They kiss goodbye for the day and rush out the door. "I'll text you alright." Liv calls to him and Kelly turns back.
"Why did you have to do that?"
Liv says not bothering to look at him as she buckled Klaire into her car seat. "Do what? "With Klaire safely in she closes the truck door.
"Shoot off your mouth and get kicked out of the firehouse."
She picks up Aaron still in his carrier and balances it in her lap. "Shoot off my mouth? Because I am who I am Kelly! You're not going to say anything in defense of yourself! They did you wrong and I told them so and if defending you makes me wrong then I guess I am. I'm sure as hell not sorry for doing it though. If you want to pick a fight with me because you can't pick one with them? That's fine but do it later right now we're both late for work. "She moved to roll to the other side of the truck and put Aaron in.
He caught her hands before she could roll away. "You're the last person I want to fight with. Honestly baby, I miss you. We used to each other every day and now I'm just some grunt who can't spend the five minutes between calls with his wife and I liked doing that! Even if it was just for coffee and quick kisses I looked forward it. Every day."
She chews her bottom lip looking up at him. "I didn't mean to screw that up! I just- sometimes my sense of right and wrong, my view of fairness and justice it gets in the way some times."
"You should totally be a vigilante for Halloween! That was very "I am The Green Arrow." He said grinning. He leaned in and kissed her scooping Aaron from her lap.
"Do you know how hard it is to put leather pants on my crippled behind?"
"Oracle then, you already got the wheels and the hair for it." He put Aaron in the car and kissed him on the head and leaned across the seat to kiss Klaire too.
"Who's that?" She asks getting settled behind the wheel.
"Google it. DC not Marvel!" He closes Arron's door and steps back from the truck. "Love you baby, save lives, do your thing have a good day!"
"I love you too! Be careful; call me if you find the time. Keep an eye out for my text! You'll enjoy it I promise." She grinned over at him.
-/-/-
Kelly's phone buzzed on the squad truck dash. He snapped it up before the new captain could make a comment. There was a text from "The Boo."
Boo: Would you rather install a mirror on the ceiling above the bed or just have sex in the elevator?"
His heart straight up froze mid beat.
He typed slowly sensing a trap somewhere. "Why do you ask?"
"Ya know…just for a friend,"
"This friend sounds a little perverted, do I know them?" He grinned widely ignoring Capp's inquisitive stare.
"Very much so, and yes, I believe you do."
"And where might this "friend." Currently be?"
"Somewhere in the city of Chicago….How bout you?"
"Squad truck. You're killing me." He shifted in his seat.
"And we haven't even gotten to the good part! All my clothes are still on mentally speaking. *Pouty Faced Livvy*
"You're mean."
"And you love it." Is her retort followed by a little devil emoticon. The pulls into the bay.
"Hold all your dirty thoughts; I need to find a place that's more private." He ditches his fire gear and slips the phone and goes to a free bathroom stall.
"Good luck hiding your hard on." He reads when he fishes his phone back. He has so corrupted his wife over time.
"You're horrible human being and I adore you." He types quickly.
"You somewhere safe yet?"
He locks the stall door. "Yes, why?"
Just then, a picture came through. She had to have set a timer and balanced her phone on the shower railing. She sat completely naked in the shower chair wet hair clinging to her shoulder and water droplets clinging to all his favorite places. He could not breathe.
"OMG!"
"You like?"
"My brain cannot handle all the different levels of hot you are. I may have just had a mini stroke."
"The water is cold and now and I'm lonely. I think I will get out now."
She is a lovely, gorgeous, little unapologetic tease. "But I didn't even tell you all of the things I want to do to you. There tons of truly nasty things."
"Really ? You could still tell me. But I really am cold."
"Can I keep this picture forever, and ever?"
"LOL! Yes, but I swear to God Kelly if one of you're guys sees it. You're a dead man." He waits a few seconds and calls her.
"Hey Livvy."
"Hi baby…" She said sounding a little out of breath.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, transferring into that shower is precarious."
"Purple or Green scrubs?"
"No, no, no. Do not get dressed." He was physically incapable of suppressing his whine of displeasure.
"I have little people to save." She points.
"I have blue balls to get rid of because you're a fucking tease."
He loves her satisfied little chuckle but won't be admitting it. "Mirror or elevator? I always deliver on my dirty promises."
"Elevator, no take backs."
"You really should thank Chief for disallowing me from visiting you. Made us get creative."
Yeah he still wasn't thanking anyone. "Livvy?"
"Hmm."
"You're beautiful. I mean it."
"Thank you Kelly, even though I think you're just lusty eyed right now."
"I meant what I said, I love you… be prepared for what you just unleashed. See you at home Baby."
"You make such sweet threats Kell…" She trails off. "What? The cute ER guy needs help! Gotta go!" And the line went dead."
-/-/=
He flops back on to his to his bunk and smiles goofily at his lock screen. It's a picture of Liv and Shay sitting at the kitchen table in their old apartment. He'd caught them having an impassioned discussion about the importance of disaster training in all levels of medicine and they had look so happy in a rare moment of comradery he'd made them turn and smile at him.
They were finally friends just before Shay's death. No one may ever know how sad that missed chance makes him.
"What's making you smile like a drunk?" Jamie Killian asked peering into the bunk.
"My wife, though I'm not smiling directly at her more at the thought of her, because I like her. I like my wife."
"Must be some wife, to get that kind of smile just with your thoughts."
"We all like Severide's wife she's nice to look at and she cooks." Cruz said across from him.
He cocks his head at Cruz "See I knew you had a thing for her."
"Which I've never denied. You dump her I'm snatching her up like jacks on the playground."
Kelly laughs. "You don't have enough game to snag Liv."
"You talk a big game, "Mister I used a fire truck to dazzle small children and charm her into a date." I wouldn't need a fire truck."
"Oh is that right?" Kelly laughed. "What'd you need Jamie?"
"I brought you the work book so you could copy me. You can call it a favor."
"Yeah, about that my Dad always taught me to never make deals with a lawyer and past experience has taught me not to take favors from other women. It offends my rightly possessive woman. So I just as soon work for it. We're having a big dinner with Liv's siblings to plan her parents wedding anniversary. You can come by. It's just I've had to earn Liv's trust so now I prefer to do things in plain sight where she can't get the wrong idea."
-/-/-
Kelly wakes early on his day off to go check the neighborhood of the fire where they'd been held up and blockaded from fighting the fire. With chief's job on the line as yet more political shit is piled on them by I.A. When he strikes out at finding a witness, he goes and gets breakfast to wake his girls and boy up with.
-/-/-
Liv sits huddled into a corner of the couch with Aaron sleeping in her arms. "How do look at him and not see her?" Her head whips around at the sound of Jay's voice. Apparently Mila had let him in.
"Easy, he looks like Kelly."
"You know what I mean."
"What do you want Halstead? I mean really, what is that you want? Do want Erin or Lindsay? Because for you they're two separate women. If you want Lindsay back? You're gonna be waiting a long time, because right now? She's just my tender hearted, fucked up, best friend who just wants to hide."
"And you're letting her! "He retorts in a snarl
"Oh fuck you Jay, I'm not letting her do anything! I have no control over Erin. None, I can tell her what I think and hold on for the ride but that's it."
"Bullshit! She listens to you."
"When she wants too and not before!" She screamed and Aaron woke crying. "Thanks for that." She put Aaron to her shoulder. "Right now the only thing she can hear is Bunny, and her guilt. The only thing she feels right now is how easy it is to be high."
"Her furlough is up tomorrow, and she looked right through me and said you done? It scared me."
"What scares me is how you're only concerned with her being a cop again, and my only concern is how to get her sober again."
He crosses his arms defensively. "She looked hung over but not strung out. I think she's sober."
"The thing is you think, you don't know. I know she relapsed, I saw the evidence, hell given a different period in our lives I'd have faked her piss test for her. It's not a different period though, we're grown up now and I have responsibilities, and choices and so does she. I can't make her do the right thing, I can't save her and it haunts me at night, I can't sleep. You know how often I worry; I worry, that I will have to go ID her body. I worry she is going to hate me for the rest of my life because; I took the out when she gave it. I'm scared I'm never going to get her back and you're worried about her job."
"I thought I told you to stay away from my wife." Kelly said lowly.
"I can handle myself Kelly."
"I know you can, that's not the point." He muttered.
"Point is, pretty boy here doesn't get you can't help someone who smacks you down when you try." He crosses to her "Jelly donut, Starbucks and an overpriced cookie just cause…."
"Cause why?"
"I love Yo ass." He smirked handing her the food and plopping down beside her.
Liv snorts back a laugh. Jay shoots her a dirty look. "Gimmie Brother, and eat your breakfast. I gave Klairey chocolate… because I love her too." Jay just stared at them. "We're allowed to be happy in spite of Lindsay's life crisis you should try it sometime." Kelly points out settling the baby on his chest,
/-/
After Jay left Liv texted Erin. Even if we can't find heaven I'll walk…er roll through hell with you. Love, you're not alone cause I'm gonna sit by you.
Erin: Okay, you get points because that was funny and I sang it in my head. Made me smile.
Liv: Love you matter what.
Erin: back at you.
-/-
When Jamie shows up she brings wine and scotch just to make sure her bases. A kid with shaggy hair who's avoiding eye contact with her answers the door. "My sister made me get the door because learning simple pleasantries is important. I disagree but relented because Kelly promised to let me ride the car with all the windows down. Liv says that's bribery, she's right. I don't care. I'm Grady everyone's upstairs."
"Okay…" Jamie says warily
"You're pretty, and you look like my sister's dead girlfriend. I assume that makes Livvy very uncomfortable, Kelly is her entire world which is likely the sole reason she tolerates it but you are very pretty."
"Um thank you."
"It was mostly running commentary because my brain is weird but you're welcome."
-/-/-/-
"I freaked her out with my autism and she looks like Shay, so someone should warn Vivi when she gets out of the bathroom, so she doesn't cry or have any unexpected emotions. I answered the door ergo we ride Severide." Grady says entering the kitchen.
"After dinner if I'm sober alright bud." HE replies as Liv smacks his hand away from the bed basket she's preparing.
"You didn't freak me out. More surprised me with your honesty."
"Mom says it will win me the hearts of the girls one day I think she's full of shit."
"When a girl ask you if those jeans make her butt look big, bad or flat just lie." Kelly advises.
"Kelly Benjamin!"
"What we've established I love your ass." He turns to Jamie. "Ready for introductions? It's a huge crew; if I go to fast or you're confused tell me."
=/=
After dinner.
"So how was the work day Kelly? Livvy says they're using you as the whipping boy and not in a fun sexy way." Rainey said. "What? That's exactly what she said." She asks when everyone looks at her.
"The highlight of my day was a half decent save I had to ask permission to make and some picture mail."
"You're Welcome." Liv quipped, while picking at Klaire's left over chicken spaghetti.
"You have my eternal gratitude baby."
"Oh that's just nasty Liv!" Owen whines.
She grins wolfishly at her big brother just to make him squirm "Might be a meme might be a nude but we both know you really do not wanna know."
"She's got you there Owen." Kelly said. "Then to make matters worse I swept the neighborhood where we got blockaded and they put the screws to the only witness so he won't talk and I just wanted to fucking shake someone."
"Glad you didn't baby, I might not have had bail money."
"Did you do as they instruct in the management classes? Count to ten then scan your body for any residual rage?" Jamie asked.
"Residual? I had all the rage all of it."
"Welcome to the world of autism." Grady deadpanned.
"I think this calls for scotch." Jamie said and started pouring tumblers for those of age. Liv steals Kelly's glass after he takes a swallow. She takes a swig and he stares at the blood red lip print she left behind on the glass.
"I think it calls for an altogether different stress reliever." He muttered.
"Elevator rides?" Liv whispered to him. "By the way, I hate scotch."
"Then why drink it?"
"You like it when I steal your drink."
"How fast can you get rid of your family if we pile the drunken people in a cab?" he asks smilingly.
"How fast can you do your homework?" She counters.
"Twenty minutes maybe thirty."
Liv nodded. She put the chair into standing mode. Grabbing his plain blue tee shirt she pulled him into a kiss deep enough to have him losing track of his surroundings and grabbing her face.
"Do they always…."
"Make out like teenagers? Yes, they do. They're rather unapologetic about it, but he really makes my sister happy the way she deserves to be so put up with the inappropriateness."
She's smiling as Owen clears his throat loudly. He chases the curve of her lips with his own. She backs away leaving him momentarily dumbstruck. "Get to work, Lieutenant."
"Yes Ma'am, though your logic is flawed. I'm not LT."
"Screw your firehouse technicality loving asshole superiors. You're my LT. babe."
"Tell us how you really feel Sis." Lang teases.
She shrugs. "Fuck em'."
"Damn the man!" Grady shouts holding up angry fist that Kelly laughingly bumps.
"Who let you watch Empire Records again?" Rainey asked. "Mommy but then she made a face when I said I wanted a girlfriend brave enough to shave her head."
-/-
He takes Jamie into the guest room/Liv's office/gym to do their homework. "How do you breathe in the middle of all that? I don't think I'd survive it."
He shrugs. "I thrive on the chaos."
He listens with half an ear as the decibel level lowers. "Baby, can you check on Klaire and Aaron Shay when you're done please? Everyone's gone! I'm going to switch the laundry and then await further instruction…" She calls to him.
"Yes I will." He responds. He gets sidetracked trying to remember if he'd seen her put on underwear that morning or not.
"Why do I feel as though I'm missing something?" Jamie asked.
"Because you are."
Jamie laughed. "Do you always get your way?"
"With?" he clarifies tapping his pencil on the paper.
"Everything?"
"Depends on the request."
"I'm changing…." Liv said as she rolled past the open door. Kelly follows her with his eyes until he can no longer see her. "That woman, I had to work for."
When he sees Jamie out after checking on the kids He can hear the elevator hitting the ground floor.
When the door opens. He peers inside. She sits inside wearing a CFD shirt of his and her hair is twisted up and anchored to the back of her head. Her bangs frame her face. Her legs are bare but he can't tell if she is commando or not. It's really starting to bug him.
"HI she says holding the elevator door open. "Is this anticlimactic? You're not saying anything." She looks up at him quizzically.
"You look really pretty. I was just looking." He responds as she gives him a slow burning smirk.
"Are you going to stare all night or do something?"
He leans in and kisses her all while lifting her out of the chair and wrapping her around him. She pulls her mouth away from his regrettably. "I need the door to stay o-"He sidesteps and flings the chair into the pathway of the closing door it springs back open with a repetitive "Ding."
"Problem solved." She says breathlessly. He is definitely doing something now. He's leaving what will later be a truly impressive love bite at the hinge of her jaw. He backs her into the wall and rips her shirt over her head completely wrecking her hair.
"Mystery solved."
"What mystery…" She laughs in a high happy sound.
"Underwear mystery. Hold on to the railing." He says ripping away the scrap of black lace.
"Excuse you! Those were my special occasion panties."
He laughs while nipping at the swell of her breast. "Lift up a little, I won't drop you. She grabs the railing and pushes up, allowing him the room to undo his pants and drop them.
"Why're you laughing? Take your shirt off." She orders impatiently.
"Because, I married someone so proper and lady like they have special occasion underwear and still somehow freaky enough to fuck in an elevator." He mutters pulling the shirt over his head.
"You love me." She says seconds before kissing him as he pushes inside her hard. Her sharp intake of breath worries him.
"Are you good? Too much?"
"Fine, if we make to much noise it'll carry and wake Aaron." She points nods upward. Aaron's room is opposite the elevator shaft on the third floor.
"Such a shame had my heart set on making you scream, or at least yell expletives."
He sets a slow pace that has her hips banging back into the wall rather loudly. He keeps up a steady pace that has her flushed and sweating. She's using really dirty words; they fall in the crook of his neck.
She uses the rail behind her as a counter point to his movements. "Shit! Playing dirty huh Livvy?"
"Yeah well you keep up that pace you'll drop me, and I'll scream for different reasons."
"Take your hands off the railing and put them on me." He commands in a low serious tenor that has her complying quickly. Her nails dig into his biceps as he shoves into the hilt hard, and pulls back out and repeats again, again, and again. He can feel her body tensing and core flutter around him. She's almost there if he can just… "Lean forward baby, trust me I won't let you fall. She does and changes the angle of their bodies grinding her down on him, and after a few deep strokes she's coming like a tidal wave.
Her nails scrape down his back and she arches her back in a deep bow. Her hair is a dull copper in the low light as it falls across her shoulders. He covers her mouth seconds before a reedy broken groan of satisfaction as escapes.
He's not far behind her but when she bites at that one spot on his neck he comes immediately. He grits his teeth to keep the sounds inside.
She slumps against him and he slides them tonelessly to sit on the floor of the elevator car. He moves her hair out of her face.
"Hi Kelly." She said drowsily.
"Hi baby." He kissed her softly on the mouth.
"Was it worth the wait?"
"If I wasn't me? I'd be jealous of me."
"It was fun…" Liv agreed.
The door is still in a battle of wills with her chair for some insane reason it strikes them as hilarious. They both laugh until their sides hurt.
-/-/-/-
They are bathing Klaire, and Aaron is next when the doorbell rings. Kelly gets the door as Liv is finishing up with Klaire.
He swings the door open and there stands Erin Lindsay.
"What do you want? I thought you made it really clear what did and didn't want with Livvy."
Erin looks at him with haunted and strung out eyes. "I need her."
Kelly cocks his head at her and has to force his jaw to unclench. "She's upstairs bathing Klaire." He moves aside with some trepidation. "Erin…"
"I know."
Oh, no you don't."
He follows Erin up the stairs to Klaire's room. "Mama I eat dirt." Erin pauses in the door way. He can hear Liv grunt as she lifts Klaire out the dirty water.
"I know you did."
He steps up behind Erin too look over her shoulder. They watch her wrap Klaire in a hooded towel and kissing her cheek before sitting her on her feet. "Be free dirt devil!"
When Liv turns she catches sight of Erin. "Ewin!" Klaire squeals happily as Erin falls apart .To Kelly's utter surprise Erin climbs into Liv's lap curling around her sobbing.
Kelly steps forward afraid the extra weight will hurt Liv or topple the chair but Liv waves him off. He picks up Klaire who's becoming alarmed with Erin's tears.
"Hey E, what is it?" Liv says gently.
She just continued to cry. Liv backed her away enough to look in her eyes. "Just tell me, and I'll fix it."" She wiped Erin's eyes and kissed her forehead. "I won't be mad, I promise you."
"You're coming off the Benzos, just breathe Babe, just stay calm I've got you….When did you last take one?"
"I almost lost Jay today…"
"Keyword being almost…"
"I saved him but it was messy, and I want back in but Hank-"
"Hank has conditions huh? What are they?"
"Everything else is doable but he wants me to cut ties with Bunny."
"Erin, if you were sober you'd see the validity in that."
"I bought her pills." Erin confesses lowly.
"Damn it Erin! What have we always said we would never, ever recreate what we were born into, The O'shea in me? It doesn't matter half as much as the Grayne in me. It is because of Cole Grayne that I am ten times smarter than any doctor that works on my ER floor. He taught me how to work hard, he taught me to fight. I get my heart from Mara Grayne and no one else. You get it everything of value about you from the divinity of your own soul and Hank."
"She's my mom." Erin sniffles and Kelly's heartbreaks for her just a little.
"No, honey, mothers don't do the things she's done to you."
"So, I just let go?"
"If that's the choice you want and need to make then yes."
"I peed!" Klaire announced and they watched Kelly pulling Klaire away from his chest.
"I was hoping that was left over water." Kelly said through his teeth in disgust.
"Pee!" Klaire reiterates as they die laughing.
-/-/-
Kelly walks Erin to her car. "You only get one of those fuck ups okay?"
"You're one to talk, you parade endless women you've screwed or would like to her in front of her and I'm a fuck up?"
"I have problems drawing boundaries. You're a junkie. We're both fuck ups. I'm saying don't do it again."
"I don't plan to but just like I don't make the rules in your marriage? You don't make them in my friendship. I know I broke something in our friendship and I'll fix it and you will stay out of it." Erin states getting her car to leave after help Liv bathe Aaron.
-/-/-
"Buy me a drink handsome?" He looks up to find Liv who had just come inside after checking in with Rainey about the kids.
He leans over and kisses her. "Sure baby. What's your poison?"
"Jack and coke."
"You got it."
He holds up a hand to signal Gabi over. "How're our tiny people fairing tonight?"
"Klaire fought Rainey on her meds it's getting harder and harder to get them down her and she's getting wise to our tricks.
"Look I'll start doing it more she at least half tolerates me doing it and if not? I'll hold her you shove em' in as wrong as it feels baby, we gotta do what we gotta do."
"And if you're working?
"Bring her by the house, I don't care who says what you, and the kids come first and Klaire's health it's so important."
"Hey Miz Severide can I get a minute with your guy?" The squad captain asked. She looked to Kelly who gave a nod before wordlessly leaning forward to kiss her.
"One minute! I saw Erin, so I'll be with her. Have my drink delivered?"
Kelly nods and Liv heads off toward where she saw Erin.
She rolls up the table. "Hey, should you really be in a bar right now?"
"As your husband so sweetly pointed out I'm a junkie not a lush."
"It's your personal gate way and we both know it. When you're stable I don't worry. You were not stable last we spoke."
"I'm stable now Liv." She held out her glass. "It's water, taste it if you don't trust me."
"I trust you; just don't make me regret it please."
"I ain't smoking, popping pills, drinking, or fucking anyone and I'm living with Hank. So please Jesus, Mary, and Joesph, I need to live vicariously through you."
"I had sex in the elevator at home."
Both Erin and Gabi who'd delivered her drink stopped and looked at her. "Tell us." Gabi demanded.
"It's Kell I mean are you sure-"
"Bitch tell us." Erin said.
"It was awesome; I hurt for two days after. I think I pulled something but I don't even care because it was that good, like… Really worth looking goofy and planning ahead to fulfill his weird little fantasy."
"You planned ahead?"
"Of course she did she's Liv."
"Just some dirty texts and visual motivation to keep him happy until he gets his quarters back."
"Wait I'm lost-"Hermann cut off Erin to inform them it was Karaoke Night and then proceed to butcher "Don't You Forget About Me."
"Tell you later right now we dance." Liv demanded pulling Erin to her feet.
Kelly looks a little off when she turns to catch his eye. "Hey baby! Wanna sing "Jackson" with me next?" she asked in a shout.
"You're awful! He hollers back.
"That's the whole point Douchey!" Erin said spinning Liv in a fast circle. "Hermann! Put Liv Lou and me down for some Wilson Phillips!"
"I'm not awful! He's an asshole."
"We're equally awful it balances out."
I own nothing but my characters; the text Liv sends Erin is lyrics from Rachel Platten's stand by you. I do not own it, Oracle and Green Arrow belong to DC Comics I do not own them. IF you liked it tell me please thanks for taking the time to read!-MM