I love how pretty much everyone has concluded that the more drama, the better for the wildfires. Glad to know we see eye to eye, because that was what I was hoping people would choose. XD

The fallout begins here! The 118 and 51 learn of Buck and Sylvie's departures, the two arrive in Austin, Kelly stops a blow-out that leads to an interesting friendship, May doesn't pull her punches, the Chicago family plots, and Owen . . . well, he's already regretting his decisions.

***

"I still can't believe they actually ended up cleaning all the rigs."

Kelly snickered as he and Matt walked onto the apparatus floor of 51, all five vehicles still in pristine shape. "You said they were supposed to, remember?"

"I was half-joking," Matt eyed the rigs. "But . . . good on them for taking a threat seriously."

"Ask, and ye shall receive," Capp playfully bowed from the Squad table, only to yelp when Tony smacked the back of his head with a newspaper. "Hey!"

"Clowns," Kelly rolled his eyes.

"And all yours, boss," Joe smirked as he joined the table.

Kelly frowned, immediately noticing the rigidness of his second in command. "You OK, Cruz?"

"Hmm?" Joe blinked. "I'm fine, Lieutenant. Think I just slept wrong last night."

Kelly frowned, seeing Joe still looked uneasy. "If you're sure."

"Boden has the briefing right at 8," Tony added. "And the floater for Herrmann should be here by then. Both are sticking around for the briefing, but after that – " He made a poofing noise and motion to indicate Herrmann was gone.

"Good," Matt checked his watch; they still had five minutes until the briefing. "He's been looking forward to this vacation for a while."

Capp peered past the officers, then frowned. "Not so sure I'm liking the floater already."

"What?" Kelly frowned, turning to look. "Oh."

Matt twisted as well to see none other than Grainger grab his duffel from his vehicle and lock his car before jogging up the drive. "Huh," was all he had to say.

"Oh, good job using your words, Case," Kelly scoffed.

"Shut up, Sev," Matt punched his friend in the shoulder. "You weren't much better!"

"Neither of you did a good job," Joe smirked.

"Cruz!" both men glared at the same time.

"Yep. That's me. Good job."

Capp snickered as Tony hid his smile behind his newspaper. "I'm beginning to wonder what side of the bed you woke up on this morning," Kelly glowered.

"The right one," Joe leaned back in his chair with an innocent smile. "Hi, Lieutenant."

"Hey," Grainger nodded, slowing his pace once he reached the apparatus floor. "Cruz, right?"

"That's me."

Grainger nodded, then gave a smile to Matt and Kelly. "Good to see you both again."

"You, too," Kelly took the olive branch offered. "Are you the floater for Herrmann?"

"Yeah," Grainger nodded. "Got assigned from the higher-ups. Not even sure who it was. The chief of our battalion wasn't the one who volunteered me."

Matt blinked in surprise. "That's odd," he looked at Kelly. "Usually the battalion chiefs and the deputy district chiefs shuffle floaters where they're needed."

Kelly hummed. "Interesting."

"Hey, Lieutenant? Captain?"

The two turned when Gianna jogged up, a worried look on her face. "What's up, Mackey?" Matt asked.

"Is Brett in yet?" Gianna looked around. "It looks like a few things got shuffled around on the rig, and I just want to run it by her."

Both men blinked. "She's not in yet?" Matt asked in surprise as Kelly went back to the edge of the apparatus floor, checking the street for her car.

Sure enough, it was missing from the street. "No," Gianna shook her head. "And I haven't heard anything from Chief Boden about her being gone."

"That's not like her," Kelly frowned.

"Hope she's OK," Grainger said.

"Maybe it'll come up at the briefing," Gianna checked her watch.

"We'll see," Matt gestured. "C'mon, let's go."

***

Herrmann greeted Grainger as soon as he was through the door of the briefing room, introducing him to the rest of Engine 51's crew. By the time Boden walked in, all of 51 was gathered in the room.

All except for Sylvie.

Boden frowned, looking around, then looked at Gianna. "Have you heard anything from Brett, Mackey?" he asked.

"No, sir," Gianna shook her head. "I was hoping you had."

"Casey?" Boden looked at the next ones most likely to know. "Severide?"

"Haven't heard a thing, Chief," Matt shook his head.

"Me, neither," Kelly added.

Boden frowned. "I'll call her when we're done with the briefing," he decided. "For now, most important item on the agenda. While Herrmann is on leave, we have the same floater for all of his shifts. Lieutenant Greg Grainger from Firehouse 40 will be leading Engine 51 in his place." He glowered at the room. "If I even hear about a donut prank while he's here, you'll get rig cleaning duties, and I'd appreciate it if you managed to get anywhere near how Squad 3 did the other day . . . not sure what they did that got them that duty, but they did a hell of a job, and that's how I expect it to be done every time now."

Kelly coughed "Casey!" into his arm, making Matt elbow him in the ribs as Joe snorted. "Happy to set a new standard, Chief!" Capp smiled innocently, Tony matching his expression.

"That's not at all worrisome," Mouch eyed them suspiciously.

"Right," Boden looked through his clipboard. "What's next . . . "

A rap on the door made everyone look up, and Kelly pushed off the wall in surprise. "Commissioner!"

"Hey, Kelly," Grissom nodded, fully decked in his commissioner attire, a few folders in his hands. "If I may interject for a few moments, Chief?"

"Uh . . . " Boden looked around the room, as if hoping someone would be able to help him understand why the commissioner of the department was there. All he got in return were blank, confused looks. "Welcome to 51, sir."

"Thank you," Grissom nodded, face unreadable. "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Everything all right, sir?" Matt frowned, straightening. If something was wrong with the house, he was going to take the visit seriously.

"That's what I'd like to know, Captain," Grissom looked around. "I have a lot more questions than answers regarding this house."

"How can we help?" Boden frowned, folding his arms.

"First off . . . " Grissom turned and beckoned out the door.

Matt's frown deepened, then he blinked in surprise when he recognized the young woman that walked through the door. Gianna and Grainger were the only ones who didn't appear to recognize her, which wasn't a surprise; neither had had to stay or work with Firehouse 20 for a time last year. "Violet?" Gallo gawked, Ritter looking stunned next to him.

"Hi, Gallo," Violet smiled tightly. "Good to see you."

"Welcome to 51, Mikami," Boden nodded politely.

"Welcome indeed," Grissom looked around. "Effective immediately, Violet Mikami is the PIC on Ambulance 61 for this shift following Sylvie Brett's transfer from the CFD."

A pin could have dropped on the apparatus floor, and it could have been heard in the conference room. Matt felt frozen in place, looking from Grissom to Violet and back, then he finally turned to look at Kelly. The squad lieutenant looked just as stupefied as him. Neither had any clue what to say.

"What?" Herrmann, bless him, spoke for them all, conveying shock and sadness all at once.

"She transferred?" Stella's jaw dropped.

"Without saying anything?" Mouch demanded.

"Chief?" Gianna turned to Boden, her eyes wide. "Did you know?"

"No," Boden slowly shook his head. "I never knew anything."

"That was the indication I received from Brett's new captain and chief," Grissom said coldly. "She specifically requested everything go through me. She didn't seem too keen on the thought of paperwork going through you, Chief."

Boden swallowed hard. "Did she say why?" Ritter's voice was quiet.

Grissom's gaze swept the gathered firefighters. "She was very vague about why she left. However, she did imply it had something to do with the department."

Kelly flinched, hearing the hidden accusation. Matt did, too; Grissom was all but accusing someone in the room of being responsible for Sylvie leaving. "If someone in this firehouse is responsible for Brett leaving, I will be looking into it," Boden scowled.

"Brett gave no indication exactly what made her leave, whether it was a what or a who," Grissom said blandly. "No one if off limits, Chief. I will be looking into why she left." Boden's mouth closed with a click. "PIC Mikami was personally recommended by Brett before she left," Grissom gestured to Violet. "She made it very clear she wanted a PIC she trusted to continue with Paramedic Mackey."

Gianna gave Violet a shy smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Violet smiled back. "I admired Brett a lot. I'm happy to be here." Her smile disappeared. "Though I'm not very happy with the circumstances."

"Hopefully most of this house feels the same," Grissom gave the firefighters a pointed look. "From this point forward, I will be watching 51 more closely than I ever have. If there is anything that even implies someone here with malicious intent was a reason Brett left, there will be consequences."

That sent a chill down Matt's spine, and judging by Kelly's shudder, he was thinking on the same track he was. They both knew that under close scrutiny, there would likely be some suspicion about their friendship with Sylvie. Matt took a quick glance at the other members of Squad 3, noting the concerned looks of Tony and Capp as they looked at the two officers. Joe, they noticed, didn't seem surprised at all.

And suddenly, the man's attitude that morning made sense. As the bells rang and called for all units except for Boden, Matt could only think of one thing, even as he jumped into his seat on 81, Grainger sending him a concerned look as he ran for 51.

Joe had known Sylvie was leaving, and he hadn't said a word to anyone.

***

"Got a call from Eddie," Bobby said as he walked out of his office to where Hen and Chimney were getting their morning coffee. "He had to get something to Christopher at school, so he'll be a few minutes late."

"Those were the days," Hen sighed.

"And still nothing from Buck, I'm guessing?" Chimney raised an eyebrow.

"Well, considering I have yet to hear you apologize for what happened," Bobby raised an eyebrow right back, taking an intentional sip of his coffee. "I'm not surprised."

"You haven't, either!" Chimney protested.

"Partly because I couldn't leave the house without Athena and May glaring me into submission," Bobby countered, making Hen snicker. "And partly because every time I tried texting Buck to ask if I could call him, I never got a reply." Chimney's silence was damning. "First chance my wife and stepdaughter give me, I'm reaching out."

"Well, it's good to hear some sense from someone in this house."

Hen choked on her coffee, and Bobby turned to see Chief Alonso ascend the stairs, a hard glint in his eyes. Behind him were Eddie and Maddie, both in uniform . . . and both with matching expressions of utter vitriol. "Maddie?" Chimney frowned, standing up. "Aren't you supposed to be on shift?"

"Oh, Sue and Josh told me I could be here for this," Maddie's lips curled back in a sneer. "I wanted a front row seat."

"I thought you had to drop something off with Christopher?" Hen looked at Eddie.

"Oh, well," Eddie shrugged carelessly. "I had a report to make."

"A report?" Chimney repeated.

"Yes, Firefighter Han," Alonso nodded. "Once Firefighter Diaz made his report, I spoke with Dispatcher Buckley to make sure I understood exactly what happened." He shook his head. "I must say, I thought this house was beyond not only gossiping about a coworker, but also doing so with incorrect information. According to Dispatcher Buckley, what was shared by Firefighter Han in this house was not only incorrect, but it was also personal, shared only between herself and her brother, Firefighter Buckley. It was not meant to go beyond them until they decided to share it with others, as Firefighter Diaz personally attested to. And when Firefighter Han continued to spill this secret to the entire house, not only did Firefighter Wilson not stop him . . . neither did you, Captain Nash. Nor did you attempt to stop Firefighter Han from making the accusations he threw at an innocent firefighter who was coming to terms with secrets that existed his entire life."

"I know, sir," Bobby bowed his head. "Ever since that happened, I've been attempting to reach out and apologize for my actions."

"Commendable, Captain," Alonso nodded curtly. "But you will have difficulty reaching to Firefighter Buckley when – correct me if I'm wrong, Dispatcher – he is in the process of changing his number."

"He is, sir," Maddie nodded, not hiding her smug smirk as three firefighters looked at her in shock. "I think his e-mail is changing, too."

"And his address," Eddie rocked on his heels casually. "I don't think I even know exactly where it is."

"I mean, from what he said, it sounds like he's got someplace to stay until he finds where he's actually settling," Maddie continued the conversation. "Of course, he actually has to get there first."

"Of course," Eddie nodded in agreement, bouncing off the elder Buckley flawlessly.

"Um," Chimney looked between them. "What happened to Buck?"

"Firefighter Buckley was requested by another department," Alonso answered with a smirk. "His new captain and chief of the department gave him quite the offer . . . one, following your actions, he accepted. His transfer was completed the other day. He left Los Angeles this morning." He gestured to Eddie and Maddie. "His sister and former partner joined me after seeing him off."

There was silence even on the floor below with the rigs. "Happy break-up, Howie," Maddie's sneer made the man flinch.

"Buck left?" Hen demanded, eyes wide as she stood up. "Without saying goodbye?!"

"Oh, he said goodbye," Eddie's eyes flared. "He said goodbye to the people he trusted."

Hen's mouth fell open at his words. "And that included Athena and May," Bobby deflated, sitting down and rubbing his forehead.

"Yeah, it included Athena and May," Maddie nodded. "Athena was there with us when Buck left."

"So instead of fixing what happened, he just left?" Chimney scowled.

"What happened isn't his to fix," Maddie narrowed her eyes. "And you haven't lifted a finger, Howie. You never reached out to Buck. You never reached out to me. Wouldn't it have been so much easier to . . . oh, hear the truth before you ran your mouth?"

"Oh, but God forbid we ever take the easy path," Eddie rolled his eyes.

Maddie snorted loudly. "We Buckleys like doing things the hard way."

"I worked with a Buckley for two years. I know exactly what you mean."

"OK, when did the two of you get so buddy-buddy?" Hen frowned, gesturing between Eddie and Maddie.

"Oh, recently," Eddie bared his teeth in something just short of a snarl. "When I made it clear I have Buck's back no matter what."

"That wasn't the case last year," Chimney muttered under his breath.

"Chim," Bobby began.

"It wasn't," Eddie rose to his own defense, folding his arms. "And I learned from that. I learned that I hated that we couldn't contact Buck, especially after everything he went through with the ladder truck, the embolism, and the tsunami. He went through all of that, just to be told by our captain that he wasn't ready to get back on the rig, even though everyone from the brass to medical professionals said he was ready. He had a pretty good argument going into the lawsuit, and you know what I learned? If he continued to pursue it, the city was going to give a settlement. That meant he would have won."

"What?" Hen's eyes were wide.

"Oh, did he never mention that?" Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, that's not much of a surprise," Eddie snorted. "Considering how much he was scrutinized when he first came back, by me included, I don't think he wanted to air that he would've kicked the department's ass by winning the suit."

"Language, Diaz," Alonso warned.

"Sorry, sir." Eddie didn't sound very apologetic at all. "Back to my point. We didn't have Buck's back then. I didn't have his back then, even after I promised, as his partner and his friend, to do so. When Buck told me he wasn't ready to tell me what he learned from Maddie, I respected that. I respected that he wanted to be able to process what he was told and find out a way to tell me, on his own terms, when he was ready. That opportunity was taken from him by one of his coworkers, someone Buck said multiple times was family. Thing is, Chimney . . . family doesn't say they have each other's back, then proceed to stab each other in the back."

The entire loft was silent. "You backstabbed my brother," Maddie said firmly. "You did so by sharing a secret to this entire house that was just between me and Buck, one that was ours to tell. You didn't just backstab Buck. You also backstabbed me. But you knew Buck longer than me, and you showed just how much you cared about him by accusing him of being untrustworthy and a liar. There is no way I'm going to be with someone like that. We are done, Howie."

"Maddie," Chimney began.

A phone alarm started going off, and Maddie shifted before pulling her phone out of her pocket. "Oh, look at that," she smiled cheerfully, as if she hadn't just brutally broken up with her boyfriend in front of his entire firehouse. "I got everything I wanted to say out in the time limit I set."

"You're sure it was everything?" Eddie peered at the time she had set herself.

"Well, everything I wanted to say here," Maddie shrugged, putting her phone away. "Josh should be picking me up shortly."

"Thank you for your report, Dispatcher Buckley," Alonso nodded to her. "Your brother was one of the greatest this department ever saw. He will be greatly missed, but I take comfort in knowing he's in some of the best hands this country has."

Bobby frowned uneasily at Alonso's words; that was extremely high praise for whomever Buck was now working with. Maddie beamed at the words. "I know he is," she said smugly. "He's my brother." She turned and gave Eddie a hug, the man reciprocating. "Give them hell," she added in a stage whisper.

"Oh, I will," the man's eyes glinted with glee.

Chimney couldn't help but gulp. "Now," Alonso turned back to the rest of the 118, Eddie behind him as Maddie all but skipped down the steps. "Where were we?"

***

The jolt of the plane touching down made Sylvie flinch, then whine and bury her face further into Buck's neck. "Come on," she complained.

Buck snickered, patting her knee as the plane taxied to their gate. "Get enough sleep?" he joked.

"No," she grumbled, giving up and sitting upright, quickly fixing her hair. "But I've run on less."

"Haven't we all," Buck grinned. "I once said the 'q' word on shift. We had so many calls. Bobby said it was a house record."

Sylvie winced. "Yikes."

"Yeah. Yikes."

The plane finally stopped at their gate, and Buck undid his seatbelt, standing up and stretching his long limbs. "Stiff as hell, too," he winced, rolling out his neck. "Geez."

Sylvie followed him, pulling her carry-on out from underneath the other seat. "Not as stiff as sleeping in the ambulance," she said, following Buck off the aircraft.

"The passenger seat?" Buck frowned. "Or in back on the gurney?"

Sylvie snorted. "I've taken a nap on that gurney if I don't want to sleep in the bunkroom." That was before Matt and Kelly offered their quarters, too. "Sleeping in the passenger's seat gets a little cramped. I learned that on my way back from Santa Monica."

Buck shook his head, holding out his arm as they left the gates. Sylvie tucked herself into his side, his arm around her shoulders. "Sleeping in the back of engine rigs are pretty comfortable," he said. "I can only imagine we'll get good naps in the back of our new rig, too."

Sylvie smirked up at him. "Someone's gonna have to drive."

Buck blinked. "Oh, damn. That's gonna be me or TK, isn't it?"

"I don't know how to drive a towering squad rig," Sylvie smiled innocently. "So it's definitely not gonna be me."

Buck grinned, sauntering over to their baggage claim. "Unless our new captain makes you learn."

Sylvie blanched. "Oh, God, I hope not."

Buck burst out laughing, finding his suitcase easily and placing it on the ground. "No, you'll probably be safe. As the medic, you'll have to concentrate on patients, not how well you can drive a rig you've never maneuvered before."

"God, I hope so," Sylvie wrinkled her nose. "I don't want to have to add that to my list of things to learn here." She pointed at the next suitcase approaching. "That one."

Buck nodded, taking her suitcase and wheeling it to her. "We're all going to be learning a lot here in Austin."

Sylvie giggled, slipping her sunglasses on as they headed out the doors. She still had to squint in the sunlight. "Including getting used to the heat."

Buck snorted. "I got used to that in L.A."

"Yeah, yeah," Sylvie rolled her eyes. "I have experience with humidity. Top that."

"I would," a familiar, teasing voice said from the pick-up lane. "But as I've mentioned, you're not my type."

Buck whipped around, eyes wide, but Sylvie beat him by a long shot. She squealed and dropped both her carry-on and her suitcase, sprinting down the sidewalk to the dark-haired, green-eyed man leaning against the hood of a silver car. TK grinned ear to ear, pushing off the car and catching Sylvie when she threw herself at him, spinning around to make sure he didn't topple over from the force of Sylvie's hug. "TK!" she cheered.

"There's my girl!" he laughed, nuzzling her neck as Sylvie clung to him like a koala. "Missed you!"

"Missed you, too."

TK shifted, holding Sylvie with one arm and beckoning with the other. "Get over here, Buckley."

Buck laughed, jogging over and joining the hug. "You asked for it, Strand."

"Oh, if you kill me by hugging me, my boyfriend is gonna kick your ass."

"Like I'm gonna kill my partner right when I arrive in the city."

Sylvie giggled hysterically. "I don't have any equipment with me, so you're out of luck, TK."

He sighed dramatically. "On your own head be it."

A loud snort from the driver's side of the car broke their bickering. "I think Judd was right. We are doomed."

"You hired them, Dad," TK sang loftily.

Sylvie peered over his shoulder to see Owen shake his head in amusement as he stepped out of the car, shutting the door and surveying them with a smile. "I have no idea what I was thinking."

"You were thinking you would trust your son to give you the best team ever."

Owen's smile was just as wide as his son's. "I'm counting on it."

Sylvie wriggled between TK and Buck, and the two boys finally released her. She ducked under TK and skipped up to Owen, a thankful smile on her face. "Thank you for the opportunity, Cap," she said.

"Thank you for taking it," Owen shook her offered hand. "I'm excited to have a riding paramedic again."

Buck released TK with a clap on the back, walking up to Owen as well, smiling. "Nice to finally meet you, Captain Strand."

"Oh, please," he scoffed. "Call me Cap or Owen. And it's wonderful to finally meet you, too, Buck."

"Wonderful to be out of L.A., honestly," Buck shook his hand. "I know Chief Alonso didn't really include why I took the job, but . . . that offer was basically a lifeline. Seriously, thank you."

Owen's eyes flared with a protective glint. "You're welcome, then." He looked from Buck to Sylvie. "I don't know the exact reasons you left your cities, only that Chief Alonso and Commissioner Grissom told me to look out for you. If you choose to share, that's up to you. Just know that I promise to be on your side."

Sylvie's eyes stung with tears that she refused to let fall. "That means the world, Owen. Thank you."

"Especially for somehow managing to get me that layover in Chicago," Buck added. "We both needed that."

"That took a little prodding," Owen admitted, taking his keys and popping the trunk open. "One of the few times I have used my name to get something I want."

"I told you he doesn't need his ego stoked," TK winked, taking both suitcases.

"Hey, I hired the two you wanted," Owen glared. "And I got them here at the same time."

"Forever grateful, Dad."

Owen scoffed. "Love you, too, son." TK smiled innocently, placing the suitcases in the trunk, and Owen clapped his hands. "Right. First order of business, I presume, is getting your phones figured out?"

"It shouldn't take too long," Buck nodded.

"Excellent. We can grab something to eat after that, and then it's to the house."

Sylvie blinked. "Wait, what?"

"Oh, please," TK smirked. "Where did you think you were going to stay when you got here?"

"Not with you guys!"

Owen chuckled. "I meant it when I said I'm on your side. That includes doing whatever I can to help you settle in Austin. Right now, that's helping you get you the ground. I insist."

Buck and Sylvie exchanged surprised looks, then Buck grinned. "Yippee-kay-yay, am I right?"

"Oh, my God," Sylvie rolled her eyes, smacking Buck on the shoulder. "You idiot."

"Your idiot now!"

Owen turned to stare at TK as the two headed for the back seats. "I think you undersold how crazy you three are together."

TK gave him doe eyes. "Oops."

Owen blinked once, twice, then sighed more heavily than he ever had in his life, slipping his sunglasses back on as they got in the car. "Why do I get the feeling I just signed my death warrant?"

TK's laughter was the only response he got as Owen revved the engine.

***

The house was still in a state of shock when Truck, Engine, and Squad returned from the call. Everywhere Matt looked, most of the firefighters were looking anxiously over where 61 was missing, most likely ready to interrogate Gianna when she returned. Matt remembered how great a paramedic Violet was from the times he worked with Firehouse 20 . . . and since he and Delaney had settled and become friends, they had worked together on several calls. He had to admit that if there was a PIC he wanted to work with Gianna, Violet was the best candidate. Sylvie must have thought that, too, he thought, feeling a stab in his heart at the blonde's name.

A throat clearing caught his attention, and he started, realizing Boden had arrived and was looking expectantly at him and Kelly. "So the woman was trying to get to her refrigerator?" he prompted.

"Yeah," Matt nodded.

"Drugs?"

"Seems likely." He smirked, attempting to lighten the mood. "Remember that meth house we hit, where the freezer nearly took Severide's head off a few years back?"

Kelly snorted softly next to him, an amused look on his face. Yeah, Matt decided that look was much better than the state of confusion that had been there for the last few hours or so. "OK, I'm gonna need an expedited incident report so I can get it over to CPD," Boden said. "My desk, inside the hour."

"You got it, Chief," Matt nodded.

Kelly nodded, heading for his quarters to do just that. On his way, his phone started ringing, and without thinking, he answered without looking at the Caller ID. "Severide."

"What the hell did Mackey mean that Sylvie isn't at 51 anymore?" Will Halstead's voice asked.

Kelly almost ran into the wall as he turned the corner. "Uh," he held out.

"I recognized Mackey when she rolled in, but that was definitely not Sylvie with her. While Mikami gave Nat the rundown, I asked Mackey why she was there. Severide, is it true that she transferred out of the CFD?"

Kelly closed his eyes, leaning against the doorframe of his quarters, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah, it's true," he whispered. "Commissioner Grissom dropped by this morning with Violet to give the news. No one here knew."

"Seriously?" Will's voice was hoarse. "No one? Not even you and Casey?"

And didn't that just hurt? Kelly didn't think there was a single person from Intelligence or the main Chicago Med staff that didn't know how close he, Matt, and Sylvie had gotten . . . and the single, small fact that Sylvie hadn't told them she was leaving, let alone where she was going, made anger, frustration, and plain heartbreak war in him. "No," he finally said. "Not even me and Casey."

"Oh, my God." Will sounded devastated. "I can't believe it."

"No one here can believe it," Kelly said bitterly. "The only bright side is at least Violet is a PIC we know, one we know has the chops to make it here and partner with Mackey."

"That is good," Will agreed. "Look, I've got a lighter shift here than I usually do. If there's anything the house needs, give me a call. I'll see what I can do. Jay should be onboard when I tell him, too."

"Thanks, Will," Kelly sighed, leaning his head back. "Honestly, we'll probably just all drown our sorrows when this shift is done."

Will snorted. "Jay and I will supply the beer. How's that sound?"

Kelly barked in laughter. "I'll hold you to that."

"I expect you to."

Kelly hung up, rubbing his temples again. To have the bomb that was Sylvie's departure dropped right at the start of shift, then to have to fight a fire at his childhood home . . . he needed aspirin right away. He walked down the hall, making a note to check in with his crew shortly as well.

" . . . step on your authority at the fire scene," he heard Grainger's voice as he turned the corner. "40 doesn't have a captain, makes me the one barking out orders till the chief gets there. I guess I just did it without thinking."

Kelly immediately guessed what he was about to run into, and he was right when he saw the scowl on Matt's face. "You're only here a couple of shifts," he said coldly. "Defer to me on calls, we won't have any more problems."

"Casey," Kelly frowned. Grainger looked at Kelly in surprise, and Matt gave the squad lieutenant a glare. "We're tense enough here already," Kelly told him, stopping between the two men. "Don't make it worse."

Matt blinked slowly, then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"Hey, I'm close to snapping, too," Kelly reached up and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "It's been one hell of a morning."

"And it's not over yet," the captain groused.

"Anything I can do to make it better?" Grainger asked hesitantly.

"No," Matt shook his head. "I'm sorry. Just . . . " He looked at Kelly helplessly.

He nodded, looking back at Grainger. "Brett's been our best friend for two years now," he explained. "We got a lot closer this past year, too. For her to suddenly leave without telling anyone . . . "

He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. Grainger, thankfully, didn't seem to expect him to. "I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I only had a few drinks with her, but from what I gathered, she really cared about this house, and I know she cared a hell of a lot for the two of you. I mean it, if there's anything I can do, let me know."

All tension seemed to leave Matt at the engine lieutenant's words. "I think I needed to hear that, Grainger," he said. "Thank you."

"No problem," Grainger nodded, holding out his hand. "And if I hear anything about more donut wars . . . "

He raised an eyebrow, and Matt snickered, shaking his hand. "You'll be the first to get a warning, too."

"I can't believe Sylvie was the one to give Mouch the idea to drop donuts all over the driveway," Kelly snickered.

"That was Sylvie?" Grainger's eyes widened.

"That was Sylvie," Matt confirmed, grinning. "I couldn't believe it when she told Mouch."

Kelly smiled fondly. "That's our girl."

Matt nodded, then cleared his throat, abruptly changing the subject. "So, correct me if I'm wrong . . . wasn't that house your childhood home?"

Grainger seemed to perk up, and Kelly nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"That's gotta be crazy," Grainger whistled, joining the two as they walked down the halls.

"Crazy being back there," Kelly nodded. "Rooms seemed smaller."

Matt snorted. "I wonder why. It was a good thing you knew where that kid might go."

"It was my escape route," Kelly smiled. "Back bedroom, out the window, down the spout. You know April over at Med?" At Matt's nod but Grainger's head shake, Kelly explained. "April Sexton is one of the ED nurses at Chicago Med. She used to live up the street, and she'd let me crash up at her place when . . . " He trailed off, then sighed. "When I didn't wanna be home."

Matt grimaced, reading between the lines. "This is in Benny's hey-day?"

"Yeah," Kelly snorted. "And my mom . . . well, she was falling apart."

Grainger looked sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear about that, Severide."

Kelly shrugged, seeing Boden approach with a man who had a badge around his neck. "Anyway . . . long time ago."

"Severide," Boden greeted. "This is Detective Corwin with Narcotics. He wants to get a closer look at that fridge. Will you take him up there, make sure the ceiling doesn't come down on his head?" Kelly nodded in agreement. "I'll cover Squad."

"Then let's go," Kelly nodded to the detective.

"Yeah," Corwin flipped open his notepad. "Let's see, address is – "

"6325 South Campbell Avenue," Kelly rattled off promptly.

The look of surprise on Corwin's face made Matt smirk and Grainger snicker. "That's it," he confirmed, giving the two men an odd look before heading for the door.

Kelly gave Matt and Grainger an innocent grin before following.

***

It took two calls for Gianna to decide she liked PIC Violet Mikami.

They hadn't done much at the first call except take their burn victim to Chicago Med. Will's blatant shock at seeing a different PIC would have been funny at any other time, then they got the call for a man down due to unknown causes. When they had arrived, it had been to a wardrobe blocking the door to their victim. It wouldn't budge when they tried to move it. "I can call in Squad," Gianna volunteered. "They can bring in the saws."

Violet pursed her lips, looking the wardrobe up and down. "No time," she shook her head, then a thoughtful look formed on her face. She went around the corner, then Gianna heard the sound of breaking glass. Her eyes widened when, a few seconds later, Violet returned with an axe in hand, slipping a pair of safety glasses on. "What are you doing?" the man who had made the call balked as Violet reared back and started hacking away at the wardrobe. "That's my grandmother's!"

Gianna watched in awe as Violet made a hole big enough for her to get through, and the PIC crawled through, all the way into the room. "Jump bag," she ordered.

Gianna crouched down, pushing it through. "You got it?"

"Yeah," Violet took it from her.

"And this," Gianna added, carefully giving Violet the defibrillator as well.

"Yeah," Violet grimaced, taking it from her, too. "OK, get us enough room to get out of here."

"I'm on it," Gianna smothered a grin, putting a pair of safety glasses on herself.

"Do you have to?" the man whined.

"Back it up," Gianna ordered, hefting the axe into her hands.

She kept half her attention on demolishing the wardrobe, the other half on listening to Violet calmly update her on how their patient was doing. By the time the wardrobe was in wooden splinters covering the ground, she had gotten the man's pulse back, and he seemed conscious as Gianna carried their chair in. "Nice work," Gianna couldn't help but smile as they helped the man sit and lay back.

"Thanks," Violet smiled, brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm no Sylvie Brett."

"You kidding?" Gianna snorted. "That's absolutely what she would've done." She smiled shyly. "Thanks for coming to 51."

"Of course," Violet nodded. "The moment the commissioner told me what happened, I was in." She grinned. "Captain Delaney wasn't happy there wasn't a space for him, though."

Gianna couldn't help but laugh as they pushed their victim to the ambulance. "I've got to meet him."

"You probably will. I think there's gonna be a lot of people wanting answers after shift."

Gianna knew for certain that Violet was right. She was one of those people, after all.

***

"I see the news was delivered."

Eddie hid his grin when Chimney's chair tipped back and Hen's coffee sloshed onto her pants when Athena made her appearance near the end of their shift. "Oh, the news got delivered," he said loftily as Chimney tried to upright himself and Hen lunged for napkins, Bobby looking timid as Athena leaned against the railing, arms folded. "With a side of break-up."

"Ah," Athena nodded, another set of footsteps, slightly lighter than hers, signaling May was with her. "Public?"

"Very."

"Very supportive, Eddie," Chimney glowered.

"You mean like you were?" May asked sweetly.

Bobby choked on his coffee as Chimney gawked at the teenager. A click of a phone camera went off, and Eddie turned to see Lena, who had continued to be Eddie's partner since Buck refused to return to the 118, smirk and show him the picture she had just taken of a gobsmacked firefighter. "Think Maddie will appreciate this?" she asked.

"I think she'll make that Chimney's picture in her contacts," Eddie answered immediately. "Or her phone wallpaper. That's a pretty good picture."

"Thanks," Lena smiled proudly. "I'll send it to you, too."

"Can I see it?" May bounded over.

Athena directed her smirk to Chimney, who was still staring in shock at the three over by the couches. "Did you think we wouldn't find out what happened, Chimney?" she asked. "We got the full story from Maddie and Buck before he left."

"When they wanted to tell us the full story," May added from where she was looking over Lena's shoulder.

Chimney winced. "I get it, I screwed up."

"I think that's an understatement," Athena glowered. "If it had just been you that screwed up, maybe Buck wouldn't have felt the need to leave the city. Now the LAFD brass needs to determine who got told the misinformation and set the record straight."

Bobby winced. "I know who was told on our shift. As for who they might have told, though . . . "

"A start is a start," Athena shrugged. "Maddie sent a message saying you've been wanting to apologize since it happened."

"I have," Bobby confirmed, not able to look his wife in the eye.

Athena tapped one finger against her arm. "When Buck gets back in contact, I'll tell him," she finally said. "It will be up to him whether he wants to hear you out or not." Bobby smiled hesitantly, but she gave him an iron look. "That does not mean we won't be having words later, Bobby."

"I know," he nodded. "I messed up once . . . well, twice, after the tsunami and the lawsuit. I screwed up worse here. I have a lot of groveling to do."

"At least someone recognizes that," May grumbled.

Chimney sighed, dropping his forehead onto his arms. "What's the verdict?" Athena asked, looking around.

"Chimney's on probation," Bobby answered. "The chief also assigned him to sensitivity training again. Pending his work in the class, he'll be re-assessed to see if he'll be let off probation."

"I get the feeling the chief isn't going to let him off that easily," Eddie smirked.

Athena was about to agree when his phone chimed with an incoming message. Eddie frowned and pulled his phone out of his pocket, looking at the message that just arrived, one that was sent to him and one other person.

Unknown: I feel like I'm trudging through a swamp.

Eddie couldn't help but burst out laughing, replacing the number in his contacts with the new one.

Eddie: You've never heard of humidity before?

Buck: Ugh.

Maddie: I'm laughing and now I have Josh looking at me suspiciously after I just directed officers to a domestic abuse call.

Maddie: I'm blaming you, Buck.

Buck: I aim to please.

"That sounds like fun," Lena raised an eyebrow.

"Oh," Eddie grinned, sharing the picture she had taken. "It's fun."

***

Matt had a feeling he already knew what to expect when he walked into Molly's after their shift. Sure enough, there were a bunch of firefighters milling about and other first responders, including some from Intelligence. Not many from Med were around, but Matt sort of expected that. With the trouble he, Kelly, and Sylvie had gotten into at times, they were around police more than doctors and nurses.

He couldn't help but smirk when he walked over to Stella, who was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. "Herrmann letting you run the place?" he asked.

"I am more like the designated survivor," she groused, glaring at the several firefighters sitting right at the bar.

"And Mouch?"

She snorted loudly, pointing to where Mouch was seated with Trudy and Voight; his exaggerated motions and loud voice signaled he was talking about Sylvie's departure. "He prefers that side of the bar."

Matt couldn't blame Mouch, then he blinked when Stella set a full glass of beer in front of him. "What's this?"

"Well, your first beer's been paid for," Stella put her hands on her hips. "And your second."

"Both?" Matt's eyebrows shot up.

Stella gestured to the patio, and Matt craned his neck to look. He could see the majority of Squad 3 had commandeered a rather large table, with Joe, Capp, and Tony already seated. Among them were Delaney, Violet, Kim, and Hailey . . . and Grainger, who lifted his beer in greeting when he saw Matt's look. "I think this is his shot at a peace offering," Stella said.

"He didn't need to do that," Matt sighed, but picked up the beer anyway. He walked out onto the patio, raising an eyebrow when he saw what Squad had arranged. "Are we having a party out here?"

"More like a party to try and get some answers," Delaney said, gesturing to the seat that was next to him. Matt dropped into it like a marionette with its strings cut, leaving the empty seat between him and Grainger for Kelly. "Heard the house wasn't as loud as it had been before."

"Sorry, Captain," Violet smiled apologetically. "Delaney wanted an update."

"That's no trouble, Violet," Matt shook his head, taking a long sip of his beer. "Thank you, by the way."

"No problem," Grainger shook his head. "You looked like you needed it."

"God, I need a few," Matt sighed.

"And here's the last of the crew," Joe raised a hand in greeting.

Matt turned to see Kelly split up from April, the squad lieutenant walking over. He was closely followed by Will, Natalie, Connor, and Jay. "Welcome to the party," he said dryly.

"Is that what we're having?" Kelly raised an eyebrow, sitting between Matt and Grainger. "Thanks for the drink, Grainger."

"Next round's on me," Delaney said. "You two probably need them the most."

"Yeah, no kidding," Natalie said as she sat. "I heard Violet rattle off the stats of your victim this morning, but I didn't realize she was at 51 now until I looked up and saw Will basically interrogating Mackey."

"I think I scared her a little," Will winced.

"Mackey's tough," Joe shook his head. "She could take it."

"She's pretty awesome," Violet smiled. "As soon as I told her to finish tearing apart that wardrobe . . . well, let's just say no amount of glue is gonna fix it."

Kelly snickered. "Welcome to 51."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

"Alright, I'll bite," Jay leaned forward, eyes narrowed. "What the hell happened to make Sylvie leave?"

"I don't know," Violet shook her head. "I just know Commissioner Grissom told me she had left 51, and I was the PIC she wanted to replace her. Based on what he said, it was a quick transfer."

"How quick was it, Cruz?" Matt asked.

The man looked up quickly, panic in his eyes. "What?"

"Your attitude at the start of shift, how tense you were," Matt elaborated. "That wasn't a sleeping problem. You knew Sylvie was leaving, didn't you?"

Several heads swiveled to look at Kelly's second in command. "Is that true?" Hailey asked.

Joe slumped, looking down into his beer. "Yeah," he admitted. "Yeah, it's true. I knew she was leaving. Hell, I was the one that took her to the airport and saw her off." He shook his head. "She wasn't going to tell me, though," he shared. "It was by dumb luck I ever found out."

"How did you?" Kim asked quietly.

"That game night we had," Joe answered, gesturing to himself, the rest of Squad, and Matt. "I was taking our bottles to recycle them. She was on the phone with her new crew discussing the move." He fidgeted. "She looked like she was gonna be sick when she realized I was there."

"If she was really that keen on keeping it a secret, no wonder," Connor shook his head. "Those are some big lengths she went to."

"Not to mention not letting anything go through Boden," Matt remarked.

"It didn't go through the battalion chief?" Delaney's eyebrows shot up.

"Doesn't that imply something happened in the house?" Jay looked around the table.

"That's definitely what Grissom implied," Kelly said darkly.

"That's what's gonna be difficult," Capp said. "I can't think of anything that happened on shift for Sylvie to leave."

"Nothing that happened around us, at least," Tony pointed out.

"Yeah, Sylvie wasn't always around us at the house," Matt nodded in agreement. "Grissom's gonna have a lot of people to go through."

"Did it actually have to happen at the house, though?" Grainger wondered. When questioning looks were turned to him, he shrugged. "Look at how many of you are here tonight," he gestured to the patio, then inside. "You're around each other practically 24/7. If there was a problem with someone from the house, did what happened have to happen at the house?"

"That's a good point," Violet nodded.

"What about something that happened here?"

Matt almost jumped out of his seat at the timid voice behind him. He turned in his seat to see Ritter shifting anxiously, Gallo and Gianna behind him. "What happened?" he asked as the others made room for them to sit.

"Uh, last week, when Brett got that call at the bar," Ritter said. "She had been gone for a while, and I wasn't sure if she was coming back in or not. I went to see if she was OK, but just as I got there . . . she looked like she'd seen a ghost, then she went racing down the sidewalk like the devil was chasing her or something."

"So something happened on that call," Kelly frowned. "Who was she talking to?"

"Someone called Buck, I think?" Grainger tilted his head, thinking. "Yeah, that was the name."

"Anyone know a Buck?" Matt raised an eyebrow.

"That's the name of one of her new coworkers," Joe answered.

Kelly grimaced. "Alright, that probably wasn't it."

"No one else followed her, right?" Gallo looked around.

"I mean, not that I saw," Grainger shrugged. "Then again, I figured she wanted privacy, so . . . I didn't pay too much attention once she started talking."

"She probably appreciated that," Matt said.

"Well, that's a good place to start," Jay rubbed his temples. "I just want to know what made Sylvie leave."

"She wouldn't say," Joe looked miserable. "She literally could not say what it was. It looked like it would make her physically sick."

"What the hell could have made it turn like that?" Gianna whispered, tears in her eyes.

Joe wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and a determined look formed on Kim's face. "That's what we'll try to find out."

"All of us?" Connor looked around the table.

"Please, bow out if you want," Natalie raised an eyebrow challengingly.

He raised his hands defensively. "We'd be a little terrifying if all of us went around demanding answers."

"Then we take it in groups," Matt looked around. "We all reach different corners of Chicago. The Intelligence officers together, the Med doctors together. Squad, you three. Gallo, Ritter, and Mackey. Delaney and Violet. Grainger can work his part of Chicago, Sev and I can stick together."

"And maybe grill Gris a little bit," Kelly smirked.

"That's not even a little frightening," Will eyed them.

A chime from Joe's phone went unheard by most of the talking group. He fished his phone out and checked the text he received, and he smothered a smile.

Unknown: We have been together for a grand total of less than twenty-four hours, and our captain already looks like he regrets his life choices.

Joe couldn't help but snort. "You haven't seen Severide and Grissom work together," he told Will as he typed out a reply. "Yeah. That's terrifying."

Joe: Stay in touch, Roomdog.

Sylvie: Copy that.

***

"Alright," Owen clapped his hands as he walked into the house, Sylvie inspecting the home curiously. "So, here's the deal. Master bedroom, TK's, one guest room. Couch can easily expand into a bed, so that's more than enough room for the two of you to bunk here however long you need."

"Sylvie gets the guest room," Buck immediately said, plopping his suitcase next to the couch.

"Buck!" she protested.

"And here we go again," TK pinched the bridge of his nose.

Owen shrugged. "I typically don't advocate for my crew members to sleep with each other, but if anyone actually wants to share a bed . . . "

He let it hang, and Sylvie finally relented. "Hate you, Buck," she muttered, putting her suitcase in the hall.

"Love you, too," he winked.

A woof came from the kitchen, and Owen chuckled. "Plus, when he's not at the firehouse, there's Buttercup."

Sylvie's eyes lit up as the massive dog trudged into view. "Oh, my God!" she dropped into a crouch, and Buttercup trodded over to her. "Hi, boy!"

"Oh, well, if that's all I had to do to convince you to come," TK rolled his eyes.

"Dogs are a good motivator," Buck snickered.

Owen shook his head. "I wanted you two to make your decisions without much influence," he said. "I'm glad you're here, absolutely . . . I just do wish it hadn't been with whatever happened in your cities."

Sylvie sighed, sitting back on her heels. "Things haven't been . . . perfect for a while," she finally said. "The reason I left . . . well, it wasn't as much of a surprise after it got thrown in my face."

"That's disconcerting," TK scowled.

"I'm away from it," Sylvie waved him off. "And I fully intend to never speak to that person again."

Owen and TK exchanged looks that said the exact same thing: let Commissioner Grissom know there was definitely a someone behind Sylvie's departure. "And I've already been told by Maddie and Eddie that they're gonna let Chimney have it," Buck smiled tightly. "I'm covered."

"This sounds like we need drinks," Owen decided.

Sylvie perked up. "Have you got – ?"

"Rosé?" Owen smirked, heading for the cabinets. "First thing TK told me to get."

"And if you don't like it, I know Dad has both red and white wine," TK smirked.

"Oh, my God," Buck grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at TK. "We agreed never to speak of that again!"

TK dodged the projectile, and Owen watched with fond exasperation as a mini pillow fight erupted between the boys, with Sylvie dragging Buttercup away to watch and egg them on. He couldn't help but laugh, popping open the wine bottle.

If this was what they were like off shift, he was really looking forward to seeing all three together in action on their rig.

***

Poor Owen's gonna get whiplash from what he feels for his disaster kids. On the one hand, they're an incredible team. On the other . . . well, they're disasters. What else is new?

If it seems like I left things hanging . . . well, the fallout's not done yet. There's still stuff to see both in Los Angeles and in Chicago that was not going to fit in this chapter, especially regarding Matt and Kelly. The Los Angeles folks got lucky, where most of them know what happened to Buck. Chicago? Not so much. You can bet there's more to see there than L.A.

More fallouts next chapter, and more of Buck and Sylvie in Austin!

graphic by marvelity