Hourglass

By: Rhuben

Summary-How much sand do you think Shay has left? [ONE SHOT] [Shay/Clarke friendship at the end]

Leslie Shay closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath of air the chilly Chicago air before opening her eyes.

Firehouse 51. Her home. She was home.

Her pink lips slowly stretched across her face as she smiled, her rosy cheeks becoming more defined by the second. Shay reached up to adjust the strap to her bag before shoving her hands into her pockets, blocking them from the chill of the wind. Not that she could feel it. Every time she set foot on the concrete in front of Firehouse 51, a fire burned inside of her. A fire that burned strong.

It didn't matter what happened outside of the firehouse, what mattered was what happened inside those walls. The minute you crossed over from the apron into the heart of the firehouse, the only people that mattered, were the people that needed your help. Everything else was a distraction. That was why she left; she couldn't focus on the job. She was in too deep. She was a distraction and she was distracted.

By Darryl.

By Devon.

By Clarice.

By the baby.

Everything was falling apart right in front of her eyes and she didn't know where she could go to feel better. Everything around Chicago was too familiar. Everything happened at her firehouse, at her apartment. There was nowhere she could go to seek solace, so she went out to look for it. But, she needed to do it alone. She needed to find herself; her old self, the Leslie Shay who was confident in her abilities as a paramedic, and confident with her own decisions. At the time, she didn't think she could make a decision without hurting anyone else; that was why she had transferred out of 51.

She thought it'd make things better, but it just got worse. She didn't have the same sense of family or support at that other firehouse, but she couldn't ask for help. She didn't want to ask for help and she didn't know how to ask for help. Whenever she was in trouble, not that it happened often, Severide or Dawson were always there. But this time, she had pushed them away. And she paid for it.

Her world looked bleak, like nothing would ever be the same.

And all she really needed to do was to go home. To go back to the Firehouse. It was where everything felt right.

"Shay?" Shay felt Dawson's arm loop through hers before looking over at the shorter, dark haired girl. Dawson's brown eyes searched Shay's green ones, worry clouding her face.

"I'm ok," Shay replied, letting out a breath of air, repeatedly nodding her head. She cleared her throat before loudly sniffing. She angled her head back, and let out a sigh through her nose, her shoulders dropping. "I'm ok. I'm home."

"Yes, you are," Dawson replied, her red lips parting to reveal her white teeth as she grinned. "Yes, you are." She then started up the concrete with confident strides, pulling Shay along with her. With each step Shay took towards the Firehouse, the warmer she felt, as if everybody in her home was giving her hugs, showing that they cared about her.

For so long she went around wondering when she would ever find someone to love her, to be there for her when in reality she didn't have to go far for that. With Dawson and Severide, and every other man and women at 51, she had someone that loved her. If only she had seen it earlier.

"We should go to Molly's afterwards to celebrate your glorious return," Dawson suggested. "Anything you want, on me."

Shay reached out and looped her free arm through Kelly Severide's. "Sounds great," Shay said with a smile.

"Who could pass up free beer?" he asked. Dawson hiked an eyebrow.

"I don't remember saying I'd cover your beer," she said to him. Severide quirked an eyebrow as well, letting out a small laugh of disbelief. "Fine, just this once. But, only because you helped me bring my girl home."

"What would I do without the two of you?" Shay asked, giving an over dramatic sigh.

"Hmmm, well, you wouldn't have a place to get discounted beer," Dawson said, pretending to think before shrugging her shoulders.

"Face it, your life would suck," Severide said as he used his free hand to muss Shay's hair.

"Alright, alright, come on, now," Shay said as she shook her hair back into place before resting her head on Severide's shoulder. "You both know your lives wouldn't be nearly as amazing as it is now without me in it." She then twisted her mouth to the side. "Which...you've had to experience recently."

"Hey," Severide said quietly. "What matters is that you're back, and you're safe."

"Yeah, we all missed you," Dawson said as she grasped Shay's arm with her free hand. "We're glad you're back and everyone will be glad to see you, too. Did you remember to bring your transfer form?"

"I remembered," Shay replied with a nod of her head.

"Boden will take you back no questions asked, you know that," Severide said as he gently removed his arm from Shay's. "Going to find Casey, but I'll see you around. I'll give you a lift home if you need it."

"I do," Shay replied, giving him a smile of thanks. "But, I'm already home." Severide grinned before jogging into the firehouse, disappearing between the squad truck and Truck 81. She could see Ambulance 61 waiting for her and gently removed her arm from Dawson's before making a beeline towards it. "I'll meet you inside."

"Sure," Dawson said quietly.

Shay's shoes squeaked as she made her way over to her vehicle. She reached out a hand and placed it on top of the hood. It was still there, waiting for her. She ran her hand up the smooth hood and across the side, stopping on the door handle. She didn't open it, she just touched it. It wasn't time. Not just yet.

"It's good to see you again," she whispered. It felt weird, and a little foolish, to be talking to her ambulance. She felt even more foolish when she was caught talking to her vehicle. She had noticed Clarke standing near her just a second too late. Shay sniffed, gave a slight cough before resting her elbow on the window, adjusting the strap to her bag again. "Sup?"

"It's good to see you, too," Clarke said with a hint of an amused smile.

"Uh, thanks," Shay replied. "You...too."

Clarke lifted a hand to scratch at his hairline letting out a small chuckle. He then dropped his arm and a serious look crossed his face. Shay peered over at him, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "So how much sand do you think you have left?" he asked.

"I...sand?" Shay asked, a confused look crossing her face.

"Sand," Clarke replied, nodding his head. He lifted and arm and rested it on the side of the ambulance. "We were all worried about you, Shay." Shay looked into his eyes and it suddenly hit her.

Hourglass.

Shay looked around the firehouse; at the boots that sat on the floor beside the fire trucks, at the Squad table in the distance, and the doors leading into the firehouse before she looked back over at Clarke.

"I don't think I'll be running out of sand anytime soon," Shay replied.

Clarke smiled.

A/N: In honor of Chicago Fire returning tonight, I wrote this one-shot. I loved the scene with Clarke and Shay with the hourglass, and I hope they build their friendship together. This was a scene I was hoping would've happened/I would've loved to have seen after Shay got back to the firehouse. Hope you all liked it.

-Rhuben