"If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance." - George Bernard Shaw

Serena sat in a stiff hospital chair idly flicking through her mother's copy of the most recent addition of Vanity Fair as she half paid attention to the conversation her mother was having with three of her brother's Hayden, Rory and Finley. Whilst their mother's operation had been a success she still needed chemotherapy and immunotherapy to treat her cancer. So being the good daughter that she was, or rather wasn't Serena was here at the hospital with three of her brothers to support their mother whilst she received the first of her chemo. Serena had been very patient with her mother given what today meant, not rolling her eyes or sighing in exasperation when her mother asked Serena to check her chart and see if the doctors were giving her the right medicine and the correct doses. Serena did this for her mother twice whilst explaining to her mother that she was a trauma surgeon not an oncologist and this was not her area of expertise.

"It's such a beautiful day outside…" Nora or as Serena referred to her frequently Frosty the Ice Queen noted as she glanced over to the window. Serena had to admit that her mother did have a point, it was indeed a very beautiful day in the windy city. Shame they all had to be inside…

"Don't worry mom, we'll get you out of here soon enough and then we can go enjoy the day." Rory McArthur said leaning forward to squeeze his mother's hand.

"I just wish that I didn't have to be sitting here getting this chemotherapy treatment, Dr. Wilshire said that the cancer was gone."

"That's not what he said mom, Dr. Wilshire said that he had got most of the cancer and just because you had surgery to remove the cancer that doesn't mean your automatically in remission. There are still some cancerous cells in your body hence the chemo, I know it doesn't seem like it but you being here is for your benefit. The chemo is killing off the cancer cells to stop them from multiplying and spreading further in your body. It sucks but along with the immunotherapy your odds of going into remission are higher." Serena coolly replied as she began to read an article about Martin Scorsese.

"I'd trust Serena on this mom, after she is the doctor in the family…" Hayden added.

"I do but I just wish that your sister didn't have to be so cold about it! You'd think she'd be able to turn off that cold exterior of hers for a moment to spare me an ounce of sympathy." Nora replied and it took a few seconds for Serena to realize what had just happened. Her mother was calling her cold? Frosty the Ice Queen was calling her cold? Hell was surely freezing over because of that comment. Serena may call her mother Frosty the Ice Queen but there was no way she was Snowflake the Ice Princess.

"Sorry about that Nora it's just that I am a surgeon and we are known for our icy cold demeanor and being emotionally distant." Serena quipped looking up from her magazine and giving her mother her best and brightest smile.

"I would believe that sweetheart if you hadn't been behaving this way ever since you were twelve." Nora replied and Serena felt a twinge of annoyance although that was nothing new given that her mother had been annoying her since she was twelve. The two of them were no normal mother and daughter, instead of going on shopping trips and spending quality time together, Nora and Serena antagonized each other and their respective lifestyles and choices.

"And who do we–" Serena began, more than willing to ask her mother who was to blame for apparent cold behavior. However she was distracted by her phone going off and pulling it out of her jacket pocket Serena saw that she had just received a text message from Kelly. Either the guy was a mind reader or Kelly had perfect timing either way Serena was grateful from the distraction from her mother.

"What's suddenly made you so happy?" Finley asked Serena from where he sat on the other side of their mother's bed.

"Nothing… I'm just happy to be with my family that's all." Serena lied.

"Oh really?" Hayden questioned as he plucked Serena's phone from out of her hand and glanced over at the screen, an arrogant smirk appearing on his face as he saw who she had just received a text from. "You dirty liar… Kelly Severide, eh? I didn't know you were back in contact with him but that explains that grin on your face."

"Kelly Severide? Wow that's a name we haven't heard in a while… Just how long has it been Finn?" Rory asked and Serena just sighed, if she thought Emma was bad about this Kelly thing her brothers were ten times worse. And they didn't even know that Serena and Kelly had slept together.

"Three years or so?" Finley replied in bemusement.

Serena let out a fake cheery laugh, being the youngest of five children and having four older brothers she was used to this kind of teasing. This has been her entire childhood and teenage years and then some. Her brothers were thick as thieves and always ganging up on her, or as they would say attempting to teach her some humility. "You know this stopped being funny when I was nineteen."

"So you and Kelly, huh? What's that about?" Rory asked.

"According to this text message the two of them are getting together tonight and Kelly is really looking forward to it." Hayden quipped and Serena rose from her seat and snatched her phone back from her brothers. They were all so damn nosy and never had anything better to do than going through her personal life outside the family.

"Really?

"It's not what you morons think, Kelly is just coming over to Finn's place to have some pizza and beers so we can catch up. We haven't seen each other much since I came home and I thought it would be nice for the two of us to catch up. Seeing as I was away from three years and then the moment I get back Kelly manages to get me a job with one phone call. We have a lot of things to talk about, even more so after everything that happened with Andy. I lost a friend but Kelly lost a best friend so I want to be there for him be it hanging out with pizza and beer." Serena explained and her brothers seemed to believe although there was nothing for them to really believe as she was telling the truth.

"Whose Kelly Severide?" Nora asked.

"C'mon mom you've met Kelly plenty of times, him and Serena have been friends since her last year of med school. You know his dad too in an abstract was, Benny Severide? Him and dad were at the academy at the same time and you occasionally saw him at events for the department." Hayden explained to their mother much to Serena's dismay as the expression on Nora's face made it clear that she remembered who exactly Kelly Severide was.

"Oh the firefighter…" Nora noted in dismay.

Serena sighed, that was her mother's typical reaction to anything that involved the Chicago fire department or firefighting in general. Serena had noticed that ever since her mother had divorced her father, her mother acted like being a firefighter was the same as being a war criminal. Part of the reason why Serena nicknamed her mother Frosty was due to the irony of her mother being so uptight and frigid despite having been married to a firefighter. "Yes mom, the firefighter…"

"I do hope your not dating this Severide boy Serena…"

"And what's that supposed to mean mom? That dating a firefighter is beneath me or not worthy of being associated with this family? Because I have to remind you that two of your sons are firefighters and as you well know considering that you used to be one of us that the McArthur family have a long line of firefighters." Serena demanded feeling herself getting riled up, there was something about her mother and firefighters being mentioned in the same conversation that managed to push her buttons. Like she had said before, there was a reason why she was called Rocket.

"Serena, she didn't mean it like that and you know it." Hayden attempted to assure Serena in an attempt to calm her down.

"Would it really be such a bad thing if I were dating this boy? Whilst we're on the subject of it… I've spent my entire life surrounded by firefighters would it be such a bad thing if I ended up marrying one?" Serena questioned very much interested in the conversation now to the point where she put down the issue of Vanity Fair. "You married a firefighter!"

"And look how well that turned out." Nora pointed out, no needing to remind anyone that she had left her children's father when Serena was eleven years old and divorced him six months later.

"Well I'm not dating Kelly, I'm just his friend although that must be a foreign concept to you. But speaking of your marriages… Where's the Senator mom? You're here in the hospital and I would have expected him to be by your bedside as most of your children are. Hayden came here straight from finishing a shift, Rory is here during his lunch break, I took the day off work as did Finley and you know how hard it is for an air traffic controller to get the day off at a moments notice." Serena questioned.

"Serena will you please stop calling him that? Whilst it was amusing many years ago you are no longer a teenager and your stepfather does have an actual name!"

"Yeah I know it's The Senator and your Mrs. Nora Senator." Serena quipped which caused her mother to frown whilst her brothers laughed, they too called their stepfather 'The Senator' but they only didn't behind his back. Unlike Serena who openly called their stepfather the senator to his face. Although thinking about it Serena was quite glad her stepfather wasn't here as he'd no doubt call her out on her supposedly rude and disrespectful towards her mother.

To which Serena would most likely respond with a sarcastic response which would get her into as much trouble as thirty two year old woman could get in with her stepfather. Whilst she was well aware of the fact her mother had cancer, Serena didn't give her mother special treatment or acted any differently to her mother because of the cancer because of her mother expected her not to. Serena knew her mother secretly thrived on the bizarre relationship they shared with each other.

"Oh Serena grow up! If we are going to have a tedious conversation then let's talk about this boy of yours…"