Thanks for the messages checking on me. Sorry for the delay - real life kicking my butt. :) This one is going way off the reservation. Hope you like it because it's been SO fun to write. And your reviews, your reviews keep me going. Thank you.

"You said you were going to bury this so far under, NO ONE could find it!" Erin was screaming in a shrill tone, barely recognizable as coming from her.

"I, uh… I uh, did… don't know…" Mouse stuttered, looking under piles of paper, the floor, the trashcan positioned to the side of his desk.

"Well, explain to me something." Erin's voice now in a tone so low and raspy it resembled Voight's. "Explain to me how the information got to the AG's hands within 24 hours?"

"I don't know. I don't know," Mouse was shuffling around, running a hand through his hair before wiping it across his face. "I left it… left the envelope right here…" He lifted up papers, his keyboard, looking for the envelope he was sure he left on his desk.

Erin stared at Mouse. He wasn't lying… she was sure of that. It made her even more angry. She needed to unleash her fury on someone, so this would not do. She realized she had two choices, keep yelling at a friend, or channel her energies into helping Kelly.

"I'm sorry." She said it quietly, placing her hands on his to quiet the frenzy of his fingers running through every file, every paper on his desk.

Mouse stopped. "No, I'm sorry. I don't know how it got over there."

"What got over where?" Jay asked, walking in on a war zone he would soon want to run away from.

"Nothing. Never mind," Erin snapped, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It has to do with Kelly's case…"

"Doesn't everything," Halstead mumbled, his own frustrations setting in. This state of limbo had to come to an end. He wanted Erin to make a choice but was also afraid of what that choice might be. She spent much of her off time with the fireman. Was the choice already made?

Jay pushed those thoughts away, and asked "What did Mouse do?"

He listened as Erin revealed the irrelevant Severide intel his old friend had uncovered, wondering where this was going, why Erin was so worked up. Slowly, the cloud lifted.

"Crap," he said, realization setting in. "I took that envelope to the AG's office, saw it on your desk, buddy… thought I was doin' you a favor." Jay shook his head back and forth, hoping his girl would believe him, wishing he'd never seen that envelope. He wanted Erin, but not this way.

The beautiful detective couldn't comprehend the words. A rush of anger rising to the top… but at who or what she had a hard time pinpointing. She couldn't be mad at Jay… it was an honest mistake. But she was mad. Why couldn't Kelly catch a break? One damn break? She felt momentum building against him like a tidal wave that didn't care who it destroyed.

"Erin," Jay broke her thoughts, "you know I wouldn't intentionally…"

"I know," she said without much reassurance. She had to go see a man about an envelope and convince him everything would be alright. He was catching a break… she was making sure of that.

"What the hell happened?" betrayal all over the fireman's face.

"You know I would never hurt you, Kelly," pain filling the detective's eyes.

"You're sayin' it's a coincidence that the day after I tell you all the shit from my past, ALL the shit, it ends up plastered on the news," the fireman countered not backing down, his voice growing to a low growl.

"Kelly, I would never hurt you," the detective said again, this time almost a whisper.

And the fireman knew that was the truth. Clenched fists turned into hands willing to be held by a pair of softer ones. The man's scowl gave way as his face burrowed into the woman's chest.

That night was for love. It was for enveloping into each other in a way that left no doubt he was hers and she was his.

"I love you Erin," Kelly said it the minute they stepped into the bedroom. There was no holding back this night.

As Erin led him to the bathroom, she cleared her throat before admitting, "I love you, Kel."

They were beyond the games, beyond the indecision. It was as if they were acting on borrowed time. As much as Erin insisted, "Everything is gonna be alright," something inside said it wasn't.

But tonight, they were closing off the world, escaping all the problems reaching out to touch them, and it was gonna be alright. At least for one night.

Erin started up the shower, turning around to see Kelly had already discarded his jeans. A silly grin on his face; she would never forget that grin. He yanked off his T-shirt with one hand, the motion almost back to normal, shoulder cooperating.

"Let me do that," he said, reaching for the hem of her shirt, guiding it over her head… leaving a tousled mane of hair. "You are so… beautiful," his breath taken from him.

In a rush, Erin pulled off her jeans and panties, almost jumping in the shower with bra still on. Kelly adeptly unhooked it flinging the lacy thing, the toilet its final resting place.

A husky laugh echoed throughout the small bathroom, "Thanks, hero."

"Shit. Sorr…"

"Sshhh, get in," Erin commanded, reaching for the little niche that holds the soap. She lathered it up in her hands.

"Mmmmm," Kelly felt the tension release from his shoulders as slippery hands washed him, working away the knots of a looming trial. Those words they'd spoken settling in, settling him.

Erin let her hands slide down the length of his muscled back, then up again, pressing in closer. She could feel the strength of his longing and it made her weak and full of a wanting of her own.

Kelly pulled her in even tighter, the heat and smell of her washing away any lingering doubt. His hands gliding over the silkened skin of this woman, lost in the beauty of her face. He let out a small moan as her hands slid between his thighs. This must be heaven, he thought as they became one.

Erin slammed against the shower wall, Kelly pressing into her… rhythmically satisfying her every need, body pulsating with pleasure. Erin pulled one leg up as her foot reached for the soap niche, throwing her hips into Kelly harder, his moan becoming louder, animalistic. Erin's eyes were closed as she let out a small cry, her body trembling before relaxing. She was breathing heavily as Kelly's lips met hers. He was out of breath… God, what this woman can do to me.

They slid down to the tile floor, laughing… "The things you do to me," Erin panted out, shaking her wet head as more water rained down on the two.

"The things you do to me," Kelly breathed out, reaching up to turn off the water. "I don't wanna ever leave," he added leaning over to give Erin a big wet kiss.

"We'll freeze to death," she reached out to touch his face, running a finger across his cheek down to his chin.

"Well, I can't let that happen to you," Kelly pulled himself up, stepping out of the shower to grab a fluffy white towel. He opened it up inviting Erin inside.

She stood slowly not feeling the tiniest bit of self consciousness at those piercing blue eyes in obvious awe at her form. She smiled so deeply as she stepped into the towel, letting a pair of strong hands begin to dry her off.

Erin snuggled into Kelly's chest, stopping the motion of his hands. He swallowed her up with the strength of his arms, holding her in so tight, so safe. She was going nowhere. She had the taste of him. She had the feel of his body. They had said things to each other. She was going nowhere that night or ever.

Late into the darkness, Kelly awoke with a start. He immediately felt for the woman next to him. Erin was sleeping peacefully, her breathing soft and steady. There was no sound that woke him up, no bad dream. It was as if he could sense his borrowed time was just about up.

The trial came and went in a wave of confusion and misunderstandings.

Everyone on team Severide couldn't believe there was a trial. Hell, most of the lawyers working in the AG's office couldn't believe it. Yet, here it was.

Stella testified about the fight, detailing Kelly's struggle to just stay alive. Erin thought things were turning in their favor until Attorney General Dean McCallister began his interrogation of the female firefighter. By the time he was finished, Stella looked like a sex-crazed, unfaithful wife who hopped from one fireman to the next. He sunk a nail in the coffin with his description of how Severide had appeared in her "family residence" after meeting her at the Academy. Then, he sealed the coffin with the simple facts that she hadn't filed for divorce at the time of the "killing," hadn't gotten Grant's key from him, and hadn't in fact even "asked him for a divorce."

"I told him we were done," Stella insisted on the stand, tears streaming down her face.

McCallister spit out that statement by making Kidd tell the jury exactly how many times she had said that before.

The AG was portraying Grant as a betrayed husband simply in a jealous rage who really "couldn't hurt a fly"... Stella's own words coming back to haunt her.

"Don't worry, Kel. Your injuries were not make believe. The fiction this asshole is spewing will be proven false when you take the stand." Erin tried to soothe the worry in Kelly's gut. She rubbed his shoulders as they were on a break, wondering when the last time he went to PT was.

By the time the fireman took the stand to defend himself, he was ready to blow with two days of anger bottled up. He just needed someone to take that bottle cap off. McCallister was ready.

When the AG was finished, Kelly didn't know what hit him. He did know that his famous Severide temper had done him no favors. He'd come across as defiant, argumentative… a total ass. McCallister had him from the moment he mentioned Grant's "slight build" in comparison to Kelly's "muscular frame." He came in with an allegation of sexual misconduct, moved into a string of one night stands, and then ended with a history lesson of how Kelly had gone from Stella to another woman, a detective in the matter of a few months.

"So… I guess it wasn't true love after all. Too bad Grant didn't have the time to wait out your latest conquest. He'd have his wife back."

Kelly went ballistic, calling the AG a "prick," and giving every member of the jury his death stare as he stormed off the stand.

In McCallister's closing statement, he referenced Severide's temper, "We all saw that on display." Then he launched into a history lesson of that anger almost costing a young teen his life, the one Kelly'd beaten to a pulp in high school.

"But now a man is dead. Never coming back. A promising musician whose music has sadly stopped. I'd say it's time to stop his killer, someone who's never lived with any consequences of his actions. Let's put a stop to that today."

No one was surprised when the verdict came back guilty. The only saving grace was that the AG had downgraded the charge to involuntary manslaughter at the onset of the trial.

"You're looking at 10 - 12 months," Kelly's CFD appointed lawyer told him, acting like it was a week at a spa. "Sentencing will be tomorrow. I'll file to have some of your people speak on your behalf."

Severide sat in stunned silence.

"Hey, it could be worse. You can be out in 6 months, maybe less."

Erin let the tears roll down her face, who the hell cares who sees. "This is crazy," she whispered. "We're gonna fight this." She ran her hand across the back of Kelly's neck, stroking it gently.

"Don't cry," he said, a deadness in his eyes. Words were being sputtered out in his direction, but he heard none of it. The guilty verdict, the only thing ringing in his ears. I'm going to jail, the only thing rattling in his brain. Jail.

Grant was dead, maybe he deserved this. Maybe he hadn't ever had consequences. Maybe this was justice.

Erin had her own darkness descending. I repel good things. I deflect happiness. Time and time again and the same thing plays out. We are doomed, Erin decided there and then. Kelly had her same streak of bad luck, apparently a lifelong case of it. She put on a determined face, mainly for the benefit of the distraught firefighter. But nothing in Erin said she believed any of her words of encouragement.

And Kelly knew what he had to do. He had to let her go. She couldn't be with a convicted felon. She was a goddamn cop, he thought. An officer of the law. He knew he wasn't good enough for her and now here was the proof.

The sooner the better. No way in hell was this woman visiting him in that God-forsaken place, worrying about him… waiting for him while he was behind bars. His career was done. This love was done. His life was done.

So, I told you this would get darker. Don't be mad; I gave you a hot Linseride scene! Feeling thankful for y'all and I promise not so long between updates. Let me know what you think.

On a totally separate note, let's all tweet Derek Haas and let him know we want a great Sev storyline, maybe some Sev love, or whatever you're hoping for our favorite fireman. He listens to all those Linstead shippers, so we need to get more vocal. :)