Sitting at the table in the rec room with the rest of truck, Taylor flicked through a sports magazine and looked up as Boden walked in with two fresh-faced candidates in tow.

"Listen up, this is Rebecca Ferguson and Aaron Porter," Boden explained, "They will be here for the next six months, learning the ropes of 51 and seeing if they have what it takes to survive in the CFD. Taylor, I'll leave you in charge of introductions..."

"Chief," Taylor replied with a nod, standing up and moving over to the newcomers with a smile, "So, introductions... this is the truck crew, Otis, Cruz, Herrmann, Mouch, Mills, and our fearless leader Lieutenant Casey."

"Welcome to 51," Casey added as Taylor led them out onto the apparatus floor.

"Out here we had squad, Capp, Tony, Hadley, and Lieutenant Severide," Taylor introduced, rolling her eyes at the starstruck look on Porter's face, "Sev, I've found you a new admirer."

"Hey, I thought you were my admirer," Severide argued.

"Admiration is like wisdom, you have to pass it on to the next generation eventually," Taylor teased with a wink, causing squad to chuckle and turning her attention back to the candidates, "Our paramedics are currently out on a call, so I will introduce you to Gabby and Shay once they get back."

Giving the newcomers a tour of the firehouse, Taylor took them back to the rec room and handed them both some food. She had just sat down to eat, when the alarms went off and she rushed out to the truck.

"Ferguson, you'll go with truck," Boden shouted as he headed towards the battalion SUV, "Porter, ride with squad."

Laughing, Taylor sent Severide a grin and waited for Ferguson to join them before closing the door. Flames licked the charred windows of the house as they arrived on the scene, stepping back instinctively when one of the upstairs windows exploded outwards and sent shards of glass raining down on the garden below.

"Cruz take Ferguson and Mills with you to vent," Casey instructed as everyone grabbed their gear, "The rest of us will do a primary search of the house."

Putting on her mask, Taylor followed Casey inside and immediately started calling out for any victims inside. Signaling that she was heading upstairs, she carefully ascended the steps and made her way to the end of the hall.

"Firefighter, call out..." Taylor shouted, searching the first two rooms and finding nothing.

Entering the final room, she swept it and went to join the others on the ground floor. Clearing out when they found no one inside, Taylor removed her mask and turned to watch as engine 51 turned on their hoses.

"Taylor, do you remember what the first thing I taught you as a candidate was?" Casey asked as they all stood around with squad.

"Squad's heads are too big for their helmets," Taylor replied with a frown.

"After that..." Casey prompted with a grin.

"We go into every fire expecting the worst, but firefighting isn't always about saving lives and sometimes a fire is just a fire," Taylor stated.

Sitting in the truck as they headed back to the firehouse, Taylor listened as the older guys told Ferguson stories and imparted their own words of wisdom.

"Taylor, do you remember your first fire?" Ferguson inquired as they got off the truck, causing Taylor to freeze and nod in response, "What was it like?"

"I'm probably not the best person to ask."

"I think they'd benefit from hearing something that we as firefighters have to deal with,"

"I wasn't at 51 when I first left the academy, but my first fire was at a house a lot like the one we just came from..."

"What happened?" Porter asked as squad joined them.

"The fire was already out of control by the time we got there and the family inside didn't stand a chance," Taylor told them, swallowing past the lump in her throat and continuing, "They teach you so much at the academy, but nothing can prepare you for your first fatality and the overwhelming guilt you feel for not being able to save them."

Walking away before anyone could speak, Taylor disappeared into the locker room and sat down on the bench with her head in her hands. Four people had died in the fire that day and it was something that Taylor would never forget, but she had seen enough good on the job to know that they made a difference.

Taking a deep breath, she headed back to the rec room to eat and nodded when Severide sent her a look that silently asked if she was okay. Grabbing herself a plate of food, she went to the table and took a seat. Pushing her food around on her plate, Taylor found that she wasn't hungry and looked up as Casey nudged her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to get some air," Taylor mumbled, standing up and walking outside.

Leaning up against the front of the truck, she glanced up as Severide joined her and pulled her into his arms without a word.