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𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭: 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞.

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As Squad Three was cleaning up the scene, Kelly had received the call that made his heart plummet to his stomach and his blood run cold.

"Severide, please tell me
that you brought your
wife to the scene of the incident."

Antonio Dawson's voice is rushed with background noise of a car engine running and guns clicking.

Kelly laughs though it's tight and void of humor.

"Why would I
bring Maddie to
 a wreckage?"

"Gish is on the
move and Maddie
wasn't inside the
firehouse when
I called."

"Fucking he—"

"Severide, I need you
to calm down. We'll
find her. Is there
anywhere she
could've went?"

By now, Kelly was pinching the bridge of his nose and pacing with worried eyes from the members of the firehouse on him.

"No? I mean, she
just moved here.
She doesn't have
a lot of friends other
than the guys from the
firehouse since she's
always busy with
her—wait."

"We need an
address, Kelly."

"She has this art thing
at 89 Jones Street."

"Okay. We'll meet
you there."

"Already starting
 the truck."

Severide takes long strides in going inside his truck. No one from House 51 misses a beat as they follow suit-also equally concerned and worried about their friend and his wife. Sirens blare throughout the city as Squad 3 leads the way to the prestigious art gallery. The Squad lieutenant's heart beats faster and faster as he takes in the sight of the tall building.

For the first time since his best friend was killed in an arson, Kelly Severide prayed to the heavens that they wouldn't rob him another person that held him together.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

A soft sigh escaped from Madeline's lips as she enters the elevator. She didn't know why but she could feel the air get hotter and the space inside the elevator start to close in. The hair on the back of her neck started to rise as shuffling sounds were heard from above her.

Maddie had no plan on getting stuck in an elevator so she did what her gut told her. She presses the emergency button as the small box came to an abrupt halt.

As she fishes her phone out from her pocket, the shuffling sounds halt and a shrill voice spoke.

"Calling your knight in shining armor?" The voice taunts.

Maddie looks up and sees beady eyes and the face that Kelly had despised the most (because he allegedly planned the fire that killed Shay and was stalking Maddie).

Maddie quickly backs away until her back hits one of the walls inside the small space. Her brown eyes are up and never straining away from Adrian Gish's as he aims a bottle and pours liquid all over the elevator. Maddie covers her nose as the scent of gasoline drifts through the air.

"What the—"

"Ah-ah." Adrian chastises, "No complaining, Madeline, or else this whole thing ignites and your friends see you out in a body bag."

Maddie's breath hitches as her eyes land on a lighter in his hand. She could hear her heart beat rapidly in her ears and her hands shake. "Oh my God—ple—please don't kill me." Maddie pleads and she didn't care one bit if she sounded so pathetic.

"Why shouldn't I?"

Maddie gulps. "Be—because I still have a lot to live for." Her voice is desperate and terrified and dejected. "I'm Madeline Cojuangco-Severide. I'm only twenty-seven years old. I'm the daughter of Joseph and Helen Cojuangco. I have a younger sister—her name is Ophelia and I still love her even though she hates me."

By now, her voice shakes along with her hands as tears form in her brown eyes.

"Jill and Nigel still need me. I want to be a mother. I want to live my life. My hus—Kelly. I can't leave him. Please, Adrain."

"Tsk." His voice is disappointed and he gives her a sinister smile, "I guess you and your husband are the 'til death us do part couple, huh?"

His hands drop the igniter and, once again, Maddie goes with her gut. She jumps from her spot and her shaking hands fly out to catch the igniter as its seconds away from the floor. Her knees wobble a little as they bend and her fingers scramble to turn the flame off.

All it took was a few more seconds or a late reaction and Maddie would've been burned to ashes.

She grips the lighter tightly and terrified out of her mind.

"Well," Adrian says—he didn't sound disappointed one bit. "Guess I'll have to blow your brains out. Say hello to the Leslie Shay for me."

When Maddie thought it was all over when she caught the lighter, Adrian brings out a pistol and points it to her. She closes her eyes, accepts defeat, and counts her last moments on Earth.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine— 

Bang!

Opening her brown eyes, Maddie expects to see a bearded man who called himself Jesus to appear in front of her. Instead, she sees a splatter of blood on the floor. Should she be glad it wasn't hers? The woman looks up only to find Adrian Gish's head lying on the side.

The next few moments were like a whirlwind.

Elevator doors opening, Kelly hurriedly grabbing her and pulling Maddie's quivering body into his arms, a detective— his name was Hank—telling her she would need to answer a few questions later, Sylvie guiding her to the ambulance.

"You're okay, Mads." Kelly coos, running his fingers through her hair. His chin rests on the top of her head and his other arm is securely wrapped around her shoulders.

Maddie couldn't utter a word. It was like there was this cement in her throat that was preventing her from talking or screaming. Yes—she wanted to scream in fear or in anger or in sadness.

But while Madeline was wallowing in her pit of adrenaline and trauma, Kelly's reassuring presence never faltered. He held onto her just as tightly as she held onto him—both afraid that the statement 'till death do us part would come a little sooner than later.