta buy some extra batteries for the truck flashlights," Severide volunteers as he hands a pad of paper and pen. "Quite whining and write down what you think we need."
"This whining will keep us from eating…that," Herrmann retorts in sarcasm as he rips off the top page and flings the list at Severide, making those around them laugh.
"He does have a point," Casey defends his firefighter as Herrmann looks up at Severide with a proud nod.
"I agree," Severide retorts sheepishly as Casey snickers. But a few seconds later Casey notices Severide write something down on the other piece of note paper and then quickly scribbles over it. He looks up to see Casey watching him with arched brows and purses his lips. "What?"
"Could…always invite her to the house for dinner," Casey deadpans as Severide rolls his eyes and crumples up the little piece of paper in his fist and shoves it in his pocket.
"Ha ha…" Severide deadpans as his expression turns serious.
"Well…you never know what she'll say until you ask."
"And if she says yes, you can stop moping about it," Herrmann groans as he shoves the list into Severide's open palm; Severide looking at him in shock. "Mouch tells Platt everything."
"I do not," Mouch tries to argue back and then grins; Severide just shaking his head.
"Do too!" Herrmann counters his best friend as Mouch's lips purse. "And then you tell me."
"Alright…be right back," Severide huffs as shoves the real list into his pocket.
"Good man," Casey teases his friend with a pat on the back.
"I'm gonna stop for a Big Mac on the way back," Severide whispers to Casey as he heads for the exit doors.
"I heard that!" Herrmann calls out as Casey laughs.
'Just ask her already.'
Severide slowly walks toward his car, his keys jingling in his grasp as his warm breath leaves trails in the cool night air. He starts the engine and rubs his hands together before he slowly pulls out of the lot and heads for the nearest grocery store. He couldn't blame Herrmann for being ticked off about their lack of culinary offerings but in the food's defense they had been bombarded with tense calls the past two days and there wasn't time to replenish what they'd had eaten. Until now.
Severide reaches the quiet grocery store and slowly heads inside, grabs the handle of the nearest cart and then heads toward the back of the store and the meat section. "Hey Larry."
"Hey Kelly. What can I do for the CFD tonight?"
"Apparently we're done with the Quinoa diet," Severide snickers as he hands the older man behind the meat counter part of the list.
"Sissy food," his large frame offers a hearty laugh as Severide smiles.
"I'll get the rest of the non-sissy food and be right back."
"Take your time."
Severide's lips offer a small whistle as he heads for the aisle with bread and canned goods. "Okay so what else…" he mumbles as he slowly walks up the aisle, not aware of what was going to happen at the front of the store a few moments later. He bends down to grab a few cans of spiced beans off the bottom shelf, his ears picking up a few loud shouts from the front of the store. "Ah hell," he groans as one of the cans escapes his grasp, sails to the floor and then rolls under the shelf. But just before he's about to drop to his knees, an unexpected sound in a grocery store instantly grabs his attention.
"GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
*Bang*
"What the hell?" Severide states in shock as he drops the cans into his cart and rushes toward the front of the store. But just as he comes out of the aisle and rounds the corner, he stops short just as two men in black masks raise their guns and point them directly at him.
XXXXXXXX
"What's…that?"
"Notification for the annual Firefighter/Paramedic's ball," Erin answers her partner as they sit in their dark police issue sedan a few blocks down from the tense situation that Kelly Severide is now enduring.
"You're…going?"
"No I uh…it was just something that popped into my phone," she tries to brush it off as nothing. "You could always arm wrestle Antonio and ask Brett."
"Or Gabby."
"You really wanna go there?" Erin shoots back as Jay tosses her a wry smile. "How abou…" is all she manages before the police radio cracks to life and both pay instant attention. "That's just around the corner."
"Let's go…" Jay replies as he calls it in.
They hear another set of officers also answer so she tells herself that since it was just a routine grocery store robbery, they'd let the uniformed officers deal with it and they'd just be there for backup in case needed. However, as she nears the store and notices the familiar mustang parked out front, her anxiety starts to rise.
"That's…Kelly's car," she states slowly as the radio cracks to life once more.
"Say again dispatch?" Jay asks in haste as Erin looks over in surprise.
"Did she say hostages?"
"She did. Come on…let's see what's going on," Jay suggests as he calls it in as Erin stops the car a few stores down from the storefront.
"Is Kelly in there?" She states in a quiet but worried tone as both get out and then stealthily make their way toward the front. Erin peers through the side of the front window; her eyes searching for any signs of the 51 Firehouse Lieutenant.
"You sure that's his…"
"I see him," her voice interjects in a panicked whisper. "Damn. Three armed men and…I see blood on the floor. Someone's shot. This…it's a woman. Looks bad. We need to get inside."
"Erin…"
"We can't wait. I'm going around the back. If I need a distraction I'll let you know."
"Hurry. Those uni's will be here soon and then those guys are gonna start to make plans to run with all guns blazing."
Erin pulls away and disappears into the shadows, running down the darkened side of the building toward the back, hoping for an entrance while her partner calls in an update to dispatch.
"Erin's doing what?" Voight asks Jay in haste; having overheard the call update.
XXXXXXXX
"She needs medical attention," Severide implores as he drops to his knees beside the young woman that had been mistakenly shot by one of the robbers.
"Come on Luke…we need to get the hell outta here!"
"Don't say my name you idiot!"
"Cops are coming!"
"Who the hell called the damn cops!"
Severide looks at the two masked men, the third one behind them and can only assume that since Larry wasn't there with them that he had gotten out and called the cops or at least he hopes he has. "She's bleeding bad!"
"Shut up!" The one named Luke shouts as he rushes up to Severide and points the gun at him and then marches up to him with a heavy stomp. "Shut up big shot!" He demands as he clips Severide in the temple with the gun. Not enough to take him down but enough to remind him he wasn't in charge; the fresh blood also telling him to comply or else more would be shed.
"Leave him alone and let's get the hell out of here!" Another stated anxiously.
With his bloody hands still on the wound of the injured woman he looks up at the masked man with a heavy frown.
"You a bit shot, firefighter?"
"Let me take her to the hospital."
"Leave him! We need to get out here before the cops trap us in here!"
"Too late!"
XXXXXXXX
Erin nears the back entrance to the supermarket and then stops when she hears a soft groan. She whips around to see someone lying on their side in the shadows. "Are you armed?" She asks as she points her gun at the shadow that stops moving.
"Not…armed…shot," the man grunts as he slowly comes out of the shadows and stands before Erin a few seconds with his hands and arms clutching his bloody arm before he starts to falter. But just before he can crash to the ground on his knees, Jay appears and quickly grabs the older man.
"Call a medic."
"Think they're planning to bolt," Jay tells her as they hear shouting inside and sires nearing their location. "We need to keep them contained."
"I'm going in. Barricade the door and…"
"Erin…"
"Get him help and then come in after me."
"Just keep…your head up and watch your back," Jay warns as she gives her partner a nod and then quietly slips into the back of the grocery store; her ears picking up the sound of Jay putting something in front of the lock on the outside before it goes quiet.
She hears angry footsteps heading toward her and quickly ducks behind one of the large freezers as two men in black rush toward the door.
"Who the hell…jammed this!"
"Someone got out! They called the cops Aaron! And Luke…he's gonna get us all killed!"
"We can't get out this way! We have to go out the front door!"
"We better go before the cops trap us in this damn place!"
Erin pulls back before she's seen, listening to the two men as they rush out of the back room and hurry toward the front of the store. She closes her eyes for a few seconds as she tries to get her heart rate to slow. One shot…Kelly's okay…a mother and her son and two elderly people…and me.
She can only hope that Jay gets the injured man some help and then comes to help her. She takes some comfort in the fact that they were the ones who had barricaded the back door so were able to re-open it when the crisis was over. She just hoped that the crisis would be over soon.
She'd be wrong…it was just about to get a whole lot worse.
Seeing only one left, Severide looks down at the young woman he's trying to keep alive and then up at the masked gunman in an attempt to either get him to let her go or be distracted long enough for him to try to tackle him. The latter presents itself first.
Severide watches the masked gunman turn his back toward them and face the front windows and knows he has only seconds to act – he does. He whispers to the woman that she's going to be fine and then just acts. Severide pushes himself up to his feet and then charges toward the back of the masked gunman.
His body was just about to collide with the robber when the other two rounded the corner and Erin stepped out from her hiding spot.
She can only watch in horrible slow motion as one of the men raises their gun to fire; her hand trying to bring hers up at the same time but cursing as her view is instantly blocked by the body of the other.
*Bang!*
A shot rings out and a silent scream escapes her lips, her eyes widening in horror as she watches Kelly Severide's body jerks with the gunshot and he falters to his knees as a painful cry escapes his lips as he crashes to the ground.
Kelly!
"NO!"
A/N: Oh I just can't resist my Kelly in peril/whump hehe with a worried/concerned Erin. But did Erin just give herself away? Will she be able to help Kelly? Will Erin's team get them out in time? Or is more trouble ahead? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!