A/N: Hello, everyone! I am already missing Chicago Fire so I thought I would try to write out some of my ideas of what could happen next season to pass the time. It's my first time writing Chicago Fire fanfiction so I appreciate any feedback you have! This first chapter is kind of just a starting point from the last few Stellaride scenes from the last episode but will pick up the story in the next chapter. Enjoy and thanks for checking this story out!

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters and plots belong to Chicago Fire.

Spoiler Warning: This story may contain spoilers for the latest season of Chicago Fire and other shows in the Chicago universe.

Chapter 1
A Grand Gesture

It took him a moment to realize what was happening, his back against the wall as Renee's hands moved down his chest and her lips moved against his frozen ones. He pushed her away, sending her stumbling back in shock, as his mind drifted to Stella.

Stella, who even as she had grown more frustrated with the time this case was taking up continued to encourage him that he was doing the right thing helping these injured firefighters. Stella, who silently questioned Renee's motives but kept her concerns to herself after seeing how much stress he was under lately with the trial and Grissom. Stella, who tried to quickly hide her disappointment every time he had to shoot down plans to hang out because he was working on the case.

"What the hell are you doing, Renee?" Kelly rubbed a hand down his face, growing more annoyed at the look of surprise on her face.

"Kelly," She said as she took a step towards him, her hands raised in surrender, "I thought, with all the time we've been spending together, that you felt it too."

"Felt what, Renee?" He was growing more frustrated with the situation by the minute, how had she done this again? He felt like an idiot who had wasted his time. He could almost hear Shay in his head telling him something was off about her, just as she had all those years ago. Only this time it was Stella, with every distrusting look that crossed her face when Renee showed up, "I have a girlfriend."

"Oh, come on, Kelly," Renee rolled her eyes, running a hand through her dark hair. "We both know that won't last. She told me not to mess with you, does that sound like a solid relationship to you? She clearly saw what we had and didn't trust you!"

"No, Stella didn't trust you and you just proved her right!"

"Kelly, this is our chance. How many people get a second chance like this?" She grabbed onto his arms and looked into his eyes pleadingly, "We were so good together! I messed up before but the universe is giving us a chance to fix it. My son love you, we can be a real family like we were meant to be all along. Don't throw this away!"

He shook her off, "There is nothing to throw away, Renee, get that through your head. I'm happy with Stella. I was only working this case to try and help those firefighters, mission accomplished. I don't want to see you again."

"Kelly, come on, let's talk this out. We had a huge win today! We should celebrate, grab dinner and talk about everything with a clear head."

"My head is clear, Renee. Congratulations on the case but do not contact me again."

"Kelly!" She called after him as he turned swiftly down the corridor, making the way out of the court house, "Kelly!"

The crisp Chicago air shocked his system as he made his way into the daylight, moving quickly away from the courthouse. He unlocked his car, climbing inside and resting his head against the steering wheel for a moment. With a deep breath, he pulled his phone out of his pocket to find a text Stella sent earlier this morning; Good luck today. You got this, see you tomorrow.

Kelly put his phone in the cup holder and started the car, pulling away from the courthouse and heading towards the firehouse. He stayed focused on the road, ignoring the phone vibrating in the console.

He looked at the clock, later in the afternoon than he would've thought. How long had he been testifying for? His fingers tapped against the steering wheel in agitation as he drove through the late afternoon traffic until he pulled up not far down the street from the firehouse.

A sigh escaped as he peered towards the building, clearly able to see Truck 81 and Ambo 61. Severide considered his options. He wanted to see Stella but he was not in the mood to answer a million questions about the trial from everyone else. It didn't seem possible that he could sneak to his office to wait for Truck 81 to return without being seen. Would Stella be able to tell something was wrong right away?

Agitated, he drove back onto the street heading away from the firehouse. He started the well-known route to his apartment as an idea popped into his head. He made a swift U-turn and headed in the opposite direction, driving towards the Herrmann household, a place he found himself spending more and more of his time.

He parked in the usual spot just a few houses down from the Herrmann's. He pulled his overnight bag from the trunk, slipping his phone into his pocket, before making his way down the street. He pulled his key ring out of his pocket as he reached the door to the garage, relieved that Stella had insisted he keep a key to her apartment in case of an emergency, just as he had gotten her to keep her key to his place when she moved out.

Unlocking the door to the garage he moved inside; he could hear the Herrmann children from inside the house. He locked the garage door behind him as he moved towards the stairs that led to Stella's apartment. He climbed the stairs, unlocking her door before slipping inside and locking it behind him, feeling instantly more at ease in the small space.

The phone in his pocket vibrated again and he pulled it out, groaning when Renee's name flashed across the screen again. He declined the call, quickly blocking her number as he cleared the notifications for her eight missed phone calls. He opened the text message from Stella again, typing out a quick reply; See you tomorrow, stay safe.

He turned off his phone, not wanting to deal with any other way Renee tried to contact him, before dumping it on the kitchen counter. He abandoned his bag on the couch, instead moving towards Stella's dresser and pulling open the bottom drawer where a number of his belongings had accumulated. Rummaging through the drawers pulling out something to lounge in and moved to the bathroom, wanting to wash the day off of him and relax.

He showered quickly, putting his uniform to the side and changing into his lounge clothes. He moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of his favorite beer that Stella always seemed to have on hand. He found leftover Thai in the fridge, remembering the last-minute plans he had to cancel two days ago of watching the game and eating Thai at her place. He pulled out an untouched carton of his favorite and settled onto the couch.

He spent the next few hours flipping through the channels, settling a few times on a sports game and then the news. He cleaned up the leftovers before moving over to the bed, pulling back the familiar quilt and climbing in. Rather than laying on his usual side, he slid over to Stella's inhaling deeply as he caught her scent on the pillow before drifting off to sleep.

Stella checked her phone for seemingly the millionth time since they got in from their last call, hoping to get an update on the case from Severide. She was ready for this trial to be over and dreaded the lack of news meant that it could be dragged on for a few more days.

She was exhausted, they had back-to-back calls for most of the night and into the early morning hours. Although, considering the tense atmosphere in the house and her constantly checking for updates from Kelly, she was almost thankful for the near-constant calls. She smiled as third-shift began to arrive and moved to the locker room to change.

Yawning, she put in her combination and pulled out her bag. She changed quickly, checking her cell phone one more time before moving towards the exit. Almost everyone had dispersed quickly after the trying shift, but she waved to Otis sitting at one of the computers before making her way into the Chicago morning sun.

Shielding her eyes, she scanned the area quickly for Severide's car. They had talked about him picking her up earlier in the week, hoping that it would be the chance to spend even a little bit of time together seeing as it had become so difficult to do so over the past weeks. She checked her phone to find shift had officially ended twenty minutes ago and wondered where Kelly could be.

"You need a ride?" She turned at the unexpected voice as Capp headed towards her.

"Oh," She smiled, "No, thanks, Kelly's going to swing by and pick me up."

"Okay, see you," She smiled and waved as he made his way towards his own car before hitting the button to call Kelly's number. She sighed as it went straight to voicemail. A sick feeling settled into her stomach. She walked to the corner of the street, a bit away from the firehouse and impulsively opened the Uber app on her phone. She quickly confirmed her location and quickly hit the address for Kelly's apartment in her recent destinations.

It didn't take long for the driver to arrive and she climbed into the back seat, happy he didn't try to make conversation and he started the familiar drive to Kelly's apartment. Stella tapped her nails nervously against her phone as she watched the passing scenery, her stomach filling with dread at what she might find when she got there.

She suddenly wished last night had been less busy and she had gotten more sleep as her tired mind drifted to what she might find when she got to the apartment. Would Renee open the door dressed only in that old Chicago Fire Department t-shirt she always stole to sleep in when they stayed at his place? Would she find them in bed, sleeping peacefully not even realizing it was morning? She shook her head, she trusted Kelly. It was going to be fine, no matter how many attempts Renee made. Right?

She thanked the driver as he stopped the car in front of Kelly's apartment building. Swinging her bag over her shoulder she made her way inside, finding her way to his front door on autopilot. She lifted her hand to knock but hesitated, instead reaching for her key ring and finding the correct key. She slipped it into the lock and turned, pushing the door open.

"Kelly?" She called out to the empty apartment. Her stomach flipped as she made her way to his bedroom door. She grabbed the handle and pushed it open, letting out a relieved breath when the room was empty, but furrowing her brow when she noticed the bed didn't seem to have been slept in.

"Where are you?" She asked the empty room as she dialed his number again, nearly throwing the phone when it once again went to voicemail. She grabbed her bag, locking up, and heading back outside. She called for another Uber, admitting defeat and ready to go home. A seemingly permanent pit had settled in her stomach as she wondered if it was better or worse that she didn't find him at home.

She was thankful for another silent Uber ride as they drove to her apartment. She rubbed a hand over her tired eyes as she tried to focus on anything but Severide. She thanked the driver once again as she climbed out of the car in front of the Herrmann household.

She briefly wondered why Herrmann wasn't home yet when his car wasn't in the driveway, but pushed it out of her mind as she found her key to the garage. She closed up behind her before making her way up the stairs. She unlocked her second door, pushing it open and moving inside, closing it behind her and dumping her bag.

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed movement and had to take a double-take when she saw Kelly lounging on her bed, dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans, smiling at her.

"What… I… uh," She stuttered as the shock of seeing him lounging on her bed settled, "… I thought you were gonna pick me up."

"You did? No, I was waiting for you. I stayed here."

She took her coat off, taking the time to hang it up next to the door "Uh, did you win?"

"Yeah, case is over," His smile was bright, and he seemed more relaxed than he had in weeks.

She started making her way over to him, settling on the back of the chair near the bed, "And, uh, what about Renee?"

"I told her congratulations, and, uh, there's no reason to see each other again. Then I came here."

"Grand gesture," She said quietly, meeting the slightly confused look in his eyes. She smiled at him as she pushed herself off the back of the chair and settled in his lap, his arms immediately wrapped around her and his lips left a quick kiss on her neck, "I just missed you."

He kissed her cheek and she turned her head to look at his resting against his broad shoulder, "All I think about is you." Her breath hitched in her throat at his confession, he had been getting better at sharing his emotions recently but he could still catch her off guard. She pulled him closer to kiss him, before turning over to face him annoyed with the strange angle. She let him pull her on top of him as he fell back onto the bed, never breaking contact. She worked to pull his t-shirt over his head, before flinging it somewhere behind her, moving to kiss him again. She suddenly wasn't very tired anymore.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think, and look out for the next chapter coming soon.