Chapter Text
May 1st 2020 - Chicago
Dinner went great and they had fallen into a routine. When Kelly was on his twenty-four hour shifts, she was usually making a run for Big T into another country.
The squad lieutenant knew she was an international financial lawyer and that required her to be away frequently. He was just grateful that she was away while he was at work.
He was always worried for her because she should be quarantining. He can’t complain too much, though. She is on a private jet after all.
Emily Prentiss was already made aware of the relationship and stressed to Jessica how important it was to not slip back into her old life.
The unit chief had to admit that Russo was better at keeping her cover than anyone she had seen before. Other than herself, of course.
Flashback- March 21st 2020 - Guatemala
Renee had just gotten back to the airstrip with a bag of vials. After hitting redial on the burner phone she picked up at the coordinates, she received an address to which she met a known runner, who is known to be affiliated with La Fiera.
She and Kelly had been together since the night she took him to dinner, “Hey, babe. There’s a spike in COVID cases here in Guatemala. How is it in Chicago?” She had been out of the country for almost a week, she didn’t want to bring the virus back to her boyfriend.
“They started a mandatory quarantine until further notice. Most shelves at the stores are empty. I know we talked about taking things day by day, but I think that you should come back to Chicago until things get better. We should move in together for the time being.”
”Once I get on the jet, it'll be around five hours. We can stay together but I still have to fly back out here. I can get in to an immense about of trouble if I don’t.”
May 1st 2020- Chicago
Kelly was asleep against Renee’s back, an arm draped around her waist as he softly breathed into the back of her neck.
The sound of the phone on Renee’s dresser ringing woke the squad lieutenant out of his peaceful sleep.
His eyes landed on the caller name ‘Work-Big T’ He groaned as his girlfriend moved out of his embrace to answer her phone.
“Hello” she said over the phone.
Kelly could only hear her side of the conversation. “Already?” “I just got back yesterday.” “You want me to leave tomorrow?” “Biggest one?” “How big?” “Okay. I’ll be on the jet tomorrow.”
“You have to leave?” His words made Renee turn towards him.
“It’s work, Kelly” she sighed. They already had arguments about her job when she came back in March.
“I don’t really know much about it. Who is Big T?”
”My job is pretty much h what it sounds like. I’m an international financial lawyer which you already know. Big T is my boss.”
”Big T doesn’t sound very professional, Re. I mean what kind of name is that for a lawyer?”
”Drop it, Kelly!” She snapped. She took a deep breath and continued, “Look, I don’t expect you to understand, so let me make it clear. It’s a nickname that our team gave him. Just like you call Randal, Mouch. I’m tired of having the same argument with you. I think I should stay at my house tonight.”
Severide looked at her as she stood, “Renee, wait. I love you. I’m sorry. Please stay.”
They had been together since February 20th. It has been three-and-a-half months and they still hadn’t said ‘I love you’ yet.
Just because they hadn’t expressed those worlds out loud doesn’t mean the feeling of love wasn’t there because it most definitely is.
She stopped in her tracks and turned her head toward him, “I love you too, Kel, but I still need to go do something by myself. I’ll be back later.”
He watched her as she walked out the door and it closed behind her. He plopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. How could he make this up to her?
****
An hour later, she was at her house, when she opened the door for David Rossi and Emily Prentiss.
“Thank you for coming” she smiled as she let them in her cover house.
“Of course. We have minimal contact, so this must be important.” The unit chief spoke.
“I woke up to a call from Big T this morning. He wants me to go back to Guatemala tomorrow. He says I’ll be there for two months. This is supposedly the biggest transfer they’ve ever made with La Fiera. I’m supposed to come down with one shipment a week for the next two months. Meaning I will only be in Chicago one day a week.”
”Bad news is that La Fiera is extremely dangerous and sending you there full time could lead to extreme risks. Good news is that I have contacts in Interpol that can be on surveillance with you down in Guatemala. This is up to you. If we can get all the shipments here and get photos of JayZ handing it over to Big T, then we can shut this whole thing down and you’d be free to live your normal life again.”
“Of course, I-“ before she finish, there was a knock at the door.
Prentiss and Rossi are on high alert as Renee looks through the peephole, “Dammit, Kelly.” She mutters.
“Pretend that you are lawyers.” She told them before opening the door.
“What are you doing here, Kelly?”
“I came bearing flowers and takeout. Babe, I’m sorry. I know we have had arguments about your job and every-time it has been my fault. You are too important to lose because of my insecurities of you being away all the time.”
“Don’t apologise yet. I just found out that I will be away for the next two months. I’m only going to be in Chicago one day a week until July 1st.”
Kelly sighed, “I love you and I’ll still be here when you get home.”
She finally let him walk through the door. As he turned, he came in sight with two people that he had never seen before. “Um, Hey?” He said awkwardly.
“Lauren Reynolds” Emily introduced, making sure not to reveal her true name.
“Big T.” David used to ease the feeling Kelly had about Renee’s boss.
“So you guys work with Renee?”
“Yes, her and I go international together while big T stays here leading the firm” The section chief explains.
“Nice to know my girl isn’t alone over there. Well, I better get to work. Enjoy the food, Re. I love you.”
”I love you too.” His girlfriend gave a smile and kissed him on his way out.
“Seems like things are getting serious between you two.” Rossi pointed out after she shut the door.
“It is. I love him and I feel incredibly guilty for lying to him, but on the other hand this is my job and if he’s mad at me for lying to save a whole of people from dying then that’s on him.”
”I’m about to tell you something that only my team knows.” Royce nodded at the brunette. “You know Jennifer Jareau from our team? Well she is my wife, but before we were married, someone from my past came back into our lives. I was undercover many years prior with Interpol, infiltrating an organization led by Ian Doyle. I was in a fake relationship with him and he later found out after escaping prison that I was still alive. I’m a trained spy, so I did what I knew how to do best. I made myself disappear and I followed Doyle. Nobody from my team knew about my identity of Lauren Renyolds. I tried to ambush me and he ended up taking and killing me. I really was dead. I ended up being put in witness protection. My point is, I kept a huge secret about my identity from my own fiancé and she still forgave me. She was pissed off because I disappeared without a word and got myself killed, but she understood that I did it to protect her and our team. She forgave me and we got married. If he is the good guy he says he’s is and love you like he’s says, then he should understand that you are just protecting innocent people from potentially being killed.”
“Thank you, Chief. Really.”
“Oh just call me Emily or Prentiss now.” The FBI unit chief chuckled.
Minutes later, the two walked out the front door, leaving Jessica on her own to mentally prepare for the duration of time that she will be away.