#helpfuls

" & you had to pick it up right that second ? " she quirks an eyebrow, a grocery bag in each hand as they mercifully leave doose's market. " honey, believe me, i know the appeal of a cool rock, but just for future reference – if taylor's watching & we're on our way to doose's, no rocks will be picked up off the ground & pocketed in a manner that could be misconstrued as suspicious in any way. " a beat. " remember, this is the man who sees you tying your shoes & accuses you of loitering – never again... wait, stop, i want a cookie. hold. " with that, she hauls one of the grocery bags in rory's arms just so she can rummage freely through the other one & retrieve her mid-babble snack. " give. " a quick request, mouth full as she grabs the second bag again & goes on. " i mean, did you see him ? every aisle, he was right behind us ! totally thought you were gonna chuck that thing straight into his canned soup pyramid. "

FIREHOUSE 51 was stella's home. she didn't have to be there long to know that. she felt it, in her bones, in her soul. and it wasn't just because kelly severide was there, though that was a very big contributing factor. everyone just . . . treated stella like part of the family. and she had never really had that before, you know? not growing up, not even with grant. and definitely not at any other firehouse she had worked at. she had to fight so hard just to prove herself in a male dominated field. and the firefighters at her old house were fine, but she never really felt like she belonged there. and oh, did she feel like she belonged at fifty one. she wanted to stay. but it wasn't just fifty one. she loved working at molly's too.

that was where she was now, working her second job, the one she worked after her first job, with all of the same people, because you know what? she actually liked them all. a lot. gabby was one of her best friends. and kelly may not have worked there, but he was there every night too. she got to spend her nights with all of her favorite people. so she didn't mind being on the other side of the bar. she walked to the back for something, but she wasn't alone. and when she saw the squad lieutenant out of the corner of her eye? she couldn't help herself. she called him out. because he climbed her fire escape to break into her house with champagne to confess her feelings for her. but she was married. and now she was at fifty one, and she was divorced— painfully single, and . . . nothing. he never tried to kiss her or anything. what the hell was th— she wasn't expecting the kiss, and it was the life changing kind of kiss, where the world stopped spinning and everything else disappeared until there was nothing less but stella and, "kelly," she breathed his name like a prayer, one hand snaking around his neck while the other fisted in his shirt, desperate to hold him close. she didn't know what else to say, so she just kissed him again, hoping that he could feel everything she didn't know how to say.

Also, I redid my older coloring in CSP tutorial just to make it snappier. Probably gonna have to redo it again down the line to make it even sharper, but 5 minutes is better than 9 minutes. :p Mostly just practice for getting into doing these things on a regular basis.

The internet. It's a cool place, right? So full of information, games, and even potential friends!

...But you have to be careful!

This isn't to scare you, but to make you more aware of just what exactly you're sharing online.

Unfortunately, there are bad people out there who will wanna take advantage of your smallness! So you've gotta say: Hey! No way! Get outta here, bucko!

1. Block and report mean people. Don't listen to them! You're bigger and stronger than they are a million times over.

2. Don't give out personal information. You've heard this one a million times, but it's very true, especially when you're small! Don't post where you live, where you work, your full name, things like that.

3. Tell someone about what's happening! This is important. If the person you tell doesn't listen, tell another person you trust. Someone will eventually do something! Don't suffer alone, because you're never alone!

4. If you feel uncomfortable, tell the person you're talking to, to back off. If they don't listen, go ahead and click that block button!

5. Put your own safety ahead of being nice. It's good to be nice, but it's better to be safe.

...Other than that, feel free to browse and find your space to your hearts content! Just be mindful.

If anyone ever needs someone to talk to, I try to be here as much as I can be! You're never, ever alone and there is always someone who is willing to help and fight for you. You're important.