╔═══*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═══╗

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧:
𝟑𝟔𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

╚═══*.·:·.✧ ✦ ✧.·:·.*═══╝

She listened to the sounds of the sea and the birds flying by, sighing satisfyingly and closing her eyes. The sky was bluer than ever and the sun was beaming down on them as the married couple soaked in the peace and quiet. 

To say that Maddie was excited to spend the whole day with her husband and away from the city was an understatement. She had skipped all the way out of their apartment. Right now, shades rested on face and her torso was exposed with only the little yellow swimsuit covering her body. The swimsuit wasn't little a few months ago; it was little now due to her growing abdomen. At sixteen weeks, Maddie's bloated stomach looked more like a baby bump with a medium sized curve. It became more difficult for her to hide it whenever she came by the firehouse.

Kelly laid on his stomach right beside her, eyes closed but not sleeping. They were laying in the front of the boat with pillows and strawberries covered in chocolate surrounding them. Her orange juice looked delicate next to his cold beer.

"I think it was the night of my birthday." Maddie stated, her fingers stroking the back of his head lightly. "I think I got pregnant on the night of my birthday."

Kelly turned to face her and winked. "Or the night after that, and the night after that, and then the other night after that. Maybe it was all those moments in between."

"Hmmm. . .maybe—oh!" Maddie gasped and sat up, "I have your gift!"

Confused, Kelly rolled on his back and sat up as she placed her bag on her lap and dug through the contents. A little black box was placed on top of his hand. Maddie smiled widely, bouncing excitedly in her seat.

"Babes, you didn't have to—"

"Shush!" She interrupted and motioned for him to carry on, "Open it."

She had gotten him another pendant for the necklace that he never seemed to take off. It was smaller than his St. Florian one; the charm Maddie had gotten him was like the size of a coin and had the color of white gold.

Kelly took the charm out of the little box, twisting it between his long fingers while he examined it. "Are these coordinates engraved?" He asked, his eyes meeting hers.

Maddie nodded. "The coordinates to that Vegas casino where we first met and at the back is the date. See it? Aug—"

"August 11, 2015."

"Do you like it, Kelly?"

"You kiddin' me, Mads?" He retorted and leaned forward, a hand behind her neck. He kissed her and tasted those sweet strawberries on her glossy lips. "I love it! Thank you." Kelly proceeded to shower her with kisses: one her nose, both her cheeks, and back at her lips again. "I love you. I love you. I love you."

Maddie laughed loudly and softly pushed his head to get away from the attack of his kisses. "Well, I guess I love you too, bebot (hot chick)."

They laid back down but now Maddie had rested her head on his chest, her fingers drumming lightly on his skin. She felt him leave a kiss on the top of her head and say, "All jokes aside, you're the best part of me, you know?"

Maddie smiled, nuzzling closer to his body and burying her face in his neck. "I know."

It was the best 365 days of her life.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

After following the directions his son gave him, Benny Severide walked into the apartment to the smell of pancakes. Sharing a hug with Kelly and discarding his bag on the floor, he took a seat on one of the bar stools in the kitchen island and watched as his son washed the dishes. Kelly's skin was sun-kissed and he looked happier since the last time he saw him almost two years ago when Candidate Peter Mills landed a punch on the retired firefighter's face. It must have been that girl he was hearing about who apparently married his boy.

"Suspended, huh?" Benny started off as Kelly placed a plate of pancakes in front of him.

Kelly waved him off, wiping the table. Since when did he do household chores? From what Benny remembered, he hated cleaning up. "It's not that big of a deal, pop."

"The hell it isn't!"

The sound of the door closing from upstairs caught his attention. A petite woman who held her phone between her shoulder and her ear walked down the stairs. She placed her shoes on and gave him a shy smile, a green loose dress hanging on her body. "I know, Mr. Brighton." She said into her phone and flashed Kelly two fingers before continuing, "I understand. Okay." She disappeared behind a door and emerged with a long rolling tube.

"You got called in?" Kelly asked as he handed her a tumbler.

"Yeah." She strode over to them, a smile on her face. The woman stood in front of Benny, her hand extended. "Hi, Mr. Severide, I'm Maddie. I've heard a lot of great things about you from Kelly."

"I don't know if they're great but I'll take your word for it, Maddie." He ignored the extended hand and engulfed her in a hug. It took her a few seconds to encircle her own hands around his frame. "And, call me Benny."

Upon hearing the news of Kelly's marriage from Katie, he was a bit skeptical especially knowing that it was one of those Vegas weddings. He knew a lot of people in their line of work who got into a relationship just to get over the death of a friend. However, Benny trusted his son's judgment of character. Anyone who was willing to put up with stubbornness of a Severide must have had the patience of a saint. Not to mention that his daughter-in-law's warm smile definitely made him feel more welcome.

"So, Maddie," Benny started as she joined Kelly on the other side of the island and sipped her coffee. "What's your take on this whole mess?"

"It's utter bullshit."

Kelly chuckled. "I got it under control."

Patting his chest, she remarked. "I'm sure you do, big guy, and I have a meeting to attend to. So, if you'll excuse me." She turned to Benny, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Severide."

"Benny." He corrected with a smile.

"Right, right." Maddie said and turned to Kelly to give him a kiss, "Bye, mahal (love). I'll see you later!" She gathered her keys, bag, and that long rolling tube that surely contained papers.

"Hey, love you, babes! Drive safe!"

"I will! Love you too!"

"I like her." Benny decided once the door closed, "She's a little bit out of your league, Kelly, don't you think?"

His son's laughter boomed, the joyous sound materializing in his blue eyes. "I know, dad. I've been told."

It was nice to see your children happy and content. For a while, Benny had worried that Kelly might never settle down and would be like him — always running away from his problems and sleeping with woman after woman. His son was a much better man than he was and it was only confirmed when Benny had heard from one of his old friends' that Kelly and his lieutenant almost got into it a couple of nights ago. If it was Benny in that position, he would have punched Patterson's lights out with no questions asked.

Benny caught site of a couple of boxes with neat handwriting sprawled across it by the front door. He asked, "You two moving?"

Kelly followed his father's line of sight. "Oh, that. Yeah. . .Maddie and I want a bigger space."

"Your apartment right now looks fine to me."

"Uh. . ."

Benny furrowed his eyebrows. It was rare to see him lost for words. "You got somethin' to tell me, Kelly?"

"I sure do." He took a deep breath and beamed, "I'm going to be a father."

Now, Benny knew the feeling of being lost for words. He had only felt it at least twice in his life: once when Isabella told him she was pregnant (and the realization that he was going to become a father for the first time hit him) and next when Kelly stood in front of him, a proud smile on his face. They didn't have the easiest relationship and they both knew that. As years went by, Benny tried to repair it and they were making progress. It was slow but it was progress nonetheless. He just felt happy that his son shared the news with him.

"Oh, Kelly, my boy." Benny said as they hugged, tears springing in their eyes. There seemed to be a lot of hugging this morning. "How far along?"

"A little over four months. Five within the next two weeks."

"I'm happy for you and Maddie, son." He confessed. The Severide men weren't really experts on sharing and showing their emotions. "You turned out to be a good man. You'll be a great father too."

"Thanks, dad."

"Are you excited?"

"I am. So excited and happy."

"Good, good. And, Kelly?" He pointed a finger at him and joked, "Don't be a shitty dad like me."

"Not a chance, old man."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Donuts! Donuts! Donuts!" Cruz and Otis chanted as they got the boxes away from her arms. "And, Maddie." Otis turned to her, "I may not have couture fashion sense but you're crazy for wearing a coat during one of the hottest summers."

"And, green is definitely not your color. Sorry, Mads." Cruz added.

Maddie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the advice, boys. I'll keep that in mind."

"Hey." A hand snaked around her waist and, when she turned to greet her husband, she was met with a deep kiss instead. Smiling into the kiss, Kelly flipped off the wolf whistles and groans from the other firemen.

"Hi." Maddie greeted back, "You miss me?"

"More than you think." Slinging an arm over her shoulder as they entered the living room area of the firehouse, he answered. "You got the donuts?" Maddie nodded, an excited smile on her lips as their plan was already in action.

"Heard someone brought donuts." Gabby said, "What's the special occasion, Madeline?"

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing much, Gabriella." When she used her full name, she would use hers as well. "Just wanted to do something special for all of you."

"They want something." Capp guessed, "They definitely want something."

Kelly sat down on one of the chairs from their dining table, pulling Maddie to sit on his lap. It was surreal to think that they had been in the same position almost a year ago. The only difference from last year was that it was Maddie's first time meeting his firehouse family. Right now, they were telling everyone that the said firehouse family was getting a new addition. 

Her husband laughed, the sound sending vibrations to her back that rested on his chest. "Nah, really. We just wanted to do something special for all of you."

"Who cares?" Hermann interjected, "It's free food. I'm definitely not complaining."

He was the first to pry open a box and, luckily, it was the one that had Maddie's sonogram pictures taped on it. Hermann furrowed his eyebrows for a second as a stunned silence fell over Firehouse 51, each member standing in front of the box slowly to get a glimpse of the picture.

"I knew it!" Otis exclaimed, breaking the silence. He ran over to where the expecting couple were sitting and pulled Maddie up to her feet, hugging her tightly. "I predicted this! You can thank me, Maddie."

Laughing, Maddie shoved him off. "No, you did not."

A flurry of hugs and cheers erupted through the room as each member went to congratulate the couple. Chief Boden clapped Kelly on the back, a proud smile on his face, while Sylvie and Gabby had gathered around Maddie who had shed her coat to show the two ladies her baby bump in her tight black blouse.

"Hey, little one." Sylvie bent down and whispered, a bright smile on her face. "It's Aunt Sylvie. I took your mama to that water aerobics class last week."

Gabby raised a curious eyebrow. "So, how far along are you?"

"Give or take, around 20 weeks."

"Five months?!" Cruz bellowed as he joined the ladies, "You're telling me that Sylvie Brett kept her best friend's secret for five months but she couldn't keep mine for a week?!"

The three burst out laughing while Cruz kept the betrayed look on his face. The Rescue Squad member and Sylvie had started to bicker while Maddie took a seat with Gabby right by her side, curious about how she was doing with the pregnancy. As Gabby asked her questions, Maddie met her husband's gaze and smiled.

The best was yet to come.