Title: Plan C
Chapter 24 – Getting Back on the Right Track

"You have good timing…my 8:30am just cancelled. So why not…"

"I don't know…okay so what do we do first…just tell you what…about the shooting right and…" Erin starts only to have Nick offer a small smirk; her brows arching in wonder. "What is it?"

"You and Kelly really are alike. He too came in here…wanted to jump right into it and figured he'd just blurt out everything and…that'd be it."

"I have to talk about my past?" Erin guesses as Nick offers her a sympathetic expression.

"We are going to talk about the shooting. I'm assuming that's why you're here."

"Is that what Kelly said?"

"I heard on the news that Detective Erin Severide was one of the officers who was inside the building at the time of the shooting. Her and her partner, Detective Jay Halstead…this is about you Erin, not Kelly. We talked about him…but now we're going to talk about you. Right?"

"Kelly blames me," Erin states flatly as Nick's brow furrows. She gives him a tight lipped smile before she quickly looks down at her fingers as they fiddle with the edge of her jacket. Erin looks back up and feels her nervous anxiety starting to gain a bit of momentum. "That was wrong…right?"

"Feelings aren't wrong but can be misplaced or misguided…or even misinterpreted. But instead of jumping around, let's start from the top. What was the start of the day like?"

"It was…really?"

"Yes really. Were you at work? Do you like your work?"

"Yeah…sure I uh…yes I was at work. I had a court case to wrap up. I was late…half hour and…I should have been in that room. I carry a gun…I could have taken out the shooter. It was my fault…Preeti was right."

Nick looks at her defeated posture as she looks up with a sad, watery gaze and offers a heavy sigh. "Let's just take it one moment at a time okay?"

"Okay," Erin agrees with a small huff. "I don't want to lose Kelly or Aurora."

"Trust me…that won't happen. Now…you were late because of the case. Tell me what happened when you got there. Did you talk to anyone else besides your partner?"

"I uh…my friend…Preeti. She texted me. And I uh…I failed her."

"Okay…let's start with that."

XXXXXXXX

Erin exits the emotionally charged session about an hour later, thanking Nick with a tight lipped smile and hurrying for the bathroom; where she finally breaks down. But this time…her tears aren't the same as the ones she shed the past few nights.

Today, they're almost…tears of relief. She splashes some cold water on her face and then looks at her expression in the mirror. They had talked about the lead up to the shooting and her thoughts on her promise to Preeti and the real life expectations that went with it. Nick only had 45 minutes to give her on that short notice and didn't want to bombard her with discussing everything all at once, but assured her that at the end of today's session she was on the right track to letting go of her needless guilt and self-condemnation.

She gives herself a nod and then heads outside, taking in some fresh air as she pulls her phone and dials her husband.

"Erin?"

She pauses for a few seconds, offering a small sniffle as Kelly's anxiety on the other end starts to rise; her lungs gently heaving.

"Erin…are you okay? Where are you?" Kelly asks in haste, his mind jumping to the worst case scenario conclusion.

"I uh…" he takes a deep breath and then looks out over the marina with a somewhat relieved smile. "I'm okay."

"But…where are you? Come on…tell me where you are I'll come there."

"I'm okay," she replies with a calmer tone. "I …I just saw Nick."

"Really?"

"I'm just a bit worn out…emotionally."

"Not that I'm not happy but…what happened?"

"Yeah last night…Aurora…she…I had to do this. I just came here and…he was great," she replies as she leans against the side of the building and takes a deep breath, closing her eyes a few seconds. "I feel…better. I love you so much Kelly...I had to do this…for us."

"Hey, it's okay. I'm glad you did. Wanna meet for lunch?"

"I'd like that," she answers with a small nod and smile. "Thank you…for suggesting Nick. He…"

"You don't have to tell me…at least not like this," Kelly assures her. "We'll talk more later."

"Okay."

Erin hangs up and then takes a few deep breaths and heads toward her car; her mind anxious to get to see Shawna for coffee and then her husband for lunch. But as soon as she arrives at the designated place for lunch, her anxiety has lessened and she's ready to embrace the next part of the day with a clearer mind.

"Hey," she greets Shawna with a warm hug; the two of them heading into the small coffee shop and taking a seat near the window.

"How are you?" Shawna asks in concern.

"Better now," Erin replies with a friendly smile. "How are your wedding plans? Just a few more weeks right?"

"That's right. Wow two weeks. Okay so…"

Shawn's voice trails off as she talks about wedding plans, taking Erin's que and the next half hour will prove to be light and friendly – just what the doctor ordered, literally.

XXXXXXXX

"Hey." This time it's Kelly's turn to greet his wife with a warm smile as she nears their meeting place for lunch. He greets her with a warm embrace, holding her a few seconds before they sit down in the small booth. "Did you save room for lunch?"

"I only had coffee with Shawna."

"How is she?"

"She's good…we talked about the wedding and…just stuff. I thought she might ask about the shooting…she did briefly but I didn't want to talk too much about it and she was okay with it. It was…good," she admits with a heavy sigh as her fingers intertwine with her husbands above the burn bandages and her somewhat stormy gaze affixes on the band of gold on his finger and linger. "After I talked to Nick…I felt free. Silly?"

"No I get it. That's great," Kelly agrees as his fingers tighten around hers, her gaze finally lifting. "It is…right?"

"Yeah it's good. I wanted to hold on to my guilt but um…Nick's a stubborn guy," she answers lightly.

"I know. I'm glad you went to see him."

"Then I went and saw Voight. Working up the nerve to go and see Preeti but um…but this was a good start. I still feel guilty and Nick said that was normal but um….but not so much so that I walk down…that path," she confesses with a slightly raspy gasp; her fingers tightening around his.

"Don't feel obligated to tell me okay? I don't want you to feel that you have to."

Her expression softens as she gives him a nod and then tells him a bit more about her discussion with Shawna, happy to have a mutual friend that was able to take her mind off the shooting anguish for even a half hour. He then goes on to tell her about his talk with Matt about Andrea and the call he missed by getting caught in the car fire.

They enjoy their lunch and then afterwards, go for a walk, her arm looping through his to keep from adding further pressure to his burnt hands. They talk a bit about her session…both their sessions, Matt and Andrea, staying at the hotel the night of the wedding, the fall fair this upcoming weekend and when to start looking for a new place for them all.

"I liked today," Erin confesses as the two of them sit side by side on the swings on the playground outside Aurora's preschool – waiting for her to come out. "I mean us…this…just you know hanging," she pauses with a small smile as his mind races back in time to when he showed up on her doorstep and asked her to 'just hang' with them.

"Yeah…me too," Kelly agrees. A few seconds later his vision kinda mists as he gets a faraway gaze that Erin can't help but inquire about. "It was about a month after Shay died and…it was a week before Aurora started here…I saw this woman, looked just like Shay….was named Leslie…I remember hating this place in that moment," he confesses with a heavy sigh as Erin's brows gently lift in wonder. "I came around but…but I always wonder what Shay would think of this…Aurora in school, growing up…I just…sorry," he shakes his head and offers a nervous chuckle.

Her hand reaches out and rests on his, prompting his gaze to lift and lock with hers. "Don't ever be sorry or afraid to talk about her okay. I miss Shay too. I wonder if I'm helping Aurora in the best way. Would she approve of the outfits I pick or the advice I give or…or blame me for mistakes I've made. I want us to talk about her…or this or…or whatever."

His lips break a smile as he looks over and nods. "Isn't the fall fair this weekend?"

"No, it's…oh yeah it is," she replies with a small frown.

"We don't have to go if you don't want…" Kelly states in haste.

"No…one thing Nick said was…it was natural to think of Preeti and Jasmine but not to let myself wallow. Easier said than done," she declares flatly.

"I get it. At least we can remind each other right?"

"Right," she states as she looks over with a smile.

A few seconds later the bell rings and both of them look up to see a stream of children start to steadily stream out of the building. Aurora at first looks around for Pauline but is then directed to look toward the park; turning so in wonder but then breaking into a broad smile.

"DADDY! ERIN!" She shouts happily as she races toward them.

"Hey love bug," Kelly greets his daughter by scooping her up into his grasp and hugging her tightly before she wiggles out of his arms and gives Erin a hug, Kelly's smile widening even more.

'What if Aurora doesn't like them….you know whatever woman I find?'

Shay had snorted at his question, making him shake his head and start to walk away. 'Kelly hold on. Aurora will love whoever loves her back. A woman would be nuts not to love you…yeah yeah put the big ego away,' she paused to swat him on the shoulder. 'But not all might love her. When someone loves Aurora…you'll know and you'll love that 'woman' even more and I'll love her and we'll all be one big happy loving family.'

Remembering Erin's confession from the night before about telling Aurora that she loved her and Aurora saying it back and now watching Aurora showing Erin the little dolly she made in class makes his heart swell even more.

"Where's gramma Pauline?" Aurora inquires as she hops onto the swing with her father's help.

"She'll be back tomorrow," Kelly explains as Aurora says okay; hopping off the swings a few moments later and racing toward the monkey bars. They both get off the swings and slowly head toward the other play area of the school yard, talking about the area and upcoming event on the weekend.

Aurora starts to swing on the overhanging bars, threatening at one time to nearly fall off and take a tumble toward the hard ground, but Kelly's strong arms quickly reach out and pull her toward him and safety; the little girl, totally oblivious to the danger, laughing all the way.

After they are finished playing at school, they head for home, both of them asking a few questions about Aurora's day; wanting to see if she was still okay with her substitute teacher and Jasmine's absence.

That night the mood is light and the conversation relaxed, loving and friendly. The two of them get so lost in conversation that they fail to realize what Aurora is doing until she comes and stands between them with a box in her grasp.

"Can we play daddy?"

Kelly looks at the title of the game and then at Erin who looks at him in amusement. "Uh…where did you find that?"

"Under your bed?"

"Better lock my side drawer," Erin mutters as her cheeks gently warm.

"Hmm did you ask if you could go into daddy's bedroom when there was no one inside?" Kelly asks seriously.

"No," Aurora replies sadly, her bottom lip slightly pulling down and her eyes offering a look of remorse.

"I should say no because you know the rules but this is a family friendly game and I think we can play it."

"Yay!"

"But…if you go into my bedroom, or Uncle Matt's without asking either of us first there will be some punishment okay?"

"Yes daddy," Aurora replies with a small frown.

"Really? Twister?" Erin's brows arch in amusement.

"It's…we'll just go easy."

"Yeah…that's what I was worried about," she retorts dryly as his lips offer a chuckle.

They move the coffee table to the side and Aurora excitedly helps push a few large floor cushions out of the way and then unfold the big plastic mat with large round brightly colored circles on them. She starts to jump around on the mat, squealing with delight when her father scoops her up into the air and swings her around until she's standing beside them.

"So here is the deal…you have to spin the arrow on this card and then follow the instructions," Kelly informs his daughter as she grabs it from his hand and spins the black arrow.

"What's that daddy?"

"Left foot…Green dot," Kelly tells her as he points to where his daughter should stand. "No goober…other foot on the white space."

Aurora looks up with a grin and he can only shake his head as he hands the board to Erin.

"Nothing too strenuous so far," she comments as Kelly spins the card and joins them on the board. He passes it to Aurora whose arrow lands on the blue dot; two rows over.

"Nice try…your left foot has to stay on the greet dot while your right hand goes to the blue dot."

"Why?" Aurora looks up in wonder.

"Good question, but thems the rules," he counters with a cheeky grin as she tries to grab the card from his grasp. "Nope…you wanted to play. First one to lose their balance loses."

Erin gives him a playful slap on the shoulder and then spins. "Okay so…I have one foot on the Green and now one on the Red? Of course both at the opposite ends," she groans as she tries to do the splits.

"We need this for the bedroom," he wags his brows as she tosses a pillow at his head; Kelly laughing as he spins the wheel. "I have to…great," he huffs as he bends over, one hand on yellow and the other on blue.

"Couldn't resist," Erin giggles after giving his ass a good swat; Aurora laughing at the same time. "Spank me later."

"I will," Kelly tosses back with an eyebrow wag.

"I like this game."

"Me too! Me too!" Aurora declares as she breaks formation and spins the black arrow.

"That's because you cheat!" Kelly teases his daughter who looks at her next instruction with an eager glance. "Uh oh…Aurora can't reach."

"Not fair daddy!" She looks at him crossly; the two adults unable to hold back their laughter. But she shows her determination and is able to complete the somewhat acrobatic request.

"Okay…this isn't…much better," he groans as his right hand lands on the blue dot. "Gonna need a massage after this."

"Full body…" Erin adds as she looks for a way to complete her next task.

About twenty minutes later the front door opens and Matt slowly enters; hearing the somewhat raucous laughter and wondering what on earth is going on. His question is quickly answered when he rounds the corner and literally stops short – looking at Kelly, Erin and Aurora all jumbled together on the large Twister mat.

"Come play with us Uncle Matt!" Aurora calls out.

He offers a laugh as he nears, Kelly looking at him upside down through his legs. "Might get a bit too friendly," he declines with a laugh as he plunks down onto the couch. "Who's turn?"

"Erin's," Kelly quickly volunteers.

"How's Andrea?" Erin inquires while trying to complete her next task.

Matt can only laugh as he watches, answering Erin's question and then telling them about the rest of his visit with his recovering girlfriend.

"I win!"

"Cheater!" Kelly pokes his daughter in the chest after they had all collapsed on each other.

"Let's play again! Again daddy!"

"How about…you and Uncle Matt play a round and then…it's bed time."

"Please Uncle Matt? Please?" Aurora begs with a sweet face.

"Hard to say no to that," Matt confesses as Aurora jumps up and down with a happy smile; clapping her hands as she quickly spins the wheel. "Fast learner," Matt comments as Kelly nods.

"Gets that from Shay," Kelly chuckles.

About half hour later, Matt collapses to the floor, conceding defeat and letting Aurora jump up and down on the mat declaring her second victory.

"Again! Again!" Aurora shouts as she jumps up and down.

"Nope bedtime. And I think the Twister game is going out of the reach of little arms!" Kelly declares as he hoists his daughter into the air under one arm and carries her laughing frame to her bedroom.

Erin and Matt clean up the living room, while Kelly puts his daughter to bed and then both say goodnight and disappear into their respective bedrooms.

"You were quiet earlier…what's going on?" Kelly asks as they both climb into bed. "Didn't like the game?"

"I loved the game," she answers with a small smile before a frown returns. "No, it's just…ah maybe I'm over thinking things or…it's nothing."

"Still feeling guilty? About going to the fair on the weekend?" Kelly gently pries.

"No…that's not it," she replies as she looks up with a serious expression. "When you were injured yesterday and I got the call I…I was worried of course but…but my next thought was…what would happen to Aurora if…something happened to you?"

"Erin…"

"And I was wondering…or thinking about…tell me if it's a ba….ah damn okay here goes, I'd like to legally adopt Aurora."

A/N: So I didn't want to dwell too much on the therapy sessions b/c they are tough for me also to write but I hope you all got the picture that Erin's on the path to recovery and of course Kelly couldn't be happier. Ah who doesn't love Twister haha so you all liked their happy family time and of course some couple bonding time and then…the next big question at the end! How will Kelly react to this? Please do review before you go and thanks so much!