A/N: This is the final chapter of this story; I hope you like the way I ended it. I want to focus on my other three stories.

Chapter 13

Stella awoke to the sound of Kelly's voice. She slowly opened her eyes, adjusting to the morning light. She looked over to Kelly's side of the bed, expecting to see him, but it was empty. She sat up as she heard his voice again. She smiled when she realized his voice was coming from the baby monitor.

"We are going to go downstairs and fix Mommy's breakfast. Yes, we are." She loved it when Kelly used his baby voice to talk to their son. "Today is a special day, at least for Mama... Well, it's a special day for all of us. Even though I know you have no clue what today is and you won't remember this day when you're older, it's still going to be one of those unforgettable days. "

Stella got up, put on her robe, and approached her son's door. "Today is Mother's Day, a celebration honoring mothers, and you little guy are as lucky as I am. You and I have the best moms in the world. Today is a special day for all moms, but this Mother's Day is really, really special to your mommy. You see, this is her first Mother's Day. Thanks to you, you made her dream come true."

Stella stood there watching Kelly change and dress their two-month-old. She couldn't believe it's been two months already; she's been a mom for the last two months, and sometimes she felt like she was dreaming and was afraid to be woken up. It's been seven months since she told Kelly she was in love with him; seven months being a real couple, seven months she was loving every minute of it.

"I remember how her eyes lit up when the nurse placed you in her arms. "

Kelly's words had her remembering that day too: she was tired, boy was she tired, delivery was long and painful, nothing like she thought it was going to be, and of course she blames the delivery room scenes in the movies, in which the mother-to-be, often a famous actress in full makeup and with every hair in place, "delivers" a baby after a few token grunts and groans. Seconds later, the doctor presents the glowing parents with a picture-perfect, neatly combed, scrubbed-looking, several-month-old infant. That was not what happened. Contrast that picture with how a baby really looks just after emerging from the womb: bluish, covered with blood and cream-cheesy gob, and looking as though the little one has just been in a fistfight. But Stella didn't care; she was just happy to finally see, touch, and inspect her baby. It could have been an alien; she would have still taken it home and loved it.

The doctor said it was a boy, and she cried, then the nurse said, you are a proud mama to a seven-pound, five-ounce baby boy. Her eyes widened as the seven-pound baby was placed in her arms. She cried as she kissed him, promising to love him forever and never let go. Kelly was standing right beside her, happiness beaming off his face. They shared little kisses and loving glances. She couldn't believe that she was finally a mother after all this time.

She was knocked out of her thoughts at the sound of her son, who cried out as his dad laid him back in his crib. "It's okay, little man; Daddy's got to find your shoes."

She couldn't believe he still didn't notice her standing there. She knew she could say something to get his attention, but what fun would that be? She loved watching him with their son.

"Daddy's got them," he said, as he walked back over to the crib. "So can Daddy tell you a secret?" he asked, as he put on one shoe. "Dad loves your mommy so much; mommy makes dad's life so much better, not just because she blessed me with you but because she is an amazing, incredibly loving, spiritual woman. Daddy has loved her for a long time but was too scared to tell her at that time," he laughed. "I'm not scared to tell her now; no, I love telling Mommy that I love her every day. Now I have something; I've wanted to ask her for like forever, but Daddy's so scared.

Her smile dropped as she listened to him. Kelly pulled out a black box. "See this," he said, opening the box. "Daddy would love to give this to Mommy, but I'm scared. What if she says no, or that she doesn't want to get married ever? That will hurt Daddy's heart... Aunt Gabby said I needed to suck it up and just ask; her answer might surprise me. What do you think Mama would say?"

"Well, you're never going to know Mama's answer till you ask Mama."

Kelly jumped at the sound of her voice, and the little black box dropped out of his hand. "S... Stella..." he spurred, shocked to see her standing there. "Um... How long?" he trailed off.

She walked into the room, bending down to pick up the little box and saying, "Long enough to remind me why I love you so much." She handed him the box.

He took it from her and staring at it, she picked up their son. "Morning, baby boy," she said, as she kissed his cheek. "You look so handsome," she said, as she lifted him up in the air. The phone rang. "Well, I wondered who that could be," she said, kissing the top of his head. She then leaned over and kissed her boyfriend's cheek, who was still looking at the box in his hand. "Morning to you too," she lifted his chin,

"Morning, baby," he said, as he leans in for a real kiss.

She winked at him before walking back to their room. to see who was calling. Kelly sighed as he put the box back in his pocket. He went to the kitchen to start her breakfast, his mind repeating her words. He wondered if she was serious; was there a chance she would say yes if he asked her; or was she just bluffing? She didn't seem to be against it; she seemed happy, so maybe she was ready for marriage, and maybe she did want the whole family image that he wanted. "I guess we'll find out," he said to himself as he thought about tonight.

About twenty minutes later, Stella walked into the kitchen with their son in her arms. Kelly smiled as he scanned her body; she was wearing an urban jungle skirt, a white patterned top, and lavender high heels, which made Kelly a very happy man. Stella, in a skirt or dress wearing high heels, always brightens his day.

"Quit staring at my legs, baby," she said, as she placed the baby in his swing.

"That's never going to happen." He told her as she walked over to him.

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "Good answer," she said, as she kissed him.

"You look beautiful."

"Thank you," she said, pecking his lips once more before heading to the coffee pot. "So, are we all still on for dinner tonight, at the new place?" she asked, as she made some coffee.

"Yeah, I believe so."

"I can't believe Mouch rented out the whole restaurant, just to have dinner together."

Kelly wrapped his arms around her from behind, kissing her shoulder. "Well, he wanted today to be special, which, by the way, is Mother's Day," he said, reaching into his other pocket. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at him, saying, "Kelly, you didn't have to get me anything."

"Yes, I did, and that," he said, pointing to the gray box, "is from our son and me... We talked about it; he wanted you to have it."

She laughed, she opened it fast, excited to see what it was... "Oh, so beautiful." It was a sterling silver heart-shaped butterfly locket necklace.

"You see, the three colored butterflies are actually our birthstones. The one on the right side is ruby, which is the birthstone for my birthday month of July; the butterfly in the middle is aquamarine, which is our little one's birthstone for the month of March; and the other one, on the left, is the peridot gem, which is your birthstone for August. And on the inside is a picture of us three in the hospital.

"Baby, this is really beautiful," she said, as she took it out of the box, tears falling down her cheeks, "Put it on me, please."

Kelly took it from her and placed it around her neck. "So, you really like it?" She turned to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love it, and I love you.." she said, as they shared a long, passionate kiss...

"I love you too; now go sit down so I can finish your breakfast."

"Yes sir." She said, giving him a wink. She walked over to the table and sat down next to her son. Who was about to fall asleep.

"Who was on the phone?"

"Your mom."

"What did she want?"

"To wish me a happy Mother's Day and to make sure her son was being good to me. To which I told her, you don't need a special occasion to be good to me; you're good to me every day."

Kelly winked at her. "Well, what can I say? You bring out the best in me."

Stella blew him a kiss and said, "I can't believe I'm going back to work next shift. How can I be away from him the whole day?" She said as she kissed her son's forehead.

Kelly gave her a sympathetic smile and said, "Babe, he will be fine. My mom did pretty well with me. I think she can handle our son."

Jennifer was moving to Chicago and living with them for a short time to help out with the baby. "The firehouse just isn't the same without you. Everyone misses you."

"I know Otis complains every time I see him about the lieutenant covering his truck. I miss the action, but I'm going to miss my baby boy more." Kelly smiled as he watched her pick him up. She kissed his forehead and cheek and then whispered, "You are my world, Dawson Casey Severide."

They decided to name him after their best friends and God's parents. He has Stella's black hair and Kelly's blue eyes.

After having breakfast and spending the day walking around town and catching up on everything, it was time to meet everyone at the restaurant Mouch rented out.

Gabby and Casey's son, Jackson, was sitting at a table with Brett and Antonio's kids Destiny and Elijah, along with Cruz and Chloe's boys, Ezra and Noah, in the corner, and at the table beside them were Cindy and the Herrmann kids.

The adults were at the table in the middle. Lily was holding Marisa, her four-month-old daughter, while Otis, Cruz, Tony, and Chole talked. Matt was watching his one-year-old daughter, Jasmine, who was sitting on the floor playing with blocks with Uncle Capp. Cindy, Trudy, and Mouch were invested in a good conversation while Herrmann looked annoyed.

Gallo and Ritter were recording everything.

"Stella, you should try that dress on. I got for you." Gabby said as she took a sip of her wine.

"I will when I get home."

"No now, I want to see what it looks like."

"Then come over later, and you can see..."

Gabby rolled her eyes and said, "Stella, will you just enlighten me, please..."

"Fine," she said, as she stood up and handed her son over to his grandma Jennifer. "Mama will be right back,"

As soon as she walked out of the room, Gabby and Brett jumped up and said, " Okay Severide, you go do what you have to do, while we fix things up in here."

Kelly stood up. "Look, I'm not too worried about her answer, I have a good feeling," he told them, especially after this morning's little talk. " But I don't think she's going to agree to...

"Stop talking." Gabby

Everyone looks at her. "Kelly Severide, just go and ask the girl you love to marry you, and I will take care of the rest," Gabby said as she pushed him towards the restroom doors. "Seriously, we got this."

Kelly walked into the lady's room just as Stella was walking out. "Wow!" he whispered; she was wearing a short, strapless cotton sateen dress. The whiteness of the dress made her tan body glow; her brown eyes seemed brighter; and her black curly hair gave contrast to her face and soft brown skin. "You look absolutely breathtaking."

"Kelly, what are you doing?" she blushed. She began but stopped as she noticed the black box in his hand.

Kelly knew she saw what he had, and that's why she stopped talking. He knew there was a lot he could say, but to be honest, he just wanted her to be his wife as soon as possible, so with a hopeful heart, he hit one knee. And with tears in her eyes, she looked down at him; it was the moment of truth, and he was scared to death. "Stella, I love you; I always have, and I want to be more than just your boyfriend; I want to be your husband; I want you to be my wife; I want us to be a family; the family that both you and I dreamed of. We both know what it's like to grow up in a bad home environment. And I promise our son and our future children will never experience a household like that. I want the whole package—the house, the wife, and the kids—to be so in love with someone that you can't stand to be away from them. And that's how I feel about you; I promise you from the bottom of my heart that I will love you for the rest of my life. " He swallowed and said, "Stella Kidd, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

"Yes," she said, without having to think about it. She had been wondering all day when he was finally going to ask her, and she smiled as he stood up.

"Yes," he repeated, and she nodded; he slipped the ring on her finger.

"I love you, Kelly Severide." She tells him as she kisses him.

He rests his forehead against hers. "One more question now."

"What?"

"Will you become my wife today?"

Her eyes widened in confusion and surprise. ' Today?" she questioned.

"I want to marry you, and today seems like the perfect day; why stress ourselves out planning a wedding? I don't want a long engagement; I want you to be my wife, right now, and I know you're probably thinking...

She leans in, kissing him softly, stopping him from going on. "I would love to marry you today."

" Really?"

" Really?"

"I thought I was going to have to talk you into it," he laughed.

"I love you, and I know you love me. Everyone we love is here today, so why hold off? We have waited long enough to be together. And, it really does seem like the perfect day...to become Mrs. Severide."

"Mrs. Severide, God, I love the sound of that..." He kissed her gently.

Gabby, who was listening outside the door, walked into the room. "Let's go; you can kiss her after she is your wife," she said as she pushed him out of the restroom.

"That was rude."

Gabby shrugged, "He'll be fine, he's a big boy... Now, let's finish getting you ready."

"Wait, I don't even have a ring for him," Stella said, in a panicked tone.

Gabby opened her bag, pulling out a black box, "I took care of that for you."

"Thank you," Stella said as she opened the ring box. "Wait, you planned this?"

"I know you're not a fan of my plans, but when Kelly told me he was wanting to ask you to marry him, he said he didn't want a long engagement. I remembered that movie we watched where the couple had a surprise wedding, and I thought it would be romantic if you two did that. "

"The crazy thing is that I actually wanted a wedding like that," Stella admitted.

"See, we think a lot alike; that's why we're best friends." They hugged and said, "Okay, let's get you ready so you can become Mrs. Kelly Severide."

About twenty minutes later, Kelly stood at the front of the restaurant, and Casey was standing beside him as his best man. Trudy was the officiant for them. The chairs were moved to the center of the room, for the guest, Jennifer, was in the front row, holding Dawson. Candles were lit around the room to give it a soft, warm glow. Rose's pedals were tossed around the room.

Lily sat with the kids to keep them calm; Brett, Chole, and Violet were bridesmaids; the music started; and Casey smiled as he watched his wife walk down the aisle. She was the maid of honor, and she winked at her husband as she passed by.

"You ready?" Herrmann asked Stella as she laced her arm with his.

"I've never been more ready." She said, as she looked down the aisle to her soon-to-be husband, this is what she wants, and this is what she needs. She's going to spend the rest of her life with this man.

Herrmann kissed her cheek and said, "Well, then let's do this..."

Kelly watched as Stella made her way down the aisle, her eyes on his. She was a goddess, and he swears she gets more gorgeous every time he sees her.

Herrmann shook Kelly's hand and said, "Be good to each other," before giving Stella his hand. The couple joined hands. "You look ravishing," he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I can't wait to take you out of that dress." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. She blushed and bit her bottom lip.

We are all gathered here today to celebrate the love of Stella Kidd and Kelly Severide. " Trudy smiled at the two. "Now Kelly has written his own vows.

" Stella, when was it that we fell in love? I don't know, because the truth is that I can't picture a time when I wasn't in love with you. I always knew you were the one who could look into my eyes and see my soul. I don't question your commitment to us, and I know there's nothing that we can't work through. And I accept you as my partner and as my best friend above all others. It's a miracle to find the kind of peace and happiness that you've given me, and in honor of that miracle, I pledge to you before our family and friends to love and cherish you forever. "

Stella was nervous; she didn't have anything prepared. "Here, I wrote something," Gabby said, giving her a piece of paper.

"No, I got this..." Gabby just nods, knowing it means more if it comes from the heart.

"Kelly, I look at you and I see my best friend. Your energy and your passion inspire me in ways I never thought possible. Your inner beauty is so strong that I no longer fear being myself. I no longer fear at all. I never thought that I could find someone to love who would love me back unconditionally. And I realized that although we were often apart, you are always with me, that you are my soulmate. You give me purpose when I feel I have none. My soul would be empty, my heart would be broken, and I would be incomplete without you. I thank God every day that you were brought into my life, and I thank you for loving me."

" Wow! It's a good thing I'm wearing waterproof eyeliner," Trudy said as she wiped a tear away. "Now, Kelly, if you would say these words to Stella," Trudy said, giving him a card.

"Stella Kidd, on this day, I give you my heart and my promise: that I will walk with you, hand in hand, wherever our journey leads us, living, learning, and loving together forever." He took the silver band from Casey.

"Stella, do you take Kelly to be your husband?"

"I do," she said, as she let her tears fall. Kelly slipped the band on her finger.

Now, Stella, if you would say these words," Trudy gave her a card.

Stella took a deep breath. "Kelly Severide, on this day, I give you my heart and my promise: that I will walk with you, hand in hand, wherever our journey leads us, living, learning, and loving together forever. She took the silver band from Gabby.

"Kelly, do you take Stella to be your wife?"

"I do," he said, as she slipped the silver band on his finger.

"I now pronounce to you all, Mr. and Mrs. Severide, you may now kiss your bride."

Kelly wipes a tear from his eye and looks deeply into Stella's brown eyes. "I love you," he whispers softly to her.

"I love you, too." She replies. As he cupped her face. then leans down and kisses her. She kisses him passionately. After a few minutes of this, Jennifer interrupted them. "Someone missed his mama," she said, holding Dawson up to the couple.

"Did you miss Mama?" Stella said as she took her son from her mother-in-law.

"Congrats, you two. I'm so happy for you both," she said, hugging them both and then walking away, giving the couple a moment with their son.

Stella closed her eyes, taking in this moment. She was happy—more than happy. She finally got her dream—not just one part of it, but the whole dream. "Hey, are you okay?" Kelly asked as he pulled her over to the corner, to give them some privacy.

"I'm great," she said as she opened her eyes. These are happy tears. I'm really happy. You have made me so happy, Kelly."

He pulled her closer to him. "Same here; you gave me everything I have ever wanted, and I promise to spend the rest of my life thanking you for everything you have done for me." She kissed him softly as Gabby took a picture of the three.

As the little family posed for pictures, Stella was reminded of a quote from John Barrymore: "Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn't know you left open." And boy, is she glad that door was left open.

The End...