Taylor made the best bourbon chicken Severide had ever eaten. She also made him try sweet tea, which he instantly fell in love with. They spent the afternoon watching football and eating. As night came, Taylor invited him to spend the night. Severide agreed. He had extra clothes in his car, so that wouldn't be an issue. And he honestly didn't feel like going back to the apartment. So, the couch it was. She offered him the second bedroom, but he hated to dirty up sheets for just one night.
Severide had been asleep for maybe an hour when the dream started.
He was standing in total darkness, but he could see himself plain as day. Confused, he looked around, trying to get his bearings. Suddenly, a small ball of light – maybe as big as a golf ball – appeared in front of him. It began to elongate and brighten, but not in a threatening way. Slowly, the figure of a man began to take shape and materialize.
Deputy Jason Taylor suddenly stood before him. He wasn't see-through like a ghost, but solid like a man who had never died. Jason smiled and extended his hand, "Hi. I'm Jason Taylor."
Without thinking, Severide shook the outstretched hand. It felt real. "Kelly Severide."
"You're Shelby's Lieutenant."
It wasn't a question. He nodded, "I am."
Jason didn't waste time with formalities, "Shelby needs a man in her life. Not necessarily in a romantic way, but in a friend kinda way. Don't get me wrong – Sylvie's great and all, but Shelby needs somebody to look after her up here." He sighed like someone who had the weight of the world on their shoulders and looked at his feet, "I hadn't exactly planned on leaving her so soon, y'know? But, that's the risk we take when we become emergency personnel. She's done really well by herself, but…she needs a solid presence." He looked up, "Will you take care of her for me? I'm not sayin' be her boyfriend or anything, but…will you look out for her? I worry about her all the time. I can't protect her anymore. And that's a special kinda torture that words don't exist to describe. Will you keep her safe for me, Lieutenant?"
Severide didn't hesitate, "I will."
Jason shook the firefighter's hand again, "Thank you, brother."
And then he was awake again. Severide sat up and reached for his phone. Using the small bluish light that the screen emitted, he located Taylor's bedroom.
Sensing a presence, Taylor switched on the lamp that sat on her nightstand. Severide stood in her doorway. She tried unsuccessfully to ignore the fact that he was shirtless. "You can't sleep either, huh?"
"Not really."
She pulled back the blankets that covered one side of her bed and patted the mattress.
He hesitated for a moment, then went to her, climbing carefully into the warmth of the bed.
She waited until he had gotten settled before lying back down and turning the light off. "Gonna be a long shift tomorrow if we don't get some sleep."
"Yeah." He stared at the ceiling, debating on whether or not to tell her about the dream. Unlike other dreams, this one was still shockingly vivid. It hadn't really been a dream, though – it had been a visit. He shivered involuntarily. Better not say anything. Not yet, anyway. "Shelby?"
"Hmmm?"
"Thanks for today. This has been the best Thanksgiving I ever had."
"You're welcome. Thanks for sharing it with me."
He was silent for a long moment before asking, "Shelby?"
"Hmmm?"
"…Can I hold you?" He wasn't really sure what he'd expected, but he hadn't expected her to snuggle into his side and lay her head on his shoulder. Smiling to himself, he wrapped one arm around her and put her hand over his heart, covering it with his.
"Goodnight, Kelly."
He kissed her forehead softly, "Goodnight, Shelby."
…
"Looks like somebody's sweet on you." the delivery man smiled as he handed the bouquet over to Taylor.
"Looks like it." she said, blushing as she took the flowers from him, "Thank you." The bouquet was beautiful - three big pink hydrangeas in a blue Ball Mason jar. There was a small card tied around the neck of the jar.
The teasing started before she made it to the nearest table. "Who's it from?" Dawson asked, stealing a quick sniff.
"Well, let's see..." Carefully, she pulled the small card out of its envelope. It read:
Thanks for everything. It really means a lot. -Smoke
"That's cryptic." Otis said. He and Cruz had been reading over Taylor's shoulder.
"Who's Smoke?" Cruz asked.
"A friend." Taylor answered simply, smiling to herself.
…
"Did you go to your dad's for Thanksgiving?" Casey asked, leaning against the doorframe of Severide's office.
"No." Severide answered, looking up from his paperwork. "I went to a friend's house."
Casey nodded, "I see." A "friend" usually meant a one night stand.
Severide caught the disapproving tone, "Look, Matt, I know what you're thinking. I wasn't out drinking or sleeping around. I really wasn't. I swear. I was at a friend's house."
For a long moment, Casey looked at his friend. He worried about Severide. A lot. "Okay." he finally said.
"I'm still looking for a place."
Casey shook his head, "I'm not worried about that. As long as we have a home, you have a home."
"I appreciate that, man, I really do. But you and Dawson need your own space."
He shrugged, but didn't say anything.
The lack of response confirmed Severide's suspicions. There was trouble in paradise.
"I've got paperwork to do." Casey sighed, "I'll catch you later."
"Okay."
As Casey turned to leave, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and began to text Dawson. In doing so, he almost bumped into Taylor, who was on her way up the hall, also fooling with her phone. "Whoa! Sorry, Taylor!"
"My bad, Lieutenant!" Taylor exclaimed, stepping aside to let him pass.
"Great job on that run earlier." Casey said, giving her a pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, sir!" She was genuinely surprised and honored by the rare compliment.
"If you ever get tired of Squad, let me know."
Taylor smiled, but she wasn't sure if he was kidding or not, "Yes, sir, I will."
Casey grinned and started back up the hallway.
She knocked on the door frame of Severide's office and asked, "Lieutenant Severide? Can I talk to you about something?" in the most worried tone she could muster and loud enough so that anyone who was listening wouldn't think that something was up. That included Casey, who was at the end of the hallway now.
Severide turned to face her, "Sure, Taylor. What's up?" He did his best to sound nonchalant.
Taylor stepped into his office and closed the door behind herself, but remained standing in front of it just in case someone peeked through the open blinds. "Thank you for my flowers, Smoke."
He grinned, "Now, how do you know those are from me?"
She smiled, "You're the only person who's been in my apartment, remember? You're the only person who would know about my painting of the three pink hydrangea blooms in the blue Mason jar."
His grin turned into a full blown smile, "I thought you'd like them."
"I do. Very much."
"Good. And I really appreciate what you did for me." He paused before continuing, "You saved my life."
She waved a hand dismissively, "Oh, Kelly. I didn't do anything."
"You did. You listened. You made me talk. You shared your experience with me. You let me stay with you. You fed me. You gave me a place to sleep. Twice. You let me sleep in your bed. With you." He took her hands in his, "I was in a really, really dark place. You're the only thing that's been able to pull me out."
She blushed, "I'm just glad I could help."
He stood and closed the blinds. "Shelby, you saved my life. Remember that rock-bottom moment you told me about?"
Taylor nodded, suddenly aware of exactly how close he was to her. Which was stupid – she had slept beside him less than twelve hours ago!
"I was having mine when I came to you that night."
"Then I'm really glad you came." She looked up at him and found herself captivated by his blue eyes, which had darkened slightly.
"Me, too." He gently smoothed down a couple of her flyaway hairs, which were no doubt caused by her helmet. "Shelby?"
"Yes?"
"Can I…kiss you?" Holy crap! Did he really just ask that?! What was he thinking! Taylor was gonna think he was a douche!
Instead of being offended, she gave him a shy smile, "I'd like that."
Relieved, he smiled and carefully closed the distance between them. Her arms slid around his neck as his arms wrapped gently around her waist. She fit against him perfectly. Severide felt desire flare deep within as he slowly lowered his lips to Taylor's, giving her time to back out if she wanted to. When she didn't, he kissed her. It was the softest, most tender kiss he'd ever shared with anyone.
Taylor's body was on fire. Was this a dream? Was she really kissing her Lieutenant? Before her mind had time to properly process the event, he ended the kiss slowly. As she opened her eyes, he stroked her cheek.
"You'd better go." he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. "I don't want to get you in trouble."
"Okay."
He kissed her forehead and released her. His heart was racing. He wanted her. Badly. But, he couldn't do that. He couldn't afford to mess this up. Taylor was the best thing to happen to him since Shay. He couldn't lose her, too.
Taylor paused at the door, "Kelly?"
"Yeah?"
"Come home with me tonight."
…
Author's Note: Just wanted to say thanks to goldistic for being my very first follower! Thanks to Sarrabr4 for being my first reviewer! And thanks to RBCFCPD7410 for the review and follow!