Title: Plan C
Chapter 6 – Ordinary People?

It's just groceries…just…everyday stuff…Erin's mind silently ponders as she grabs her jacket and purse and heads back outside into her living room. She stops as she looks at Kelly Severide explaining something to his daughter and her smiling before hugging him and her heart melts.

"Ready?" She asks as both look up and nod at the same time; Aurora giggling as her father pokes her side and then scoops her up into the air.

"Do you need anything?" Severide inquires as they head outside to his waiting car.

"Actually…I do," Erin replies as she pulls out a list with a few words scrawled on it; Severide snatching it from her grasp with a snicker.

"You can actually read this?"

"Give me that," Erin retorts as she snatches it back, Aurora watching with amusement. "How'd it go with your dad last night?"

"Ah dad always brings free food and booze and a gift for the goober back there," Severide chuckles as he glances back at his daughter tucked into her booster seat in the back playing with her dolls. They reach the busy supermarket and head for the cart section.

"Does she…ride in the front?" Erin asks in wonder.

"I prefer it because it takes away temptation from arms reach but she'd rather walk so we have a deal that Aurora goes into the front sin bin when she's a bad girl."

"No daddy, I'm a good girl," Aurora insists as she looks up with a sweet smile.

"Okay let's keep it that way. Remember we can only afford to get what's on the list," Severide looks at her seriously and then up at Erin. "That goes for all of us," he tells her with a wink.

"Want to hold my list Aurora?" Erin asks the little girl as she looks up and nods eagerly. "I can get the um…girly stuff later."

"Girly stuff…Shay sent me for girly stuff once."

"And?"

"And it was the worst," Severide snickers as he recalls Shay's brows arching when she gave him the list and then laughed when he protested.

'It's not like the cashier is going to think you need that stuff.'

"Okay so…what's first on our list?"

"Apple juce," Aurora points to a display of colorful juice boxes, the apple being at her eye level.

"Hmm nope no apple juice on our list," Severide looks down as his daughter looks up with a pout and he smirks. "By the way if you come up with a cure for the pout…let me know."

"You mean it's possible?" Erin retorts with a happy smile.

"Matt thinks so but, he's just as deluded as the rest of us only unwilling to admit it."

The three of them slowly wander the various aisle's, casually talking about the items and what they'll be used for, taking turns holding Aurora's hand and making sure that she doesn't run away or try to take things that aren't on the list. The outing goes pretty smoothly for the most part, Aurora kicking up a bit of a fuss when she sees a little cat stuffie that she wants but neither adult gives in and without throwing a tantrum she offers her father a pout and puts the toy back.

"Nice day for a walk in the Park," Erin suggests as they load their few grocery bags into the trunk of the car, the lid closing a few seconds later. "Unless you have something more exciting to do?"

"Aurora do you want to go the Park?"

"Yes! Can we swing daddy?"

"Course we can," Severide agrees as Aurora claps her hands in glee. "Shall we walk?"

"I think we can all burn off a little energy," Erin replies as they each take one of Aurora's hands and then walk toward the Park, this time talking about the surrounding area and the warm late summer they have been blest with.

However, not everyone is enjoying their happy outing.

"So you've replaced me with this guy?" Randy's angry voice hisses as he glares at them with narrowed eyes through a small set of binoculars. He looks at the happy little girl situated between them and sets his jaw. But when he looks up at Kelly Severide, dark thoughts start to swirl in his mind.

"Maybe it's time that Mr. Fireman had a little accident…" Randy vows angrily as he puts his binoculars down and then reaches into the glove box, "or…a big one," he concludes with an evil glint in his eyes. "Or…just went away."

XXXXXXXX

"Have you always wanted to be a father?" Erin asks as her and Severide sit on a nearby Park bench, watching Aurora playing on the colorful jungle gym.

"I uh…I had thought about it," he answers with a small shrug. "But not seriously. In fact, until Shay had suggested it, I kinda shied away from it. My dad…well you know, playboy Benny. You uh…" he stops and then nervously chuckles.

"Ever thought of being a mom?" Erin interjects with a small frown as he nods. "Sometimes. I guess I can't really say I had much of a good parental role model either, but sometimes…sometimes I think a family would be wonderful."

"I think if two people…want it enough and care for each other and the children then…whoa…that was heavy," he huffs as he looks away with a small frown and then back at her with a serious expression. "And when you think of being a mom…does it scare you?"

"Sometimes. But then I look at close friends and a few others…Hermann and his family and I see that it can work and I think…yeah I could do it. I can't exactly dial the mom helpline for parenting advice though."

"I think I've called Boden about Aurora more than my dad," Severide admits with a small sigh. "And yet…she seems normal," Severide smiles as both look at Aurora trying to stack some little stones atop each other.

"Shay," they both state at once and then laugh.

"Look daddy, a rock tree."

"When I tell her to stack stuff I say tall like a tree…now everything's a tree," he retorts as he gets up and slowly saunters toward her, slumping down onto his knees beside his daughter and trying to explain it was a rock stack…like rocks.

Erin looks at Aurora's adoring expression and once again feels her heart starting to warm. For a second she tries to picture a little girl with dark hair and dimples…her daughter looking up at…your husband? Her mind interjects warmly as she automatically smiles. At one time the idea had been…maybe farfetched. Now? Doable?

Severide looks up as Erin gets up off the bench and comes and plunks herself down beside them, handing Aurora a few more stones to add to her pile; the little girl happily accepting them. He hears her friendly words and looks at her tender expressions and wonders if she'd be happy being a step-mother long term. I want this…this family…Shay would approve…am I nervous she'll say no?

Then without a verbal warning, Erin gets up, scoops Aurora into her grasp and carries her to the swings and sits down, Aurora bouncing on her lap, calling out to her father to push them.

"Push us daddy! Push us!" Aurora happily shouts as her little fingers curl around the thick vertical chains holding the swing in place, Erin's right arm wrapping around her waist and her left hand holding onto the same chain a few inches below the little girl's.

"Sure thing," he agrees as he gets up and then heads toward them. He knows not to push them too hard as he doesn't want to injure either. Aurora urges her father to push them higher and faster but he refuses to give in. Happy laughter is heard as all three of them enjoy the sweet bonding moment on the swings. A few more pushes and then Aurora hops off Erin's lap and wants to crawl into one of her own.

Erin helps her get in, fastening the lap belt and then telling her to hold on. She playfully grabs her feet and then pushes her backward toward her waiting father who then pushes her forward, the little girl squealing with delight the entire time. After a few more swings the activity ceases and the two adults head back to the bench to watch the little girl playing tag with a new little female friend.

Then…it's time to go home.

"Since there's nothing too…melty in the trunk, want to come by for lunch? Just casual. Matt and I usually make…well whatever we can find," Severide smirks as he fastens his daughter in her booster seat and then closes the door, the two of them standing beside the front passenger door.

"Melty?" She gently arches her brows in mild amusement as his lips twist upward. She leans in closer, her hand cupping his lightly stubbled jaw and pulling his face to hers. "I'm a grilled cheese and soup kinda gal," she whispers; pulling back and planting a small kiss on her cheek before they part.

"Canned soup?" Severide counters with a chuckle as they break apart and then get into the car. The drive to the apartment is spent talking about neutral things; Severide having texted Casey ahead of time to just give him a heads up, Casey texting back his full support with a smiley face.

"Uncle Matt! Uncle Matt!" Aurora rushes into the waiting arms of her Uncle as they enter the apartment.

"Hey goober," Casey teases as he swings her in the air, once around in the air and then stops; giving a polite nod to Erin as she enters and then closes the door behind her.

"Hope I'm not intruding."

"Not at all," Casey confirms as he puts Aurora down and lets her run into her bedroom. "Any Sunday's off are just a lazy day for all of us."

"Sounds good to me," Erin replies firmly as Aurora rushes back in with a puzzle, box and two dollies' in her grasp.

"Erin, come play with me," Aurora looks up with an arm full of toys and an adoring grin.

Unsure of the routine and not wanting to make it harder for Kelly and his daughter, Matt also, she doesn't want to just readily accept if there were other things on the agenda that would come before that. Her eyes briefly lift, silently asking for some direction.

"Aurora you can play for a little bit but when we call you, you have to come and set the table and help with lunch okay?"

"Okay daddy. Come on Erin! Come on!"

Casey watches them head into the living room and then looks at his friend with an amused smile. But he notices that Severide's expression changes from happy to that of almost strained. "What's wrong?" Casey asks in a hushed tone as they pull back into the kitchen – out of ear shot.

"It's uh…nothing, nothing," Severide states in haste as he puts on a tight lipped smile and tries to shrug it off. But Casey knows his friend and knows that something else besides early relationship jitters is eating at him.

"Randy?" Casey asks in a soft whisper as Severide nods briefly; knowing that that was actually part of it.

"I'll call dad later," Severide tells Casey as they work to make their lunch. "Alright squirt, time to come help!"

"And what should Aurora do?" Erin calls back as Aurora laughs and points at her. "Oh did he mean you?"

"No," Aurora laughs, "you're skirt," she giggles as Severide looks at Casey with a small groan and both adult males laugh.

"Oh yeah? Oh yeah?" Erin laughs back as she tries to playfully bite Aurora's arm, the little girl squealing with delight as she runs and ducks behind her father's leg.

"So you're a skirt huh?" Severide teases Erin as he wags his brows. He hands Aurora a few non-breakables and once the table is set the four of them settle down at the table to have their simple but delicious lunch of grilled cheese, boxed soup, some apple slices and a few other treats.

After lunch the four of them linger around the table, Aurora sitting close to Erin and sharing her coloring book while the adults casually chat; Erin occasionally coloring.

"No daddy, I'm not tired," Aurora tries to protest her nap time when it comes an hour later.

"You can take your dolly to bed but you do have to go for a nap. No one wants a grumpy princess do they?" He gently pokes her stomach, hoping to elicit a laugh. Instead he can only chuckle when she swats his finger away. "Come on sweetheart, say bye to Erin."

"No daddy, I'm not tired," Aurora tries her plea one more time; it doesn't work.

"Goodnight sweetheart, I'll see you again," Erin tells her in truth as she gives her a warm hug and kiss on her cheek. "Be a good girl for daddy."

"No…no don't go!" Aurora flings her arms around Erin's neck and holds on tightly.

"I'll be back," Erin promises as she looks at Severide and then hands him back his daughter. "Goodnight daddy," she whispers as she kisses him on the cheek and heads for the door. She turns back and looks at him and then smiles before she disappears into the hallway with her bag of groceries in her grasp. She leans against the wall before she moves, her heart racing at top speed and now seeing why it was hard on that darling little girl for him to have women over on a casual basis.

I want to be there for good…does he want that also? I hope so….

XXXXXXXX

"You'll see Erin again," Severide promises as he tries to tuck his fussing daughter into her bed for her daily nap.

"Where did she go daddy?" Aurora asks sadly.

"To her apartment sweetie. Okay now it's time for you to close your eyes and get some sleep."

He kisses her on the forehead and then turns off the light and then closes the door half way, turning to see her clutching her two dolly's to her chest as she snuggles under the blankets even further.

"How is she?"

"She's…ah hell it was hard for me to see Erin leave just now. Each time they're together they bond. I want that stability for all of us but…"

"It's obvious that Erin cares for Aurora and that Aurora likes Erin," Casey muses. "Ah…so that was the face earlier."

"I want her around more but I don't want to rush her. Asking someone to be a step-mom full time is…it's not just a snap decision right?"

"She's knows you have a daughter. Her and Shay got along. I like Erin…your dad certainly does and so does Shay's family. And Voight likes you…how many can say that?" Casey gently snickers.

"Not…many," Severide sighs as he folds his arms and leans against the fridge.

"Erin's had plenty of chances to run but hasn't yet. She knows if she's to marry you, Aurora comes along. Even if Shay were here, you know she'd still have to be a big part of Aurora's life in a sort of parental role."

"Nick said that too. I've never hidden anything from Erin, if anything I'm too open. I just want…"

"What?"

"To not turn out like my father," Severide huffs as he rubs his face as he looks at Casey with a weak expression. "Shay's got great parents so she had confidence…me…Erin's nervous too."

"And together you'll make it work," Casey reassures his friend with a firm nod. "She's still around right?"

"Yeah…she still is. And that's saying something."

"That'll be three hundred dollars."

"What?" Severide tosses back with a snicker.

"Isn't that how much Nick charges?"

"Damn…maybe I need a new job," Severide ponders in mock seriousness as Casey chuckles. "Sure I'll pay you in three hundred doll-hairs," he smirks before his expression turns serious for real. "Thanks for the support. It means a lot."

"Always have your back and you know I'd never steer you toward or away from something without reason. Erin's good for you and Aurora. Alright…I'm going to finish off laundry and then get at that bookshelf," Casey informs his roommate.

"Alright. I gotta put the rest of the groceries away and then I'm gonna call dad and see what he's found on Randy."

Casey watches his friend pull away and then offers him a small smile, his mind hoping that his friend will be able to make it work with Erin; both of them need the stability and happiness in their lives. I wonder what Aurora's teacher is like? His mind suddenly ponders and his head shakes. But…the smile remains.

Severide heads for the hallway and retrieves the left over paper goods and starts to put them away, his mind fondly recalling the moments he and Erin had doing some routine shopping.

'Oh come on…three ply is way better than two.'

'It's like flushing diapers and trust me that's something I know a thing or two about,' Severide had snickered.

'Okay…two it is.'

"I hope she had fun today…" his voice trails off as he closes the cupboard doors and then reaches for the phone.

XXXXXXXX

"Was hard to leave," she admits as she looks up at the male figure before her with a small frown. "I get why Kelly doesn't want to have women staying there for a night here or there, it's too hard on Aurora. Makes him all the more desirable," she admits with a small smile as she's rewarded with a smile in return.

"I'm glad you had fun today," Voight tells her warmly.

"Regular stuff. Shopping…the Park…lunch. Nothing special just…but it was special. Then nap time and it was back home…alone."

"Kelly just wants to be sure."

"And I can't blame him. Not with that precious daughter. I know this might sound silly but…but I don't want to let down Shay," Erin admits quietly as she looks up at Voight with a strained expression.

"Shay would never be disappointed if Kelly were to find someone that both he and his daughter loved and who…loved him back," Voight replies in truth. "What about you? I know you put on a brave face for him but what about you?"

"I'm scared. Bunny?" She smirks. "But I don't want her to be the crutch that holds me back from a happy life. I want this…I do. I'm scared…but I want this."

"Then…you'll make it work. Both of you. Now….what else happened?"

"You want all the details?" Erin retorts as Voight smiles and nods. "Have you…heard from Randy?"

"No. You?"

"Not since Friday night. Maybe he got the hint and left town for good," Erin ponders.

"If not…the next hint will come from me," Voight assures her gruffly. "And you know I can be pretty convincing."

She offers him a small smile but the uneasiness continues to fester inside. I know what he's capable of. We both do…I hope he's gone…if he ever hurt Kelly….

XXXXXXXX

"So you had fun then?"

"Yeah…it was…it was regular stuff, shopping, the Park, nothing special but…" Severide tells his father, his happy words echoing almost identically those spoken by Erin at almost the same time to her fatherly confidant. "Then lunch and then her and Matt and I just sat around and talked. It was nice."

"And she didn't run screaming?" Benny teases his son.

"No," Severide deadpans as he remembers Erin and Aurora playing with a single strand of spaghetti. "No…I think she wanted to stay. Stability is key right?"

"You know my thoughts Kelly. If you both want this…take and make it happen. Don't waste time like I did and have regrets. You know I like Erin so you have my support."

"I know," Severide replies seriously as he looks at a picture of the three of them on the fridge. "What did you find out about Randy?"

"Jack found a few things but…"

"But what?" Severide presses.

"He's bad news Kelly. Jack doesn't think he's with the FBI anymore."

"What? Erin said he got some new assignment."

"He's probably lying to her. Jack…he has connections inside the Bureau that even Voight won't know about. He's going to confirm but he said…this Randy Cameron has a really bad temper."

"How bad?"

"He uh…apparently it was alleged that he when his former partner didn't agree with him on a call, he beat him to death."

"What the hell? When?"

"Few months back. You make sure you stay away from him and tell Erin to do the same. This guy…he's not stable."

"Dad…"

"I gotta run. Gotta finish up a report for court tomorrow. I'll see what I can find out from Jack and then I'll come to you and Voight. Watch your back Kelly. This guy is bad news and I mean bad."

Severide hangs up, his mind now thinking about maybe seeing if Randy was still in town or where he might be staying and then following him to see what he was really up to.

But what he doesn't know is, Randy, the person in question was already lying in wait to spring a deadly trap – on him.

A/N: eeks! Well I don't think for a minute anyone thought Randy was a good guy or would be around too long but you know he's gonna cause some danger before he goes *wink* watch out Sev! So wanted to get some happy times in before the angsty tension and hope you liked their "regular day" as a burgeoning family. Always gotta get a few little broments in there and some real world questions but each of them are on the same page. Please do review before you go and thanks so much for your amazing support for our fave AU CF OTP couple!