One month.

That's how long it had been since they had lost Andy. Aidan let out a sigh as Kelly parked his car outside the fire station. Shay leant forward so her head was between the two front seats "You and Casey need to talk. Today Severide."

Kelly frowned "What's there to talk about?"

"You two have been snapping at each other for weeks now, you have got to stop." Shay shook her head.

Aidan put her hand on Kelly's shoulder "We all lost Andy..."

Kelly shook his head before climbing out of the car. Aidan sighed as he walked away, slumping back in her seat. Shay climbed through the gap and plunked herself down in the drivers seat "It'll all be fine, don't worry Aid." she smiled before gasping and letting out a whistle "Lookie here, Kelly left his keys. Let's take this baby for a spin."

Aidan chuckled sarcastically "Yeah! Let's do that and then Kelly can change the locks to our apartment and we'll be homeless."

Shay laughed, pushing Aidan's shoulder playfully "Not if we change them first."

Aidan watched amused as Otis put on a show for the group of school kids touring the station. She was behind thankful her days of being a candidate were over. As much as she loved kids, she hated public speaking. She could run into a burning building no problem but stand in front of a crowd and give a speech? Game over.

"Equipment room. Rescue squad a-holes," she heard Cruz exclaim and looked over to find him pointing Kelly's squad "think they own that table." Aidan smirked as Kelly shot the man a blank look before she spotted the guy behind Cruz. Huh, guess they had a new candidate. She went back to watching Otis as he pulled out a helmet to show the kids. "Hale."

She turned at her name, seeing Cruz smiling behind her, the candidate right beside him "Peter Mills, this is Aidan Hale, hottest member of truck 81." He teased, smirking at the brunette.

Aidan returned the smirk before looking over at Peter who's brown eyes were comically wide "Y-you're a girl."

Aidan let out a sarcastic gasp, taking a moment to look down at her body "Well, that explains so much."

Cruz snickered as Peter stammered "I-I just meant, I've never seen a female firefighter..."

Aidan crossed her arms over her chest, eyebrow raised "Have you got a problem with that?"

"No! No, definitely not!" Peter shook his head wildly.

Aidan let a smile cross her face, "Welcome to 51 Peter Mills." She pat his arm before making her way towards the squad table who had watched the interaction, smirks plastered on their faces.

Cruz smirked as he watched the boys eyes trail after her, she chuckled breaking Peter's stare as his attention returned to the man "Many have tried and failed with that... Don't get your hopes up candidate." He clapped his shoulder before turning to the show "Otis! This is Peter Mills."

"Yeah, I'm giving a tour." Otis waved off, voice filled with boredom.

Cruz smirked "Peter Mills is our new candidate."

Otis' eyes brightened as he stepped forward "Peter Mills." The boy made his way over, hand outstretched to shake "It's all yours." Otis exclaimed, shoving the helmet into the boys chest before smirking with Cruz as the pair headed to the lounge, leaving a nervous candidate behind.

"Umm," Peter mumbled, looking towards the group of children looking up at him expectantly "Who wants to try on a helmet?" He asked enthusiastically.

Aidan snorted from her space behind Kelly seeing the kids all wearing their very own fire engine red helmets "Nice try Mills." She teased, sending the flushed boy a smirk.

Kelly chuckled, shaking his head as he returned his attention to the newspaper "I love candidates."

"So this is called a pass alarm." Aidan leant against the doorframe to the lounge, watching as Peter talked to the kids, their full attention intent on him "Now, if a firefighter is totally still for more than 18 seconds, a loud alarm goes off until he moves again."

"Why?" A boy in the front questioned.

Peter smiled at him "Well, if he's hurt or trapped, we'll know where to find him." He held the device still long enough for the siren to wail. Aidan chuckled as the children covered their ears. Peter grimaced, waving it about so it would stop "That's loud." He commented sheepishly.

Aidan smiled at Casey as he stepped up beside her "Hey Matt." He returned the smile before they both turned their attention back to the candidate.

"See, this house is special because it has a rescue squad. Squad three serves a big piece of the city. They're experts at water rescue, extraction, pretty much everything." Aidan rolled her eyes fondly at the smug smirk Kelly wore "They're, like, the best of the best." Matt and Aidan shared a look.

A little girl frowned up at him "Why aren't you with them?"

"Well, I mean, I plan to be." Peter smiled "My father was a member of this squad years ago."

"Mills, right?" Casey started, gaining everyone's attention "Last to show, first to go." He pointed to the squad table "That's the rescue squad."

Kelly glanced up at him "You truck guys do such a good job getting everything ready for us. Why would we want to take that away from you?"

Matt scoffed turning back to the tour "Kids, you should know they make the rescue helmets extra big to fit their heads inside them."

"Only big thing, they've got." Aidan smirked at the table who returned it.

"There are two types of firefighters." Kelly retorted "Those who are on squad, and those who wish they were on squad."

"Ooh." Matt taunted.

Aidan smiled at the children "C'mon kids, go with Peter here so he can give you rest of the tour." She nodded her head at the candidate who smiled as he led the group away.

Kelly smirked "Bet I get an application from him by the end of the month."

Aidan sighed as Matt shrugged "He wants you, you can have him."

The alarm blared as the PA crackled to life "Pin-In accident. Columbus Drive Bridge." Everyone shifted into action "Ambulance 61, engine 51, truck 81." Aidan shrugged her jacket on before hopping into the truck, taking her normal seat between Chris Hermann and Jose Vargas "Squad three, battalion 25."

Cruz took his position in the drivers seat, glancing out the window he slammed his palm on the door "Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!" he called, watching as Peter, ran out of the uniform room pulling on his jacket.

Casey was the last to jump into the passenger seat "Let's go!"

Aidan knew the day would come but it still didn't feel right having someone sit in Andy's spot in the truck. Sharing a look with Hermann behind his newspaper, she knew he felt the same.

"Mills," Casey called, glancing into the back of the truck "shadow Mouch." The man nodded in acknowledgement, looking down at the candidate beside him as Casey gave out instructions "Walk with a purpose, but don't run. Take it all I'm, know the details of the situation before you act." Peter nodded, looking slightly overwhelmed. Matt glanced back one more time "Oh, and Mills, don't be a crow."

Peter was confused as he looked to Aidan helplessly. She only gave him a small smile and shrug in response, knowing he had to figure it out for himself, just like every truck 81 candidate did.

When the truck pulled over at the scene, Aidan was quick to depart, she and Casey making their way over to the two cars, front ends melded together in the collision

"Ma'am?" Casey leant through the window of the closest "Can you hear me?"

The strawberry blonde looked up him, face covered in blood "My daughter Madeline?"

"Hey, Cruz, grab the saw!" Vargas instructed.

Aidan looked through the back seeing a distressed child sitting in her booster seat as the mother tried to look but couldn't move "Madeline! My little girl."

Aidan gave the woman a reassuring smile "I see her. She's okay."

Casey turned away from the car, making his way around the vehicle "Get the jaws!"

"This is chief Boden," the man called into his radio "I'm gonna need two more ambulances and a helicopter."

Gabriella Dawson arrived at the scene and Casey step beside her "Mother, daughter trapped. Both responsive."

Gabby nodded, before bending to look through the window "Can you hear me? Madeline?" When the girl nodded she smiled "Are you hurt, honey?" the girl nodded in response once again "Okay, can you tell me where you're hurt?"

"My body." Madeline answered.

Aidan saw drips hitting the ground below the car "We're leaking fuel!"

Gabby retured her attention back to Madeline "Okay, you mean your tummy or your chest?"

Madeline lifted her hand and pointed "My chest."

"Madeline, mommy loves you." Her mother tried to look back as the firefighters worked to get them out "Everything's gonna be okay. Madeline, look at mommy."

Mouch took notice of the broken front window of the other car and the fact that there was no one inside and his eyes widened "Oh shi- He's in the water." He turned to Chief Boden "He's in the water!"

"Who?" Boden frowned.

Mouch pointed to the front windscreen "The driver! He was ejected." He gestured past the bridge railing, into the water.

"We think we got one in the river. Go." Chief Boden order squad 3.

Kelly nodded "We're on it!"

"Listen, Madeline, I want you to see if you can turn your head toward me." Gabby told the young girl "Can you do that?" The girl did so, revealing the large, bloodied gash on her left temple.

Aidan helped extract the mother and pass her over to Shay to take a look at whilst Gabby climbed into the car to help Madeline.

As Kelly and the rest of squad 3 prepared to climb over the railing, the car burst into flames. Madeline screamed as Gabby shielded her whilst Vargas and Cruz used the hose to put it out.

Peter frowned as he noticed the suit jacket lying in the front seat of the car with the missing driver. He trailed his eyes over to the crowd who were watching the scene unfold before he came a cross a man in a crisp white shirt, looking jumpy. His eyes widened when they connected with Peters stare "That's the driver!" He shouted, watching as he ran "Stop that guy." He chased after him quickly tackling him to the ground.

Chief Bodens radio crackled as he watched Kelly deploy into the water "We got the driver. He's in custody."

Boden sighed, pressing the button as he lifted the radio to his mouth "Cancel the dive. No one is in the water."

While Dawson and Shay took Madeline away in their ambulance, Peter left the driver in police custody before making his way back towards the truck. Aidan smirked at him "Nice moves candidate."

Peter could only grin as she walked by him, his eyes staying in her retreating back until she was out of sight.

Aidan climbed out of the truck behind Otis when they returned to house 51 "Say, lieutenant," He called after Casey "now that we have a new candidate, I don't have to be Otis anymore."

Matt raised an eyebrow at him "You're still Otis."

He frowned "But I thought I could learn to drive the truck and we could put Peter Mills on the elevators."

Aidan chuckled as she stopped beside the two, spotting Chris "Hey Herrmann, what's this guy's name?" She pointed to the previous candidate.

"Otis." Chris frowned.

Casey smiled "No, his real name."

"Bart?" Hermann shrugged before heading towards the lounge.

Otis sighed "Brian. Brian Zvonecek." He called after Chris before looking between Matt and Aidan "He knew."

"You're staying on the elevators, which makes you Otis." Casey clapped him on the shoulder with an amused smile.

Aidan shot him a grin "Sorry man."

"Hey." Kelly called making Matt stop, hopping off the squad truck shirtless. The sight didn't phase Aidan, she had seen everything of everyone on this job. The reality of one gender neutral changing room. "Guy in the water? How about a guy with his head up his ass?" he nodded his head to a frowning Mouch, who made the call.

Aidan sighed "C'mon Kelly, it was an easy mistake."

"Still a mistake squad didn't make." Kelly shrugged.

Aidan rolled her eyes "Right, I forgot, the almighty squad doesn't make mistakes."

Matt clenched his jaw "You handle your firefighters. I'll handle mine."

Kelly nodded mockingly, eyes narrowed "That's a good theory, Casey. How about giving it a try?"

"Know what?" Matt glared as he moved to stand face to face with Kelly "I'm getting real tired of your Bull, Severide."

"I don't give a damn what you're tired of." Kelly retorted, matching his stare.

"Hey." Boden barked from his place at the punching bag "I thought you all should know I am gonna fight that dick Olmstead who slept with my wife in Saturday's drop-a-cop." he swung a round of digs to the bag "Or we could all just throw the gloves on right now, beat the hell out of each other." he abandoned the bag, moving to stand in front of the crowd of firefighters "Maybe when the mayor comes on Saturday that's what he sees. Truck versus squad old as the CFD, so deal with it." he looked pointedly at Matt and Kelly "We all lost Darden a month ago Friday." Aidan ducked her head "And that ain't changing. So maybe we should."

Mouch swung his arm around Aidan's shoulder, giving her a squeeze in appreciation, leading her into the lounge as everyone silently we to back to their business.

Aidan raised an eyebrow as Matt sat beside her at the table with a sigh "What's up buttercup?"

Matt paused for moment "Hallie moved out." He told her in a hushed tone, deciding on the truth and his shoulders felt considerably lighter having finally told someone about his fiancé.

Aidans eyes widened "I'm so sorry Matt... You don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want to."

He let out a sigh before running a hand down his face "She's not ready for kids and I am. She just started her residency at the hospital and a family is not a part of her plan... I don't know if it ever will be."

Aidan frowned as she put a hand on Matts forearm "Everything will work out how it's supposed to."

Matt gave the girl a small smile before nodding towards the window "I also gave Heather Andy's stuff from his locker."

Aidan sighed sadly "I still can't believe he's gone. Those poor kids." Andy and Heather had two young boys who both had spent plenty of time at the fire house growing up.

Matt nodded, slouching back into the chair "14 years with him, and all it took was a second for it to all be over."

Aidan leant her head on Matts shoulder "How has it been that long since the academy?"

The blonde man chuckled "We're not teenagers anymore Aid..."

"Tell me about it." Aidan groaned "I'm 32 next month."

"Baby." Hermann teased as he sat down across from the pair.

"Whatever, old man." Aidan retorted making the group scattered around the room laugh.

Mouch glanced over from his position the couch "You're not the baby of 51 anymore, Mills is."

Chris grinned "She'll always be the baby."

Aidan was walking towards the bathroom when she spotted Shay handing a vial over to Kelly. She watched as Kelly walked away before Shay turned, green eyes widening as she spotted Aidan standing down the hall. "What the hell was that Shay?"

The blonde paramedic sighed before linking her arm through Aidan's as they manoeuvred down the hall "His shoulders been acting up again."

Aidan frowned thinking back to when Kelly hurt himself on the job "He said it was better."

"It's not." Shay admitted "I've been giving him stuff to manage the pain."

Aidan let out a low groan "He needs to go to the doctor Shay, pushing it too far could make it worse."

"I know! But you know Kelly, he's stubborn."

Aidan nodded with a sigh "I know... Look we'll both try and talk to him at home."

"Okay." Shay confirmed, unblinking her arm from Aidan's outside the bathroom "Off you go."

Aidan let out a yelp as her friend smacked her butt, she raided an eyebrow at the blonde who only smirked in return. The brunette's shook her head as she made her way though the door "I need new friends."

"Yo, Peter Mills!" Aidan looked up as Gabby approached the table truck 81 had set up to clean their equipment "My partner, Shay, she's been asking about you." Aidan shared a smirk with Cruz and Otis before she shook her head "Been talking about you all morning."

"I heard she's a monster." Otis commented "Dude I know over at 19, he walked with a hitch for a week."

Peter chuckled as he rolled the fire hose "Ah, you guys are busting my balls."

"Listen to me, kid." Hermann squinted his eyes "I just lost my house to foreclosure because I took a bath in the market." Aidan frowned, feeling awful for the man she looked to as a surrogate father "We're now living with my in-laws, which is two bedrooms shy of unpleasant. My wife won't take her birth control because the Pope said if she did, god would cry." Aidan smiled, she loved Cindy Hermann "So, I'm not having any sex. So if there's any chance that I could live vicariously through you, it's literally all I got."

Peter looked between the group and Shay sat in the back of the ambulance, doing an equipment check across floor before nodding, a grin pulling at his face "Alright."

Aidan waited until he was out of earshot before snorting "You guys are the worst."

Cruz raised an eyebrow at the girl "I didn't see you telling him."

"I never said I was any better." Aidan shrugged and the group laughed before all turning their attention to the candidate as he approached the blonde paramedic.

"Hey." Peter smiled.

Shay looked up from her clipboard momentarily "Hey."

"I'm Peter Mills. Uh, Pete." He introduced, coming to a stop in front of her.

Shay raised an eyebrow "Uh-huh." She looked to the group watching from behind him before chuckling "Peter Mills. Can you hand me that box right there?" She pointed to the one on the ground.

"Uh, yeah." He answered, bending to pick it up.

"Thanks." Shay said, taking the box into her hands as he passed it over.

"So," Peter nodded "the little girl from the bridge accident, she okay?"

Shay let out a sigh "You really are new, aren't you? Listen. We get 'em to the doctor best we can, and then we move on. It's the only way to make it here."

Peter stood up straight, nodding like he already knew that "Uh, yeah. Yeah." He cleared his throat "So, um, I was thinking I mean, I was wondering do you maybe wanna hook up for a beer or dinner or something?"

Shay smiled "Peter Mills, are you gay?"

"Me?" He frowned confused "No."

Shay nodded as she held a hand to her chest "Because I am."

When Peter turned to look at the truck table, everyone who had been successfully holding back their laughter erupted before sending the boy a shrug or thumbs up.

"Dawson." Chief Boden called, stopping the laughter "Shay. Which one of you put a needle in the girls heart?"

Aidan winced as the two were led away by the chief. Shay had told her all about how on the way to the hospital, Madeline's heart began to stop as blood clouded the bag around it. They didn't have enough time to make it to Lakeshore hospital so Gabby had to perform an emergency pericardiocentesis when she struck Madeline's heart with the needle as she attempted to evacuate the blood.

Peter approached the table just as Aidan headed towards the lounge. When she was through the door, he turned his eyes away from her to the boys "Is she gay too?"

Otis snickered as the rest shook their heads "Oh candidate," he turned to the group "I love being able to say that. Rolls right off the tongue." He grinned before turning back to Mills and clapping him on the shoulder "You have no chance with Hale."