Boundless

There was no doubt it was early, but even in the calmness of the Chicago morning Charlotte found it hard to find peace. She had tried everything she could think of to tire herself out the night previous, exercise, drinking warm milk, and listening to her Songs for the Night playlist on iTunes to no avail - she had even sat in a warm bath for an hour to ease her tensions, but nothing seemed to work.

In fact, everything she did heightened her senses, putting her more on edge than before.

For hours she lay quietly in the unusual silence of her abode until finally she could take no more. The bed beneath her creaked gently with her small weight as she pushed herself from it's surface. So she took to ambling through her the darkened perimeters of her house. She'd grown to know the route by heart, so it took her no time to find her way to the kitchen.

Without even glancing in the direction of it, her left hand darted out and flipped the switch on the wall, then suddenly she was surrounded in a blinding light, one so bright she thought her eyes might very well burn from their sockets. She inhaled sharply from it's impact and shielded her face with her hand.

The hardwood floor was cold under her feet, but she moved forward nevertheless, intent on her destination.

On the kitchen island lay the object that had ran away with her thoughts and never looked back.

The small, lithe stick lay face up, almost as if it were greeting her like an old friend. Charlotte licked her lips and felt her stomach clench in anxiety for the thousandth time, then she picked it up. She blinked once, to reassure herself her vision was true, and when she opened them saw that the two pink lines had stood their ground.

"Pregnant," she affirmed quietly.

Honestly, she didn't know how she should feel about her situation. At that moment in time she was utterly alone, Kelly having betrayed her trust with the so-called 'bet' between himself and Hadley.

The thought sprang a fresh wave of tears to her eyes.

Before she met Kelly often wondered if she'd ever find a man to suit her, someone courageous, sweet, and handsome. And then she did. He was all of that and more, everything - she couldn't have handpicked a better person for herself. In her eyes he could do no wrong. Not until he did.

Charlotte knew she was wallowing in her self-pity, but wasn't she given that liberty after everything she'd been through the past year?

Especially now I'm... pregnant. The word still seemed foreign to her, even in her thoughts.

Movement outside her window caught her eye, and before she could blink there were five rapid knocks on the door.

Quickly she pulled her robe onto he shoulders and tied it at the waist. She then stood on her tiptoes to see through the small hole in the door only to capture a fish eye view of Kelly Severide pacing outside her door, his face red with emotion. A stray tear slipped down her cheek at the sight of him - through it all she still found herself yearning to be wound in his arms - and opened the door.

"Charlie," he whispered, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He was unashamed as he blinked back a wave of tears, "I'm so sorry- I swear, I never meant for it to get this far without telling you."

As she stood before the man she loved, the only thing she could do was cry. "Have you t-talked to Shay?" she hiccuped.

Kelly leaned back onto his heels, his expression twisting into one confused. He licked his lips, unsure of how to answer, then finally spoke. "No, I-, she's out with Clara tonight."

Charlotte stood quietly for a moment, pondering on whether or not to tell him, and the words that tumbled from her heart came without a thought. "You promised."

He swallowed and shook his head. "Promised what, baby?"

Charlotte's heart thumped against her ribs, baby echoing throughout her brain. "I trusted you. On our first date you promised that I wasn't some fling- that I wouldn't be just another girl claimed by the infamous Kelly Severide!"

"But you're not just some other girl," he said, his eyes wide. "You're not. You're my girl."

Without time to think of a retort, having been stunned by his words, when he wiped his hands on the sides of his pants, his gaze locked onto hers, and took her hands. He licked his lips and sunk down onto one knee, his hands shaking slightly.

Charlotte's lungs began to fill with unattainable air, and she fought to catch her breath. Closing her eyes, she prayed that she might be imagining what was happening, but just as they had before, she opened to find herself consumed in reality.

Kelly's blue eyes were gleaming with tears, whether from fear of rejection or excitement, she didn't know. "Charlie-"

"Don't." She quieted him with a finger pressed firmly against his lips. "Please, I can't deal with this right now. I need sleep, I need to eat something." She paused to gather what nerves she had left, and whispered, "And we need to make an appointment with Doctor Monroe as soon as possible."

Kelly pushed off from the ground, standing by her side immediately, his hands gripping her upper arms firmly. "Why, what's wrong? Charlie, what is it?"

Unceremoniously, she backed away from him, moving out of his grip with ease, and stood further inside the house. She opened her mouth to speak, only to find the words that she's practiced so intently the previous night had evaded her. "I-"

Kelly raised an inquisitive brow at her, urging her to tell him.

A loud, exaggerated sigh left her lips, and she turned and meandered further into the depths of her house - Kelly, of course, following. Once inside she motioned him to follow her, careful to keep her footing in tact - she'd learned in her younger years that when she grew nervous her legs had a habit of stiffening - and led him to the kitchen island -

and there it lay.

Charlotte heard a shuttered breath behind her, and turned to glance at the man. She watched him react in slow-motion, his hand tentatively reaching out to grasp the object, the shaking more obvious at that moment.

"Charlie... I- a-are you. Is this..." he cleared his throat. "Am I going to be a- am I going to be a dad?"

She nodded wordlessly, not trusting her voice to affirm his question. Kelly's eyes never left the little stick, and she was sure he was counting the lines over and over in his head, just as she had. He placed it gently back down onto the bar and turned to her, a smile so big she feared it would split his handsome face in half, and engulfed her into a hug.

She pushed all betrayed feelings from her heart for that moment, and gratefully accepted it.