Chapter 24: Fire on High

"So I take it you missed me," Clarke teased from the floor of the living room, which was as far as they made it since Cally had pounced on him the second she walked in the door, sending flashcards flying everywhere.

"Now whatever gave you that idea?" she countered, looking around for her shirt.

He retrieved it from underneath the couch, handing it to her with a smirk, "you aren't that good a bluffer, Callahan. I take it you got your guy."

"Oh I got my-" she started in, stopping as he gave her a look, "yes, hook, line and sinker. The Outfit is going to have to put out a classified for two new hired guns. And those two, they turned on each other quicker than alley cats. Voight just had to walk Petra past the cages and she went full canary."

"Good to hear," he said, pulling his jeans back on, glad the blinds were closed. "So you and Halstead divorced yet?"

"Very funny, Jeff. Though I did almost get taken off his Christmas card list when I called him out on acting like a love struck teenager around Erin."

"I'm sure that went over well," Clarke said, thinking about what Shay had filled him in on regarding Severide's deteriorating behavior.

Cally made a face, "like a ton of bricks, but somebody needed to do it. I don't want to meddle, but if I have to keep working with them both, I need to know Halstead has his head in the game. But enough about work, I need food. I am starving, I have never seen so much elf food in my life than at all those stupid charity events and the waiters practically run past you, I guess they figure most women are just going to wave them away… I would shoot a family member for a burger right about now."

Clarke couldn't help but laugh, "let's get you fed then, I don't think the crime rate needs to increase in the city. You mind getting take-out and bringing it to Molly's? There's a certain paramedic tending bar tonight that has already talked my ear off this past week." He shuddered, looking slightly sheepish.

"Are you afraid of Leslie Shay, jarhead?" Cally teased.

"Just you wait, Callahan," he said with raised eyebrows.

"You weren't freaking kidding," Cally muttered under her breath as Shay excitedly ran through all her ideas, carefully arranged on Pinterest.

"Told you so," Clarke replied, shaking his head, catching sight of Severide, Mills, Mouch and Cruz watching a Blackhawks game at the other end of the bar.

Cally mock scowled at him, "sure, abandon me, cowboy!" she called after him.

"Ain't your first rodeo, Cal," he shot back.

"It sort of is," she grumbled, taking a long drink of beer before turning her attention back to Shay. Finally she couldn't nod along absently anymore. She was going to have to try and let her down easy; though she was pretty sure no matter what she did, Shay's heart was going to get crushed, or at least her spirits. And then she was going to have to face those big baby-blues looking at her like Bambi after his mom died. God, no wonder Severide was wrapped around her finger. "Shay," she said a couple of times, trying to stop the freight train. "Leslie Shay!" she finally said, yanking her friend's arm away from the iPad.

"Okay, fine, maybe we can ditch the live butterflies, I've heard that can end up kind of iffy anyway," Shay said, deleting the pin.

Cally rubbed at her temples, "sweetie, we both love you, you know that right?"

Shay nodded, looking slightly uneasy. She set the iPad down with a sigh, eyeing the bottle of tequila in front of her. "Am I going to need this?" she asked, quietly.

"Probably," Cally admitted, taking a deep breath.

"You aren't calling off the wedding, right?" she asked, looking slightly misty.

Cally shook her head, "no, of course not. We are still getting married, whenever Holy Family can fit us in when we are all free. Hopefully sooner than later. But…" she trailed off, gesturing for Shay to hand her the bottle. "Recall, this is the second go round for both of us, and we aren't really into big, loud events. Not to mention we are on a pretty tight budget. So while all your ideas are as gorgeous and fabulous as you are, we were thinking of something a little more…low key."

"Low key, huh?" Shay asked, adding another slug of liquid to her glass.

"You have actually spent time with Clarke, right?" Cailin said, tapping the screen and bringing up one of the spectacles Shay had bookmarked.

Shay looked down at it before looking down the bar where Clarke had a slight smirk of a smile on his face while the rest of the guys were guffawing and smacking each other on the back over who only knew what. She took a deep breath, looking back down at the screen. "Gotcha. I can do low-key." She paused, flipping through a couple of boards before finally flipping the cover closed, "oh, god, I think I turned into Gabby's mother."

"Only temporarily. Speaking of which, how are Gabby and Matt doing, really? Because Matt is being weird and Gabby is always too exhausted when I actually get the chance to talk to her."

"Your boy is kicking her butt, but she is loving every minute of it. Between you and me, I wasn't sure she was really going to go through with this whole Candidate thing, especially when it looked like she was going to be under the jerk Welch over at Austin. Especially since she was talking Med School not that long ago…" Shay trailed off, making a pattern in the condensation on the bar in front of her, "but things change, and she's happy, so whatever, right?"

"Uh-huh," Cally said, arching an eyebrow at her friend, feeling like there was more to it, also feeling the weight of Jeff's Med School secret.

"God you are as bad a Clarke, I just baited that hook for you, girl!"

"I don't fish, Leslie," Cally countered. She took in Shay's pout, rolled her eyes and said, "fine, I'll play along. Is she really happy though, Shay?"

Shay smiled and clapped her hands, "oh goody!" She cleared her throat before turning serious again, "I know Matt is your oldest and dearest friend, and he is a great guy, he really is, I've known him for a while now too. Though I sometimes wonder if he is really the perfect person for Gabby. Matt is such a picket-fence, house in the suburbs, marry the soccer mom type. He and Hallie used to argue over that all the time. And I know Gabs comes from a big family and I know she seems really happy with him and he treats her well. Anyway, I've known Gabby for as long as I have known Matt, and have spent a hell of a lot of a time in the ambo with her and whenever she talked about her future, it wasn't any of that Leave it to Beaver stuff, you know. But as I said, things change. Not to mention she's dumped me for the new paramedic on 56."

"That is a pretty perfect description of Matt," Cally replied, chewing on the inside of her lip, thinking Shay seemed to have both Gabby and Matt pegged. There was a bit of an incongruence; but there also was a strong connection between the two of them. And the last thing she was about to do was butt-in on their relationship. Both parties hadn't said a word when she was carrying on with the technically still married Jeff, in fact they had been steadfast in their support. Shay's last statement suddenly sunk in. "Wait, what do you mean Gabby dumped you? What new paramedic?"

"Some piece of fluff, transferred in from St. Louis because of guy problems," she said, rolling her eyes, "Something Brett, Sophie? Sally? Sylvie, that's it," Shay said, snapping her fingers, "I dunno, apparently she and Gabs bonded, being the only women in the house, and Gabby was happy to not have to deal with Chout anymore. Clarke didn't tell you about her?"

"Voight just released me like an hour before we got here and Jeff and I didn't really do a lot of, uh, talking," Cally admitted, her cheeks turning pink as she looked down the bar involuntarily and caught Clarke's eye. He gave her a wink and raised his pint towards her before turning back to his friends.

Shay put up her hand for a high-five, "get it girl! Just spare me the details, because there are some things I just don't want to know about you heteros."

"That was Sergeant Platt, Detective Callahan, and she said 'to tell Detective Barbie to get down there because she isn't sending Ken up', that was the direct quote," Nadia said, hanging up the phone, looking slightly bemused.

Cailin looked up from her paperwork, furrowing her brow. "Good to know dating Mouch has mellowed her," she retorted, locking her computer. "Be right back, I hope," she called to her teammates before booking it down the stairs.

Clarke was waiting on the bench across from Platt's desk, looking as uneasy as he always did when he found himself at the 21st Precinct. Cally didn't blame him, given his experiences there. He would probably never be President of Voight's fan club, but that didn't matter so much to her; she still wasn't always entirely sure how she felt about her Sergeant. "Hey, everything alright, why aren't you at school?" she asked, sliding next to him.

Clarke nodded, "got a break between class and practice. Don't suppose you can take a break, huh?"

She mirrored his nod, "sure thing. Sergeant Platt, I'm taking a 7 be back in a few."

"Not your secretary, sweet cheeks, tell Jezebel upstairs."

"I'll bring you back a slice of pie from the diner," Cally said, cocking an eyebrow.

"Cherry, not apple, they changed their filling," Platt called after them.

"Sorry to bug you at work," Clarke said after they slid into a booth in the rear of the diner.

"Never a bug, babe, a treat. At least I think it is," Cally remarked, drumming her fingers nervously on the Formica.

Clarke gently put his hand on top of hers to stop the tapping, keeping it there even as Dottie came over, doing a double take when she saw them. "Been a while since I've seen the two of you in here. Actually, haven't really seen much of you, Detective, they finally get you a desk over there in the precinct?"

"I, uh, moved units," Cally said, not wanting to explain everything that had gone on in the past six months. Dottie had a look of realization come over her, "oh, yeah, the shooting. Glad to see you're still on the job, and still with this one."

"Me too," she replied, squirming slightly.

"Want your old usual?" Dottie inquired. Cally nodded. "And you handsome?"

"Same as her, half a ruben, with fries," he stressed, giving the waitress a look.

"Don't let him go, Detective, or I'll steal him for myself," Dottie replied, stopping short of patting Clarke on the cheek only when the pair both let out a soft snarl. "I'll get that right out," she said, rushing off.

They both nervously tittered at each other, Cally quipping, "good to know we've worked through our issues."

"Work in progress," Clarke shrugged, finally removing his hand from on top of hers, wrapping his hands around his glass of water. "So they finally put out the rotations for the next couple of months and I got my exam schedule."

"Ah yes, the great holiday rotation bitch fest, where the entire force complains about having to work Thanksgiving or Christmas, but secretly love the double pay and not having to be around their families, I am quite familiar, go on…" she said, having lived this her entire life. Though in New York, she volunteered to work holidays. She hadn't really thought about how Voight would handle things though she probably should talk to him about it. Not to mention holidays in the future might actually start meaning something once kids were involved…

"...so the church is free, but we have to come up with our own priest to handle all the loop holes," Clarke finished, looking at Cally expectantly.

"Come again?" Cally squeaked out, realized she had just missed something major. Some detective she was.

"You, me, a church, hopefully your priest brother, us getting married," he said, gesturing between them, realizing her intense look of concentration hadn't been on him. "I'm on as relief for Christmas Day, but Holy Family is free the 26th. If you're still on board, that is."

She blinked a few times, the weight of what he was telling her sinking in. "Jeff Clarke, are you telling me we have a wedding date?"

"If you can convince your brother to deal with the Archdiocese."

"Cullen, not a problem. He's got one foot out the door and loves making waves," Cally replied, already pulling out her phone and texting him.

"Just as long as he keeps his one foot in until December 27th," Clarke teased with a smile as Dottie carefully set down their two plates and hustled away.

Chapter 25: This Fire

"Wait, so you set a date?" Erin asked as they huffed their way through a session at the gym.

"More like Clarke set the date," Cally replied, increasing the speed on her treadmill, regretting that ruben with a side of fries already since she apparently was going to need to find a wedding dress like yesterday. A spark of an idea shot through her. "So your friend, Valentina, don't suppose she can whip me up something ivory and under five figures in less than ten weeks, huh?"

"She could probably clothe a country in ten weeks, don't know about the price tag though, can't say I've actually paid," Erin said with a dimpled grin.

Cailin glowered slightly, "I am glad we are friends, because otherwise I might hate you a little right now."

"I'm sure I can get you a friends and family discount, seeing as it is your wedding dress and all." Erin paused for a moment. "Holy shit, Callahan, you are getting married!"

Her excitement was almost infectious, except it made Cally slightly uncomfortable. She fiddled with the buttons on her elliptical, "I mean, yeah, but it's no big deal, we've both been-"

"Stop, don't say it, Cal," Erin shot back, rolling her eyes.

Cailin caught the look in her friend's eyes, knowing better than to push it. She decided instead to change the subject. "So, is Voight seeing someone?"

Erin almost slipped off her treadmill. "Why do you ask?" she covered.

She shrugged, "I don't know, he's just seemed different lately, almost nice."

"Okay, I'll give you that," Erin said, an inkling planted in her mind, thinking she needed to have a little catch" up with Hank.

Cailin's phone started to buzz and flash wildly she immediately stabbed at reject. "I am busy, mother," she muttered.

"She a little excited?"

"Children on Christmas morning are less excited. But I worry if I give her an inch, she'll turn into Mama Dawson, and I cannot handle that. Breaking Shay's heart and telling her to slow her roll was enough."

Erin laughed, but it felt hollow. Her relationship with her mother was, well practically nonexistent, had been for years, and that suited her just fine most of the time.

Cally saw the gloom pass over Erin's eyes and immediately wanted to kick herself. She felt like a brat, complaining about her mother when she knew Erin's background. She punched the stop button. "Okay, I'm a bitch. How about we ditch the workout and go drink wine instead? Valentina can always make me something stretchy, right?"

Erin feigned debating before stopping her own machine. "Yes, on the last two accounts, not on the first, except when needed."

"Hermann, what is so important that I needed to leave a meeting with a CI to come to Molly's and-oh God," Cally cut off, skidding to a stop as soon as she entered the bar. "Uh, hi Ma, what are you doing up here? In the city. At Molly's. On a weekday afternoon?" she asked, looking at Hermann with panic. The man just shrugged, turning to take stock of the beer fridge.

"Oh hello dear. I couldn't get in touch with you and that sweet girl who answers the phones at your work mentioned that all of you and your work friends come here a lot since some firefighters own it and I was up in the city for an appointment so I thought I would just pop on in. Christopher was just telling me all about his children and his lovely wife. Care to tell me why I had to find out you set a wedding date from the Archbishop's secretary after your brother had an appointment with him?"

Cally tried to process what her mother was saying and failed, giving Hermann enough of a look that he immediately poured her a drink. "Just water, Hermann."

"Set a wedding date already, drinking water? Something you and Ugly want to tell us, Callahan?" She hitched her thumb toward where Ruzek was hovering in the doorway, "yeah, I'm still on the clock. Adam, go watch TV and don't you dare say a word about any of this."

"Take a load off and watch sports? Yeah, I'm really going to bust your-" he broke off as both Hermann and Cally loudly cleared their throats, gesturing toward Mrs. Callahan. "Sorry, ma'am. I'll just be over here."

Cally slid on a stool next to her mother and tried to ignore the pounding starting in her head. She loved her mother, dearly, but it seemed the older she got, the more attention her mother wanted to give her; as if making up for being too busy and tired when Cailin was growing up. The problem was, Cailin had already learned to take care of herself and wasn't the best at letting others in. Which is probably why she and Jeff fit so well. "It just kind of happened, Ma, I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, I promise. Our friend had this crazy idea and Jeff just kind of ran with it and we needed some details worked out with the Church, so I asked Cully."

Her mother stared at her, eyebrow arched in a way that Hermann recognized from Cally's own face. He worked to hide a smirk. After the Chief's nuptials, he wanted nothing to do with any weddings until his own kids were getting married. And maybe not even then.

"Cailin Marie, I know you think you can handle everything on your own, a fact you've proved time and time again throughout the years, and I know you went away to New York and stayed so our crazy clan wouldn't be in your business; but you are still a part of this family!" Mary Margaret admonished.

Cailin closed her eyes and took a deep breath. They meant well, they always meant well. "I know Ma and I love you all, dearly." The 'but' hung heavy enough in the air she was sure customers later that night would feel it.

"But this isn't about us, it's about you and your Marine," Mary Margaret said, seeing her daughter's brow knit together, she quickly corrected, "Jeff." Just as quickly she saw the look of surprise on her youngest's face. "I've married 3 sons, and a 4th has presided over countless more, I've heard all about the wedding being for the family. Your father and mine's was to be sure, but it is the start of your marriage, which is most certainly not about what your old mother thinks." She gave her daughter a conspiratorial look before continuing, "you didn't think I was going to say that, did you? Don't forget I bore and raised you, girl. Just make sure I get an invite to the big day and come down to dinner at your brother's every once in a while."

Cailin wasn't entirely sure how to respond, she sat, dumbfounded for a minute, feeling herself get slightly teary as her mother gingerly slipped off the barstool and gave her a hug.

"I love you, baby girl, you know that, right?"

Cailin nodded, sniffing into her mother's shoulder, "of course, Ma, love you too."

"Good. I'll let you get back to keeping the city safe. Take care of yourself," she paused, brushing her daughter's hair back behind her shoulders, studying her carefully, thankful for the light that had finally started to creep back into her eyes. "But more importantly, let that man of yours take care of you too. It isn't weakness to be loved, Cailin."

"Well wasn't that a Hallmark moment," Ruzek started in as soon as they were back in the car.

"Bite me, Ruzek, one more word and I will tell Voight all about that romantic getaway you are planning on taking Kim on weekend after next."

"You wouldn't dare," he shot back, looking wounded.

Cailin leveled a glare at him, "you really wanna risk it, Adam?"

"What the hell is that, Callahan, I told you I didn't want to see any damn bridal magazines up here," Voight admonished the next day in the pen.

Cailin looked at him, completely confused, she had been deep in a suspect's file, trying to piece together any known associates. "Do you need your eyes checked, Voight? These are case files; I haven't bought a damn bridal magazine. In case you've forgotten, I was undercover and then I was running down this-" she broke off as Voight held the thick, glossy magazine between two fingers as though it were trash.

"Damn it, Ruzek," she said, lunging next to her and swatting at him.

"Ow, ow, stop, Jesus! Voight, you really should let her down in the cages more," he replied, rubbing at his chest. "I was just having a little fun."

"Fun's over. Feel free to chuck it, sir."

"No way, he made me buy that thing," Atwater protested, "do you know how expensive those things are?"

"That's because if you tack the word 'wedding' on anything it immediately becomes expensive," Cally grumbled, getting nods of agreement from Dawson and Voight. "Now don't we all have work to be doing?"

"I think you're spending too much time with Erin, cupcake, you're starting to sound more and more like her every day," Voight said, with a chuckle; though the look on his face still told Cailin he was wary of having two women on his team.

She knew they wouldn't be partnered up anytime soon, no matter what was or wasn't going on with Halstead. They all went back to it until a while later Atwater spoke up, "hey, this isn't actually that bad."

"What you find a skel with a rap sheet shorter than Callahan?" Antonio teased.

"For the umpteenth time I am 5'5" which is average for women, Erin isn't that much taller than I am!" Cailin protested. It was then she noticed that Atwater had taken possession of the bridal magazine and was staring intently at a page.

"Nah, I'm talking about this dress, it ain't too poufy, it's actually pretty hot," he said.

Ruzek peered over his shoulder; "I dunno looks kind of trashy to me."

"Nobody asked you," Atwater argued, "I'm just saying, most of these dresses make me think the opposite of what you are supposed to be doing on your wedding night." He waggled his eyebrows for emphasis. "I bet you Dawson will agree with me. What do you think 'Tonio?" He held up the magazine so Antonio could see.

"Eh, it's okay, but not really for a wedding," Antonio replied.

Cailin forced herself to not roll her eyes, worried they might stick. She was about to say something when Voight snapped, "are we working or opening a wedding planning business?" He glared at Cailin, as if to say 'look what you did here?'

She put her hands up in the air, "hey, me and Halstead haven't said a damn thing."

"Well, I'm all out of gold stars. Now get back at it, all of you and hopefully Lindsey and Olinsky will be back with something soon."

Chapter 26: Wildfire

"Forget this, I need a drink, who's up for Molly's?" Antonio asked after Erin and Alvin turned up nothing.

"Me times a thousand," Cailin replied, frustrated at the lack of progress on their current case, still slightly confused from her mother's visit to the city the day before and not ready to go home to an empty place since Clarke was burning the midnight oil at the library.

"Anyone else?" he asked, looking around. "Come on, I know none of you have anything better to do."

Cailin snickered, but she couldn't help but hear Antonio's loneliness. She knew he was also trying to avoid going home to an empty house, Laura having made her usual weekend trek up to her sister's in Clear Lake. For not the first time, she felt that tinge of worry. She desperately wanted her and Jeff to be a forever thing; but knowing she could end up a widow again or the failure rates of marriages of cops and firefighters. She assumed it wasn't much better for doctors. Though really, didn't the both of them deserve a break? Not to mention it just felt right, down to her soul.

"The whole gang, huh?" she said, realizing that everyone was coming along for at least a drink, even Nadia, though she did seem to be instantly regretting her agreement as they all clamored down the stairs.

It was weird to be at Molly's without the regular gang there; while it looked the same, it felt different. At least Otis was behind the bar, because here he was definitely Otis. There were a lot of neighborhood regulars perched underneath the TVs, watching college football and flirting with the waitresses that worked when the others were on shift. The IU team bellied up to the bar, though there was jockeying for stools as Jay and Cally both moved to sit next to Erin at the same time. Cally rolled her eyes, "no, by all means, Jay, please, sit." She noticed Hank on the other side of Erin rolling his own eyes, giving his head a slight shake. She thought about checking in on Nadia, but it seemed Adam and Kevin had already embroiled her in a game of quarters and she was holding her own. She moved down to the empty seat between Antonio and Alvin, both gripping it to move it out for her at the same time. She let out a small laugh, "glad chivalry is not dead."

"What you drinking, kid?" Alvin asked.

Cailin stiffened and swallowed, still struck by being called kid. "Whiskey, one cube," she spluttered out, clearing her throat several times.

Antonio looked at her, seeing a look cloud her eyes that he hadn't really seen in a while. "You okay?" he asked, studying her.

She nodded, "I'm fine." She stopped, taking a deep breath; they were a team, no, a family, and they both had seen ungodly amounts of things and had their own demons, so why not be honest?

"Sometimes there are still triggers, they just come out of nowhere, you know? Like I'll be fine, it doesn't bug me, but then, WHAM. 'Kid' just got me. It's what Doyle called me," she admitted, reaching greedily for the drink Otis put in front of her, using all her restraint to not down it.

Both men nodded, having seen her file, having heard what Mykolo admitted, piecing together a lot of the rest from working with Cailin.

"Trauma is a bitch," Alvin said his eyes wise and slightly sad, "but life is too, sometimes." He looked at the younger detectives next to him, thinking about his own recent reconciliation, or whatever it was with his wife. "But it isn't always. Life can also give you some amazing second chances, if you are patient enough for them."

Antonio and Cally let out a huff of air in unison, causing the trio to laugh. "Laura decide anything yet?" Cailin asked gently after waving to Otis for another round.

Antonio chewed on his drink stirrer, "not really and in some ways that is worse. The kids feel unsettled, they want to do things here on the weekends, I am afraid to open my mouth during the week in my own damn house and you could say I am not the best at not having a game plan. I don't want to push either, because what if I push her away?" He shook his head, reaching for his fresh drink, "but enough about that, as Alvin said, life can give you some amazing second chances, and I am happy you are getting yours Cal, to you and Clarke," he said, raising his glass.

"Agreed," Cally replied, clinking her glass against his.

"Just don't ever make him live in the garage," Alvin retorted, joining in.

Cally smiled, her glass meeting his, "I won't and that isn't just because we don't have a garage."

"So are you not into this wedding planning thing because of what happened with Doyle?" Alvin asked right as she took a drink.

She was so shocked at his question, or more that he was the one asking it, that she sprayed whiskey out of her nose. "Damn, Olinsky, that was good whiskey!" She mopped herself off, looking around to make sure nobody else had seen when she realized Hank was busy with a phone conversation, Kim had appeared and was keeping Adam occupied, Kevin was glaring at some bros trying to paw at Nadia and Jay and Erin seemed to be having an intense conversation. Alvin just raised his eyebrows, waiting for an answer, Antonio doing the same on the other side of her.

"So I can't escape this one, can I?" she yelped. "Not entirely. I can't ignore the fact that we both have dangerous jobs, just like I can't ignore the fact that we've both been married before. But I am really not into this wedding planning because I feel like I am really bad at it. I grew up with five older brothers and then became a cop; I think my girly chip is broken. I look at those magazines or Gabby's binder or Shay's boards and everything just looks kinds of the same and none of it looks like us. And it isn't like I can conjure something that does seem like us in nine weeks."

"Wait, did you say nine weeks? As in you set a date and are getting married in nine weeks?" Antonio asked, loudly, "well damn, Callahan! Erin, did you know about this?"

Erin turned after giving Jay one last glare saying, "of course I knew about it, 'Tonio. The bigger question is, what are we going to do to help Cally actually get this done?"

Antonio shook his head, but actually felt excitement for his fellow detective, "I don't know, but I am pretty sure it calls for a team meeting, back table, now! Otis, bring us a couple of pitchers, we got to knock this out!"

Clarke arrived home just before dawn, having pulled an all-nighter studying and writing papers. He followed the trail of clothing from the front door to the bedroom, finding Cailin passed out, covers flung every which way.

"Stop staring at me and make some coffee, Jeff," she croaked out, not even opening her eyes as she flipped over to her stomach and pulled a pillow over her head.

"You better be glad it was me, babe, you left the door unlocked last night," he said, moving the pillow just enough to kiss the top of her head.

"This morning," she corrected, finally opening one eye and immediately regretting it. After the team meeting, which Hank bowed out on after receiving a call from a female Cally heard him call 'Jess', they ended up doing team shots and singing karaoke. Shortly after, Alvin and Kevin took off with Antonio and Jay following around last call. Otis finally begged the remaining group to leave around 3, ignoring their plaintive cries that they were the cops.

It was then Erin got the wild hare to call Valentina, who left the underground club she was at in order to open up her shop for an impromptu game of drunken dress-up. Cally, Erin, Kim and Nadia left a pouting Adam on the sidewalk as they piled in a cab to head across town.

After whiskey, beer and shots, the ever-present champagne at Valentina's wasn't the best idea for any of them, but damn if they didn't have fun.

Cailin vaguely remembered being draped and wrapped in a million different fabrics and Valentina furiously sketching away at her design-desk. She also had a fuzzy image of Kim and Nadia standing in for Leslie and Gabby while Erin drank straight from the bottle of champagne and remarked that for once a bridesmaid dress would actually be worn again.

"So I take it you had fun last night?" Clarke called on his way to the kitchen. "Too much," she hollered back, instantly regretting the volume, as well as raising her head.

Clarke returned a couple of minutes later, water, Advil and ginger ale in hand. "You look like you could use this," he said, setting it on the nightstand.

"Bless you, Jeff Clarke, if we weren't already getting married, I'd propose," she said, downing the pills and water.

"I thought you didn't get drunk, Callahan," he replied, moving the covers aside so he could sit next to her.

"Yeah, well, I broke my own rule of not sticking to just one kind of liquor. I started with whiskey, but then there were several pitchers of beer while we were having the team wedding planning meeting and then someone had the brilliant idea that we should each do a round of everyone's favorite shot, and of course no two people had the same favorite shot and then there was the champagne while sort of wedding dress shopping at Valentina's. God, no wonder my liver hurts," she made a face, reaching for the ginger ale. "How was your paper writing?"

"Much less exciting than your night," Clarke smirked at her, knowing this was uncharacteristic of her, but also thinking it was good for her to get out with her work crew, though probably not quite to that extent. "I'm glad you had a good time. Wonder how everyone else is doing."

"They guys are probably doing better than the girls, they wisely went home," she groaned, "and Voight disappeared first, so he's probably going to call us all in at any second. Unless…" she trailed off. Clarke just raised his eyebrows in an unasked question. "He disappeared after getting a call from what sounded like a female, I think he even cracked a smile. Erin and I were wondering if he wasn't seeing someone, he's actually been almost pleasant. So hopefully he is occupied and won't bug us-"

As if on cue, her phone started to buzz. She put the pillow over her face and let out a scream. "Damn it, I should have known better than to open my mouth," she said, picking up the phone. "Callahan. Yeah. No. Yes. We did. Fine, I'll be there." She hung up, rubbing at her head. "I know I did this to myself, but this is going to be a long shift. I gotta shower. You going to be around later?"

"Yep, after class, because I want to hear all about how cops planned our wedding," Clarke said, shaking his head with a smile.

"At least they didn't suggest releasing hundreds of hopefully live animals," she retorted, already walking towards the shower.

Clarke followed her figure with his eyes, thinking the clothing trail was worth nearly tripping over.

"If you are going to keep staring, you may as well join me, cowboy, Voight can wait," she called without turning around.