*Trigger warning*
Chapter Seven: The Meaning of Love.

Chicago, Illinois
November 12, 2005

Shay was in a bad all day and with Gabby out on probation and Rafferty being well Rafferty everything seemed on edge, not to mention how fucking cold it was outside. Chicago's winter was bone chilling, Luna adjusted the beanie on her head. She was so tired, she had been up all night tossing and turning contemplating how she was going to end things with Hickson, he was on the squad with Severide and Severide being who was, well lets just say Luna was his little and Kelly was her Big.

They had always been this way since the first day they started working together, Gabby thought they had a crush on each other, Casey simply adored Luna as did everyone else, she was bubbly, warm, always giggling or cracking jokes, she was the reason everyone was in a good mood, and that their bellies were full. They had found out her talent for cooking when Mills got promoted, leaving them down without a cook. She couldn't take the smell of Cruz's cooking any longer and Immediately banished him from the kitchen.

The night air was thick. A drunk driver ran into a transformer , injuring an innocent bystander, before they could even manage to get him out of the car the transformer fell on his car catching on fire. Causing the power to go out on the entire block. They put the fire out and got the asshole out of his car who reeked of alcohol.

The neighborhood in question was right near the firehouse and Boden told everyone on the block to come over to the firehouse and Luna found herself manning the kitchen, with Kelly's sister.

"Kells, I need you to call Taylor off. He's bitter about the breakup Again?."

"Again? I thought there was just one time."

"Well, there was but he still thinks we are a thing and I have explained we arent and-"

Before she could finish a fight breaks out, Kelly moves into action Immediately tossing the guy who started the fight away from the other guy he was punching in the face. He moves his sister and Luna behind him as the angry guy picks up a knife from off the kitchen counter. He starts screaming about how the guy he was beating up brother put his niece in a coma.

Luna quickly slaps the knife out of his hand with a towel she had on her shoulder, as Kelly charges towards the man punching him and putting him in a hold, he walks him outside and tosses him on his ass in the snow.

"Hey you alright?" Kelly is immediately confronting Katie and Luna.

"Yeah, thanks for making a massive fucking mess Kells." Luna sasses as she shoves her in the arm.

"Shut up." He kisses her head before walking off.

The night continues and some lovely sex workers come in stuffing their bras and pockets with food literally. There was a call and Luna was trusting Cruz and Katie to take over. The next call was a family who had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. The parents died and the kids were being taken to Med.

Luna was cleaning out a closet, for more space. When the door closed suddenly, she turns to see Taylor in front of her, she was irritated by how forceful he was being, how he couldn't take no for an answer,

"Taylor, get out of the way."

"Not until you tell me that you love me."

"Taylor let me out of here now!" Of course he doesn't like that and pins her against the wall, hands on her throat, she hits an emergency alarm. Which causes someone to go to closet that someone being Kelly.

"Kells." He had Taylor pinned against the wall with that fiery look in his eyes, this wasn't the night to mess with Kelly after finding out that Vincent Keeler the guy he threw out into the snow. sent someone to beat him up. He was pissed and now this asshole was messing with his little sister.

Luna was grabbing at her throat as Casey was inspecting her neck. Gabby and Shay were already looking her over. She felt smothered.

"You stay away from her and from here. If you even breath the same air as her I will kill you myself." Kelly was scary when he was mad and Taylor, who was embarrassed and possessive, vowed to get one over on her to make her see how much she needed him.

It was Four weeks later when Shay died and Luna simply left, she picked up everything she could fit in a bag and picked a place on the map with a dart. Sure California was hot and sure she missed her firehouse, but she needed this, this new place, this new destiny.

Luna was Jittery, mostly from the caffeine, Athena told her not to drink so much she was like a child, get any amount of sugar or caffeine in her and she was like the freaking energizer bunny, it didn't help that there was some crazed woman standing on a street sign with a sheet that read "See Me Now Norman," although everyone in the ten mile radius could see this woman.

"Hell no! I won't come down until Norman sees me! And don't you try to force me down!"

" Nobody's gonna force you to do anything. We're just gonna talk. What's your name?" Athena was using the megaphone attached to the squad car while Luna was chewing gum standing next to her.

"Lola!"

" Lola, my name's Athena." She gestures to Luna. "This is Luna. What's the problem?"

" The problem? The problem is, after 30 years of marriage, I can't get 30 seconds of attention from my husband! It's like I'm invisible! But I'm-I'm not invisible! I am here, damn it! See me, Norman! See me now?!" Lola opens her robe.

" Oh, for God's sake."

" Definitely not invisible." Bobby walks up as Luna laughs.

"Can somebody please find me this Norman before she does something crazy... er?" Luna turns to a few deputies behind her who are nodding climbing into their cars. "If I ever go this crazy for a man you can just put a bullet in me Thena." Luna comments as Bobby chuckles at the look on his girlfriend's face as she kisses her teeth at Luna shoving her.

"So what's the plan? How are we getting this situation to not be so crazy." Bobby looks to his girlfriend

"I don't know. Stardust got any ideas?"

Luna folds her arms over her chest, aviators planted firmly over her eyes. "Why are you looking at me?"

"You passed the de-escalation course with the highest numbers out of everyone in the department. And you're smarty pants so I ask again what's the plan?"

Luna thinks for a moment. "Okay well I like Bobby's thought process on sending someone up with repelling gear but it should definitely be a woman, Men are useful in this situation because her anger is fueled by a man, sending one up will only make it worse. Unless he appeals to her feelings, which in this case Buck works in favor of Eddie, he can be kind of blunt to the point, she needs a bit of coaching softness."

Bobby just nods. "Okay Buck it is then."

A few deputies come over whispering to Athena which causes Bobby and Luna to look at her.

" Lola, good news. We found your man. He's on his way."

" I won't come down until he sees me!" Lola yells

"Ma'am, you're the most famous face in the city right now. There ain't exactly a way to miss you."

" I don't care."

" Okay, move Buck into position. Okay, Chim." The rest of the 118 that were on the ground pull out an airbag sliding it right under the sign.

" No, no, no, no, no, no, no! What are you doing?! I-I told you! I told you!"

"It's just there for your safety Lola."

"She's spiraling. Get me the microphone." Luna gestures for the microphone.

" I-I told you! I told..." Luna watches as Lola pulls out a revolver shooting at the air bag a few times before aiming it at Buck who just so happened to hop down at the wrong moment, she takes the Microphone from Athena,

"Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Stand down. Do not shoot.'' Athena is giving the other officers Orders as Luna is watching intently the gears in her head spinning.

"HEY!" That drew everyone's attention, even Athena was taken aback, this wasn't Luna Jennings sergeant this was Luna Morgan, the Paramedic who was trying to stop Mouch and Otis from bickering like the two children they were.

"Lola, listen to me very carefully." Luna removes her sunglasses. " You now have every firearm in the Greater Los Angeles area pointed at you. If you continue to threaten that firefighter, they will fire. Do you understand?" all eyes were on Luna even Lola's. It was silent. " Do you?" She asked again, brows raised. The looks she was receiving were mostly of shock Eddie on the other hand was amused, he just smirked it was kind of a turn on seeing her angry side. No one had ever seen, she was always composed, Well no one except Firehouse 51.

Lola gulps thickly. " I don't want to hurt anybody. I just can't handle being ignored anymore." she puts the gun down, as Buck starts talking to her.

" He's talking to her? " Athena hits her boyfriend in the chest.

"Yeah, that's either gonna go well or... the other thing."

Luna shrugs. "Well, let's sit back and wait then." She leans back against the squad car.

They hear the sounds of sirens and look back to see Tim bringing a man on the back of his back towards them. Luna pushes herself off the car looking Athena is strapping a vest on him.

Luna hands the microphone to Norman.

"Uh, L-Lola. Lola, honey, it's me. I'm here. And I see you, just like the sign says."

" Liar! You look right through me. Y-You don't even notice me. I-I'm just around to... collect the mail." She Waves the gun around aimlessly.

"I don't even know what that means. I'm the one who brings in the mail."

The Melanin Twins kiss their teeth at the same time as Luna smacks Norman on the back of his head. " Just talk to her."

" Lola, honey. Honey, now, listen to me. I-I'm here, and I see you. And I need you to put down the gun, okay? Put the... put down the gun and let them bring you to me. And then we can spend the rest of our lives together, and I can show you how much I love you."

" I don't believe you, Norman. You don't even know who I am anymore. I mean... I don't even know."

" I'm-I'm confused. Now, is she saying I don't see her or I don't know who she is, like I don't recognize her?" Bobby and Luna are about to intervene when Athena kisses her teeth again.

"How the hell am I supposed to know? She's your wife."

" I've been a mother for 18 years. And now that Zack's gone, I don't remember who I was before that. Back when you used to look at me." Lola continues as Norman pulls out his phone. He begins scrolling through while everyone watches Lola who is talking with Buck. She takes a step forward and he stops her. They talk more before Norman starts playing a song from his phone. He holds it close so she can hear.

" I see you. I see you. Lola, I see you. I see the girl who used to sneak out to the beach bonfires and listen to The Psychedelic Furs and The Cure. Lola! Lola, I see you! I see the girl who once drank nine shots of Jager and woke up without a hangover! Lola, I see you. I see the girl I love!" The crown of bystanders cheers behind them and Buck and Eddie get Lola down. Eddie is checking on Lola's vitals when Athena and Luna show up bringing Norman to his wife they hug.

Eddie shakes his head at the couple as Luna just stands there. "You know it was actually kinda sweet in the end behind all the crazy." Eddie looks at her with an amused look.

"Yeah? Is this what you're gonna do when your partner stops noticing you?"

Luna shoves him with a scoff as he laughs. "My last relationship was so toxic, I probably would have jumped off a bridge for him if he told me honestly." she says simply as Eddie just looks at her, he felt the same way about his relationship with Christopher's mom, only she was in a healthier place and was happy and also a Lesbian, which explained so much.

The problem with Taylor was that he loved too hard, or at least he thought he loved too hard, in all honesty he was psychotic, he fell in love with a woman that changed him, he liked the feeling he got when he was with her and she fell for him harder than anything. She loved him beautifully and swiftly, gave her all and more to him, only for him to lose his shit, to start going insane, he loved her yes,  but he was obsessed with her, possessive, controlling, and also was doing hardcore drugs and keeping it hidden from everyone. Lola was arrested and the two sergeants were onto their next case.

"I gotta go. See you around?"

Eddie just nods thinking about what she said earlier. Was her relationship really that bad?

//

Luna was returning home from the gym, she approached the hall to her loft and walked down to her place, she stopped a few feet away seeing the door open slightly, she approached it cautiously moving the door open more, there was no way she could make it to the knife block without being heard. She tiptoes inside slowly, trying her best to not make any noise.

Mac was away for work, he was the only one who had a key besides Athena and she was meeting Michael's boyfriend tonight for the first time, she kept walking stepping on a squeaky toy from the dog they babysat, she curses at herself as the door to her room fly's open, a guy with a mask from the Purge over his face is standing there brandishing a knife, he had a bag hanging off his shoulder.

"Who the fuck are you?" They were circling each other. She knew there was a gun taped under the side table two feet away, Mac was paranoid that someone from his work would find out where he lived and taked action, there were all kinds of weapons hidden around the loft.

In one quick motion she unged towards the table grabbing the gun as the intruder ducks out the window behind him. She was scared, this was the first time she was, usually she wouldn't be, but between the text from Taylor and now this. She wasn't about to Let Taylor destroy things for her again, not now. If this was his doing she was going to everything she could to stop him, even if it killed her.

//

There was a call about a Robbery at a gas station and of course the Melanin twins were already on the scene. They watched as one of the employees tackled one of the burglars,

"Dumbass." The burglar heads for the door as Athena deploys the taser. And he falls to the ground with a groan.

" Who's the dumbass now?" she kneels down cuffing the man as Luna looks up at the ceiling she could hear movement.

" You have a back door?"

" Locked. Ain't getting out that way." The clerk behind the counter explains as Luna taps her partner on the shoulder she points to the ceiling as Athena sighs, while Luna looks around.

"You have a broom by any chance." the clerk nods handing her a broom from behind the counter.

" 727-L-30 request R.A. unit to the Gas-N-Sip on San Fernando." Athena radios as Luna pokes the broom at the ceiling. " I have a suspect about to be in need of medical attention." and of course the other burglar, a woman falls ass first onto the fruit display from the ceiling.

The 118 arrive in no time, greeting the two sergeants they get to work watching the two call for deputies,

"Bonnie and Clyde meets Dumb and Dumber." Athena takes a pair of cuffs from one of the deputies.

"He seems fine. Pupils are dilated. Definitely high on something."

" Well, I'll try to contain my shock. Get him out of here." Luna sasses chewing on some gum.

" Stay strong, baby bear." Joshua the guy yells to his partner in crime Angela.

"I'm not your baby bear, jackass." Angela replies as Luna heads out after Eddie and Mitchell who were carrying Joshua away. They get joshua loaded up into the squad car as Luna is delegating where everyone else goes and the charges they are booking Joshua on Eddie watches her work, stern but fierce, she finishes talking before pulling out her phone and thumbing through it leaning up against the side of the squad car, he walks over to her leaning up against the car as well.

"These two idiots. Were hopped up on god knows what and decided what better way to get an even bigger thrill than to rob a gas station.'' The pair laugh not believing it either but they just witnessed it.

"Maybe it wasn't about their love but the rush they felt once they had gotten away?"

Luna scoffs. "There's plenty of other things that could give them the same exact feeling, and doesn't require robbing a gas station."

"It seems like you're an expert on the subject." Eddie smirks.

"I dabble." She sends him a seductive smirk.

The tension was thick like a fire that wouldn't burn, that kept growing, becoming bigger and bigger with each breath. They wanted each other badly, deeply, Luna had to stop the thoughts in her head. They had only been on three dates, the first being at her apartment. The second was at a movie theater, Luna was the biggest Marvel comics nerd and she had to see the new Spiderman movie. Eddie laughed at how excited she was the entire time, like a kid in a candy store. Their third date was bowling at Luna's favorite bowling alley. She loved Bowling. She warned Eddie about how good she was and somehow a bet was formed where the loser buys the winner dessert. Which ended up being Eddie by one point. In the end they shared a piece of cheesecake from the bakery a few miles from Luna's house.

They were falling more and more in love with each other, Luna still hadn't told him about her life in chicago. She talked about growing up there and making friends and her family, she talked about Derek, and Lisa, her other sister, their mom. What her dad was like. She wasn't ready to bring up her glory days, the fun she had with Firehouse 51, because the moment she brought it up, was the moment that Shay's death would feel even more real than it did.

//

Athena and Luna got a call about an accident, they got to the scene and everything was bad. Luna decided to go down below where the Newlyweds car went off the road. Athena was laying flares out on the street, so everyone could find them. It was getting dark, the 118 pulled up as she was placing another flare down and they hopped down from the engine rig.

"What do we got?"

" Couple of newlyweds. Driver's Paul Williams. No ID on the passenger. Another car drifted into their lane, the driver tried to avoid getting hit, and the car went off the road. Stardust is down there with them. Bobby, it's bad. Car's wrapped tight around that tree." Athena takes them over to the edge of the clift where the car is seen along with a very messy Sergeant, she was covered in dirt and blood, she was wearing a very thin tank top, her uniform shirt was off.

"Paul stayed with me, Come on, you were talking about how you guys met. Paul, can you hear me?" she yells as The 118 approaches her, she was laying on the hood her hands holding onto applying pressure to a wound on Paul's neck with ehr shirt.

"Eddie, see if you can reach her." Bobby instructs. As Eddie moves over to the other side.

" I got a pulse. She's alive."

" I don't have a clear path to the groom. Cap, can you get in from your side?" Buck says to Bobby who is standing at the driver side door, Luna stays put on the hood.

"Negative, Sergeant, what do you see?"

"There's a 3/4 inch gash in the side of his neck. The only thing stopping the bleeding is me right now, I can probably get it settled if you give me some gauze, a clamp, and run a centerline. Pulse is there but it's thready Captain."

Bobby simply nods. "Alright, Hen, Chim, we're gonna need Jaws. Two passengers in bad shape. Both confirmed alive, Minimal access to the other."

" Paul! Can you hear me? It's Luna. The police officer from earlier. Remember you were telling me about how you and Olivia met."

Paul lets out a low moan. " I got him. I hear him. Hang tight Paul."

It wsas all hands on Deck as Luna holds onto the wound she has on Paul's neck, Chim and Hen bring the jaws and the supplies she asked for, but she cant do anything witht he giant tree branch that was in the way. She had to wait, so there she was laying down on the hood of the mangled car shivering from the cold. She was a strong woman, her stoic demeanor never once faltering, they get the wife out first then begin to move the branch at this point it's pitch black.

"Damn, there's as much tree here as there is car." Chim slides into the backseat first followed by Eddie as Luna readies herself the minute she moves the shirt out of the way the wound would start to gush blood.

" Easy. Easy, fellas. He's breathing shallow. Pulse is weak, he's lost a lot of blood." She begins getting to work. "I need more light." she yells as Bobby tilts the lamp Up Paul's eyes are open.

"Hey Paul, tell me about Olivia, remember? How'd you meet?" She was trying to distract him and ease his nerves.

"So... tired." his eyes begin to close as Luna continues stitching.

" No, no, no, no, no. Fuck, fuck, fuck," She looks to Eddie and Chim who get out fo the backseat to go talk with the others. " Hey, tell me about Oliva. How'd you guys meet, huh?"

" Summer camp."

"Yeah?"

" We were... six. I was s-shy, she was the first person who talked to me." Luna was working on the stitches a lot quicker.

"She sounds like a keeper." She snaps the end of the tread off making a knot.

Eddie comes over to the car again he explains the plan and Luna is immediately lifted off the Hood by Eddie. She was shivering from the blood and the fact that she was barely wearing a shirt at this point, in the end they got Paul out safely.

"That was some work down there." Bobby comments to Luna who was buttoning up a new shirt.

"You can turn the Paramedic into a sergeant but you can't take the paramedic away from the sergeant." Athena says as Luna shakes her head not wanting Athena to mention it. "Oh come on. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I find it cool and badass."

"What was that?" Buck chirps as Luna kisses her teeth.

"Luna used to be a paramedic in Chicago." Athena was bragging now as if Luna was her child.

"Enough with the bragging. We have to go write our reports.See you around." she hurriedly shoves her partner into the car and takes off as Athena laughs. It was only a matter of time before the news traveled back to Eddie and she needed to prepare herself for when he did.

//

These were the calls Luna didnt like, the ones where she knew they were dead, she felt the Plus of the Husband Mitchell and knew right away, of course they needed a medic to confirm it, she was on the beat with Tiffany who felt squamish and decided she would wait for the RA untie to arrive, of course it just had to be the lovely 118, Luna helped the other husband Thomas into the back of the ambulance, Buck Kept the two company while Eddie and Chim moves Mitchell's Body from position it was in.

"When we got married... we thought, what the hell, we have so little life left, we might as well live. That was Mitchell, always... daring the clock. And me, I always followed along. All those foolish things we did. We only ever wanted to... to go together. That's love."

" I'm sorry. I really am."

"I can only hope to find something that good." Luna comments as Thomas lets out a shaky breath.

" You don't find it. You make it. Do you two mind if I have just a few moments alone with him?"

"Of course. It's no problem"

"Absolutely." Luna smiles as they help Thomas up off the back of the ambulance and over to Mitchell's body which was covered by the sheet, Luna steps off to the side where Eddie and everyone else was.

"My heart hurts, I can't imagine." Luna puts her hand over her heart as Eddie sighs. Continuing with his charting, "You know I didn't tell you I used to be a paramedic because I tucked that part of me away, or at least I tried, too."

"Uh, E-Eddie! Cap! Come here." Luna turns to see Buck Laying Thomas on his back she watches as they do compressions on Thomas,

" I-I don't know what happened. He was just talking, he was responsive, and then..." Buck was frantic as Bobby tried to calm him. Buck continues with compressions but they knew what they knew Thomas was coming back to life not unless Mitchell was too, they died together and that was truly the biggest definition of Love.

//

Luna wasn't expecting to see Eddie at her door certainly not this late at night, she wasn't prepared for company, she had been camped out on the couch for a few days, watch reruns of The Nanny, she was earring a massive t shirt with the Captain America logo on it and monster feet slippers her hair in a bun flopped on top of her head. She tucked the gun she had in her hand away in the dish next to the door, which she recently just added there.

"You should get that lock fixed." He makes his way over to the counter, as Luna closes the door. "So I bought chinese food from the one place you and Athena like and I thought we could have a Marvel Movie marathon but start from the beginning with Captain America. He laughs at Luna's shirt. "You look cute." he boops her on the nose and she still seems stunned.

"What are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here.- You seemed mad at me before."

"Lu, I understand why you didn't want to tell me. And when you're ready to talk about it I will be there to listen. But for now we are going to stuff our faces with greasy food and watch as Many Marvel movies as you want." Luna can't help but feel her heart swell as Eddie takes the containers out of the bags. She pulls him in for a kiss before walking over to the cupboard and grabbing out some plates.

Eddie just whistles, shaking the thoughts from his head as she laughs.

Romeo and Juliet. Antony and Cleopatra. Lancelot and Guinevere. Great love stories that started with a bang and ended in tragedy. In the real world, no one's life is that linear. We fall in and out of love. We take it for granted. Or find it where we least expect it. Some relationships can seem easy from the start... ...and others can be faced with tremendous obstacles. We root for love to conquer all, but we also root for a comeback. People who have been knocked down by life and get back up on their feet. Who learn from the mistakes that they've made and grow into better, more complete human beings. So maybe the greatest love stories aren't the ones that end in tragedies. Maybe they're the ones that start with a second chance.

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