So another chapter for you, thank you to SweetKittyCat, inlovewith3 and sarahmichellegellarfan1 for your reviews, this means a lot to me. If you were wondering, I imagined Olivia Banner to be portrayed by Lynda Carter.

Chapter 7

Taking a deep breath, Nora waited for Michael to return and grabbed a tissue to dab at her eyes. Not long after, she felt a soft, warm hand at the back of her neck, but the butterflies had already left her.

"Are you with me, just to spite your mother?"

She couldn't stop the words falling from her lips, as her boyfriend sat down across from her, the very spot his mother had occupied only a few minutes ago.

He couldn't believe what he was hearing and reached out his hand to hold onto Nora's as he saw the tears in her eyes. "Torch, what's going on?"

"Your mother told me to leave you, as I would not fit into your society and would only ruin your status."

Gaping at his girlfriend, the banker shook his head, and grabbed both of her smaller hands, laying a kiss in each palm of her hand. "You are not, I told you I love you for who you are. This has nothing to do with upper and lower class."

"Yes it does. You took me to one of your parties. The people there, how they act. How you act in their presence."

"Torch"

"Don't touch me." She stopped him, taking her hands out of Michael's and held them up, so he wouldn't say anything. "Don't call me that. I thought we could work, but I think I could never work with your mother. Those are just two different worlds. All this" she gestured to the restaurant and her clothes. "All this is not me, I never wear heels, only if I have to. And even then I swap them for flats as soon as I get the opportunity. I think we should break it off while we're still ahead."

"Nora, come on."

"No, your mother opened my eyes. I do not fit in. Goodbye Michael." she told him, sniffling, leaving a flabbergasted ex-boyfriend behind in the restaurant.

Reaching down, she opened the ankle straps to her heels and took them off, hailing herself a cab and driving to the only place she felt the safest.

Her relationship with Michael could have worked out, but she would rather run now, while it still didn't hurt so much, then have fall deeper in love with him and have his mother ruin everything. The woman had nearly thrown up on the table, when Nora mentioned that she wanted to open a cafe and worked at the small diner. To that woman she was only a fly on the wall, ready to get rid off.

She would have never fit into his life. He had parties to attend and dinners, needed her to look like a trophy wife, which she obviously wasn't.

"To Firehouse 51, please." she said, brushing the tears of her cheeks as she saw him stumble out of the restaurant, trying to reach her again.

"Hey, darling. You okay?"

Mouch was the first to ask when he saw her come into the common room just before the end of their shift. Nora had already taken down her hair when she was in the cab on the way to 51.

Looking over to the entrance, both Casey and Kelly could see that Herrmann's niece had cried, the tear tracks and runny mascara still visible and slightly smudged on her cheeks. Just as the Squad Lieutenant wanted to go over and ask her what had happened, Christopher, Dawson and Shay walked in from the office entrance.

"Nora, sweety. What's wrong?" her uncle asked and pulled her into a tight embrace, rubbing her back, as she cried softly into his shirt.

Shay went over to her friend and squeezed into the embrace, too, kissing the other blonde's cheek. "What did that fucker do? You know I can be really creative in ways of torture."

Snorting lightly, Herrmann's niece lifted her head, brushing away the new tear tracks and apologizing to her uncle about having gotten make-up on his work shirt. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. Now tell your uncle what's gotten you all in tears."

"I broke up with him."

A loud chorus of 'What?' sounded in the break room and everyone gathered around the small group of three.

"What? Why?" Shay questioned her friend, turning her around so she could search for any kind of injury that would indicate her sudden decision.

Swatting away her hands, Nora grabbed the paramedics hand and gave her a tight lipped smile. "I was with him for three months and in total bliss, that I didn't see, how much I really changed. I never wore any fancy clothing or acted posh just to fit in. I didn't notice it at the parties we attended, but his mother's spiteful and hurtful words opened my eyes."

Leslie gave her a reassuring squeeze, letting her know that she still had the support of her family.

"He is part of the upper class society of America. And I am just a little girl from the suburbs of Chicago."

"Ah, come on. She's a bitch with a stick up her ass. You'll find someone else, someone, that's better for my little girl." Christopher said, kissing her temple and nearly crushing her in his arms again.

Laughing softly, the blonde kissed his cheek and laid her head on his shoulder, looking over it to see Kelly with a soft smile at the kitchen counter. "You sound like daddy."

"Yeah well, I raised you for the last eleven years, so I'm entitled to call you my girl, even my daughter."

Pulling away from her uncle, she turned to Shay, asking if she could borrow some spare clothes.

"Ah, sure, but I don't have a second shirt. Maybe you could ask Kelly or one of the other guys."

Nodding her head, the blonde made her way to the Squad Lieutenant, who sat outside with his team mates at their own table, her bare feet slapping on the cold floor.

When he saw her, Severide pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her cheek. He had heard what had happened with her boyfriend. Somehow he was glad that she had broken up with Michael, because on the upside he might have a chance with her now, but the downside was, Nora was sad, and he hated to see her this way. Though he would still have to wait until he could come out of the closet, knowing Herrmann would have his head if he ever made a move without asking the Captain.

"You all right?"

"Yeah, I, could I get one of your spare shirts? I just wanna get out of these clothes."

Hadley, Capp and Tony chuckled at the look of disgust on her face, having known her since she came with her uncle to the firehouse all those years ago.

"Well now at least we got our little Nora back. You were so posh whenever that stuck up banker came by." Capp told her grinning and hugging her, too, when he got up from his chair.

Kelly shook his head and grabbed her hand leading, the blonde back to the lockers, where Shay was already waiting with a pair of her running capris and some socks for her, as Nora didn't have any shoes with her.

"I thought you could use these while you don't have any flats laying around."

Thanking her friend, Herrmann's niece took the bottoms and socks and followed the Lieutenant back to his own locker.

"I only got my duty shirt, so you gotta walk around as a member of the Squad today."

Laughing softly, she reached out and ran her fingers over the soft material of his shirt. "As long as I don't have to go out with you guys when there's a call, I'm all in."

"Na, don't worry, Torch. I'm not sure if you could handle all the things we get to see every day."

Nodding somberly, Nora watched as Severide left her to change and had to sit down for a few minutes, just mulling over the past hour where she went from extremely happy to right out devastated to happy again.

Life was really a roller coaster, as Ronan Keating so accurately sang in his song. Shaking her head with a loud sigh, the blonde shed her dress, leaving it on the dirty floor, just to get some kind of satisfaction for seeing the truth about Michael and her. She pulled on the capris and Kelly's shirt, which surprisingly still smelled of him, even after being freshly washed. Then she took the socks and grinned as she saw the motive on them. Who knew that Shay could be a real girl sometimes?

Pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail, Nora went back to the common room to see them go on about how they would raise money for a new TV.

"Hey, there she is. Now you look like my girl again." Otis said, earning a shove from Herrmann which caused him to nearly topple over in his chair.

Giggling at their antics, she looked went over to her uncle and stopped in front of him, so she could sit down on the chair, where his feet rested right now.

"Oh look at that. What a cutie you are with these socks." he commented pointing down to her feet.

Smirking, the blonde put them together and pointed down to her toes. "And look, I even got a full picture of the kitten if I stand like that."

"Oh kitty got her claws back out." Cruz said, taking a bite of the meal Mills had cooked for them, but was only rewarded by a scrunched up paper ball flying his way.

"Shut up Cruz." Nora said and sat down next to her uncle, to listen to what Peter had come up with for the charity raise.

"Neighborhood hot dog eating contest."

Raising her eyebrows, she looked over as Mouch commented that it was too tacky for the fundraiser.

"And putting a sign out front begging for a TV is what?"

Snorting, the Captain's niece walked over and high-fived her friend for her own come back.

Otis tuned into the conversation and pointed out, that the blonde paramedic was right in a way.

Mills looked back down to his sheet of paper at what he still came up with. "Okay, how about a T-Shirt booth in the driveway?"

"We already sell T-shirts."

Scoffing, Mills went on. "Yeah, but, I mean, no one can ever find the key to the cabinet, Herrmann never has change in the treasury box."

"Damn, uncle C. That ones bad." the blonde said, laughing loudly

"What it's not my fault, that Shay wanted that elliptical."

Pulling her feet up on the chair, Nora watched him over her knees with a smile. "If I can remember correctly, I think I saw you on it once before."

"That is not true."

"It's a pain in the ass." the candidate continued. "So, we put the shirts out front and display them properly."

"I don't know how that's going to generate enough money."

"And" Peter interrupted Mouch when he was still holding onto his skepticism. "And we get Nicki to man the booth."

"Ding. Done." Christopher said and Nora could already see the gears in his head going round and round.

"Oh come on are you guys for real?"

Cruz returned her uncles gesture with a nod of his own. "Now, that is called putting it over the goal line, Peter Mills."

The two knocked their fists together in a brotherly winning signature, when Shay pipped up from her place at the round table across from Otis.

"Why don't you put her in a bikini while you're at it?" she asked and bumped her own fists with Nora, both women not overly fond of the new secretary in 51's office.

Shrugging Peter looked around at the guys and Otis turned to the paramedic, wanting to know if she really were serious about it or just joking.

"About as serious as putting you in a bikini." she told him and Nora snorted loudly, getting up from her place and walking out to the squad table, only hearing that it would be ridiculous to put the brunette in a bikini and that he got the joke now.

"Hey guys." she said, coming to stand behind her friend and putting her hands on Kelly's broad shoulders. "What are you doing?"

Capp looked up at her, patting the seat next to him, while shoving Severide's booted feet from the chair. "You know the usual. You up for some poker?"

"Sure."

In the corner of her eyes, she could see Casey coming out, preparing for a drill. She knew it was going to be good for the guys. And hopefully improve Matt's mood, too. Her uncle had told her about the call they had had the night before and that Casey was up against some guy from the police.

"So what's your ante, Torch?" Kelly asked as they all started to push in the candy's they usually had as bets.

She looked around, not having anything on her body that could work and she didn't want to get up and chance that the guys at the table were cheating, the blonde smirked. "How about if I win, I choose one of you to go out to dinner with me. If I loose I'll relieve Mills of his cooking duty and do it from now on."

"Oh come on, you're already cooking most of the time. You need to come up with something else." Hadley said pushing the cards over to her.

"Okay, how about I'll wash your clothes and gear for a month?"

Contemplating the Squad team looked at each other and finally nodded their heads.

"Yeah, all right. Now let's start." Capp said, putting on his poker face, but Nora could already see his eyes glinting, knowing he must have had a good hand dealt.

They played for some time, Herrmann's niece always looking over as Casey went on about how Peter had to act while rescuing a downed firefighter in a burning house. The funny thing was, it wasn't just Mills that had to undergo the training but Otis, too, who had been making fun of their candidate ever since he came in late that morning. Matt told them, that the slowest had to mop the apparatus floor, which Nora knew, was very, very dirty, judging by the black stains on the white soles of her socks.

"All right, next one is the last betting round. Capp, your turn."

So far, the blonde had been lucky to not loose against the guys, but she knew Kelly was an excellent poker player, an expert at bluffing. Capp decided to call, having seen the amount of candy that was in the middle of the table and the opportunity to not have to wash his clothes for a month, so everyone had to show their hands.

He only had two pair, while Hadley defeated him with his own straight, because the auburn haired firefighter had an ace in his hand.

Then it was Kelly's turn and Nora could already see him smirk as he put down his cards. "Full house. Sorry gentlemen."

"Ah not so fast, Lieutenant. You forgot I was here, too." the blonde said, as he leaned back in his chair his hands linked behind his head and having a pleased smile on his face.

Biting her lips with a grin, Nora put down her hand and turned over to look at her good friend. All three sat there, gaping at the young woman as they saw her cards.

"Royal Flush. This means, I get all the candy and someone that takes me out to a fancy, high priced dinner."

Just then Hallie, Matt's fiancé came in the bay entrance and brought him lunch. They left together and the blonde watched Gabby's face when she saw the brunette doctor going inside the firehouse. Nora knew that her friend had a crush on Casey and hoped that someday she would get over it, because it wasn't looking like he would split up with Hallie any time soon.

Hadley dealt another game, this time it was not poker, then already having had their fill with the bad game before, when Nicki came out, a large envelope in her hand.

"Hey this came in for you earlier." the brunette secretary told Kelly, three pairs of eyes on them as he thanked her.

He looked inside and raised his eyebrows, turning back to where Nicki had left.

"What's inside?" Nora asked, wanting to know what was going on.

Severide, shook his head, taking the cards back into his hands and getting back into the game. "Don't worry, just some papers."

Raising her own eyebrows at him, the blonde turned back to the entrance of the bay, seeing some guys getting out of a car. They opened the trunk and she could see a brand new flat screen TV sitting there.

Mouch whooped and went inside to tell Casey.

When the two cops, that she now knew where it came from, brought it in, everyone cheered, having scored such a great thing finally. All of them got up from the table and looked over at them.

The only one not happy with this was Matt. "Who's it from?"

"Detective Voight. He saw your sign." one of the cops said, still holding the TV.

"What's that, a 40-inch?" Otis asked pointing at it and the guy in the gray shirt answered, that it was a forty-three inch TV.

Of course the guys would be happy with it, but Casey told them to take it back, of course earning disapproving looks from his fellow firefighters.

"No, no, don't worry. Voight went through all the channels and had it donated to the city, but specified it come here so the Bureau bitches aren't gonna freak out."

Matt didn't want to hear anymore, pointing to the car with a stern look. "Send it back."

Everyone looked at their Truck commander, not sure what was really going on, when the two men that were holding the TV moved back to their car, loading it inside the trunk again.

Boden went up to Casey, wanting to know what was really going on, while Kelly still fingered the envelope. Nora saw that Nicki had gone into the room where they all kept their turn-out gear and her friend followed her.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me." stomping off towards the break room, the blonde looked through the cabinets, wanting something else to think about besides Ms. Secretary and the Squad Lieutenant getting it on in that room.

Pouch walked up to her, the claws on her feet clicking and Nora leaned down, softly rubbing the back of their dog. "Hey there girly, you keeping me company?"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Shay asked, when she and Dawson walked inside the common room.

The blonde looked up, when she pulled out the bag of flour and raked through the fridge. "Making cookies. I need to get the mental pictures of Kelly with Nicki out of my head."

Just then the alarm buzzed, saying there was a jumper. Both female paramedics apologized and left the break room, going to the ambulance.

Sighing, Nora leaned on the counter and watched her friends and family rush up to the trucks. "Just be careful guys." she whispered and went back to preparing the cookie dough.