No Ordinary Love...What Comes Next?

Tequila Hangovers

S12 E7- Red Flag..

Stella and Violet compare the pain of leadership...
This chapter is my take on Stella and Kelly's recollection of her date with a bottle of Tequila....

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"I hear Violet, you know. It's hard managing men sometimes."

Stella was lying with Kelly in his bunk, her fingers idly playing with the buttons of his station shirt.
Strictly speaking, they shouldn't be sleeping in the same bunk, but strictly speaking, they did it more often than not, and besides Maya the teen from the earlier fire call, was fast asleep in Stella's bunk.
Another waif that the firehouse, or in this case Severide, had rescued.

"I don't remember you having much trouble." Kelly was studying the photos of the burn pattern at the fire.

Stella raised herself up, pulling a face.

"Sure, I did. Carver was so difficult in the beginning....and remember that four alarm building fire when I first made Lieutenant..."
It wasn't so much a question than a reminder. "When I got myself all wound up the next day..."

Putting the report down, Kelly reached up and put his hand on the back of her neck. Wide brown iris's stared back at him, spinning conflicting emotions. No one was harder on themselves than Stella, and her tendency towards self reproach mixed up with pride and a vulnerability triggered all his protective instincts. And yeah, he remembered the incident over at Racine, particularly so because of the afterwards, and had cursed himself later for not recognizing that morning there was more to her quietness than her insistence that she was tired.

"I remember you did one hell of a demolotion job on that bottle of tequila." One side of his mouth lifted in a wry grin, his thumb circling the interlocking joints in her neck.

"Hell yeah, I sure did that." Wincing in recollection, she squinted at him.
" Worst hangover I've had in years."

"Mmm, Hmm." Kelly nodded, thinking back to that night and coming home finding her in the kitchen, glassy eyed, slurring curses about male CFD Lieutenants and barely able to stand up.

He had picked up the bottle of tequila sitting on the counter, frowning, registering she had made some pretty significant inroads into it, hearing her muttering to herself. She was in her sweats, so it didn't look like she'd been out.

"Stella?" Reaching out a hand to her cheek, he had pushed her hair back from her face. " What's going on?"

Her brown eyes were glossy and struggling to focus.

"That jerk .!..... He wouldn't...he wouldn't have damn well done it to you!"

"What?" Kelly felt himself tense. Who was a jerk? Did something happen while he was out?

"Fraser, he'sh a prick. An arrogant...class A ....prick!" Barely making sense, she drained the last of her drink, slamming the glass on the counter.

"Fraser from the call on Raccine yesterday? What did he do?" Eyes narrowing, he held her chin and turned it towards him.

Stella gave an exaggerated tut. "Kell...yyy... you aren't lishen..lisshening to....me. I said he'ssss a prick! " She admonished, waving a finger in his face. "That ass hole..." Frowning, she picked up her empty glass. "I need another.... drink." She reached for the bottle of tequila, but Kelly held it out of her reach.

"No, Stella. You've had enough." Picking up the bottle, he moved it out of her reach and then, taking her hand, turned her towards him.
"What's going on? Why the hell have you got so wasted on your own?"