Title: Plan C
Chapter 17 – The Highs and Lows of Reality

"No," Erin groans as the phone buzzes to early the next morning; a few seconds later both her and Kelly hearing a few little raps on their locked bedroom door.

Kelly lifts his head and looks at the door before he looks over at Erin and smiles as his fingers slowly trail down her naked back.

"Mmmm not playing fair," she lightly groans as she presses send on her phone to her partner and then rolls over and looks up with a good morning smile. "I gotta go."

"Already?"

"Cop's…life," she replies with a heavy frown as she slowly sits upright; golden brown locks spilling down her bare back. She looks at the door with a heavy heart as Aurora knocks again, hesitating for a few seconds before she runs into the living room.

"Kelly…"

"She'll be okay," Kelly tells Erin as she looks down at him with a soft frown. "You really gotta leave this early?"

"I do," Erin replies as she leans in and kisses him on the lips.

Kelly casts a regrettable glance at his wife's naked frame as she hops out of bed and hurries for the closet. "Erin…"

"Need me to cuff you to the bed?" She tosses back without looking back; quickly pulling on some underwear and then her jeans.

"Oh yeah….that'll cool me down," he groans as he slumps back down onto the warm nest of pillows; Erin tossing a giggle in his direction. "Well…I guess I should get going…first day back. Light duty but still…on duty."

"So Pauline picks up Aurora and…then…?"

"And then one of us tries to make it back here to make a late dinner. Pauline or Christie will usually keep her if we're pulling an all-nighter or are too late but we try not to let it happen too much."

"Okay," she agrees softly as her brow furrows. "Got it."

"It'll come."

Erin looks at him with a strained smile as she grabs her phone, blows him a kiss and then hurries out of the bedroom; Kelly's hand feeling her warm pillow a few seconds longer before he too pushes himself up and heads for his closet. He heads into his closet, hearing Erin talking to Aurora and some warm laughter coming from the kitchen and instantly the early morning tension that was teasing to grow instantly dissipates.

"No…don't go," Aurora pouts as she clings to Erin's leg and looks up with a sad expression.

"I'm sorry sweetie I have to go," Erin insists as she tries to pry Aurora off her leg. She finally succeeds and then feels her heart sink when Aurora looks up with a teary expression. "Aurora…"

"Will see you tonight."

Aurora looks up to see her father looking at her with a somewhat stern expression and just glares right back.

"Kelly…"

"Go."

"Love you both," Erin calls out as she hurries toward the door; her mind already in distress over the sad face and the fact that reality hits her so fast; the past few days almost a distant but happy memory. I hope we get some peaceful mornings to ourselves, her mind silently wishes.

"Early start," Voight greets her as she stops the car and walks up to him, Jay and Antonio.

"What's going on?"

"Johnson's out," Voight tells her gravely. "And he's taken his nephew with him. Let's go."

"Honeymoon's over," Jay mentions in sarcasm as they race toward his waiting cruiser.

XXXXXXXX

"Okay fine," Kelly states in frustration as Aurora rushes back to her room and Matt enters the kitchen a few minutes later.

"What's going on?"

"Growth spurt….or something," he huffs in exasperation as he hears a small crash in the other room. "Erin's gone to work and…"

"We're going to be late," Matt reminds him with a sympathetic gaze. "How was this morning?"

"Real," Kelly replies firmly as Pauline knocks on the door and the area is a flurry of activity once more. Kelly hurries into his daughter's room, telling her he has to go, loves her and he'd see her later. "Okay grumpy pants," he teases as he pokes her side and kisses the top of her head before he hurries back out and he and Matt leave the large apartment and head for the elevator.

"Kelly?" Matt asks his silent friend as they head for the Firehouse.

"Just wanted the first official morning to be…well normal," Kelly huffs as Matt's truck comes to a stop.

"Ah…normal's overrated."

Matt gives his friend a pat on the back and a small smile as they head for the large bay doors and enter the Firehouse. Kelly pulls away and heads for his office, pulling out a small picture of him, Erin and Aurora taken on their wedding day, a few days back and puts it on his desk; looking at it with a smile.

But he doesn't have much downtime as a few minutes after he settles into his work chair, the overhead paging system goes off and it's all hands on deck. Boden had told him that he'd be relegated to helping in any way he can with any scene but no heavy lifting for at least another week.

"Water rescue!"

"Water rescue…no heavy lifting Chief!" Kelly calls out as he hops into the front of the squad 3 truck, slapping the side just as Tony pulls away; Matt's truck 81 only seconds behind.

"So…first morning as husband and wife," Capp states as a hush falls over the interior of the truck.

"Guys…we have a rescue," Kelly retorts to a chorus of boos. "Morning was a blur…last night though," he stops amidst a chorus of cheers. But as he nears the pier, his mind wonders what the rescue will entail.

No…heavy lifting right?

XXXXXXXX

"What…is going on?" Erin asks slowly as Jay slows the cruiser both of them looking at the fray of vehicles ahead of them. But as soon as she's able to see around the delivery truck, her eyes widen as they fix on one…large…number. 3

"Three…Kelly's truck…" she states in a soft tone as Jay looks over at her with a frown. "First day back on the job. He said no heavy lifting."

"Looks like a routine…traffic accident," Jay mutters as he flips the sirens and is able to meander through the slowly parting cars and then comes to a halt behind the back of truck 81. "Erin!" Jay calls out with a groan as she quickly gets out to see what's going on.

"The traffic is stopped!" She calls back, Jay in the car and slowly inching up, telling the perp in the back to shut up or walk behind the car – cuffed.

But she stays back, not wanting to be too much of a distraction to her husband or any of the rest of Firehouse 51. However, as she rounds the side of truck 81 she stops short; her eyes slightly widening and her stomach tightening. She watches as Kelly's head pops back up, calling out a few instructions to his team and then diving back into the water at the same time Boden calls out instructions that she's not sure he's heard.

This is his job…you know he takes risks…you do to.

"Severide!" Boden's voice growls as he calls out to Casey and Hermann.

"He's been under too long!"

"Someone report! Anyone have eyes on Severide!"

Kelly! Her mind gasps as she looks at her partner and then back at the watery scene. Come on Kelly…come on…

"They're coming up!"

Thank God…she whispers as she watches Capp emerge first and then Kelly with the young man in his grasp. Oh damn…that's his healing side…she inwardly groans. But she knows he has no choice as he needs to use his uninjured side to swim to the ladder to come up.

A flurry of activity ensues and she knows she doesn't want to be a distraction and with the traffic finally starting to move again, she gets back into the car and says they can go now; Jay tossing back a sarcastic 'thank you'. "Hey it's not my fault there was a traffic accident and traffic was stopped – briefly," she tosses back dryly as Jay turns on the sirens once more and they clear the vehicular fray and race toward precinct 21. Just…another normal day…yeah right.

XXXXXXXX

"You okay?" Matt asks Kelly as he notices the squad leader's face offer a heavy wince as he clears the water and then slumps down onto the side of the dock, his hand automatically going to his newly recovered side.

"Yeah just…strained it a bit," Kelly replies as he slowly unzips the front of his wetsuit. "Don't tell Erin," he looks up with a weak chuckle. He slowly stands up and heads toward Boden with a heavy frown; telling him about the small snag underwater but that in the end it worked out okay.

"Good work. Go get dried up."

Kelly nods to his superior and slowly heads toward his waiting truck; his mind scolding him for not letting Capp do the bulk of the grunt work under water and dealing himself a potential professional setback.

"Happy to be back?" Capp gently teases his leader as they both climb off the truck, back inside the belly of Firehouse 51; Kelly pulling away and heading toward the lockers to get dried and changed. He pulls his locker open and looks at a picture of Erin and Aurora and can't help but smile in spite of the stressful start to the day.

"Hope the rest of the day is quieter," Kelly tells Matt with a small groan as he slumps down at the table by his friend, looking at the plate of breakfast with a gnawing stomach.

But the day wasn't going to cooperate.

XXXXXXXX

'My turn to say I have to work late. Love you.'

Erin looks at the text as she heads for home, her mid now wondering what to expect when she gets there; it would only be her and Aurora until bed time. Okay so I did this once before, I can do it again…I have to do it again…she's my…step daughter…wow, she tells herself as she nears Pauline Shay's.

"We had a light snack," Pauline tells Erin as she gives the younger woman Aurora's school bag. "Think she's going through a growth spurt so is a bit more irritable than usual. Be warned."

"Okay," Erin replies slowly as her mind races to remember what she read about five year olds. She takes Aurora by the hand and leads the little girl to the car, trying to engage her in conversation and frowning when Aurora is quieter than normal. By the time they get home, Aurora is testing Erin's patience and it's all the female detective can do to keep calm and just smile and nod accordingly. "Are you hungry Aurora?"

"No," she states simply as she turns and runs into her room; Erin standing in the middle of the kitchen with a heavy heart. Okay don't give up….just call…a friend. And she does. "Thank you Cindy, I really do appreciate this."

"Always happy to help Erin."

Following Cindy Hermann's advice, Erin takes the small plate of snacks and goes in search of Aurora. She peers into the little girl's room and looks down at her on the floor and then slowly eases herself down beside her. "Hey can…I join?"

"Sure," Aurora shrugs as she looks at the plate of apple, cheese and crackers. But after a few minutes of silence, Aurora looks at Erin with a sad glance and says, "miss mommy."

Erin's heart breaks. She feels her eyes well as she puts the plate down and pulls Aurora onto her lap. "Miss mommy," Aurora cries as she rests her head on Erin's shoulder; Erin gently rocking her.

"I do too," she agrees as she kisses the top of her head. "I do too."

XXXXXXXX

"Kelly?" Erin mumbles in her sleep as she looks at the clock; midnight.

"Sorry baby," he whispers as he falls into bed beside his wife; his body shutting down in seconds. But with his side throbbing and his mind still active from his first day back on the job and the water rescue, he finds himself awake longer than he wants.

About an hour later, Erin rolls over in bed, her arm thinking it's about to come down to rest on her husband's chest, but finding it empty and his side of the bed cold. Did I imagine him coming home? She wonders as she looks at the time and then slowly pushes herself out of bed.

She slightly stumbles into the hallway and nears the entranceway to the living room but then stops when she hears his voice. At first she's not sure what he's doing…but then hears a name and her mind instantly settles.

"Shay…"

As much as she wants to stay and listen, out of respect for them both she tiptoes back to bed and climbs inside, rolling onto her side, hoping that his day wasn't too stressful and trying to push aside feelings of anxiety. But a few moments later, she watches as the door opens again and he heads to bed and climbs inside.

"You okay?" She asks softly as she rolls back to look at him; the nightlight from the hallway slipping under the door and casting a faint glow in the room and allowing her to see his perplexed expression.

"Yeah I just…" he pauses and for a moment she wonders if he'll tell her. "Sometimes I…I talk to Shay," he finally admits with a heavy sigh; her hand slowly sliding up and resting on his lightly stubbled cheek. "I just tell her that…" he starts only to have her gently push her thumb against his lips.

"Only tell me if you want to…not because you think you have to. It's not like you were talking to some other woman," she adds lightly. "But if she was here and you needed to talk to her at 2am you know I'd never begrudge you having to talk to her."

"Love you so much," Kelly whispers as he holds her close. But then he surprises her again by telling her part of what he talked to Shay about – the rest…was private.

XXXXXXXX

The next morning isn't as hectic but it's also not as relaxed as they might like or enjoy when they both have a day off together. Kelly awakens to find his wife's side of the bed empty and some odd sounds coming from the living room. With a curious vibe in his head, he pushes himself out of bed and heads into the hallway, passing Aurora in her room playing with her toys and then poking his head around the corner, just in time to see Erin turn and stop.

"I uh…workout," she replies somewhat sheepishly as she stands in her shorts and sports-bra with the weights in her grasp; Kelly looking at her with a wide grin. "Matt's still asleep and Aurora is playing. I…I could do it at work."

"I'm not complaining," he retorts with a wide grin. "And at work? Alone or…with Jay?"

"Sometimes he's there."

"And…you're dressed like that?"

"Does my jealous husband want to join me?"

"Can I just watch?"

But before she can ask him to join her, they hear Matt down the hallway and Erin stops the DVD and Kelly can only offer a frustrated huff; his wife laughing as they realize it's time to get their day started.

"This isn't that bad," Erin comments about the instant oatmeal as Aurora rushes into the kitchen about twenty minutes later; up to her cupboard and then starts to pull out a few items for her breakfast. Erin watches her in quiet fascination; Kelly walking up to them, kissing his daughter on the top of her head and then his wife on her cheek.

Matt joins them and for a few minutes all four of them are able to sit around the table, enjoying their breakfast and talking about the day ahead. But it doesn't last as long as any of them might want; Pauline knocking on the door and sending them all scrambling in all directions.

"How's your side?" Erin asks Kelly as they are the last two in the kitchen. "Saw you rubbing it this morning."

"Strained it a bit with the water rescue," he admits with a small wince. "It'll be okay," he adds in haste. "See you tonight."

"Okay."

XXXXXXXX

"Casey! Behind you!"

"Hermann! Vent that window!"

"Capp! We have one in the back!"

Kelly stands beside Boden with an anxious glance, shaking his head and muttering under his breath. "Chief…I can help vent or…"

"Help Newhouse with the first floor! Go!" Boden nods; Kelly pulling away and rushing toward the burning townhome. "Severide's coming to the front!"

This time, he's careful not to put too much pressure on his side, helping to clear and vent and just happy to be with the teams helping to clear the home and then help put out as much of the fire as he's able. As soon as all the occupants are safely taken out, Boden orders both truck and squad to clear out and the engine company steps into put out the rest of the toxic flames.

"How was that?"

"Better," Kelly replies with a firm nod. "You?"

"Funny," Matt deadpans as Kelly chuckles.

XXXXXXXX

"Any troubles?" Voight asks as he watches Erin and Jay head toward him with a grumbling perm between them.

"None…at all," Jay replies as he yanks the cuffed man away from his partner, dragging him toward booking.

"You look tired."

"I…Kelly was home late and…and yeah it's just…almost the end of the first week and we've actually survived."

"There will always be ups and downs and late night with your schedules. And…how's Aurora?"

"She's…one day happy and then the next day crying into my arms that she misses her mother. I didn't know what to say so I just held her and we cried and I rocked her back and forth and then put her to sleep. I told Kelly and he said that's what he does too. Felt better. This uh…this parenting stuff is hard work."

"It certainly is," Voight replies with a kind smile. "At least you're doing it together. I'm sure he's glad you're there to help."

"Help with the case?"

"The ball and chain is calling," Erin tosses at her partner as Jay's lips purse and he gives her a small eye roll.

"Still think you're getting soft now that you're married," Jay retorts in sarcasm as she looks at Voight with her brows arched.

"He knows I'm armed right?"

Voight offers them a laugh before he gives them a few more instructions and its back to business as usual. Erin pulls open the top drawer of her desk to get a pen and pauses to look at a picture of her, Kelly and Aurora on their wedding day. Her heart settles for a few seconds, her mind drifting back in time before reality sets in and it's back to the job.

"Alright…let's go!"

XXXXXXXX

"Can't believe we reached the end of our first week…intact," Erin whispers as she leans against her husband later that Friday night; Aurora asleep and Matt out with Andrea Green.

"And…we didn't starve," Kelly states with a small snicker as his fingers trail over her bare shoulders and back. Her arms are folded across his bare chest, looking up at her husband as they linger in bed after a romantic union.

"Course we also didn't have too many meals at home together," she replies as her finger draws small circles on his chest.

"You sound disappointed," he comments as he leans in and kisses her forehead; her slumping back down on his chest.

"Sometimes…I wish I had a normal life. Like I should be at home on time like the other mothers or….you know step parents for their kids and husbands and…"

"Hey…what's going on?" Kelly asks as he gently lifts her chin to look at him. "I love you and our life and I know Aurora isn't complaining. This was always going to be our life. I'm not disappointed. Are you?"

"No," she answers in haste as she leans in and kisses him on the lips. "I love our life…I love you and her. I just never want to let you down. Either of you."

"You've put too much pressure on yourself."

"When I hear her ask for her mom or…mention her I just…yeah I worry," she confesses with a heavy sigh as her head rests on his bare chest once more. "You know…I thought it might be nice to invite some of Aurora's friends over for…I don't know maybe the Park or… I think it's supposed to be nice for the next few weeks. Just something informal or…Kelly?" Erin lifts her head to see him looking at her with an adoring smile. "What? Dumb idea?"

"Think it's great and I think Shay would have loved it."

"Happy to hear it," she whispers as she kisses him once more; his arms tightening around her. "And then the fall fair."

"Aurora has a very busy social calendar, and she's only 5," Kelly chuckles. "Anything to keep her happy right?"

"Anything."

Kelly pulls the blankets up tighter around her frame and hugs her tightly.

"Next week is school pictures…kindergarten pictures," Kelly reminds her with a heavy sigh as they prepare to get some sleep. "I hate that Shay's missing so many key milestones. She'd be so excited for tomorrow."

"Yeah…she would. And there's the play," Erin adds with a small huff of her own.

"Oh yeah….which one again?" Kelly inquires.

"Wizard of Oz at Templeton high. Her first field trip."

"That's a lot of firsts," he smiles as he kisses her on the lips.

"Yeah…but they're all good firsts."

The statement was mostly true…most of them would be good but not all…one…one was waiting to deal them all a devastating blow; a blow that would change all their lives. Forever. Darkness was about to fall.

A/N: eeks! Okay so hope you're all still with me and not getting too bored but I just wanted a week of real life 'stuff', family bonding, some broments and of course lots of family time. But the angstyness ramps back up full force up next. So please don't go anywhere! This story is far from over and hope that's okay! remember more reviews = longer stories so please do review before you go and thanks so much!