Author's Note: Disclaimer on top of disclaimer: This is my first submission to this fandom. I have only watched the current season of Chicago Fire and I fear I may be way out of character here. Their voices are not yet in my head. But this story was, and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it. Forgive me if I messed everything up, but maybe someone can suspend reality and enjoy it. I hope that's you!

"Clean up and meet me in my office," Casey said as he walked by her, looking straight ahead and not breaking stride.

Ashley showered and dressed, taking her time and replaying the scenario the whole while. She broke protocol but she wasn't sorry. He would have to respect that. She started towards his office but found herself in Kelly's instead. She stood there until he looked up at her. Seeing her, he raised his eyebrows, dropped his pen, and turned his body to give her his full attention.

"Casey's mad at me," she said, thumb nail finding its way into her mouth.

He smiled. "I'll bet. I would be, too, if you were on my team. Team. Remember? We work as a team."

She pulled the thumb from her mouth and her hands landed on her hips. "I didn't come in here to be lectured by you," she said, feisty and flirty at the same time.

"No? So what did you come in here for then?" A smile played on his lips.

"Procrastinating, I guess. Although a little support would be nice."

"You lost, Eldridge?" Casey's voice boomed behind her.

With her back towards her superior, she grimaced at Kelly and said, "No, sir."

"Good. My office, then. Now." He stepped back and waited for her to leave in front of him. He considered Severide who threw both hands up in front of himself in surrender and returned to his paperwork.

Casey closed the door behind him and moved around Ashley to sit at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at her. She stood at attention, hands behind her back, gaze above his head, not daring to speak until spoken to. When she was good, she was good.

"Care to explain what happened back there?" he asked.

Her eyes moved down to look at his but her fingers clenched and unclenched behind her back. "I was making my way out of the building when I saw a woman struggling to get up. I went to her, assessed her condition, then dragged her out."

He pushed a chair towards her with his foot. "Sit down," he said. He noticed her take in and let out a breath as she followed his order. "Why didn't you report your location?" Her lip twitched as he continued. "Four and a half minutes, Eldridge. Four and a half minutes when I didn't know where your were or if you were even conscious. That's a long time in a fire." He paused to let his statement sink in. "Was your radio working?"

She hesitated before answering, annoyed that he asked a question he knew the answer to. But chain of command was important to him. "Yes, sir," she said. Her eyes left his. She shouldn't have let them but now that she was sitting and her hands were in her lap, where she couldn't twist them as aggressively as when they were behind her back, she felt too vulnerable for eye contact. She bit the inside of her cheek and waited for him to continue.

"So why didn't you use it?' he asked.

She thought for a moment about how best to answer his question. Nothing she said would make her actions acceptable to him. The academy had been easy. She breezed through it and was grateful for this job that she loved, but letting her guard down and depending on her colleagues proved difficult. "I don't know," she said.

"That's the answer you gave me the last time we had this conversation and it's not good enough any more. I need you to do better."

"Honestly, I don't know," she said.

Ashley conducted herself in a similar manner a week or so previously. Chief Boden had been present at that fire and told Casey, in no uncertain terms, to handle it. It was lucky for both of them that he wasn't on today's scene. This problem needed to be fixed. He could not let this slide again. She also showed great potential. To help her live up to that, he had to push her. He picked up her file from his desk and began to skim through it. "There's nothing in these reports from the academy that suggest you should be having a problem on calls. You excelled at everything. So," he looked up from the file and was pleased that her eyes were again focused on him, "is it an ego problem?"

Her temperature rose and she clenched her fingers. "No!" she said. "No. That's not who I am. You have to believe me."

"You've been here for a month so I don't really know who you are and I'm not going to believe what you say if you can't prove it with your actions."

Ashley stood from her chair and turned away from him. She felt like a child. He was treating her like one, and she was responding like one. But perhaps she had acted like one in the first place.

Casey remained silent as he listened to her attempts at controlling her breathing and her emotions. After a few moments he said, "Ashley, we can work through this. Come back and sit down."

She did. And she looked at him. She could not hide the tears in her eyes, but she willed them not to fall. "I assure you, Lieutenant, it is not an ego problem."

"Ok," he said. "Then walk me through it. You were following us back out of the building and stopped when you saw the woman on the ground. Why didn't you call out to anyone?"

She decided to wade through unfamiliar territory and trust him. No other option felt right. "It didn't even occur to me. She was in distress and I was afraid I wouldn't get to her in time."

"Alright," he said. "I radioed for you and you didn't respond. Three times I ordered you to respond and give your location. What was going through your head?"

She had nothing to lose now and could determine no other way out of her current situation. She continued to be honest and trusting. Two things that seldom came easy for her. Looking at him, her spoke with strength and deliberation, "I need to have everything done right and under control before I call in. I was trying to make sure I had it. I wanted to do it by myself, without anyone's help, so no one would question my abilities. That's not ego."

Casey saw the sincerity in her eyes. He shook his head and said, "No. Not ego. Sounds like insecurity to me. Which would be fine if you had a desk job in an office. It doesn't work in a burning building with a semi-conscious victim.

Ashley nodded her head and considered everything. "There was a lot of pressure in the academy," she said.

Casey indicated the file again, "You excelled in the academy."

"Yeah. I did. By making sure everything was perfect and by not asking for help."

"If they allowed that to happen, then they failed you," he said. Ashley slid back in her seat and a breath of air escaped. She bit her lip to stop the quiver in her chin, and tilted her head up to the ceiling to force back the tears that leaked from her eyes. He gave her a moment then continued. "I can help you through this if it's what you want."

"It's all I've ever wanted," her voice shook and she gave up control on the flow of tears.

"But you have to trust me and everyone else in this company. And it's going to be difficult and take time."

She pulled herself up straight and nodded.

"And I'm going to hold you back a bit until I can trust your judgement."

She didn't like it, but understood and nodded again. Sensing the conversation was about to end, she wiped at her face and stood.

"Now, I want you to write up everything that happened today exactly as you've told me," he said, standing as well. "Here, take my desk." She looked at him. "You cannot leave this office looking like that. You'll never live it down. Work in here."

"Thank you," she formed a small smile and switched spots with him.

"When you're done, leave the report on my desk and go clean out the truck."

"The guys have probably finished that by now," she said.

He smiled at her, "Nah. I told them to save it for you."

"Yes, sir," she said. As he opened the door to exit she added, "Lieutenant," and waited for him to turn. "Thank you. I really appreciate everything you're doing for me."

He smiled, nodded, and left.

CFCFCFCFCF

Kelly entered the garage from behind Ashley and admired the view for a moment while she removed items from the truck and tried to organize them. After spying no one around, he moved closer to her, crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "Hey."

"Hey," she answered, not bothering to turn around or even stop working.

"You were in Casey's office for quite a while."

"Yep." she said.

"Are you cleaning this thing by yourself?"

"Pretty sure I'm being punished."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Nope," she said, throwing things to the ground, "I definitely do not want to do that. Because if we do that, one of two things will happen." She continued to throw equipment off the truck as he watched with amusement. "Either we will fight, or you will lecture me and then we will fight. So, no, I do not want to talk about it."

"Ok," he said. "I'm just trying to be supportive here. That's all."

"Severide, you want to be supportive? Take off your clothes and get on top of me. That's what you can do."

She amazed him. "Oh my God," he said. "Are you kidding me right now?" He reached for her bicep and flipped her around so her back was against the truck. Her blazing eyes met the fire in his for a second before his mouth dove into hers. She dropped the items in her hands and raised both arms above her head. His hands grazed her sides and he deepened the kiss. She melted under him and relaxed for the first time in hours. Her hands settled behind his head and held him close.

Casey kept his eyes forward as he walked by his friend ravaging his subordinate. When he was almost out of the garage he said, "Working hard on that truck, Eldridge?"

Kelly broke the connection and buried his head in her neck as she called out, "Yes, sir." Addressing the man still clinging to her, she said, "I think we'll have to finish this later."

Kelly peeled himself off her, held her face with his two hands, and gave her one more hard kiss. "Make sure you save some of those 'yes, sirs' for me later." He left her to her work.

CFCFCFCFCF

The hum of the heat was the only sound Severide heard when he woke, but he sensed it was early enough that he should still be sleeping. Something was out of place. He left his eyes closed as his brain transitioned from sleep to wake, then opened them to find the room dimly lit by a lightening of the sky peeking around the edges of the blinds. A slight turn of the head showed him what was amiss. Ashley. She perched at the edge of her side of the bed, elbows on knees, head in hands. Long tresses splayed across her back with a few strands hanging over her head. He reached a hand out and landed it on her hip. If it surprised her, it didn't show.

"I didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"It's ok," his voice was slurry with sleep.

They were still and silent for a few more moments. She wasn't going to start a conversation, and he was trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind. Mission accomplished, he began, "What's wrong?"

"Can't sleep," she said.

He scratched at her hip. "Need to go another round?"

Her silence answered him and he halted the movement of his fingers.

"We should talk about it," he said.

Ashley's hands moved from her forehead to her chin. "I thought there was an unspoken rule in the house about not talking about calls."

Sometimes he hated that rule. Not even the seasoned members of the crew handled things perfectly all the time. Sometimes, talking about it was the answer, especially for rookies. He dug his fingers into her side to make sure he had her attention. "We're not at the house. And you talk to me about anything you want, anytime. Got it?"

Ashley leaned back and scooched to the top of the bed. Kelly's arm lay open and she fell into it, resting her cheek on his chest. He reached for the sheet and pulled it up before folding his arm around her.

She enjoyed the comfort of him as his thumb trailed down her arm. "Did Casey tell you?" she asked, "about our conversation?"

"No," he said into her hair, leaving a kiss there, "he wouldn't do that."

"He said he's going to hold me back a bit." She didn't stop the tear from coming. When he didn't respond, she continued, "Do you think I can do this?"

Her small voice worried him. "Yes," he said. "But you might get to the point where you don't want to. Many people have. And that's ok."

"I don't remember ever wanting to do anything else."

"Then you'll probably make it. But whatever you decide is ok. Don't forget that." He waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he reached down with both hands and pulled her on top of him. "Now are you ready for another round?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." She covered his mouth with hers.