Kelly was in a daze as he was fingerprinted, had his picture taken. They were actually doin' this, he thought in disbelief. The realization that he was being arrested had done wonders to calm down Squad's lieutenant. He was still pissed, but now faced with some kinda record, he was thinking of a hundred other things. First off, who to call? And how this would affect his job? Mouch had said to be a Boy Scout after the whole Tara Little incident, and Kelly didn't have to be told twice.

His only other brush with the law had been when he was sixteen, and his team had lost when he fumbled on the nine, just about to score the winning touchdown.

"Severide, there's more to life than one play," his coach had said, patting him on the back when he stomped over to the sideline, head down, ready to beat the living crap out of something. He threw his helmet down and he knew it was just the one play. His screw up.

That night he'd gotten so drunk he barely remembered the play, barely remembered that there'd even been a football game.

Mission accomplished.

It was on the drive home where things got a little dicey. He bummed a ride from Heather or Kiersten or whatever her name was and he thought they were still on the road when they were actually stopped on the side. A light shone in the car.

"What the hell?" slurred Kelly squinting at the offending light. He was thrown in the back of some strange car with the crying girl. He sobered up pretty quick when he realized where they were headed. By the time he got to the police station, Benny was waiting. His dad had missed the game but made it for the after party. Typical Benny.

Kelly and the girl were let off, and Benny was shaking enough hands...you would've thought he was running for office. Chicago FD and PD were like competitive brothers... each trying to one up the other, prove they were better. But they did have each other's backs.

"Goddamn it Kelly!" Benny exploded once they got in the car. " What the hell were you thinking? The Academy will never take you if you got a record! Use your damn head!"

Kelly remained silent. It'd been three months since he'd last seen his dad. And this wasn't exactly the happy reunion he'd been hoping for. Not that he'd been hoping. He had learned long ago not to hold his breath waiting on his father.

Neither one said a word on the drive back to Kelly's apartment. Benny dropped him off and watched him make his way up the front steps and into the vestibule.

He never forgot that night. He'd come close a bunch of times, but always knew when to pull back.

Until today. Unfreaking believable.

He called Shay. No answer. Great, she was probably pissed. But he knew she'd come eventually. Or Boden, Casey, someone. It's not like they didn't know where he was.

He was cooling his heels in a holding cell when Sergeant Voight rolled in...shaking as many hands as Benny had that night all those years ago.

"You ready to get the hell outta here?" he asked, unlocking the holding cell himself. "Goddamn overeager rookie piece of shit..."

That was the best idea Kelly had heard all day. He grabbed his bunker jacket and his helmet. It just dawned on him that they'd let him keep all his gear.

That was weird.

Severide eyed his benefactor warily as he stepped out of the cage.

Voight led Kelly down a back hallway. he would want to avoid the front.

"You'll wanna go out the back." he said. "Your friend's waitin' right outside."

Kelly turned to shake the older man's hand before they reached the side exit.

"An' you don't need to worry about any of this shit." Voight told him "It's gone...off the books... never happened."

He smiled, lookin' like a cat who just swallowed a canary.

Kelly couldn't believe it.

How does something like that just disappear?

But with Voight a lotta things can disappear.

Shay was waiting nervously as she sat behind the wheel ready to make a getaway. Kelly slid into the passenger seat and reached for the seat belt.

As they crept down the alley toward Irving Park the need for all the secrecy and subterfuge fell into place.

The rookie cop, the asshole who'd pinned Kelly down on the hood of the car, was being pinned down himself right now. By a barrage of media...reporters all shoving mics in the young man's face. There was an older guy was at his side, probably his union rep.

"Shit. Is this what I can expect back at 51?" he asked uneasily.

He did not want to answer a bunch of questions, to have to explain that he was just tryin' to look out for his own. He didn't need Shay and Dawson getting hit by some idiot driver in a hurry trying to zip by the accident scene.

"Voight had them take everything out of the system...no record of your name, nothing. He said asshole cop won't say a word...or he won't be able to get a job as a meter maid." Shay answered, smiling at her best friend... knowing publicity was something he hated.

The local news had tried to do a human interest story about the Nathan rescue. It had all the elements of a great story, hurt kid, hero working all night to save him, everything worked out in the end. Unfortunately, her roommate wasn't too camera friendly.

She laughed just thinking about Kelly's short answers and how the reporter left in frustration... and ditched the whole story altogether.

"How the hell did Voight sweep all of this under the rug? Why?"

Nothing could be this easy...there had to be a catch.

"I have no idea, but let's not question it. Let's just be thankful. You ready to get out of here?" Shay asked.

"Yeah. Let's go home."

Kelly stole a quick glance back. The rookie officer was trying to leave but he being pushed back by the reporters. He almost felt sorry for the kid...almost. As they sped away, he hoped that would be his last visit to PD. He just wanted to forget the whole damn thing.

Voight was also watching the scene, but from an upstairs window, arms crossed over his chest, slight smile forming. He'd promised Erin he'd help out the fireman.

He'd watched with pride when she gave Officer Dominguez a tongue lashing the rookie would not soon forget. It was amazing how they weren't even blood related. She was more like him than Justin would ever be.

He'd just file this away. You never knew when you might need to call in a favor... he thought, a wry smile spreading across his face.