Disclaimer : I do not own Chicago Fire or any of the show's characters.

Hi everyone! This is my first Chicago Fire fanfic. I hope you all enjoy and go easy on me. I'm still planning out where this whole story is headed. I tried really hard to go back and make sure all my grammar and spelling was correct but I apologize if I missed anything.

- : - Chapter One : Meeting Among Embers - : -

"Severide, report," Chief Wallace Boden's voiced boomed through the radio. "Severide!"

Nothing but static replied. The call had started off as a small electrical fire but by the time Truck 81, Rescue Squad 3 and Ambulance 61 had reached the old, six story apartment complex the building was completely engulfed. Firefighters were rushing into the inferno to evacuate the residents. The third story widow shattered against the pressure of the flames and the sound of glass hitting the concrete rang out.

"Chief," Lieutenant Matt Casey's voice spoke out through the radio. "We gotta pull back, It's going collapse any minute!"

"Everybody, fall back now," ordered Boden. "Squad 3 report!"

"We're all out Chief but Severide's still in there," reported Capp.

Boden was about to send reinforcements when Lieutenant Kelly Severide burst through the front entrance. He was carrying in his arms a young woman wrapped in a charred bed comforter.

"She breathed in a couple of bad lungfuls of smoke and burns on her back," Kelly rattled off as he set her gently on the gurney.

"Thanks, you okay,' asked Leslie Shay, his best friend and one of the paramedics.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kelly assured her.

"She got my kids out," a middle-aged woman spoke up, running towards the gurney. "They were in their bedroom and I doing laundry downstairs. She went in and got them out of bed. Is she going to be okay?"

"She's stable for now ma'am but we've got to get her to Chicago Med," Leslie informed her.

The fire was quickly contained with all the residents safe and accounted for. It was late in the night when Shay and Dawson pulled up from dropping the woman off at Chicago Med. Mouch was at his usually place in front of the TV, Peter Mills was cooking up a quick late supper and Rescue squad, of course, was at their usual table.

As they walked in, Kelly got up and asked, "Shay, how's the girl doing?"

"She's going to be okay but they're still keeping her for observation," said Dawson. "She was asking the firefighter that saved her on the ride over. There's still two hours of visiting time left if you want to go over and see her."

"Okay, thanks," said Kelly.

Chief Boden was just getting off the phone when Kelly knocked on his door. Giving the lieutenant a quick nod, Boden signaled him to come in. "You all right," the chief asked, giving him a once over.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I had Shay check me out," Kelly answered. "Is it all right if I duck out for a little bit? I wanna go check on that girl I pulled from the Kent fire."

"Just make sure to keep your radio on," Chief nodded his approval.

Chicago Med was packed as usually. The hospital never slept. After getting her room number from the nurse at the front desk, Kelly made his way over to room 324. She was sleeping when he walked in. Her dark, black hair was pulled back into a braid. An IV was running through her thin arm. Monitors were beeping a steady heart rhythm. Taking a seat next to her bed, Kelly gently grabbed her hand and held it in his.

Severide watched as her eyes, warm orbs of brown, fluttered opened. "Take it easy," Kelly warned her as she tried to get up.

Her voice was weak and raspy from the smoke inhalation as she said, "You're the one who saved me."

"Yeah, that was me," he smiled. "How are you doing?"

"Better but I can't go home yet," she told him. "What's your name?"

"Kelly, Kelly Severide," he told her.

"Adelaide Oliver but I go by A.J.," said Addie. "Thank you, for saving me."

Kelly just shook his head, "Hey, it's my job."

"Did everyone else make it out," Adelaide asked worriedly.

"They're all safe," Kelly nodded. "You saved your neighbor's kids you know."

"I knew they were alone," she shrugged, like it was the simplest thing in the world to risk your life in a fire.

Kelly spent a few more minutes talking to Adelaide before a nurse came in and shooed him out of the room. He didn't want to leave but the nurse was insistent. Adelaide was going to be released late tomorrow afternoon and Kelly made her promise to visit the firehouse when she got out.

"I'm just saying, it's possibly the greatest crime series every written," said Otis. The firefighter was once again trying to explain the reasoning behind his latest obsession. It was a crime series, based off of Chicago in the 1920s, written by a new best-selling author named A. J. Oliver.

"Otis, can you please pull back on the nerd talk for a bit," teased his roommate, Joe Cruz. "I don't know how you lived him with Lieutenant," said Joe, turning to Severide over at the squad table.

"Trust me, we don't either," Shay put in, laughing.

"Uh, excuse me," an apprehensive voice called out. A young woman, carrying a two large bakery boxes was heading towards them. "I'm looking for Kelly Severide."

Otis just rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Aren't they all?" That promptly earned him an elbow to his gut by Shay. "What," Otis hissed? "Well, they are."

"He's right over," pointed out Shay.

"Thank you," said Adelaide, heading towards the squad table.

Kelly was talking Capp when he noticed her walk in. She looked a lot better than she did in the hospital to him. The colour was back in her cheeks, her face was lit up with a smile and she was walking straight to him.

"Hi," she said, giving him a bright smile.

"A.J.," a smile broke out on Kelly's face when he noticed the visitor. "What did you do, bust out?"

"Hardly," Adelaide laughed. "They discharged me this morning. The nurses said it could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for you."

"Just doing my job," Severide actually blushed for the first time in a long while.

"Well, still…these are for you," she said, shyly offering up the boxes in her arms. "My best friend owns a bakery and these are her famous cream cheese danishes."

"Oh wow," Kelly said, lifting open the lid. "These look amazing. Let's go inside."

Kelly led her into the main living area of the firehouse. There was a small kitchen set up in the back along with a couch, TV and lots of firefighters around. Kelly made the rounds, introducing Adelaide to everybody.

"Are those…," Mouch trailed off, sniffing the pastry aroma?

"Yes, they are," laughed Adelaide.

"But they're for me," Kelly smirked, unable to resistant teasing the man. All of firehouse 51 knew about Mouch's love for pastry.

"Seriously," Mouch asked, his face expressionless.

Adelaide took pity on the rest of the men staring down the boxes in Kelly's arms. She passed one to Mouch and said, "I'm sure Kelly doesn't mind sharing one box."

"You are an angel," Mouch declared, claiming the sweets.

As the crew began tearing at the danishes, Kelly lead Adelaide back to his office. "Let's go put these away for they demolish my box too," said Severide. Kelly couldn't help but smile at Adelaide. She was cute, shyly standing in the doorway, taking in his office space. "Come in," he told her, shutting the door behind Adelaide.

"So…uh you're a Lieutenant," she said, her words coming out more like a question.

Kelly nodded saying, "Yeah, for Rescue Squad 3. We specialize in search-and-rescue, natural disasters and water rescue."

"Wow, that's amazing," smiled Adelaide.

"Yeah, I pretty much knew Rescue Squad was it for me at a young age," admitted Kelly. "So what are you do?"

"Uh, I'm a writer," she admitted, toying with the hair band on her wrist. "Listen, I should head out. I don't want to get in the way while you're working."

"No, you're not in the way," Kelly assured her all too quickly. "You have to stay for dinner. Mills is actually cooking tonight so I can guarantee it will be the best corn beef you've ever had."

"Are you sure," she asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Kelly nodded, adoring her mousiness. "Hey guys, A.J.'s staying for dinner," he called out to the rest of crew.

Firehouse 51 was in for a shock as they watched Kelly pull out a chair their guest and starting serving her food. Kelly noticed Adelaide leaning closer towards him under the stares coming from his firehouse family.

"Guys," he whispered sternly. "Cool it." After that, everyone started focusing on their plate and Adelaide gave Kelly a quick smile before digging into her own food.

"So Adelaide, was it," one of the paramedics, Gabriella Dawson asked. "Is it French?"

"Yeah, it is. My father's grandparents immigrated here from France," Addie explained. "But my middle name is Josephine so I usually go by A. J."

"Sorry about your apartment," Shay, seated next to her, spoke in-between bites of corn beef. "Any news on when you'll be move back in?"

"The landlord was insured but it's going to be awhile. Luckily, I had all my stuff covered for too but I'm thinking of just moving into a bigger place anyway. That place was just too small for all my stuff. I'm staying at my best friend Sarah's house until I figure it out."

"The one what makes those delicious pastries," Mouch asked excitedly.

"Yeah, that's her," Adelaide nodded.

"So kid, what do you do for a living," one of the other firefighters, Christopher Hermann, asked.

"I'm a writer," answered Adelaide. "Mostly novels and a few short stories for some magazines."

"Really, anything we might have read," Dawson asked skeptically.

'You might have," she admitted. "I have a series I'm working on. The first book came out two years years ago called Sins of the City."

"Oh my god," Otis exclaimed, dropping his fork. "You're the A.J. Oliver!"

"Uh, yeah I guess," said Adelaide nervously.

"Otis, down boy," Kelly ordered seriously.

"Sorry," said Otis, sheepishly apologizing. "I just love your books, They're amazing."

"Otis just got me started on the first book," added Joe. "Can't say I'm much of reader but even I got into them too."

"Thanks," replied an embarrassed Adelaide.

Gabriella just rolled her eyes at Otis, snidely commenting, "Wow, so I guess you've got a bit of a following,"

"Dawson," Lieutenant Casey reproved. He stared at Dawson as if she had grown another head, surprised at her behavior.

"No offense Dawson, but it's more than just a bit of a following," defended Otis. "I have so many questions," Otis practically squealed, turning towards Adelaide.

"Otis, let the girl eat," chided Chief Boden.

"No, it's okay," said Adelaide. "It's nice to know I have such big fans. I must be doing something right."

Once they were done eating, Adelaide got up to help with dishes but was stopped by Peter saying, "You don't have to do that. You're a guest." He immediately grabbed the plate from her hands and Shay started helping him clean up.

"Oh you sure," asked Adelaide.

"Yeah, of course," said Shay. "It's our turn anyway."

After saying her goodbyes, Adelaide was walking towards her car when someone called out her name. Kelly jogged over to her.

"Listen, I was wondering if I could buy you a beer sometime or take you out to dinner," he asked.

In the course of her life, Adelaide had been asked out by a total of four guys. Only two took her out on a second date. So it wasn't a surprise when she nervously stuttered her reply,"Oh, uh s-sure."

"Great, here let me get your number," Severe said, handing her his phone. "I'll call you when I get off shift." The grin didn't leave Kelly's face for the rest of his shift.