Conquering Chicago (Chicago Fire 1)

Can I stay here?

It only seemed like yesterday that Emily was getting out of the hospital, and now she was on her way back from Washington DC with Derek Morgan - after staying with him for almost three weeks. After what had happened, Emily felt like she needed some time away. She needed time to figure out what it was she wanted to do with her life. Her brothers, Gabby, Brett and Kelly had all reached out to her while she was away. But all they had gotten back was a send to all text saying 'When I'm back, we can talk'. Secretly she had been hoping that her return date would never come around, but it did. The conversations she didn't want to have but would have to were coming around quicker than she could articulate.

She pulled her bags out of the book of her car and slowly unlocked the door to her house. The house that didn't even feel like a home anymore. The house was just full of bad memories. The couch in the living room was were Emily had looked down the barrel of a gun, while her capture threatened to kill her family. The floor by the front door, was where the body's of the two men that had tried to kill her had lay - after Emily ended their lives. If she looked closely, Emily was sure she could still see the blood strain. Just looking around the rooms gave her the chills. Instead of unpacking her bags, Emily locked the front door and got back in her car.

She sat in her car for a moment before looking towards the apartment building she knew so well. Knowing that she should really explain herself to her friends, especially to Kelly Severide. The firehouse seemed quiet when she finally arrived, the crew of Truck 81 where outside - doing drills. Emily sat in her car for a few minutes, watching as they continued their drills. After taking a few deep breaths, she finally got out of her car and walked towards the house. Matt was the first to notice her. "Halstead, your back" He said, not really sure what else he could say to the Halstead sibling. 

"Hey, Matt" Emily said, before turning on her heels and saying a quick hello to the crew of Truck 81.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked, wondering if she was here to sort everything out.

"I need to talk to Severide" Emily told her friend, looking towards the empty Squad table. The one that was usually full with a card game going on over it.

"He's in his office" Matt told Emily, watching as she nodded. After saying a quick goodbye, Emily walked into the heart of the firehouse. The closer to Severide's office she got, the louder her heart seemed to beat. Emily stopped in her tracks for a minute, looking through the window of his office. Severide was sitting at his desk, looking like he was finishing off some paper work. In reality, he was thinking about his decisions. A knock on his door caught his attention. Whipping his head to see who it was, he found himself shocked to see Emily standing there. Looking at him. Severide looked at her for a moment, before motioning for her to come in.

"Hi" Was all Severide could bring himself to say to her, Emily understood this. She knew that he was hurt, after all - she had just upped and left. "I didn't know you were back" Severide said, his eyes never leaving her as she took a seat on his cot bed. 

"I've just got back this morning" Emily told him "I was wondering if you'd have some time to talk. There's some things you need to know" She said, watching carefully as Severide nodded back at her. "I needed to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm sorry I just took off. And I'm sorry that I told you I was drunk when I said I loved you. I wasn't drunk" Emily started. 

"I left because I was scared. Every time I get close to someone, they get hurt. Or worse. I care about you. And I don't want to screw up what we have here, because that's important to me. But then, at the same time. I can't be selfish with you. We need to just be friends. That's it" Emily said. Taking a breath when she had finished talking. 

Severide stopped for a minute, not sure what to say to her. Until he remembered Shay, and he knew if she was still here - she would kick his ass for not saying something now. "Are you finished?" Severide questioned, only leaving Emily to nod back in response. "I already knew you weren't drunk. It's just, I care about you. And I think you know that. But, if you just want to be friends. That's good. If you want to be together, for real. I'm ready for that too. I just need to know you are too" Severide said to her, trying to be as calm as he could be. 

"I can't. I care about you too much. I'm sorry" Emily said, walking out of his office. Severide was left standing there, watching her leave. He understood the situation. And if she needed time, that's what he was going to give her. Friends was okay for now.

For a while, Emily drove around before pulling up outside Jay's apartment building. When he answered the door, Jay just looked at his sister. No words were exchanged between the two, he just opened the door wide enough for her to walk past him. Emily took a seat on his couch, and a few minutes later - Jay sat next to her. Passing her a beer. Even though the two Halstead siblings both had tempers as bad as the other, whenever they needed each other - the other would be there. On some level, Jay could tell what was going on with his sister. Either way, he wasn't going to press the subject. "Can I stay here?" Emily asked. 

Jay didn't answer her, instead he put his arm around her and pulled Emily into a hug. Her face rested on his chest and he kissed the top of her head. Even when they were kids, Jay would do this. Showing his sister that he would be there for her. And again, he was keeping his promise.

Hey guys,

Short Chapter

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