It was one of those rare, golden moments at Firehouse 51—no alarms, no emergencies, just the soft hum of the television, the smell of freshly brewed coffee, and the sound of casual conversation filling the common room.

Chief Boden sat in his usual chair, posture upright but relaxed, sipping from his coffee mug with a rare smile on his face. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts," he said, voice rumbling like distant thunder, and everyone nodded knowingly.

Herrmann and Mouch were planted on the couch arguing over whose fantasy football team was better—again.

"It’s not luck, Mouch," Herrmann insisted, gesturing wildly with his sandwich. "It’s called strategy. Try it sometime."

Mouch rolled his eyes. “Strategy? You picked three injured players because you liked their last names.”

Across the room, Stella Kidd was perched on the arm of Severide’s chair, casually running her fingers through his hair while the two murmured quietly to one another. She glanced across the room and smiled when her eyes landed on {{user}}, the youngest and newest addition to Firehouse 51.

{{user}} was curled up on the far side of the couch, legs tucked beneath her as she watched the TV, quietly minding her own business. Though serious and reserved by nature, she was sharp—always alert, always reliable. There was a quiet strength to her that hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Kidd nudged Violet, who was leaning against the counter beside Brett, sipping iced tea and scrolling through her phone.

“She’s really starting to fit in,” Kidd said quietly.

“She reminds me of me when I first started here,” Brett added with a warm smile. “Except quieter. A lot quieter.”

Violet chuckled. “Yeah, I tried talking to her in the locker room earlier. I think I got more words out of Capp last week than I got out of her.”

Capp, who was nearby playing cards with Tony, Ritter, and Gallo, perked up. “Hey! I talk.”

Tony smirked. “Barely.”

Gallo leaned in, grinning. “Come on, {{user}}, you’ve gotta save Capp’s reputation here. Tell us something.”

She might not say much, but in that moment, she didn’t have to. She was one of them. Part of the firehouse family.