Brett's Future Love Life Will Have 'Fun Surprises,' Chicago Fire Producers Say

Brett (Kara Killmer) and Casey (Jesse Spencer)'s relationship was left open-ended at the end of Chicago Fire Season 10. They love each other, but the long distance—with Brett in Chicago and Casey in Oregon—has been causing strain, and Brett said out loud what fans were thinking: How long could they keep this up? 

Well, we finally got our answer in the Season 11 premiere. "Our stars just didn't align," Brett tells Casey in an emotional phone call at the end of the episode. "That's all. The timing just wasn't right. But Matt, maybe someday." 

Related: The Biggest Questions Fans Have About Chicago Fire Season 11

Yes, Brett and Casey called it quits—and the language Brett used about their stars not aligning feels intentional. Earlier in the episode, we saw the return of Kyle Sheffield (Teddy Sears), Brett's former fiancé with whom she split from in Season 7. Sheffield is now engaged to another woman, Cassie, and he talks about how the "stars aligned" for them to get together. Whether this hints at a reunion between Sheffield and Brett remains to be seen—but it's clear she was thinking about him, or at least his words, while breaking up with Casey. 

"There is no question that Brett and Casey were deeply in love," Chicago Fire co-showrunner Andrea Newman tells NBC Insider. "That was never the problem in their relationship. It was the distance, obviously. Brett has become a really tough and independent woman, and she's really focused on her career. So that'll be a lot of where the focus is at in the beginning [of Season 11], when she's still mourning the relationship with Casey. But at a certain point, yeah, it's 'gonna be time for her to get back out there. And we've got some fun surprises on that end—who she ends up connecting with." 

On whether we'll see more of Sheffield, Newman tell us, "You never know." And co-showrunner Derek Haas adds, "On this show, we love to bring people back. Hang tight."  

So how, exactly, will Brett navigate her newfound single-dom? That's a question mark, but Christian Stolte (Mouch) tells NBC Insider that Platt (Amy Morton) will play a role in Brett's healing.

"Trudy is going to be showing up a bit on Fire this season, and the first thing she's going to do is help  [Brett] get through a difficult time," he says. 

It already seems like we're in for a dramatic season—especially when it comes to Brett's future. Buckle up, Chi-Hards. And as always, watch Chicago Fire on NBC Wednesdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock.