Trigger Warning Chapter.

Chapter 6

Later that night Stella and Casey were making popcorn in the kitchen, "How scary is this movie supposed to be?" Kelly asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Why are you scared?" Stella asked as she removed the popcorn from the stove.

"No, smartass, I just don't know about watching a doll kill people."

"Are you afraid you will have nightmares?" Casey joked. As he grabbed two bowls from the cabinet

"No, jackass," Kelly said as he threw popcorn at him.

Stella rolled her eyes and said, "I will protect you from the scary doll." she teased. As she pecked his lips.

"I'm not scared," he tells them both in a serious tone. "I just don't understand why Dawson picked this movie."

"Oh, I get it," Casey said.

"What?" Stella asked.

"He's mad because it's not porn."

"Oh, it's not porn; that makes sense," she teased.

"I don't even watch porn." Stella arched her brow at him. Casey gives him a yeah, right look. "Okay, maybe once or twice," He shook his head, "How the hell did we get on that subject?"

Stella laughed, and as she turned back to the popcorn, Kelly watched her pour the popcorn into the bowls. "You know you are the first girl I've watched a movie with; except Dawson, but she doesn't count. Well, and Shay, we watched all kinds of movies together," he said, as he looked off into the distance.

Stella looked up at him and smiled. She could tell how much Shay meant to him. Casey watched as Stella kissed him on the cheek, which brought him out of his thoughts. "You, okay?" she asked, sweetly

"A lot better since I met you." He tells her.

"Here, take this, and I'll get the drinks." She told him as she handed him the bowls. In awe of what he just said.

"It's starting," Gabby yelled.

"Oh boy..." Kelly said, sarcastically.

Stella rolled her eyes and said, "You know, I'm not a big fan of scary movies either."

"Then why are we watching it?"

"Because I know every time, I get scared, I have you to hold on to, to protect me," she said, as she slowly walked backward out of the room. "Plus, I love making out during a movie." She winks at him.

"Well, thank God for scary movies then."

Casey and Dawson cuddled on the loveseat, and Stella and Kelly nestled on the couch together. Gabby looked over at the couple on the couch. Stella was feeding Kelly popcorn, and he would kiss her forehead or her lips every so often. "How long is this movie?"

"Severide quit complaining, and enjoy the movie," Gabby told him.

"I don't want to enjoy the movie, I...

Stella put her finger over his lips to quiet him. "You can enjoy me instead." She whispered in his ear.

"That I can do." He tells her as he connects their lips.

Gabby rolled her eyes and looked back at the movie. Kelly pulled Stella onto his lap and continued to kiss her; she was sitting sideways on him. He moved his hand up her shirt and started squeezing her breast, which caused Stella to moan. Gabby looked over at them in their hot make-out session. " Knock it off." She yelled, throwing popcorn at them.

" What?"

"We are trying to watch a movie, not listen to you two make out."

"Sorry," Stella said, "we will quit."

"Do we have to?" Kelly questioned her.

"Behave," Stella told him, giving him a quick peck. Then she turned her head toward the movie.

Every time something scary happened, Stella would hide her face against Kelly's chest, or she'd press against him and cover her eyes. Each time she touched him, it left a lingering warmth, and he loved it. Stella got so into the movie that she didn't realize that everyone fell asleep on her till the movie was over. Dawson was sleeping on Casey's shoulder, and Casey had his head on top of Dawson's head while sleeping. And Kelly had his head leaning back against the couch while sleeping. Stella slowly gets up and picks up the two-popcorn bowls and the two wine glasses she and Gabby had their wine in. She walks to the kitchen and starts to wash the bowls.

A few minutes later, Kelly walked into the kitchen, seeing Stella bend over the wine cooler and put the wine away. Before she could turn around, he snaked one hand across her mouth and the other one went around her waist. She surprised him by dropping the bottle of wine and elbowing him in the stomach. She fell to her knees, screaming. Kelly just stood there in shock at what had just unfolded. He was unsure what to say or do.

Dawson and Casey ran into the kitchen. "What happened?" Gabby asked as she kneeled beside Stella, who was crying and shaking terribly.

"I think, maybe I scared her; I don't know," Kelly tells them. " Stella, I'm sorry," he says, bending to whisper in her ear.

Her eyes are closed, and she's biting her lip; her body is shaking. Her breathing is heavy; she flinches every time Gabby tries to touch her.

Casey starts cleaning up the wine bottle as Kelly starts to whisper in her ear, "You're okay; no one is going to hurt you; just breathe, breathe," he kept repeating to her. Stella's eyes slowly opened, and her eyes connected with Kelly's. "See, it's just me; I didn't mean to scare you."

She swallows hard, and her breathing goes back to normal. Gabby watched as Kelly cupped her face and said, "See, you're okay, I got you. "He reassured her. He wraps his arms around her and helps her up off the floor.

She realized where she was; she saw the busted bottles, glasses, and wine everywhere. "I'm sorry," she tells Gabby.

"It's fine," Gabby tells her. "Let me get the first aid kit. You must have gotten cut by some glass. You got a cut on your leg."

Stella sits down on the barstool, still hanging on to Kelly. Kelly strokes her hair and kisses the top of her head. He has no idea what caused this, but he needs to protect her to keep her safe. Gabby cleans Stella's cut as she wonders if her little breakdown had anything to do with what she told her the other day. " Gabby I'm sorry, I don't know what happened," Stella tells her, embarrassed, that they all witnessed her little meltdown.

"Honey, it's fine," Gabby assured her. "There's all better." She tells her as she places a bandage on the cut.

"Thank you; I feel so embarrassed."

"You have nothing to feel embarrassed about," Casey told her as he finished cleaning up the mess.

She bit her lip. "I had some bad experiences with people coming up behind me, and when Kelly came up behind me," she said, looking at Kelly. "You covered my mouth and I panicked; mental note: I don't like people coming up behind me."

"Mental note, noted," Kelly said, as he smiled at her. Gabby and Casey exchange looks and Kelly says, "How about I take you upstairs and get ready for bed?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

The four of them exchanged goodnights, and Gabby watched as Kelly walked Stella out of the kitchen. "What's going on?" Casey asked his wife once Stella was out of sight.

"What do you mean?"

"I see the way you're watching her; I can sense something is going on."

"Babe, I honestly don't know; all I know is that New York hasn't been good to her; she's had a hard life."

"But she loves New York."

"No, she hates New York; she told me so."

Casey gives her a confused look. "But she told Severide she loves it there."

It was Gabby's turn to give her husband a confused look. "She did? When?"

"When they came back from being on the boat, Kelly came outside while I was grilling the steaks and told me he and Stella talked about her moving to Chicago."

"Really, what did she say?"

"She said she's happy there, and she loves New York."

"That doesn't make sense; why would she tell me she hates it there but tell Severide she loves it?" Gabby questioned as she bit her bottom lip. Something was off about that situation.

"I don't know, babe, but... You haven't heard anything yet."

" What?"

"Severide is talking to Boden next shift about transferring to New York."

Gabby's eyes widened. "What the hell?" She wasn't expecting that. "And Stella is okay with this?"

Casey shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; he said they talked about it, and she didn't seem against the idea; he said he likes her and wants to be with her."

"But Stella isn't looking for a relationship; she told me that it's just sex between her and Kelly."

"That's not what Severide feels." Casey tells her, "I think it's more than sex too."

"You do?"

"Did you see how they were after coming back from being out on the boat? Holding hands, tickling her, kissing each other every time they pass each other. When we sat for dinner, she fixed his plate, he poured her wine, and they held hands at the dinner table. Then, watching the movie, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. And just a few minutes ago, did you see how he was with her, reassuring her she was safe? She didn't let you touch her, but she left him. I don't care what Stella says; there is more going on between them than sex."

"She is in denial," Gabby said, as she thought about everything Casey just said. "She's feeling what he's feeling, but she's not allowing herself to feel it." She paused for a second. "Which is why she told him she was happy in New York; she thought if she told him she was happy there, he would drop the subject."

"But instead, he probably took her by surprise when he said he would move to New York."

"Yep," Gabby replied, finally making sense of things.

"Come on, babe, let's go to bed," Casey told her as he grabbed her hand. "They are adults; they need to figure things out themselves."

Kelly sat on the edge of his bed, Stella went to the guest room, and he went to his room. He didn't want to sleep alone, but he didn't want to make a big deal about it. He is still not sure what happened down the stairs. He can sense there is more to what she told him; there is a reason why she hates people coming up behind her. A knock at his door brought him back to his thoughts. He sighed, figuring it was Casey. "Come in."

" Hey,"

He was surprised when he realized it was Stella. "Hey, are you okay?" He asked as he walked to her. He had to control himself; she had on a short silk purple spaghetti-strap nightgown. He wanted to pull her to him and have his way with her, but he was more concerned about what happened downstairs and if she was okay.

"I'm okay," she tells him. "I was wondering if I can sleep in here with you; it's kind of lonely in my room." She tells him with a half-smile.

"Of course," he tells her. He pulls her to him and kisses her sweetly. He walks her to the bed, she climbs in under the covers, and he follows behind her. He pulls her to him, and she lays her head on his chest. She smiles as she feels his arms tighten around her.

"Kelly, I'm sorry about earlier; it wasn't you that scared me."

"Hey, it's fine; forget about it." He tells her as he kisses the top of her head.

She closed her eyes. She doesn't want to forget about it; she wants to talk to him; it makes her feel safe to talk to him. She's never felt like she could tell anyone what happened to her, but she swears that Kelly can see into her soul, and he makes her want to tell him everything. "I was attacked."

He looks down at her and says, "What?"

"The reason I don't like people coming up behind me is that I was attacked that way lots of times." Her voice is low, but he can hear her.

" Oh, Stella I didn't know."

"No one did; when I tried to tell people, no one believed me."

He moves so he is face-to-face with her; he keeps her close to him; he just wanted to see her face. "What happened?"

She looked at him for a while as she debated within herself. "My aunt's boyfriend Sonny and his friends were always watching me, licking their lips, and touching themselves. I began to feel more and more uncomfortable with their roving eyes. Sonny started commenting frequently on how I'd grown into such a fine woman, while his eyes would be staring at my chest or my ass. He took to finding opportunities to brush against me 'accidentally'.

Once, after dinner, while I was washing the dishes, he came up behind me, asking if I needed help with the dishes. Before I could refuse, he'd slipped his arms undermine from behind and was pressing up against me, so that I had to lean forward toward the sink. I could feel the heat of his groin right up against my ass. I remember gasping and him chuckling as he gave a quick grind of his groin against me. Then he left the room.

I told my aunt about what happened, but she said I was probably overreacting. She idolized this man, and I never really understood why.

He never touched me or looked at me with my aunt in the same room, but he became less subtle in his overtures toward me. Frequently, he'd comment on how nicely my chest was filling out, or he'd eye my crotch with such intense scrutiny right in front of me. At every opportunity, he tried to cop a feel of my breasts or grope my ass, always trying to make it seem like it happened accidentally. As the months went by, he started getting bolder and more demanding. Sonny and Paul would come up behind me when I was washing clothes, dishes, vacuuming, whatever. They would grab me and put their nasty hand over my mouth so my aunt wouldn't hear me screaming. " She closed her eyes as the tears fell.

"They would feel all over me and tell me how beautiful I was and what they planned to do to my body." She paused, "I figured I could survive it; they never actually had sex with me. Paul, my aunt's boyfriend's friend, wanted to, but Sonny would say no, she's a virgin; we can't take her virginity. Even though he grossed me out, I was happy he said that. "

"My aunt was working two jobs; she was never there; one night she was at work, and Sonny was working too. So, I didn't lock my door. I went to bed, and a few hours later I was woken up by someone climbing into my bed. I jumped. It was Paul and some guy I didn't know. The guy I didn't know put tape over my mouth. And Paul took my shorts off. he kept saying, See, I told you that she was a beauty. The other guy was like, she's a virgin, and Paul was like, not after we're done. I started crying when I realized what was about to happen."

" Stella..." He whispered as his thumb wiped away the tears. "Sssh," he pulled her close to him as she cried. A few minutes later, "How old were you?"

"Sixteen, she whispered... "I would cry as they touched me and kissed me, but they didn't care. I tried fighting them, but they were stronger. They tied my hands to the railing of my bed. The guy I didn't know was squeezing my breast hard, and Paul had his fingers in me. He kept saying he couldn't wait to feel how tight I was. My body betrayed me; I was getting wet. That edged them on; they got so excited that I was wet... They were always slipping their hands in my panties; it was something they did all the time. They were always sucking my breast, grabbing my ass, or fingering me. This was the first time Paul stuck his tongue in me. I didn't know what he was doing or why my body liked it. My head was screaming no. Paul stood up and looked at me; he said, I knew you were going to taste good; the other guy got between my legs, and he did the same thing Paul did. " She swallowed hard. "I kept thinking this is okay; they haven't taken my virginity; maybe this is all they want. But. I looked down a few minutes later, and Paul was naked; he had his dick in his hand. He winked at me and said, I'm about to make you a woman." Stella was sobbing uncontrollably now.

Kelly didn't know what to say, and his heart broke for her. He wanted to ask more questions, but he didn't want to overstep. "Hey, relax. You're safe now." He tells her, and he kisses her tears away.

She opens her eyes and says, "I've been through a lot, Kelly; I'm pretty broken; you don't know what you're getting yourself into with me."

He kissed her forehead. "I don't care about your past, Stella. I'm not going anywhere. I want to be the one to help fix you if you'll let me."

She touches his cheek and asks, "What if I'm not fixable?"

"I don't believe that, and I'm going to show you that you are fixable." He tells her as he caresses her cheek. She smiles at him. and lay her head on his chest. She felt him kiss the top of her head.

He whispered, "Your safe." again. Making her calm down a little, she closed her eyes as Kelly lovingly stroked her hair. Maybe, just maybe, opening up to him wasn't a bad idea, it was the last thought in her head before she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

Kelly smiled, as he noticed she was asleep. His mind was still going, with tons of questions; he wanted to know everything; he hated not knowing; but he was happy that she had left him in a bit and that she was here with him in his arms. He wasn't sure how, but somehow, someway, he was going to help her realize she wasn't as broken or unfixable as she thought. He was going to teach her that life can be beautiful and help her put the past in the past. No matter how long it takes, he's pretty positive that he's holding his future in his arms, but to get her on the same page, he knows it is going to take some time, and he is going to wait for her.

The next morning, Casey was making coffee when Stella and Kelly walked into the kitchen holding hands. "Morning," he said to the happy couple.

"Morning," they said at the same time.

"Where Gabby?" Stella asked as Kelly grabbed two coffee mugs.

"Out on the deck, she said it was a beautiful morning; she wanted us to drink our coffee outside."

"Cool," Stella said, as she took the coffee Kelly poured for her. "Thank you." She tells him she pecks his lips. "I'm going to go talk to Gabby."

"Okay, babe." He tells her this as he watches her walk out the back door.

Casey arched an eyebrow. " Babe?" He questioned.

"What?"

"You guys getting serious?"

"I've never felt anything like this before; I think I love her."

"You think?"

"Well, I'm not sure because I've never been in love, so it's not like I know the signs."

"When you love someone, you feel it deep inside," Casey tells him.

"I have an intense feeling inside when I'm around her or thinking about her, but I also feel a bit unsure because it feels so strong. "

"Well, my friend, that sounds like love to me," Casey tells him. "Is the feeling mutual?"

Kelly sighed. "She's not on the same page as me yet, but she will be." Casey nods. " Last night was the first night I slept with a girl, just slept."

Casey arched his eyebrow. " No sex?' He questioned

Kelly smiled, " No, we did not have sex, we talked, and kissed a few times, a held her and she fell asleep with her head on my chest. It was a pretty great feeling."

Casey smiled, " I would say it sounds like the feelings are mutual." He wanted to ask about last night, but he knew it wasn't his business, " So you still going to New York?"

Kelly shrugged, " I love Chicago, it's my home, I love 51 but I'm willing to give it all up for her if she wants me to, as long as I have her, I don't care where I lived."

Gabby smiled as Stella walked out onto the deck. "Good morning, sleep well?"

"I did actually," Stella said, as she sat down beside her.

"I had my earplugs ready last night but never heard you moan," Gabby said, laughing.

Stella blushed "Believe it or not, we didn't have sex last night."

" What?"

"We just slept together, my head on his chest and his arms around me. We talked a little and then drifted off to sleep."

Gabby was surprised. "That's new for you, right?"

"Yeah, it is," Stella said, as she thought about last night. "There's a sense of calm with him; there's a divine force telling me I'm on the right path. It doesn't always feel easy or even necessarily positive, but it always feels like I'm right where I need to be."

"That's a big change from the, I'm not the relationship time attitude you had a few nights ago."

Stella shrugs: "I can't explain it; I've never felt anything like this before. I'm not saying it's love, because I have nothing to compare it to, but it might be, and that scares me. I'm afraid to take the risk, honestly."

Gabby grabbed her hand and said, "If anything, the risk is what makes it exciting. Love pushes you to open yourself up completely to another person, to really be seen and understood. And despite the possibility of heartbreak, we do it anyway. Love is a huge risk, but it seems to be one we're all willing to take. I took it, and I don't regret it either."

Stella gave her a small smile and said, " I think I'm curious about taking it, he makes me want to take it." She tells her,

" He'll be worth it, he's a great guy, Stella," Gabby told her. Stella smiled at her. " He is one of the good ones."

Stella just sat there with a huge smile on her face, she was going to respond but noticed Kelly and Casey coming out the backdoor. "So, what's the plan today, ladies?" Kelly asked as he pulled a chair up next to Stella.

Gabby watched as Stella grabbed his hand. She has three days left here—three days to convince her Chicago is where she sure be. "Gabby and I have a funeral to attend."

"Who died?" Kelly asked.

"Cindy's brother was killed by a drunk driver," Casey said.

"Damn, I didn't know," Kelly said as he thought about the Herrmann's

"Yeah, it was a few days ago; we were just going to stop in and pay our respects."

"That's how my mom died," Stella said as she looked off into the distance.

Kelly looked at her and said, "Really?" he asked, he knew her mom died when she was fifteen, but not how.

"Yeah, it's crazy. I always questioned why God saved me and not my mom."

"You were in the car?" Kelly asked.

She looked over at him and said, "Yeah, Gabby and I both were; we were fifteen."

Casey looked at Gabby. "You never told me you were in an accident."

"Sorry, it's not something I like to think about; Stella's mom was like my second mom." She told him as she squeezed Stella's hand. "Her mom just picked us up from school; we were singing to Janet Jackson," Gabby laughed.

Stella smiled and said, "My mom loved Janet."

"I remember, we were at a red light just dancing and singing off-key, and the next minute we were being pulled out of the car by the CFD. taking to the hospital."

"We had bruises and cuts, nothing major," Stella paused. "Then Gabby's mom walked into the room; by the way, she said my name, I already knew my mom was gone." She said as a few tears dropped.

"The officer on the scene told my parents that the man was drunk and fell asleep at the wheel," Gabby said as she wiped her tears away.

"I'm sorry," Kelly said, as he wrapped his arm around Stella.

"After she died, everything changed, and I wished I died that day."

"Stella, don't say that," Gabby yelled.

"I'm glad you didn't," Kelly said as he lifted her chin to look at him. "Please don't say things like that; I know life was a struggle for you, and I hate what you've been through. I believe there is a reason we met on that plane. I wish I could take all the pain you've been through away."

Stella closed her eyes as she leaned into Kelly's chest. He held her tight to him. It was quiet for a bit. She pulled back, giving Kelly a look of gratitude. "It's good that you three have each other and can count on each other," Stella told them as she laid her head on Kelly's shoulder.

"We are pretty lucky," Casey said.

"You have us too, you know," Gabby said. "You could transfer Firehouses and move back to Chicago. We would be glad to have you here."

"I know I would love it," Kelly added as he kissed the top of her head.

Stella smiled, then sighed. "That sounds nice, but..." she said, as she thought about everything.

"But what? What is keeping you in New York?" Casey asked.

"Is it Stacy or Devin, your aunt? Are they the reason you don't want to leave?" Gabby asked, hoping to get some insight into what was keeping her in New York.

"Who are Stacy and Devin? " Kelly asked. As he played with her fingers.

Stella sighed "Stacy was my best friend in New York, the first friend I made there."

"The one that died," Kelly said, remembering their conversation on the boat about her best friend's death.

Gabby gave them a confused look. " What?" She asked, she didn't tell her that part of the story.

"Yeah, she committed suicide when she was sixteen," Stella said, as her voice cracked.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, Stella," Gabby said. As she and Kelly exchanged looks. " That's awful,"

"It was my fault," Stella whispered, " her death, Devin's death, and my aunt's death were my fault, everything was my fault." She tells them, as she cries into Kelly's chest.