Chapter One Hundred and Seven: Till There Was You
There was love all around
But I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all
Till there was you
Etta Jones - Till There Was You
The Green Mill was historical and vibrant jazz club on Broadway Avenue that boasted some of the finest musicians of their time along with some dazzling up and comers on the scene. The entire building embodied the broad spectrum of jazz from its root rhythms in New Orleans to New York avant-garde. It was widely known by the natives of the city that deep smoky jazz sounds would fill the club throughout the night and into the early morning hours when soulful musicians continued to express their love of jazz by jamming until the early dawn.
For a fan like Gabriel O'Neill this was his idea of heaven, he had heard about the place throughout his life but he had never had the opportunity to come here until tonight. He didn't know how Kim had managed to get them in here on a Thursday night, but to say he was grateful was an understatement. His cobalt blue eyes surveyed the huge room, taking in the jazz memorabilia on the walls surrounding them as they sat at one of the white linen covered tables that lined the dance floor and stage. The music was flowing through his veins, igniting his nerve endings as it resonated through his body. The atmosphere here tonight was electric, you could feel the history of the place practically vibrating through the air.
The soulful tones of singer much like Etta Jones started up, leading Gabriel to cast a glance at stunning woman sitting across from him. Kim's sleek brown hair fell like silk past her bare shoulder as her brilliant gaze fixated on the singer in front of them with a wistful expression. Her pretty pink lips were curved into that dazzling smile of hers as her chin rested upon her palm drinking in the sweet serenade. She was clad in a slinky, black off the shoulder dress that hugged her curves, showing off a more volumptuious aspect to her athletic frame. Once more Gabe could feel that thrill pulsing through his body as he considered what it would feel like to unzip the back of that gorgeous dress and let it tumble to the floor. He ached for Kim in ways he had never thought possible, he wondered how she would feel under his fingertips, how she would taste under his lips and how she would sound...
The thought of making love to her both frightened and exhilarated him. He'd spent his whole life as a man of God, following the rules down to the letter and helping as many people as he could and now he was at this junction, staring at the two choices ahead of him. At this moment in time him and Kim had done barely more than kiss, he could return to the priesthood and take up where he had left off and live the life he had always assumed God had planned for him. It would mean ending his relationship with Kim, which led him to his second choice. He could stick with the charity and pursue his relationship with Kim, if they ever took that step...
His work as a priest would be well and truly over. He knew that was why they were both holding back. Kim didn't want to influence his decision anymore than she already had and if he was honest in her shoes, he wouldn't want to get involved with someone who was potentially going to walk away. However it wasn't that simple, the feelings they had for one another were strong. That kind of all consuming, lose yourself completely kind of thing.
There was a possibility he was being naive. He didn't have 'relationship experience', he'd kissed a few girls in his younger days but it had gone no further no matter how much temptation was put in his path. With Kim it didn't feel like temptation, it felt like a partnership, like he could tell her anything at all and there would be no judgement. He wanted that, he wanted to make her see that she was the only person for him. The only one that he would ever be with, his first and his last.
The laundry room was the last place Kelly Severide looked when it came to locating Kayla. At first glance through the circular port hole of the door he couldn't see any sign of her. It wasn't until he poked his head in and tilted it right to wall behind the door that he caught sight of his friend.
The small brunette was sitting on black and white linoleum floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, her dark head resting against the wall and those doe brown eyes of hers closed. Her right palm was crossed over her chest resting on the space where her heart resided as she took long, deep breaths to saturate her lungs.
Despite the fact Kelly's footsteps resounded through the quiet space, Kayla didn't open her eyes. She simply sat there in that tiny ball, breathing gently in a controlled rhythm. It had been a long time since he'd seen her like this and it broke his heart the same way it had when he'd come across her in the locker room over a year ago. The two of them had sat together for what felt like hours, simply holding hands and talking about what her plans had been for that baby, she had been going to move back in with her father, she had told him. With him and her family back at 51, the baby would have been cherished and more importantly safe.
Kelly had cried then, he remembered that crippling grief crashing down on him as he begged Kayla for forgiveness. Despite the fact that John Sheppard had been on his Squad he had never seen the demon that lived inside the other man, sure he had been hot tempered but Kelly himself could be the same. If he'd had any idea that his brother in arms was hurting Kayla he would have taken the situation into his own hands. However things hadn't turned out that way and here they were once more.
He dropped into a sitting position next to his friend, his leather jacket squeaking as he slid down the wall alongside her. He was careful to maintain a little distance between the two of them, he had heard her words when he'd realised what was going on at the end of the bar and he understood their meaning.
"Don't you ever lay your hands on me again."
They had been rebounding around his brain since Kayla had disappeared from his sight, after Herrmann had taken Sorenson in hand. There was a fury inside of him when he thought about them, at Sorenson and at himself, once again he had failed her and that guilt weighted on him heavily.
"He knew John." Kayla said quietly, exhaling deeply through her nose before sucking in a shaky breath. "Apparently they used to talk about me."
"Did he know?" Kelly asked, his voice gruff as he tried keep some sort of control on his emotions.
"The things he said implied he did." Kayla told him, her thumb rapping against her chest as if it were her heart beat. "It took me back there, to that place when would John hurt me..."
They both knew what she was talking about. Kelly had never asked outright but he had suspected in the aftermath of John Sheppard that not all of the nights Kayla had spent with the former Squad member had been consensual. It was one of the reasons he was so protective over her when she had started seeing Roman, he couldn't stand the idea of Kayla going through something so awful again. He doubted Sean had ever told her about the conversation the two of them had had late one night in the gym he owned with Antonio and Jay.
"I couldn't let that happen again." Kayla said, her voice breaking as she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth. "When he laid his hands on me, I just snapped."
It was in that instant that Severide realised what Sorenson had wanted from Kayla, what he had been trying to do to her before she had broken his nose. Her shoulders began to quiver, her breath catching in her throat as large, salty tears rolled down her cheeks. Kelly shuffled closer, his hip bumping against hers as he reached out for her hand and clasped it gently.
"I'm here." he whispered as Kayla's head came to rest upon his broad shoulder. "Whatever you need I'm here."
Hi guys, thank you so much for all of your wonderful support with this story. Are you excited for the new series of CPD?
CPDLove: LMAO that would be a one Chicago storyline I imagine. It would be great to see them deal with Mike together but you'll have to wait and see.
Lauren: I absolutely hated Mike when I started writing that chapter, I never expected the last chapter to turn out the way it did but I was glad that Kayla has come into her own and can protect herself. You know I never even considered him going after Maggie, I think in my head she had just bee through too much to have that heaped on her. I hope you liked this little bit of insight into Severide.
Anime: I wanted to punch him too and I wanted t show how much Kayla has moved on. Roman would be so proud and then murderous! I think Antonio would snap his neck but you'll have to wait and see what actually happens. Maggie is sadly used to this kind of behaviour after the reputation her father had.
Soccer: I know what you mean about hating Mike, I hate him too so much. I hated him in the series. Kayla and Maggie are like best friend soul mates.
Western: I loved the fact Kayla managed to stick up for herself. Sorenson deserves a beat down, you'll have to wait and see what happens.
Nat: I hope you liked this insight into Kelly in this chapter. Mike is just an appalling person and you'll see more of that as the story continues. Thanks so much for your kind words!
Phoenix: I know what you mean, Mike is just a bad guy and it's only gonna get worse. I was glad she was able to stick up for herself to it shows how far she's come.