Disclaimer: I do not own Chicago PD or any of the characters linked to the series. They belong to Dick Wolf and Matt Ormstead. I also do not own any of the Chicago Fire, Chicago Med or SVU Characters that might appear.


Chapter Sixteen: The Forester & The Vine Inn.

Staring up at the inn, Caitlyn couldn't help but feel a little nervous about her interview hat morning; she had spoken with Mrs Stone on the phone and she had been surprised how eager the other woman had been to have her come in. Caitlyn had to admit that it was a lovely place and she could see herself working here, she adored the fact that it was out of the way from the busy city that she now called home.

She hadn't really told anyone about her interview, she had wanted to keep it to herself until she was sure that she had the job. Gabby had been more than helpful in getting her in touch with Mrs Stone explaining that the woman's husband was in fact ASA Peter Stone; she had been running the place for years while the owner lived out of town. Heading into the inn, Caitlyn was surprised with how busy the place seemed; she hadn't thought it would be that way considering the weather they'd had recently.

"Hi. I have an interview with Mrs Stone," Caitlyn said smiling politely at the man behind the desk, she stared at him waiting for a moment when he didn't react to what she had said. Instead he remained focused on what he was doing, Caitlyn shifted awkwardly not sure what to do but repeat herself a little louder this time.

"We've talked about this Karim. You have to speak to people when they come to the desk," scolded a woman appearing from the back, she was carrying some files that she put on the desk; the man rolled his eyes and shook his head muttering something under his breath in what appeared to be French. Caitlyn turned her focus to the woman, she was dressed in a white shirt and pencil skirt; she had a feeling that this was who she had come to see.

"You must be Caitlyn. It's a pleasure to meet you," the woman said smiling, she stepped around the desk and offered Caitlyn a hand to shake; she was pleased that she had been able to make it. Signalling for Caitlyn to follow her back to her office, Mrs Stone lead the way knowing that this had better work; her current head chef was being horribly picky on who she wanted to help her out.

"Thank you for meeting with me, Mrs Stone," Caitlyn replied keeping pace with her, the woman walked quickly and Caitlyn was thankful that she had worn some sensible heels for the interview. It had taken her ages to decide on what to work out what she was going to wear, she knew it was an interview but should she be required to show off her skills then she wanted to be dressed for that. Mercedes had been a big help and Gabby had offered to help her out, she had never been so grateful for having girl friends like them around.

"Please Devyn is fine. Everyone else does," Mrs Stone insisted, she hated the fact that everyone called her that; the name hadn't been a lucky one for the last Mrs Stone. Reaching Devyn's office, the two of them made themselves comfortable and Devyn offered Caitlyn a drink before they got down to business with the interview.

"You used to work at a bakery in New York?" Devyn asked looking down at the CV that Caitlyn had sent in, she sipped on her drink as she stared down at the paper that she had printed off. It had been a surprise when she had heard from Caitlyn but not unwelcome, she stared down at the CV as she waited for Caitlyn to respond.

"I did, it was pretty busy and I made my own bread, biscuits, cakes…" Caitlyn stated watching Devyn, the other woman's face revealed nothing and she couldn't tell what she was thinking. Clasping her hands on her lap, Caitlyn continued to talk about her time working at the bakery.

"Don't look so nervous," Devyn said looking up from the paper, she set it down in front of her before she turned her full attention to Caitlyn; she searched her face for something as a smile formed on her face. Caitlyn offered her a weak smile in return, she wasn't sure what Devyn was looking for but she was hopeful that whatever it was that Devyn would find it.

"Susie is very picky about who she had working with her. So far, she's run off every other person I have hired for the job," Devyn explained leaning back in her chair, she stared at Caitlyn wondering just how she would handle the chef in her kitchen. It was bad enough that Susie had run off everyone else but they were running out of time, it was only a matter of time before Susie was off on maternity leave and it would leave Devyn without a chef or anyone to run her kitchen.

"I am sure I'm up to the challenge. I don't scare easy," Caitlyn insisted knowing that it couldn't be that bad, she would work her butt off for this and she was sure that it wouldn't be bad. She'd missed working in a kitchen and baking, working with intelligence had been nice but it wasn't what she wanted to do especially when she had to make her own way. Caitlyn didn't see the point in living temporarily anymore; she wouldn't be returning to New York, her life was here now and she was going to live it.

"I hope so," Devyn mused knowing that she might think that Caitlyn was good enough, but convincing Susie might be another thing; she just hoped that the other woman was up to the task. Caitlyn didn't know what to make of the expression on Devyn's face but she had a feeling that she was about to find out just what it would be like to work here.


Meeting Susie had been an experience that was for sure, Caitlyn could see why Devyn might have had problems finding the right fit to take on the job; it made Caitlyn even more determined to make sure she was the right fit. Watching Susie work was an experience and Caitlyn was quick to follow the woman around easy to learn from her while she had the chance; she was sure that she would learn how things were run here a lot better this way.

"Come try this," Susie called to Caitlyn, she waved her hand and signalled for Caitlyn to come closer to the soup that she'd been working on for lunch; she held out the spoon so that she could have a taste. Tasting the soup, Caitlyn couldn't contain the sound that she made; it was just right but there seemed to be something missing, she licked her lips trying to figure out what it was. Susie stared at her patiently waiting for Caitlyn to say something, her dark eyes watching Caitlyn's face as she waited for a reply.

"What about some thyme? It wouldn't overpower the flavour of the chicken," Caitlyn suggested making Susie smile, the other woman nodded her head and moved to get it before bursting into the story of her chicken soup. Caitlyn had a feeling that this wasn't the only test that Susie would throw her way; she wasn't here to step on the woman's toes but to help her.

It wouldn't be long before Susie would need to take a step back for her maternity leave and it was clear just what the other woman was looking for. She wasn't looking for someone to replace her and force her out of the job that she loved, she wanted someone that could follow instructions and make sure that the kitchen kept on running.

Devyn watched the two of them from the door a smile on her face feeling that finally they had found the right fit; she slipped away to get the paperwork sorted knowing that Caitlyn would be a good fit here.


"To Caitlyn," said the gathering that had come together to wish Caitlyn all the best as she left her position in 21t district to follow her dreams; they had been surprised when she had dropped the news that she was leaving. Caitlyn smiled, she would miss working with the team but she couldn't bring herself to regret the fact that she was leaving; it was time and they already had someone stepping in to replace her.

She hadn't asked about the woman that was taking her place, the only thing that she knew was that she was a friend of Erin's that was getting back on her feet. Sipping on her drink, Caitlyn took in the gathering at Molly's that had come to wish her well as she moved on to her new job; she was surprised so many people had turned up.

"I can't believe you're actual leaving," Jay said shaking his head, he lead Caitlyn away from the crowd who were all talking to a quieter corner of the bar. It was hard to believe that this was happening, he wished she would have said something about the interview; he hadn't even known that she was taking this entire job search as serious as she was. A part of him had hoped that Caitlyn would stay here, it was nice working with her and he looked forward to seeing her every morning when he arrived for work.

"We'll still see each other," Caitlyn assured him, she couldn't stay at 21 anymore and she was hopeful that this move would do her some good. It was getting back to what she knew and Caitlyn was thankful for that after everything; she had never thought that this would happen but she was glad that she was doing this for herself.

"You know what this means," Caitlyn mused raising an eyebrow at Jay, she watched him wondering if he had worked it out yet; she leant against the table as she saw the confusion form on his face. She let him suffer for a little longer, she didn't say anything only watched in amusement; she had to admit that it was nice having control over her life again.

"What?" Jay replied sipping on his beer, he didn't know what to make of the look on her face and he didn't think that things would work out like they had; he glanced around the room glad that everyone was having a good time. He would miss getting to talk to her like this, he didn't want anyone to interrupt them and steal away her attention; he didn't know when he would get to see her like this again. For the first time in a long time it seemed like a weight had been lifted from Caitlyn's shoulders, her life no longer on hold for what might happen.

"Voight's rule doesn't apply to us anymore," Caitlyn told him, she searched his face for a moment before she leant forward and kissed him; she felt him freeze up as her lips touched his. A part of her almost regretted her decision when he didn't do anything for a moment, before his hand slowly came to rest on her neck to cradle her head as they kissed.

Clumsily setting down his beer on the side of the table, Jay was relieved to hear that it actually caught on the table instead of missing as he raised his other hand to Caitlyn's face. His thumbs brushed against her cheeks, the two of them slowly parting for a moment to stare into each other's eyes; both trying to catch their breathes as they stared at one another.

The look that Alvin offered him over Caitlyn's shoulder didn't deter him, Jay knew that the other man wouldn't be happy about this but he had made his decision. Ducking down to kiss Caitlyn again, Jay didn't care what any of them thought; he hadn't felt like this for a long time when it came to anyone and he wasn't going to let Caitlyn get hurt. It wasn't going to be easy, Caitlyn was leaving to work the job of her dreams and he was remaining at the 21st but that wouldn't stop either of them from trying.


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