The Fire Consumes

**I wrote this for my buddy, Brandy. I hope it turned out alright. It's rated PG-14.**

His lips are on her neck; his hands grip her waist. She moans as he grinds his teeth into the sensitive skin of her collarbone. "Caseyyyy," she whimpers. Her voice is full of need and want.

He presses his lips to her ear. "I want to make love to you, Hallie," he whispers hoarsely. He wants to be with her, skin on skin, as close as two people can possibly be. He wants to feel her clench her heat around him as their bodies tremble with passion. He wants her, most of all, to feel how much he wants her; how much he needs her ... How much he loves her. She'll always be the one - always.

"Casey," she murmurs. He feels her take a deep shuddery breath. She looks up at him with those beautiful eyes of hers. He notices they are glassy with tears. And then she's disentangling from their embrace and scooting to the edge of the mattress. Out of his reach. He feels suddenly as if he's lost her all over again.

Casey's heart clutches painfully. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pushed it this far."

"No, you didn't. I just ... I don't think I can do this."

Casey shrugs. "It's okay. We don't have to. Not tonight or tomorrow, or even in a week or a month from now. You need time. I understand."

She looks at him; dabs at a tear that streaks down her scarred cheek. "I don't think I can do this... ever."

"Well, okay... Then we don't have to."

"Casey, come on. Be serious. You're a healthy, red-blooded man with needs. I can't ask you to give up sex."

"Hallie, I almost lost you. Trust me when I say this - I can live without sex, but I can't live without you."

She shakes her head. "You shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to be with someone who looks the way I do."

"Hallie, what are you talking about?" He asks. "The burns ... the scars ... I don't even see them."

"Well, everybody else does. I see the way they look at me when we walk down the street together. They whisper and they point, and I just know they're wondering how a handsome guy like you can stomach being with a woman like me."

"Hallie, you're still beautiful to me, a few burns or not, alright? You'll always be beautiful to me and not just because of the way you look, but because of who you are. You're good and you're kind. How could I possibly not love you?"

She dabs at her moist face. "I can't be with you, Casey. I don't want you to see how damaged I really am. It's been months since the fire at the clinic and all of surgeons I've seen... They have offered little hope for these burns to ever be fixed."

"Hallie-"

"Please just go," Hallie whispers. "I can't stand for you to see me like this. Be with someone you can be proud to have on your arm. Not someone who is frigid and broken. There's Dawson. I see the way she looks at you-"

"Hey, stop. I don't want Gabby, okay? I want you. I always have. What will it take to convince you of that?"

"That's the pity talking... You feel sorry for me."

"Hallie, that's not true. You know it's not."

"I don't know that, okay? I don't know anything anymore, except that I woke up in that hospital room and everything was completely different. You deserve more. So go find that ... with someone else."

Xoxoxo

Hallie hasn't seen Casey in two weeks. She just lies in bed staring at the ceiling and wanting to cry. The tears dried up sometime ago, but the pain in her heart hasn't dulled. The last thing she wanted was to kick Matt out that night he asked to make love to her, but what other choice did she have? He deserved more. He deserved a woman who looked and felt whole.

The doorbell suddenly rings downstairs. She rolls over and tries to ignore it, but it sounds like the person is frantically leaning on the bell. For a moment, she thinks it's Casey. For a moment, all she wants is for him to be there.

The doorbell has stopped ringing. She hears a voice calling from beneath her window now.

"Hallie?" Severide's familiar voice reaches her ears. "Hallie, dammit, I know you're in there. Your car's in the driveway. Open the damn door!"

Hallie freezes for a moment, just lays there still, not breathing. Maybe he'll just go away.

"I'm not leaving!" Severide shouts at her. "Not until we talk. I'll break down the door if I have to."

She wonders what this is about. She thinks maybe he's there to give her some horrible news about Casey. No, she can't stand the thought. It makes her weak in the knees. Her legs feel heavy as she finally drags herself out of bed and moves for the window. She pulls the blinds open and then the window too. She takes a deep breath before calling down to Severide.

"Kelly, what do you want?"

"Really? We're going to talk like this? We used to be sort of friends. I think you owe me a little more than that."

"I'm not dressed," Hallie lies. While she has been living in the same sweatpants and tee-shirt for days, she's definitely dressed.

"I don't care about that. We need to talk."

"Talk from down there," she hollers to him.

"Fine!" he snaps. "I'll just tell the whole neighborhood then."

"Tell them what?" She peeks over the ledge now.

"That you may be a doctor with a lot of fancy degrees, but you're an idiot!"

"Excuse me? What the hell gives you the right to come here and say that?"

"Better question, what gives you the right to just turn on Casey the way you did?"

Hallie rubs her forehead, feeling the familiar bumps along the abraded skin. "I don't have to explain anything you," she says.

"Well, maybe you could explain things to Casey then?"

"I already have."

"Do a better job of it because all the guy does now is sit around Molly's since you dumped him, drowning his sorrows in tequila and staring at your number on his phone. He wants to call you but he doesn't, because he thinks you're done with him forever."

"We are done... And it's for the best."

"For who?" Severide snaps. "Certainly not for Casey. I've never seen him so miserable. He misses you."

"Did he tell you that?"

"He didn't have to. It's written all over his face."

"So he didn't send you here then?"

"No, but someone had to say something. You're being selfish... pushing him away yet again for whatever stupid reason. Get your act together, Hallie. He deserves better than this."

"Severide-"

"Talk to him, Hallie, or let him go. For real this time. Those are your only two options. I am not letting you hurt him anymore."

Xoxxo

Hallie sits in her car that night, silently debating her next move. She isn't sure she can do this - walk into Molly's and see all of the merrymaking that will surely grind to a halt when everyone catches sight of her and her messed up face.

She starts to jam the key back into the ignition, but her hands are shaking too badly to fit the lock. Casey's in there - Severide told her so. She would be lying if she didn't admit to herself that she wants to see him.

She swallows hard and finally pockets her keys. She turns up the collar of her blue windbreaker and climbs out of the Lexus. Taking a long, deep breath, she heads for Molly's. She can hear some honky tonk song playing on the jukebox as she steps inside. Something about broken hearts and shattered trust. Ugh, she's always hated country music.

Her eyes sweep the bar. She spots Casey sitting at the very end of the counter, phone in hand, a shot in the other. He is staring at both items as if he can't decide which is the fastest poison.

She squares her shoulders as best as she can and moves towards him. She gets some looks from people as she passes. She blushes, but is relieved as they quickly turn back to their drinks, and she can scoot on by. It's too late to run screaming from the building, she decides. No matter how much she may want to.

She reaches Casey. His woodsy aftershave tingles her nose and invokes a hell of a lot of fond memories. She peeks over his shoulder. Her name and number show on the screen of his phone, just like Severide said.

She reaches out and lightly taps Casey on the shoulder. "Care to buy a lady a drink?"

Casey spins around on the stool. His eyes go wide when he sees her standing there. "Hallie!" he gasps out. It seems as if he wants to reach for her and pull her to him, but he doesn't, and she admittedly feels disappointed. "Hey, yes, of course I'll get you a drink."

She slips down into the seat next to his. Her shoulder brushes his and she feels that familiar warmth shoot up her arm. Casey looks at her in awe, almost as if he can't quite believe she's there, as if she's just a mirage his mind conjured up.

He finally tears his eyes from hers and waves over Herrmann.

"Hallie, hiya," Herrmann says. "Nice to see you. What can I get you?"

She appreciates the fact that Herrmann meets her eyes; that he doesn't look every which awkwardly like so many people do. She lightly bumps Casey's shoulder. "Whatever he's having."

"Tequila... coming right up."

Herrmann moves away and Hallie and Casey look at each other. His gaze doesn't waver. He sees her for who she is. If she's honest, he's the only one who ever could truly see her.

"What brings you around?" Casey asks.

Hallie white-knuckles the bar. "I ... Well, honestly? I missed you," she admits. "A lot."

Casey stares at her. "It's been two weeks and you're just telling me this now?"

"I know... But I really am sorry for pushing you out that night. I just thought in the long run I was saving you from a lot of pain."

"Well, it had the opposite effect. I was gutted, Hallie. You kicked me out; actually told me to just move on like we never meant anything to each other."

"I thought I was protecting you."

"Well, you weren't." He sighs. "Why can't you just trust in my feelings for you - why do you always have to run away from me or push me out?"

Hallie's eyes burn. "I don't know. I just get scared... Scared of how deeply I feel for you. It humbles me and terrifies me all at the same time. And now that I'm so -" she gestures to her face - "like this... I don't know what I can offer you."

"All I need is you, Hallie. That's all I've ever needed. But honestly... I'm tired. I don't have the energy left to fight for a relationship you always so easily walk away from."

"Matt, it's never been easy to let you go."

"So why do you do it then?"

"I told you. I'm scared. I keep thinking if I let you go first..."

Casey shakes his head. "Wait, you think I'm going to leave you?"

"Why shouldn't you? There are many other women out there who can give you what you need."

"I don't want other women, Hallie. For the last time, I don't. You've always been IT for me."

She nods. "I - I think I get that now. I've been a fool. A selfish fool."

"What do you want from me?"

"Would you ... Would you come home?" Hallie asks. "It's not easy for me to ask that, or even to admit this, but I miss you. I miss you so much. I love you."

"Do you mean that?"

"Every word."

He leans over, slowly brushes her hair gently from her eyes. "I've missed you too. A helluva lot. I love you too... Just promise me you won't push me away anymore and if you have the impulse to do so, you'll let me talk you through it."

Hallie nods. "I promise." She kisses him once, twice, three times, and slides her arms around his neck. "I missed you so much."

Xoxxox

His lips are on her neck; his hands grip her waist. She moans as he grinds his teeth into the sensitive skin of her collarbone. "Caseyyyy," she whimpers. Her voice is full of need and want.

"Yes, Hallie?" He asks, his voice low and guttural.

"I want you to make love to me."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to have any regrets. I am not going to push you if -" He breaks off as she kisses him, deeply, passionately. He is breathless when they pull apart. Her fingers move for the buttons on his shirt, prying them loose in her desperation to be close to him.

"Yes, I'm sure," she says.

He grins and kisses her, his tongue easing into her mouth. She slips his shirt down his lean arms. His skin heats up as her lips travel the length of his body. He reaches for her, slowly tugging at the hem of her tee-shirt.

He pauses a moment, letting her set the pace. She finally helps him pull the shirt over her head. The scarring is less severe on her shoulders and arms, but she still looks a little sheepish. "You're amazing," he assures her. He kisses her scars one by one.

They tumble back onto the mattress. She spreads her legs wide so he can settle between them. He rocks against her as they kiss. When their clothes finally come off, he just stares at her breathlessly. "I love you," he says. "I love everything you are."

She cups his face in her hands and tugs him down on top of her. They begin to make love. Their bodies move in a sensual rhythm.

No other two people have ever fit together so perfectly.

THE END.