Listen To Your Heart

Rewrite

Summary: Libby Reagan comes to Chicago for school and meets Leslie Shay at a coffee shop. And the rest as they say is history

Kelly Severide/Libby Reagan

One: Introduction

Star Lounge Coffee Bar

Leslie Shay and her girlfriend Clarice were sitting in a corner of the coffee shop watching people come in and out of the warm building talking lowly to each other. Then a brunette came into the shop with a backpack on her shoulders and her eyes downcasted. It looked like she had the weight of the world on her already slumped shoulders. The girl went over to the counter and said a few words to the server before going over to the table that was by the window and sitting down, still not even looking all the way up.

"Go talk to her." Clarice said lowly as she raised her coffee mug to her lips, she could see that that Shay wanted to go over to her and talk to her, that was the paramedic part of her, she wanted to help people out and save people. And this girl desperately needed both. Shay leaned over and pressed her lips against her cheek before she stood up and went over to where the girl was sitting. "Hi."

Libby Reagan startled and looked up quickly, "Hi." She returned before lowering her eyes back down to the table to stare at the notebook that was ope. "I am Shay.' She introduced pulling the chair opposite of where Libby was sitting. "Libby." "You from around here?" "No, I am from Brooklyn." She answered looking up at her finally. "What brings you to Chicago then?" "I am going to Northwestern. That was my grandma's dream for me. My boyfriend hates it though." Shay pulled a face, in her opinion men were nothing but trouble and from the sounds of it Libby's boyfriend was the worst kind of trouble. "Why not break up with him then?"

Libby pulled the sleeve of her jacket down covering her wrists and she licked her lips, "I tried but he didn't want to me to end it."

The paramedic raised her eyebrow before glancing over at her girlfriend who looked back over at her concerned. "Well then, that is his problem, you are here now. And you don't have to worry about a boyfriend. You are young and beautiful." A blush covered Libby's cheeks and Shay's smile stretched across her face. "It's true. You need to start believing it." She picked up the pen that was attached to her notebook and scribbled her number on a napkin. "I have to go but give me a call sometime and we can hang out." Surprised Libby took the napkin and nodded her head, "I will do that." "See you around Libby."

Once the blonde had left the building with the brunette she was with, Libby sank back against her chair and pulled her phone out texting her twin brother. She wanted to leave her boyfriend Michael, but it was hard. He wouldn't let her leave in fact, he was planning on coming to Chicago and living with her while she was in school but she didn't want that. She wanted to live her own life before they got married.

A matter that Michael had assured her many time would happen. She didn't want that, she didn't want to be with him anymore. She didn't know who she was when she was with him. She needed to find herself and be someone who she could see herself being down the line and right now.

This wasn't it. This wasn't her, she didn't want to be a housewife that stayed at home all the time, she wanted to be out helping people like her family did. Her counselor at school had referred her to the paramedic program. She already had her EMT certification and just needed on the job training and she would be set. But she was scared, scared of making the change only to be ripped away if and when Michael showed up.

Libby tapped her finger against the notebook before picking up her phone, this Shay girl was right, she didn't have to worry about Michael right now, she should be living her own life and doing the things she wanted. And she knew that her family especially her older brother Danny. He hated Michael and hated that Libby let herself get swept away. She didn't need someone to control her life, that wasn't the Reagan way. And their other siblings including Danny's wife Linda agreed with him. But they needed to let Libby figure that out on her own. And all it took was a 5 minute long conversation with a blonde woman she didn't know to set her right.