Chicago Fire: Burning Bright

Hearts on Fire

Chapter 16: Another Log on the Fire

The best part of visiting her family with a new baby in the house was that she was back early enough to be up with a full spread ready when Clarke walked in the door after shift the next morning. "Hope you aren't too exhausted to eat," she called from the kitchen when she heard the front door open.

He grinned at her from the doorway, "impossibly slow shift, so not at all; who else did you invite to breakfast, Callahan?"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do with three days off, Clarke?" she asked with a smile, handing him a plate piled high with food.

He caught her wrist pulling her into his lap, "I might have a couple of ideas. You still got that so-called uniform?"

"After you eat, cowboy, I'm not letting this go to waste," she replied, though she was tempted to give in to his ministrations.

"Actually I do have another idea for today," Clarke said as they were eating.

Cally looked at him, "I'm not putting that damn corset back on voluntarily, babe."

He pursed his lips at her, "seriously, I was thinking maybe we could call Goodwill and donate some of this stuff," he remarked, gesturing around.

"Uh-huh and then what are we supposed to do?" she said, looking around.

He cocked an eyebrow, "Cally, we are adults with steady incomes, we can buy new stuff. Wouldn't you want to do that anyway when we get our own place?"

She gave him a look and a half-smirk, "oh, are we still doing that?"

"Cailin," he growled warningly, "we've both been busy, it isn't because I don't want to. Unless you don't want to."

Cailin wondered if she was imagining it or if his tone was tinged with a certain amount of desperation. She did want them to get their own place; like Gabby, she didn't like being in a place bearing so many markings of the woman before her. Hell, even Voight had caught her looking up real estate listings, but something about tangible property made this real. Very, very real.

Clarke studied Cally from across the table, not moving a muscle. He didn't want to influence her answer in any way, but he had to hope she hadn't changed her mind. Especially not after having Connor Callahan schlep it all the way up to Roger's Park the day before. He just had to get through the next two days. That was all. He could do it. Especially if she said…

"Of course I still want us to get our own place, Jeff, but we would need to get your condo ready to go on the market and," she paused, looking around, "well, I guess I see your point. Maybe we should call Goodwill."

Clarke tried to not breathe out a sigh of relief, covering it with a grin and coming over to kiss her on the head. "Sounds great. Why don't you look up their number while I try to make heads or tails of your mess in here?"

"You don't get to complain, Mr. Clean Plate Club," she smiled at him, ducking out of the way of his snap of the towel.

They spent the next two days sorting through the contents of the condo, though luckily Lisa's personal effects had long since been at her sister's. But most of the overstuffed, country decor was hauled away and headed for another life. Which meant they were left with a lot of open space.

"So I feel like we might need to go furniture shopping," Cally quipped as they sat on the floor of the mostly empty living room, sharing a pizza and a six-pack.

Clarke gave her a half-smile, "we're not just going with a minimalist theme? Aren't real estate agents always going on about de-cluttering?"

"I don't think we were supposed to make it look like it was a crash pad though, Jeff; and I haven't really spent a lot of time talking to real estate agents. Maybe this is one now," she said, making a face as she reached for her phone. "Callahan."