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C H A P T E R T W E N T Y

Trigger Warning

Kelly Severide hadn't known what had happened when he woke up to the smell of smoke penetrating his senses. His first thought was to figure out where he was. His body felt warm, so warm that he at first worried that maybe the fire was right next to him.

When he shot his eyes open, he realized that the warmth was only Alyssa Torres, still perfectly asleep tucked into the crook of his side. His eyes scanned the house, the very smoky house. He could see the kitchen, the stove was not on, there was no smoke stemming from the kitchen.

"Lys," he called, standing from the couch and beginning to lightly shake the woman. "Alyssa, wake up, come on, baby."

He watched as her nose wrinkled before her eyes quickly shot open. "Kelly, what's going on?" she scanned around too, obviously had smelled the strong scent of smoke.

"I don't know, sweetheart, we gotta get out, let's go." Kelly grabbed the woman by her waist and all but pulled her off the couch. "Grab your phone, call Antonio, let's go, Alyssa."

Alyssa managed to grab her phone from the coffee table before she was pulled towards the front door by Kelly. He reached for the handle and attempted to twist it but nothing happened.

"Kelly?" Alyssa asks.

"Call Antonio, Lys, right now."

The man tried the door again, pushing his body weight against it. "It's not budging." He reached over to the table by the door, trying to find the key but none of the sets of keys were there. "Did you move the keys, Alyssa?"

"What?" she asks, looking up from where she was dialing Antonio's number. "No, no, they should be there, Kelly."

"Fuck," Kelly muttered, throwing his body weight against the door again.

Alyssa raised the phone to her ear, hearing the sound of the phone dialing. "Come on, come on, pick up, pick up."

"Come on, Lys, we gotta try the back door." He grabbed her wrist again and led her towards the back door, only to stop so suddenly that Alyssa ran into his back.

"Kelly? Baby, what's wrong?" he could feel her hand between his shoulder blade.

"Stay behind me," his voice was low, warning. The woman had just managed to peer around his shoulder when her eyes locked with someone else's.

"Alyssa, nice to see you again." Julian Black's voice was sinister, as was the smile that followed his statement.

Her breath hitched, the phone falling from her hands and shattering on the floor.

"Alyssa, breathe," she could hear Kelly whisper, his hand gripping her wrist tighter.

"I was hoping to just get Alyssa on her own. But now it seems I have a two-for-one special." His voice gave Alyssa's shivers, she held tightly onto Kelly's hand, her body still shielded behind his. "Let me see you, Lyssie, let me remember what I've missed."

"Don't talk to her." Kelly's voice cut through stronger, firmly. His jaw was locked, eyes narrowed in a deathly glare.

"Oh, please, Kelly Severide. You really didn't have to die. You just failed to keep it in your pants. She was supposed to be mine, mine." Black's voice raised, practically screaming the last word.

"She isn't yours, Black. She's mine. I healed what you broke. You will never ever lay a single finger on her again. You won't get close enough to."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" It was surprising how the man's voice could change from such anger, demanding Alyssa was his, to the condescending tone that he now used.

She watched as Black took a step towards them. The action made Kelly tighten his grip on the woman and take a step back from the approaching man. "Step away," Kelly's voice was tight, rigid. He meant it when he said that Julian Black would not get close enough to touch Alyssa, would not get close enough to smell the sweet peach body wash she always used, or the fresh linen from her recently washed clothes.

As Julian took another step towards the pair, Kelly led them in another step back. A loud crunch echoed through the small hallway that had led to the back door of the house. Kelly's left foot had stepped on and further crushed Alyssa's phone which had never made the call to Antonio Dawson.