Against All Odds

What's Going On With You And Stella Kidd?

Aiden pressed the call button for the ground floor, the elevator doors closed on her, and then she was gone. Forever. Inside the elevator Severide leaned back against the wall closing his eyes and tried to pretend the sinking feeling in his belly had nothing to do with her smile, or the smell of her perfume that clung to his skin, where her lips had brushed a goodnight kiss as soft as the wings of a butterfly. Her parting gift to him.
The elevator reached the underground parking garage, and he followed Aiden to a waiting Cadillac Escalade and left the High Rise, resisting the urge to look up at the old paper mill as he was driven away.

Stella returned to her dressing room with the emptiness that sometimes took hold of her, at the same time as Gia came down from the club and was walking through the door.

"What's wrong, Elle?" Using her pet name for her, Gia followed her into the dressing room.

"Nothing.. why do you ask?" Stella forced a smile that she hoped would bat off her friend's concern.

Gia had changed out of her dance outfit and was now minus makeup and dressed in a hoodie and sweatpants, her red hair scraped off her face into a ponytail, looking much younger than her twenty nine years.

"You look sad...... What's Moretti Junior done this time?"

"Ah, babe. You're cute." Stella forced a bright smile. "I'm not sad! I'm tired." deliberately manoeuvering herself away from Gia's too perceptive scrutiny, she picked up her purse with the pretence of searching for something.

Watching her from the couch, the dancer's eyes narrowed with suspicion, knowing when her friend was hiding something.

"How come you're still here? I thought you left a while ago?"

"I came down here and had a coffee."

"Okaaay?" Waiting patiently for more, she continued to look at her. It wasn't like Stella to hang around until the club closed unless she was still hosting, but the firefighters had left a long while ago.

But Stella stayed silent and pretended to look through her cell instead. There was no message from Sal, not that she expected one, but it would be kind of nice if every now and then, he told her his whereabouts or when he might be back.

Leaning back on the couch, Gia shifted, trying to get comfortable, and then reached underneath her.

"What's this?" Her hand held up a black wallet.

Stella looked up and, an instant later, had moved towards her and grabbed it out of her hand, leaving Gia staring at her empty hand.
Flipping it open, Stella pulled out the drivers licence, scanning the photo and name. It was Severide's. Damn. It must have fallen out of his pocket when he had been lying on the couch. Something else had fallen on the floor when she had pulled out the licence, and she bent down to retrieve the two silver foil packets, rolling her eyes when she recognized the tell tale packaging. Rubbers.

"I had to get the rescue squad guy a ride, so I made him a coffee here while he waited for Aiden. It must have slipped out of his pocket." Stella didn't look up, stuffing the rubbers and the licence back into the wallet.

Gia was watching Stella's overly casual attempt to explain the wallet with curiosity. It was not like Stella to bring a guest back to her dressing room.

"The one who was looking at you like he wanted to eat you up?....What was his name.....Kelly something..?"

"Severide." Stella finished for her. "Kelly Severide. And he wasn't looking at me like that."

Gia raised a brow. "Now I know you're not stupid, so you noticed as did everyone else around the table." She studied her friend. "That is until he found out you had a boyfriend. Talk about a tantrum." The red head rolled her eyes. "I was surprised you let him get away with the tone he was using with you."