Another nightmare meant another sleepless night for Henri. Another night spent sitting on the balcony of her apartment, a blanket wrapped around her and a rather full glass of scotch in her hand as she did nothing but stare out at the city surrounding her.

There was just something so comforting about watching the world go by as her favourite mixtape played softly in the background. And even if it was the middle of the night things around her still moved. There were people still awake, whether they were driving, walking, on their way to work or on their way home, whatever it may be, there was always something for Henri to focus on. Always something to distract her from the thoughts in her head.

Only tonight was different. Tonight she didn't quite feel up to people watching. Didn't want to write in her journal. She didn't even want to clean her gun, something she often did just to give her hands something to do even though she hadn't used it since she got back from Hell. Even her mix was boring her, the songs not quite hitting the same despite being the same ones she listened to any other night like tonight.

No, there was really only one thing Henri wanted to do tonight which was talk. The only problem was, the one person she found herself wanting to talk to was more than likely asleep given that it was 3am on the morning of their next shift. But that didn't mean she did want to try, which is exactly why, without even thinking, Henri picked up her phone, typed out two single words and pressed send before her brain even processed what she was doing.

Henri: You awake?

Chewing anxiously at her nails, Henri's eyes remained glued to her screen, patiently waiting, maybe even praying, she'd see those three little dots pop up that told her Otis was awake. She knew it was unlikely given the time, but she had her fingers crossed anyway.

Ding. Henri smiled, stomach a little fluttery as she took in the one single message that had her night feeling better already.

Otis: Yeah. Why? Is everything okay?

Henri: Everything's fine. Just can't sleep... Can I call you?

Otis: Sure :)

Henri wasted no time in hitting that call button, the phone barely ringing before Otis picked up, his voice a little sleepy but not enough to make her worried that she'd woken him up.

"So, what's got you awake at this hour?" Henri asked, taking a small sip of her scotch and holding the glass to her lips, hearing a faint yawn coming from the other end of the phone.

"Crazy dream." Otis replied, a soft shuffle telling Henri he'd more than likely sat up in bed, as though getting comfy for what they both secretly hoped would be a long talk. "You?"

"Same." Henri sighed, taking another sip before reaching forward to set her glass on the small table in front of her, barely making a sound against the darkened wood.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No. Do you want to talk about yours?" Henri's eyebrow raised, even though he couldn't see her. She waited, nothing but silence on Otis's end which had her a little concerned until a quiet 'no' graced her ears, allowing her to relax and lean back into her chair, pulling the blanket over her chest more. "I guess that's that then."

"I guess it is." Otis said, an obviously small smile readable through his words. "So, what are you doing? Other than having crazy dreams that you don't want to talk about."

"Just sitting here. Watching the world go by... and drinking. Always drinking."

"You know shift starts in like five hours right?"

"I am aware." Henri nodded, leaning forward to lift her glass, taking an extra loud sip on purpose. "But relax, I'm only having one glass... Help steady the nerves, you know?"

"Must have been one hell of a dream if you have to steady your nerves." Otis said quietly, almost concerned as he sat up a little straighter, wishing he could see Henri as he never was good at reading people over the phone. Well, not people like Henri anyway. She was really hard to read. Even in person. "You sure you're okay?"

"I will be." Henri's lips pressed together, her eyes drifting to the sky, watching the twinkle of the stars that cascaded over her. "I have you to talk to now, so that's something at least."

"That you do." Otis whispered, his smile was permanent at that point as just hearing those words coming from Henri, the woman he was crushing hard on, was enough to make him forget all about sleep. And enough to make him never want to hang up the phone again. "Are you listening to music?"

"Yeah, why is it bothering you?" Henri glanced over to the small cassette player that sat next to her glass. She knew she was outdated in terms of her technology but she never did like using anything else.

Cassettes reminded her of times when life was easier and therefore she couldn't bring herself to upgrade.

"No, no." Otis replied instantly, shaking his head. "I can just hear it, that's all... Not sure what it is though, but something tells me it's in the classic rock category."

"You would be correct." Henri chuckled, leaning forward a little so she could turn up the music just a touch. Not enough for her neighbours to hear it but enough for Otis to.

'And I walk these streets, a loaded six-string on my back
I play for keeps 'cause I might not make it back
I've been everywhere, still I'm standing tall
I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all...'

"Is that... Bon Jovi?" Otis questioned, obvious surprise riddling his voice. "Seriously? Out of all the classic rock that you could listen to, you chose Bon Jovi?"

"Hey, Bon Jovi rocks... On occasion." Henri defended, smiling a little despite Otis's inability to see her.

Technically, those were Dean's words really, not hers, but, and even though it pained her to admit, sometimes Dean just so happened to be right.

Silence met her ears in response, Otis having gone to reply, a witty retort most likely, before his mouth snapped shut, his brow furrowing deeply. He'd heard those exact words before, he was sure of it. And it wasn't the first time Henri had said something familiar to him either, her first shift flashing back in his mind.

"Driver picks the music. Shotgun shuts his cakehole."

He knew he knew both of those phrases, but he just couldn't place from where.

"Brian...? Did the spirit of Bon Jovi kill you?"

"Bon Jovi isn't dead."

"I know that." Henri chuckled, shaking her head as she turned the music back down to a reasonable volume. "But you went so quiet that anything's possible. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." Otis swallowed, shaking his own head before he gave himself a headache trying to think of where he'd heard those words before. "It's just... Have you like... said that to me before or something? I swear, it sounds so familiar."

"You mean like déjà vu?" Henri's head tilted, her mind wandering as she thought back. She was pretty sure she'd never so much as uttered the name Bon Jovi in his presence. Or anyone else's for that matter so she was a little confused as to what he meant.

"No. Like I've heard it before... Or something like that."

"Yeah. Like déjà vu."

"No forget... God, even this feels familiar now." Otis exhaled, running his hand down his face. "Just forget it. It doesn't matter."

"Okay..." Henri said hesitantly, her own brow dipping a little. "But I don't get how that's not..."

"Henri, I swear if you say déjà vu one more time I'm hanging up." Otis threatened playfully, his finger held up in front of him like he was talking to ghosts or the figure in his room that he knew was just a pile of clothes but when it was dark it looked like a person.

"Okay okay." Henri held up one hand in surrender, a soft laugh leaving the back of her throat. "I won't say it. Relax. Don't get those cute curls of yours all twisted."

"You think they're cute?" Otis asked almost shyly, his cheeks flushing so red that he was now glad that Henri couldn't see him or he'd have all but admitted that he had a crush on her.

"I might." Henri smiled, unsure why her chest felt so warm over that sweet reaction, the way Otis was so clearly beaming at the other end of the phone making her want to compliment him more. "So what if I did? Is it a crime to call you cute?"

"You called my hair cute, you didn't call me cute." Otis pointed out, unsure why he did as now he just thought he sounded like a fool. Or worse. Desperate.

"Well now I am." Henri breathed out, lifting her glass and downing the entirety of it in one go.

Did this count as flirting? Surely not as she only meant it in a friendly way... She thinks. Henri wasn't sure to be honest. It had been a while since she flirted with anyone, let alone the guy she was calling her closest friend. And she wasn't even sure if she should be flirting with anyone as for her it hadn't been two years since she lost her fiancée, or boyfriend, or whatever they wanted to call each other.

For her it only felt like a few months given that she spent the last two years in hell, so maybe it wasn't right to be so openly flirting with another guy when she was still in love with the one who caused her to jump into hell in the first place.

"Henri... Is everything okay?" Otis's worried voice pulled her from her thoughts, making her aware that her eyes had watered as she thought back to one of the worst days in her life.

"Yeah... I, uh..." Henri sniffled, using the blanket to wipe her eyes. "I'm just getting tired so I'm gonna go... But I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay... See you..." Otis didn't get a chance to finish before the dial tone rang through his ear, making him sigh deeply to himself in response.

Maybe he shouldn't have acknowledged what Henri said. He should have just breezed past it into another topic of conversation. Maybe then she wouldn't have hung up, more than likely embarrassed to have been caught flirting with a guy like him. One so far away from the league of men who'd stand a chance with a woman like her that it still surprised him that she chose him of all people to call in the middle of the night.

But still, that didn't make him like her any less. If anything, it only made him fall for her harder as he always tended to want what he couldn't get. And if there was one person on earth that was the farthest away from him getting, it was Henri Winchester.

Henri was all Otis thought about for the rest of the night, and well into the morning, and even further into the day. Even their brief call to a small kitchen fire didn't even help him get her off his mind. And it didn't help either that she was everywhere he looked. Around every corner. Sitting in every seat next to him. It was truly confusing for him and if he didn't find something else to think about, and soon, he was going to go crazy.

But luckily for him, something else soon caught his eye. A certain crest on a certain truck that he couldn't help but wonder why it was the way it was.

"What's with the goat?" Otis blabbed out as he stared at the truck 81 crest in deep thought.

"What?" Cruz asked, brow furrowing as he came to stand beside his friend, sharing an equally puzzled look with Henri who was, of course, approaching at both the sound of Otis's voice and the mention of a goat. That had peaked her interest.

"The truck 81 seal, or symbol, or whatever it's called, it's a goat." Otis explained, his open palm gesturing towards said goat before he folded his arms, his body tensing a little when Henri leaned her arm on his shoulder.

"It's a fighting goat." Cruz pointed out, making Otis sigh softly to himself.

"Yeah, but they've got Cerberus..." He nodded briefly at the squad truck, Henri glancing towards it and having to bite her tongue over his next words as she knew they were incorrect. "...the three-headed dog that guards the gates of hell..."

"That's a myth, actually." Came a voice that had Henri drop her forehead onto her arm, groaning inaudibly to herself as she was too tired to deal with him right now.

"Excuse me?" Cruz questioned, eyes squinting a little at the short man standing just behind Henri, his black suit rumpled and his hair slightly messy.

"Cerberus. Nothing but a myth... A legend." Crowley waved his hand, smiling in amusement as he heard the faint 'give me strength' coming, muffled, from Henri's mouth. "But we do have hounds."

"You what?" Otis's mouth gaped, his view of the demon becoming blocked when Henri lifted her head, locking eyes with him for a second which almost made him forget everything and want to kiss her before she turned around.

Henri had been about to snap at Crowley, to tell him to keep his mouth shut about all things hellish before she stabbed him in it. Only his appearance threw her off completely, making her shut her own mouth and look him up and down with narrow eyes.

Gone was the well tailored King who'd picked her up after she popped up from hell, and instead here was the dishevelled looking demon, with stains on his suit and loafers on his feet.

"Wow, you look like shit." Henri huffed out, making Otis and Cruz stifle a laugh from behind her at her lack of beating around the bush. And politeness honestly.

Crowley on the other hand didn't look amused. He looked offended. Even though he knew she was right, it still didn't mean he needed to hear it.

"Still as charming as always, darling." Crowley forced a smile, his jaw tense as he scratched absently at the stumble that was slowly growing on the face of his beloved vessel.

"Well, you know me." Henri shrugged, a playful grin on her face that had Crowley mumble under his breath.

"You two... know each other?" Otis asked hesitantly, unsure if he even wanted to know in what context Henri and this strange man knew each other.

Just by looking at Crowley, Otis couldn't help but think he looked like a man who'd had his heartbroken. Perhaps even by the same woman he himself was currently fighting with his own heart over. But little did Otis know, he couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Oh, Henri and I go way back." Crowley replied, looking past the now scowling Henri and towards the moustached man who clearly had eyes for her. Only making him want to stir the pot. Because why not? He could die at any moment, might as well have a little fun too. "Don't we, darling...? Had some fun, you and I?"

"Fun?" Otis choked out, shaking his head and mentally cursing himself for sounding so disgusted. And nosey.

"Oh yes." Crowley grinned, wiggling his eyebrows and finding genuine amusement over the way Henri was glaring at him, as though she was about to break out in exorcism and send him on a one way trip downstairs. Which to be honest, only made him want to keep going. "So. Much. Fun."

"Oh please, you wish you could handle me." Henri scoffed, folding her arms and inciting relief in Otis's semi-jealous chest over the clear truth. "You and I both know I'd snap you right in half..."

Cue both Otis, and Cruz, choking on their own salvia, which luckily for them they played off without Henri so much as noticing. Otis wished she'd snap him in half, and Cruz... Well he wouldn't lie and say he wasn't curious either, but he wouldn't do that to Otis, so curious is all he'd ever be.

"Now, what do you want?" Henri added, this time sounding more annoyed than her previous words did, which was surprising given the topic.

"A word." Crowley's eyes widened a little in meaning, making Henri sigh in annoyance as this was the last thing she needed right now. "Trust me, Henri. I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important, you know that."

"Fine, but let's take it outside. Full offence, you smell like a brewery and it making me nauseous." Henri scrunched up her nose a little, her stomach churning as the scotch on his clothes smelt stronger than that of her own on a bad night.

"Offence taken." Crowley mumbled, silently, yet obliging to her request regardless and following Henri across the apparatus floor and out onto the apron. "You know, when you said you wanted to be a firefighter, I imagined you around a lot more conventionally attractive men, but those two..."

"Hey, don't insult my friends." Henri snapped immediately, growing incredibly defensive over Otis and Cruz. Otis especially as she knew how he saw himself, whereas Cruz had no issues with how he looked. "Okay, just tell me why you're here so you can be on your merry way."

"Not one for foreplay are you?"

"Crowley." Henri gritted, losing her patience and fast.

"Fine." Crowley gave in, knowing well not to push Henri past her limits. "It's about your brothers."

"Then let me stop you there." Henri held up her finger, silencing Crowley from saying anything. Which by the look on his face had annoyed him greatly. "Whatever it is... it's not my problem." She added with a shake of her head, dropping her hand and crossing both arms over chest.

"I don't think you understand..."

"Oh, no. I do understand, okay? Because it's always the same. Always." Henri breathed out, already growing annoyed. "It's always some big bad demon or angel or whatever that starts tearing shit up. And once upon a time, yeah, maybe I'd care. Maybe I'd help. But now? Whatever they're doing... Whatever they're facing... is not my problem anymore. I'm out, Crowley. You got me out... So do me a favour... Honour your deal and stop trying to drag me back in." 

Henri went to walk away, to show she was serious, that she wouldn't allow Crowley to so much as tell her anything that might have her wanting back in. She'd made up her mind this past week about where she wanted to be. Here. At fifty-one. But there was still a small part of her that missed the life, which is why when Crowley grabbed hold of her wrist, she allowed him to halt her in place.

"Henri, what those boys are doing..." Crowley began, gritting his teeth a little as he couldn't believe he was openly showing concern about anyone with the last name Winchester. "... Is beyond stupid. Even for you lot."

"I don't care. That's their business." Henri half-whispered, a small sliver of her beaten and battered soul wanting to ask more. But she couldn't. She couldn't give in to temptation. "I told you. I'm out. I can't be around to babysit them anymore. They're big boys. They gotta grow up sometime."

"Need I remind you that the last time one of your idiot brothers was left to his own devices, he freed Lucifer from his cage." Crowley replied, those words having Henri finally pull her wrist from his grasp, her features darkening and he knew he was pushing things. But he needed to get her to listen to him. For all their sakes. "And are you forgetting what he did to you? What he took from you?"

"Don't." Henri's breath trembled, her feet stepping back as that rope around her heart began to tighten. "Don't you dare use him to prove your point." 

"But you're not understanding the seriousness of what they're about to do..."

"I don't care about what they're about to do, Crowley. I don't care." Henri exhaled, her breathing a little faster as she fought the urge to crumble in front of him. "I don't care if it involves demons or angels. I don't even care if it involves God himself because I am out. Do you understand me? Out. So for your own sake, I suggest you go crawl back into whatever hole you came out of... And stay far, far away from me. Because next time? I won't think twice about stabbing you in your chest."

With that, Henri walked away, the pieces of her heart slowly scattering inside her chest once again. She couldn't believe that Crowley would use that against her, even if he was a demon. He'd seen first hand how she was after Lucifer took her heart from her. How broken and fragile she'd become. Nothing but a shell of her former self. An empty shell, prime and ready to house the same temperamental archangel who took her love from her.

Henri wouldn't allow that to happen again. She wouldn't allow whatever shit her brothers were doing to drag her back into the life that had taken so much from her. The life that could still take from her as even if she did leave and go back to them, the guys at fifty-one could still be a risk. They could still be used as pawns by whoever or whatever they were facing now. And she simply couldn't allow that. Not only for their sakes and their families sakes, but for her own as well.

Avoiding having to walk across the apparatus floor and risk bumping into anyone in her current state, Henri entered the firehouse through the side entrance, making her way quickly towards the locker room. She wasn't sure if she could face anyone right now, not when she was quickly feeling the weight of her loss come crashing down hard on her shoulders.  

Beelining for her locker, Henri pulled it open, having entered her code so fast she actually messed up and had to try again. She knew she could get fired for what she was about to do, but she needed it, and luckily for her, alcohol didn't so much as affect her outright anymore, so it wasn't like anyone would know she'd drank any.

Shakily, Henri lifted the flask to her lips, about to take as big a swig as she could before she stopped, her eyes closing for a second as she let out a breath. She couldn't. Not anymore. She couldn't rely on alcohol to save her, not when she had a job, one that would quickly end if anyone so much as caught a whiff of scotch on her breath.

Besides, it's not like scotch even helped anymore as over the years she'd grown immune to its effects, just as she had done caffeine. So really, it wasn't worth the risk of getting fired when there was a 100% chance that she could finish the entire flask and still feel the exact same way she felt right now.

Faster than she'd opened it, Henri screwed the lid back onto the untouched flask, crouching down and tossing it into her duffel bag before zipping it up. Last thing she needed was for anyone to accidentally see inside her locker and call her out for it as despite what she told Mouch about her flasks, that one would not have holy water in it should it be tasted. Even if she hadn't drunk any, having it on her was still classed as a fireable offence and she would not ruin what she'd had to kiss Crowley to get over something so stupid as thinking she needed alcohol to cope when really all she needed was somebody to talk to.

But who could she talk to? Who could possibly understand what she was going through?

There was one person, Dean, but he was still ignoring her, therefore she had no choice but to keep it bottled inside her and hope that it wouldn't get shaken around and end up exploding.

Although there was no harm in trying to see if maybe Dean had wised up a little, and so, with her fingers crossed that he'd pick up, Henri dug her phone out of her pocket and called her brother. She held her breath as it rang... and rang... until eventually, and like always, it went straight to voicemail.

"This is Dean, leave your name, number and nightmare at the tone."

With a sad, yet angry, sigh and a closed fist, Henri couldn't help but let her frustrations out on her locker. She slammed her fist so hard against the inner side of her door that it shook the entire row of lockers, and rattled her shelf which had her engagement ring slide off, hit against her boot and go skidding across the floor. Her eyes just followed it, watching as it came to a sudden stop when a different pair of boots stepped into the room.

"Henri?" Otis questioned, his eyes following hers until they landed on the sparkling gem lying by his feet. He crouched slowly, picking up the ring with a furrowed brow, never once looking away from it as he straightened.

Henri didn't even move, instead her eyes remained fixed on the spot her ring had just left and it wasn't until Otis began to walk towards her did she finally look up at him, clear confusion behind his own brown eyes as he handed the ring back to her.

"Are you..." Otis hesitated, unsure whether he could stomach hearing the answer to the question he wanted to allow past his lips. But he needed to know. He needed to find out whether he was wasting his time in his minor attempts at getting her to notice him as anything but a friend. "Are you engaged?"

"I was." Henri replied quietly, her gaze falling to the ring she held in her open palm, her thumb gently brushing over the glistening gem. "Or maybe I was, I don't know..." She shook her head, turning on the spot to place the ring back on her shelf, continuing to do nothing but stare at it as she spoke. "I don't really know what we were... All I know is that I loved him. He loved me and yet... He broke my heart."  

"That was a stupid of him." Otis mumbled, finding that that answer didn't fill him with as much relief as he thought it would. Or hoped it would.

"Yeah well, if stupid had a face, it would have been his." Henri said with a fond smile, one that was barely noticeable to Otis but that she could feel being present on her face.

"I'm sorry you got your heart broken." Otis said softly, his hand twitching by his side as he fought the urge to place a hand on her shoulder. He also wanted to add that he'd never break her heart, but he figured that was crossing the line as to what was appropriate for the moment.

"It's fine." Henri brushed off, her demeanour changing no faster than Otis would have expected as she never was one to show her true emotions. "That's life, right?"

"Right." Otis agreed, the pity dropping from his eyes when Henri simply closed her locker, made sure her lock was secure and then turned to him, no evidence of said heartbreak, or the memory of it, on her face at all. "But hey, CFD barbecue is on Saturday if you want to tag along? Might be fun to just be around your friends?"

"Yeah, maybe." Henri smiled thinly, appreciating the gesture even if she didn't know yet about whether she'd feel up to being around so many people. Even if they were her friends.

"There's free hot dogs... Burgers..." Otis raised his eyebrows as he spoke, his words clearly rattling around inside Henri's mind as with each one that pretty smile of hers grew just a little bit more. "And best of all... Free beer."

"Well, I would never say no to free beer. Or free burgers." Henri chuckled, already starting to feel just a little bit better and who knows, maybe this barbecue would be exactly what she needed. "So yeah, okay. I'll be there."

"Awesome." Otis smiled, a little too wide and a little too excited. "I mean... Yeah, great. I, uh, I will see you there... I mean, I'll see you before then, clearly as we're at work..." He chuckled nervously, gesturing around him as his lips scrunched up a little. He knew he was making a complete ass of himself right now but for some reason he couldn't seem to stop. "But uh, you know what I mean..."

"Brian." Henri interrupted, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder, her stomach fluttering just less than what would have normally concerned her. "You're rambling."

"Yep." Otis nodded, his voice a little higher than what he was comfortable with. "Thank you. For stopping me... And I'm gonna walk away now. Whilst I still have some self-respect left."

"All right." Henri said around a chuckle, lifting her hand and allowing Otis to spin on his heels and all but run away from her. She was well aware that that was... weird, but she was choosing to ignore it as she had more important things on her mind right now than Otis being a little weird.

Like what her brothers were doing that had even Crowley so bent out of shape.

Henri knew she shouldn't stick her nose in but she couldn't help it. She was curious by nature and so, without realising what she was doing, she pulled out her phone and texted Sam.

Henri: Crowley popped by earlier, acting all dramatic. Said you and Dean were up to no good again. Please tell me he's just losing his mind and you aren't about to start Apocalypse 2: Judgement Day

Sam: We're handling it. Don't worry

Henri: I'm sorry, but have you met me?

Sam: Trust me. It's nothing to worry about, I promise

Henri: It better not be. Cause I'm not coming back to clean up another one of your messes

Sam: You won't need to. It's all under control

Henri: If you say so. Just... be careful and do anything stupid...er than whatever it is that you're doing that I don't want to know

All Sam sent back was a thumbs up emoji, not exactly instilling confidence in Henri that they weren't doing something ridiculously stupid like Crowley had told her. She just had to hope that whatever stupid thing they were doing, they really did have a handle on it as she was not going to allow herself to get dragged back in only to end up cleaning up yet another one of her brother's apocalyptic messes.

The shift carried on as normal, well as normal as could be anyway. They had a few more calls that day, one big one involving a construction site that didn't end as well as people would have hoped. They were introduced to the Chief's new assistant, Nikki, who raised some eyebrows. But not from Otis, he was far too busy being smitten with Henri to pay attention to any other women. And lastly they had to sit through a presentation about the fire that killed Andy Darden, something Henri zoned out during as when Andy died she was miles beneath the earth's ground being tortured by Lucifer.

But eventually Saturday rolled around and to Henri's own surprise she found herself actually attending the barbecue as she didn't have it in her to skip out. Not when Otis had all but invited her personally and was clearly looking forward to seeing her there. And when she saw the smile he had for her when she finally rocked up, it made fighting with herself in her apartment over whether or not to go, completely worth it.

"Hey, look who it is!" Herrmann cheered, raising his beer in the air as Henri slowly approached them, her hands half hidden in her jean pockets and a soft smile on her face.

"Fellas." Henri greeted with a nod, scanning the faces of those sitting at the table, which was every member of truck 81 except Casey and Mills, who she had passed on her way over and wasn't surprised to see him in his full dress blues. "I see you guys have been pranking young Peter Mills again."

"No idea what you're talking about." Cruz said innocently as he took a sip of his beer, making Henri squint at him with scepticism before she just shook her head.

"Here, take a seat." Otis rose from his own seat, offering it to Henri and scurrying off to find a spare one before she could even argue with him over it.

Otis quickly returned, placing another fold-up chair at the end of the table, ignoring the looks he was getting from the other guys. He knew he wasn't being subtle with his crush on Henri, but he didn't care. Not when she smiled at him the way that she did.

"Thank you." Henri whispered towards him, sending a flutter across his stomach as his head dropped in his efforts to hide his smile.

"That's an interesting tattoo you got there." Herrmann pointed with one finger, all eyes falling on Henri's collar bone where her tattoo sat, clearly on show due to the low cut tank top she wore beneath her open flannel shirt, the ends of which she'd tied together into a knot.

"Oh, it's sort of a family thing." Henri shook her head, hoping to brush it off as she wasn't about to explain the lore behind her tattoo.

That wouldn't make her sound crazy or anything, 'oh yeah, it's to stop me and my brothers from getting possessed by demons... again'. That would be a fun conversation. One that would more than likely end with her getting 5150'd.

"Huh." Otis exhaled to himself, his head tilted as he fell into another spot of what Henri would have called déjà vu.

There was something so familiar about her... About the things she said. About that tattoo. But no matter how much he thought, he just couldn't seem to place it.

Shrugging his shoulders and falling back to reality, Otis took a swig of his beer, unable to stop his eyes from drifting towards Henri every damn second. This was the first time he was seeing her outside of work, seeing her in her normal clothes, which had a lot more flannel than he would have pictured, so it was taking him a little longer than he'd have hoped to adjust to it and to stop himself from asking her out right there and then.

That wouldn't be embarrassing or anything, her rejecting him in front of pretty much their entire crew. He'd never live that down. And he'd more than likely never speak of his growing feelings for her from the fear of that rejection, as let's face it, she was miles and miles out of his league. But that didn't mean he wouldn't treat her as though he wasn't planning to ask her out, which is why when he realised she hadn't gotten a beer yet, or even something to eat, he was quick to offer to go get her one.

Of course Henri protested, which was useless as Otis wouldn't take no for an answer. She found it sweet, how much of a gentleman he was. Giving her his seat, offering to get her food and drinks. It was more than she was used to during her life, but she wouldn't lie and say it didn't make her chest warm immensely, and when Otis soon returned to the table, she couldn't help but feel as though she'd swallowed a rather large swarm of butterflies.

"Thank you, Brian. You didn't have to go to all the trouble." Henri said quietly as Otis set her beer and burger in front of her before doing the same with his own.

"It's no problem." Otis shook off, ignoring the faint chuckles of the others, who were well aware of exactly why Otis had offered to do all that for Henri as had any of them asked him to, he'd have told them exactly where they could go.

"Ew, they put pickles on my burger." Henri's nose and lips scrunched up a little as she lifted the bun of her burger, always having to check as she didn't want a repeat of the time she accidentally bit into Dean's burger.

The extra onions she didn't mind, but the extra pickles? That had just been nasty.

"You don't like pickles?" Otis questioned, actually having swallowed his own mouthful of burger before he spoke as the last thing he wanted to do was turn Henri off by being a slob.

"I hate pickles. They're so slimy... And pickle-y." Henri shuddered, making the others chuckle quietly to themselves.

"I think being pickle-y is the whole point." Otis said humorously, Henri glancing up at him with a frown, obvious amusement hidden beneath it as she was clearly just playing. "But if you don't want them, I'll take them. I happen to like their pickle-yness."

"You are welcome to them." Henri lifted the two slices of pickle, dropping them quickly to join the toppings on Otis's burger before wiping her fingers on her napkin, needing to cleanse her skin from said pickle-yness. "I feel so dirty now. Reminds me of the time I had to order a veggie burger instead of a cheeseburger."

"Why would you have to do that?" Otis asked, eyes a little squinted as he took a bite of his own burger, it somehow tasting even better now that it had extra pickles. Probably because they'd been Henri's and he was one of her smiles away from being in love.

"Oh." Henri froze for a second, unable to actually say the real reason. "It was a dare... Just something me and my brothers did to pass the time when we were on the road."

"You're close with your brothers?" Herrmann asked curiously, wondering if they were going to get another sneak peek into Henri's life.

"Yeah, pretty close." Henri nodded, picking up a piece of lettuce that had fallen from her burger and onto her napkin. "I spent my whole life with them, you know? They're all I have."

"Not anymore they're not." Herrmann replied softly, making Henri glance up, her eyes a little saddened as she clearly missed her brothers. "You got us now."

"Yeah." Henri smiled warmly, glancing round the table at the faces of the men surrounding her, her gaze lingering on Otis for a lot longer than she realised. And unknowingly remaining on him when she finally whispered. "Now I have you."

-
the next chapter will be the second half of chicago fire s1e2, i didn't want to squeeze it all into this chapter as the next part is a little important so yeah, but i promise in the future i will try not to make episodes spread out over more than one chapter otherwise this book will end up so long 😅