Warning: The story contains spoilers for season 3, 2 and 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the plot of Chicago Fire and Chicago PD. I do not own the lyrics of the songs used. I do not own the text taken directly from the show. This story is intended for fun only and I am not making any money with it!

Chapter 24

***Two weeks later***

"Okay, everybody out, NOW!" Chief's voice boomed over the radio, thick, black smoke escaping the small residential care home in front of him. Through what was left of the windows, he could see flames eating the unstable structure inside out…it was bad, he had seen too many fires, he knew when it was time to go defensive.

It seemed that the fire had started somewhere on the second floor of the three-story property. Luckily, ten out of the twelve elderly living there had made it out before the arrival of House Fifty-one…one was missing, another one was stuck in her room on the top floor, together with a nurse. Otis and Herrmann had found the body of another nurse on the stairwell, a piece of ceiling on top of her...

Chief bit his lips, having to remind himself to breathe in the few seconds until Herrmann and Otis ran through the door. Casey and their candidate appeared next, supporting the missing man's weight until Chili and Brett positioned him on the gurney, providing an oxygen mask.

"C'mon Squad!" Boden barked, a sense of urgency in his voice. He took a step forward nervously, exhaling in relief when Cruz and Tony finally emerged from the unstable building, Tony's oxygen mask and tank missing.

"Clarke's out of oxygen…" Tony explained briefly, afraid to meet Chief's eyes…if looks could kill…

"CLARKE! SEVERIDE!" Boden yelled, Casey and Mouch on standby behind him, Herrmann and Cruz holding their masks in their hands, ready to run back inside.

"I've got them Chief! We're coming out now!" Clarke answered. "Severide, I've got them, get out!" He added, assuming Kelly was still searching for the victims. Clarke had headed east, Severide - in the opposite direction, in an attempt to get to the two women in time…

"You're running out of time!" Boden grumbled, squeezing the radio so hard…

A loud thunder sounded from the deadly structure, grabbing everyone's attention…terrifying them. It was nearing midnight of May twelfth…it was nearing a deadly date, a date they dreaded, despite that it was Boden's wedding day as well…he and Donna were officially celebrating their anniversary on the fourteenth, never wanting to associate it with losing Leslie Shay, with the nightmare they had lived in for many months…

"Clarke!"

"Roof collapsed! East side!" Jeff's voice didn't show the distress that had overwhelmed him. He was the Lieutenant of Squad 3, he had to stay calm and find a solution. "A Piece of ceiling's blocking the corridor! Can't go back either!"

"I'm coming!" Kelly announced, both Boden and Matt sighing heavily…it was Kelly's only third shift back, and he was already playing the hero.

"Chief, I'm - "

"No one is going back in!" Chief had to grab Casey's wrist to stop him, pulling him back to where the other Truck members stood, eyes widened.

"It's too unstable."

"Ahhh, damn!"

They all had to stand there, motionless, and listen to Kelly cursing the flames, and the structure, and their damn luck.

"You touch it, this place's gonna burry us alive!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

Xxx

"My office, NOW!" Boden grumbled, his eyes pointing three of the men who had just jumped off their rigs. They were all exhausted, the morning sun rising above their house, highlighting their weary expressions, and the dust covering them. It had taken Fifty-one all night to put out the fire and do a secondary search…

Casey was the last to enter Chief's office, already having an idea what it was about, the rest of the firehouse gathering in the common room for breakfast before the end of a long shift.

"Close the door." Boden instructed, rubbing his tired eyes before collapsing in his chair behind the desk, the other three men remaining upright.

"Chief - " Kelly exclaimed louder than he had intended to, opening and then closing his arms for no reason. "Couldn't just abandon them."

"Wouldn't have made it out alive without him, Chief." Clarke added, shooting a glance at Severide. "

"I know." Boden nodded, without a trace of anger on his face. "You saved three lives today. Good job." He rose to his feet, extending his arm in Kelly's direction, with a smile.

Severide shook Chief's hand, winning a pat on the shoulder from Casey. "Feels good." He admitted…the adrenaline, the heat, the life-death game, saving lives…he felt alive, complete, as if he found his place on Earth again.

"Good." Chief uttered. "Your probationary period's just ended. You're Squad 3's acting Lieutenant, starting next shift."

A wide smile spread across Matt's face…finally, finally things were getting back to normal, finally his best friend was happy again, like he hadn't been since…since two years ago, when two monsters had started a war.

But Kelly was staring at Jeff instead, as if feeling guilty for stealing Clarke's job…Jeff had be assigned as a temporary Lieutenant…but it had lasted for over a year.

"Clarke." Chief continued. "First watch's Squad's Lieutenant is going to retire at the end of this month. It's yours if you want it, permanently."

Jeff was a marine, rarely showing how he felt, but this time he grinned. "Thanks, Chief. I'm honored…"

"They'll be lucky to have you." Matt said truthfully and Kelly nodded in agreement.

"I've played football with Lieutenant Albert, I'm sure we'll get along just fine."

"Until then you can stay with us, if you don't mind."

"And let Severide boss me around?" Jeff chuckled. "It would be my pleasure, Chief."

Xxx

Showering was a priority for the lieutenants over the next half an hour, but Kelly had no idea Matt had already called a certain detective to inform her that her fireman had some good news.

Kelly disappeared into his quarters and Matt pushed the door open of his, when Erin walked into the bunk area, looking around, having not been there in a long time.

"What's going on?" She demanded, finding it hard to believe good news even existed.

"You should ask him." Casey smirked, pointing his friend's office before disappearing inside his.

Lindsay hurried forward, knocking on the boor before stepping inside, finding Kelly sat on his chair, reading paperwork.

Kelly turned his head, his expression stony even though he was over the moon. Erin raised her eyebrows, the look on her face demanding some sort of an explanation…

A wide smile spread across his face and he finally stood up, still speechless.

"Kelly - "

"It's Lieutenant Severide." He corrected her, mock-serious, waiting patiently until the news sank in.

His grin grew wider. Lindsay shook her head and jumped into his arms, her lips coming in contact with his. She pressed so hard that he was forced to take a step back, then another, landing on the bed. Erin climbed on top of him, her lips not letting go…she wanted him, right there and then, forever….

"First watch…" He mumbled before her tongue blocked his mouth and he gratefully accepted the hot kiss. "They'll be here…in a few minutes." He managed, wanting her as much as she wanted him, but his mind kept reminding him the other Squad's Lieutenant would want his private space for the upcoming shift…and Kelly definitely didn't want to be disturbed in the middle of…

"Home…" Lindsay whispered to his ear, pulling him to a seating position.

"Five minutes." He uttered, planting a kiss on her neck before getting up and heading toward the locker room to change and grab his belongings. Erin remained in his office, grinning like a fifteen year old going through her first crush.

Severide was fully dressed in three minutes. He grabbed his rucksack, but his eyes fell on a small, red, square box that had been underneath…the box was a home of a beautiful ring…it was perfect, elegant, made for a strong woman, for his woman. He picked the box up, holding it tightly as if it would fly away…he swallowed hard and turned his head to the right, fixing his eyes on the photo of him and Shay on the inner side of his locker's door…Shay, today marked two-years of hell, and for the first time in those two years, he felt one hundred percent, there, in his firehouse, in their firehouse, among the only family he had ever known…he might as well start a new one…

Shay had hated people wasting their lives mourning others…and if he had learned one thing over the past two years, it was that live was short, too short, and a sick monster could take it away any minute, anywhere. Shay would have wanted him to be happy, always, every single day, every single minute, even on the day she had lost her life…

Kelly ran his fingers across the photo…if he closed his eyes, yes, she was still there, right beside him, always. "Love you." He mumbled, unaware Matt was watching him from the bathroom door…love that was very different from that for Erin, had a different, deep meaning. He nodded once, placed his rucksack on the bench behind him, closed the door quietly, and with the small box in his hand, headed back toward his quarters, too nervous to realize people saw him, saw the box, exchanged ecstatic looks.

He reached his quarters and finally remembered that she'd immediately spot the box. Kelly looked around, very carefully took the ring out, placed the empty container on Brett's bunk, and with one hand behind his back, finally entered.

She couldn't decide if he looked more handsome in uniform or in his leather jacket. "I'll make breakfast and…you'll need all the energy..."

Erin raised one hand to her mouth, her lips suddenly unable to let out another sound…the man in front of her, her fireman, her hero fell to his knees, a beautiful ring of white gold, with a round diamond, held within six claws in his grip…

"Erin Lindsay, you were the only reason I didn't leave this world long time ago. You were there for me in the darkest period of my life. From now on, I want us to face every challenge life presents together. I want to spend my life with you, and I promise you no one would work harder to make you happy or cherish you more than me." Kelly paused, taking a breath. "Would you marry me?"

"Yes…" Erin didn't hesitate even for a second. "Yes." She mumbled again just to make sure he had heard her. She wrapper her fingers around his wrist and gently pulled him upright, their eyes expressing the love each felt for the other.

Kelly slowly lifted her left hand, her skin softer than silk…his fingers were shaky. He put the ring on her ring finger, its beauty matching hers…

Severide glared into her eyes for a second before they kissed…he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

The door behind them opened, a dozen heads that had been spying through the window popped in, smiling, grinning, happy to finally have their Lieutenant back, happy to have a reason to celebrate on that day…Shay would have been happy, too.

"Get a room!" Herrmann chuckled, first to embrace Severide in a hug, Chili moving forward to whisper something to Erin that made both women laugh.

"Congrats!" Matt was next to hug his fellow Lieutenant, and Severide felt like a giant teddy bear. Boden was next, then Clarke, Mouch…

"Molly's, 8pm." Christopher instructed cheerfully, many heads nodding in agreement.

When the hugging was over, Kelly neared his girl from behind, locking his arms around her neck, and kissed the top of her head.

"I need to do something first." He uttered and she understood well.

"Want me to come with you?"

"No." He shook his head. "Won't take long, promise."

"I'll make that breakfast then."

Xxx

Kelly neared her grave with a beautiful poinsettia in hands…it had been hard finding it in mid-May, but for her, he would turn the world upside-down…it had been her favorite flower…

It was only ten in the morning, but the ground surrounding the marble stone was already covered in different flowers – roses, freesias, gladiolus. Kelly knelt on the ground and positioned the poinsettia in the center of all other flowers, so that the green-red leaves touched the stone…

"Shay…" He mumbled, running his fingers across the letters until his fingers landed on the last "y". He rested his palm on her name and sat down, on the cold ground, bending his knees…the corners of his mouth lifted to form a small smile. "I asked her, this morning, and she said yes." Kelly told Shay, his voice disturbing the quietness around. "Wish you were here…to make sure I don't screw up. You know, Dawson and Matt are getting married soon…it's getting better, Shay, I promise…and you know what? I'm back, saved Clarke's ass today…" He sat there for another fifteen minutes, telling her everything about the fire and the victims, about how he had proposed, about how he finally felt alive again. "I love her, Shay, would do anything for Erin...

Kelly startled when a hand landed on top of his shoulder. He looked up to see Matt's face, a bouquet of yellow flowers he could not identify in Casey hands.

"Thought you went home." Truck's Lieutenant remarked in a soft tone, positioning the flowers next to the other bouquets.

Kelly placed his fingers on top of the marble stone for a brief second before pushing himself upright, Matt reading the words carved into the stone as if he hadn't seen them before.

"I like coming here." Severide admitted, not giving a damn if it sounded insane or weird. "Can feel…her. Talking to Shay helps - "

"It's okay." Matt smiled, turning to look at his friend, grateful to that invisible power, to Shay, for bringing the happiness back to their lives, for giving his best friend the courage to stand there, stronger, and smile, and talk about his feeling, and his future with the gorgeous detective. "I come here sometimes and…talk, too."

Severide smirked. "Don't tell this to Coles". He was referring to the CFD psychologist evaluating their mental health every month.

"Nah, he knows." Casey shook his head, patting Kelly on the back. "Let's go, heard Erin…Severide is making breakfast."

Both men laughed - Detective Severide…Kelly glanced at the poinsettia for one last time before he followed Matt toward the exit. "Always."

"Always."

THE END

Gosh, can't believe this story ended, it's been a big part of my life for months *sigh*. It makes me a bit sad, but hey, I can start something new now…

So, I promised a happy ending for our Linseride, or should I say Lieutenant Severide and Detective Severide. I tried to do the proposal as "not-soapy" as possible, because I just can't imagine soapy Linseride. I really, really, really hope you like how it went. Love wins, ha! Burn in hell Hadley and Spellman!

Kelly's finally found peace with himself and can visit her grave and smile, and talk. I (and Shay) want him to associate 13th of May with the beginning of something good, I didn't want to be disrespectful of her death of anything.

And, as it started as a Matt/Kelly friendship story, I wanted to end it as such, hope you liked this part, too.

THANK YOU to everyone who kept reviewing and supporting me, THANK YOU to Newperson for all the lovely comments you've left, THANK YOU to all of you who followed and favoured!

Would love to hear your opinion on this final update, please revew, thanks :)