When Chris arrived at HQ the next day for shift, she couldn't have felt any more uncomfortable. She had considered calling in sick. She arrived on time and walked in with Tan who had pulled up beside her in the garage.

"Morning," he said as he closed his trunk.

"Hey," Chris said. Trying to act as normal as she could.

"Did you sleep well last night, first night back in reality and all?" Tan asked playfully, as they walked. Chris's stomach hit the floor and a wave of an awful sick feeling filled every inch of her body.

"I ah…. No, not really… kind of still not back to reality yet," she said turning up the corner of her mouth.

"Still all wound up, huh? That adrenaline surge after a mission like that can really screw up your body for a few days. Just take it easy, yeah?" Tan said.

"Yeah... I'll try." Chris nodded, her eyes searching the corridors as they walked as if they were a radar scanning for imminent danger. They made it to the locker room, and she sighed, feeling relieved when Street wasn't in there. She placed her things in her locker and pulled out her uniform heading off to change. As she zipped up her jacket and folded her casual clothes neatly, she heard his voice. He had come in with Deacon who was telling him about something with Lila and Matthew.

"Hey man." Tan said as they came in.

Chris sat in the shower stall and listened as they sorted themselves for the start of shift. She didn't have the courage to walk out as she heard Deacon ask Street,

"Sorry I left so early last night, family stuff you know," he explained, "did you unwind okay last night and sleep?" he asked.

Chris leant her head back on the wall and closed her eyes. She knew he wouldn't say anything about what had happened, but she didn't feel ready to hear his answer. She knew deep down inside that when he would have woken up without her there, he would have been really hurt and upset. She felt a tear roll down her cheek thinking about how she must have hurt him, just disappearing like that.

"Um… I guess." Was all she heard him say, as the door banged, and Luca and Hondo came in.

The team milled about together, and Chris decided she couldn't hide here forever, she needed to head in with them and get on with it. As she came around from the showers, she kept her eyes on her locker and didn't look at him.

"Hey…. here she is!" Hondo said stopping her and squeezing her shoulders as she walked past him.

"You really earned your keep yesterday Chris… and kicked a little ass in the process!" Hondo said smiling at her as Deacon, Luca and Tan chuckled and nodded.

"Thanks boss." Chris said, still keeping her eyes away from Street.

"Yeah, you are one bad ass momma!" Luca added holding out his fist for her to bump. She smiled at him, feeling Street watching her, she carefully fist bumped Luca back and opened her locker door, which to her relief acted as a physical barrier to Street. She counted her breaths to keep herself calm as she placed her things neatly inside.

"You two…" Hondo continued…. "Well, all I can say is I am really proud of you both. How you handled yourselves out there and got it done!" Chris couldn't look up. Her gaze still in her locker.

"No…. nothing special it's just the job," Street said with a forced grin as he closed his locker and walked towards Hondo.

"Yes, yes, it is, but you and Chris," Hondo continued,

'hmmm… me and Chris,' Street thought to himself feeling a sick feeling rise up in his stomach.

"You guys made us proud. Number 6 on the FBI's top 10 list is huge." Street smiled a little and nodded at Hondo,

"Thanks Boss," and with that he had walked out the door and was gone.

The rest of the shift the vibe between them was much the same. Chris was actively trying to avoid being in the same room as him and each time he caught a glimpse of her, or found himself near her, she wouldn't look at him. Street was so confused. As he replayed how things began the way they did last night, he couldn't get the look on her face when she had kissed him on the couch out of his head. There had been a spark, a deep desire in her eyes, and he felt it too. His thoughts jumped to when he held her after, as she slept in his arms so content and that he couldn't help but tell her he loved her. He felt himself near tears, emotional and honestly a bit of a mess. As the shift rolled on, he knew he really wanted to get her to talk to him, to say something, anything to explain how those amazing things that were there between them could now feel like this.

That shift as Hondo passed out tasks, Chris quickly volunteered to sort through files with Tan in the archive room so she could hide from Street. Tan had found that a bit strange, and as they got organised, he had noticed the awkwardness between her and Street.

During breaktime, Chris left Tan, in the archive room, to go and do something else that was bugging her. She knew going anywhere near the common areas was a bad idea. That Street would be there and knowing him, he would want to pull her aside.

She swallowed hard and grimaced, knowing that eventually she would have to give him an explanation, but right now…. she had no idea what to do or say. She had gone down to the motor pool and was sitting on the back of Black Betty in the far corner out of sight. She pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen to open her messages with Kira. Kira had sent a few during the mission, knowing that Chris could not respond. She had been trying to reach out to her and let her know she was sorry about what had happened and tell Chris that she wanted to talk to her when she got back to normal life.

Chris hadn't felt ready to talk to her when they completed the mission and got back to HQ yesterday and then, well, last night happened. Now she was even more of a mess. She knew she needed to work out what was happening with Kira and Ty, but she had no real idea about what was going on herself. The last message she had received said,

Kira: Chris, please call or come by when you are back. Ty and I both really want to talk to you. We miss you. Hope you are safe. Xxx

Chris exhaled and started to type.

Chris: I will come after shift if you are home.

She tucked her phone away and inhaled deeply before walking back inside to continue her job with Tan. She walked back into the archives and sat with him sorting files.

"I um?" Tan looked up from the file in his hand and watched Chris. "You okay?"

Chris exhaled slightly and blinked slowly. "Yeah, why?" She said not looking up.

"You just seem a bit tense, distracted, off? Just not the normal Chris you know." Chris turned up the corner of her mouth into a frown.

"Just got a few personal issues to sort through." She said, hoping Tan would get the message.

"Oh ok, hey, go talk to Street. That always seems to help. Or do you need your space after week of living with Mr. Sloane." He added with a smirk as he stepped around the corner to retrieve more files. Chris puffed out a breath and smirked too. Tan wasn't wrong.

"No, just some stuff I have to work through, I will work it out." She mumbled. Tan raised his eyebrows; he knew something was up but decided it best to stay out of it.

Time disappeared quicker than she expected and soon Tan was telling her to pack it up… it was knock off time. She sighed, knowing she needed to go and see Ty and Kira and work out what that was… but the guilt in her stomach about last night was eating her up. She changed and stopped by the empty kitchen to grab her tea before heading across town.

As she stood at the sink, she felt her blood go cold as his voice hit her ears,

"Hey," Street said as he made sure the door swung shut behind him and turned back to her. She was facing the sink and jiggling her tea bag in her mug.

"Hey," she said with a coldness to her voice that he had felt all day. The part that was hurting Street the most was the heartbreak and maybe even anger on her face.

"Chris, are we?" He started as she turned and leant on the table, still not looking at him. He paused and stepped to stand opposite her leaning on the other bench. "Are we gunna talk about this?" He pleaded.

"I have nothing to say," she tightened her face like she was trying to hold back tears and stared intently at the cup in her hands.

"Look, I'm sorry." He started, "What happened," he glanced over his shoulder making sure no one was in ear shot. "What happened last night," he continued as she slowly raised her eyes to him. Her eyes were sad and cold. She was fighting with every inch of herself to remain in control of her feelings, and as she stood looking blankly at him, she could see how his face showed his pain and anguish, his heart was breaking as he looked at her. Chris could feel the tears, she wanted to cry, wanted to break down and let it all out, but she knew she needed to somehow fix the mess she had let herself and him get into. "Last night was not something I had planned, and I certainly never intended to hurt you Chris." He continued. She dropped her gaze and exhaled.

"I know," she looked up at him again,

"I know we had had a bit to drink but I didn't think I misread the situation that badly," he said with so much care in his voice, Chris could feel the tears welling more urgently. "But I was, well no, I am pretty sure it was a mutual thing we had, but then you left and I…. I…."

She blinked at him and breathed in sharply as the tears sat on the edge of her eyes,

"Was I wrong?... I didn't mean to cross any lines Chris."

"Except we did," she said, with an exhale, blinking and swiping at her eyes. "I guess me more than you," she swallowed hard.

"Look, I get that this is complicated, but Chris I want to…" Chris's heart was racing, she knew she needed to shut him down. Right now. Before he said something that he couldn't take back. She inhaled a sharp breath and looked up at him with the coldest, emotionless eyes she could muster and interrupted,

"What we did, that, can't happen again. You have just found your way back to the team and I have Kira and Ty to…." Streets shoulders dropped slightly almost in defeat.

"Yeah, I know and that's why I'm riddled with guilt about it too, I know it was wrong. All I am trying to say is that Chris I am sorry, you are important to me and I don't wanna lose you." Chris closed her eyes as she tilted her head. Those words 'you are important to me' made her heart burst and ache all at once.

"Street, we can't be like that anymore… we can't be friends outside of work. We are teammates, nothing more."

Street pursed his lips and blinked back his own tears. "I don't have many people Chris, you are my best friend and I..."

"Jim," she whispered slowly as she closed her eyes and a tear rolled down her face. Her voice was low and almost begging him to stop talking, telling him he was only breaking her heart further right now. The pain she felt, making her tremble a little as several more stray tears fell. She looked down and wiped them away. Street stepped towards her and he saw her flinch away from him, immediately deciding not to try to hug her like he usually would.

"Um..." he stepped back again and folded his arms.

"Look I should just go," she said placing her mug on the table. "I have to go see Ty and Kira." She added as she headed for the door. He watched her. Deciding one last time to let her know how he felt,

"Chris?" He said, she paused, her hand on the doorknob as she turned back to him. "I am sorry, I just don't wanna lose you." He said almost pleading with her. She blinked at him and turned up the corner of her mouth in the saddest smile.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

She walked slowly out to her truck and sat in the seat like a zombie for a few seconds. Her heart was in pieces. She was pretty sure she had just shattered his badly too. Wiping her tears away she drove to Ty and Kira's.

As she finished exchanging "hello's" and small talk she gripped the edge of the counter and looked at Ty. Here goes.

"Look, I need to be honest here. I got into this thrupple or trio or whatever, because I wanted to give it a chance and not throw away the relationship I was building with Kira. Ty you've been right, I tried to develop those feelings for you too, but honestly, I am more into Kira. The day you came to me to address the imbalance I went and spoke to Kira about it, because I realised then how I actually feel. I was hoping we would discuss that dynamic at dinner that night, but instead you both asked me to move in, and look, I can't. I can't force those feelings."

Ty and Kira both tried to talk her out of ending it. But she was adamant that the thrupple was no longer what she wanted.

"Look, you two, I do care about you both. But I've thought about this and this is not for me. I'm sorry." Kira tried, she followed her to her truck. She tried to change her mind. But Chris was fairly stubborn.

Weeks began to roll passed and Chris's world was just a blur of her trying to get through the days. She busied herself with work, extra shifts and outdoor activities to try and numb the pain of losing her best friend and her relationship in one go. The air between her and Street was frosty at best. She couldn't look at him when they were on shift. She avoided him every chance she got, and it was slowly starting to kill her inside. She hadn't even told him, 3 weeks later, that she made the decision to end things with Ty and Kira, and that hurt. She had truly and completely ruined things with him and was starting to realise she may never ever get that back.

Chris was working in the armoury cage, trying to keep away from Street. She heard his voice as he and Tan approached. They were chatting casually about their plans for the weekend. She wanted to hear what he was up to, but at the same time she knew that that would break her heart. They weren't hanging out, texting or even speaking anymore. She had to admit to herself that she missed him.

"Wild weekend? More dates lined up? Hearts to break with them dimples?" Tan teased.

"No, No. None of that I ah…. might pack the bike up and go for a ride, explore a few new roads, to be honest I dunno."

"You okay man? To be honest you seem a little off lately?" Street glanced up and saw Chris in the armoury cage. He swallowed hard.

"No, it's um …. I'm…" Street was trying to find the right words.

"Hey Chris," Tan said tapping the cage as he entered. She didn't look up. She didn't want to see Street.

"Hey," she answered continuing to put things away.

"You have any exciting plans this weekend Chris?" Tan asked with a smile. Chris's heart froze. She didn't want to lie or admit the truth about Ty and Kira and the state of her life. She frowned, how to shrug this off? and change the subject to get out of here.

"Nothing exciting," she mumbled as her eyes briefly passed over Street. Tan was watching her and saw the look in her eyes as she briefly looked at him. He knew something wasn't right here. But he knew it wasn't his place to be nosy and pry.

"Wanna grab a drink after shift with us?" Tan asked. As she went to answer vaguely, their phones buzzed. They had a case.

She sat in Black Betty again trying to ignore his presence beside her and she felt the tiredness of the 9 hours they had been on shift hit her. She wished she could just go home and lay down and be alone. Hondo smirked at her when he saw her resting her head back and closing her eyes.

"Hey, you good there sleeping beauty?" he teased.

Street smirked a bit too as the team all chuckled. Chris rolled her eyes even though they were closed. Then she broke into a smirk too and shook her head.

"Yeah, just focusing." She muttered.

"Well let's focus on getting these 4 suspects. You and Street will take the 3rd floor, Deac and Tan you are 2nd floor and Luca and I on the 1st floor."

Before she knew it, she was sweeping the 3rd floor with Street beside her. Whilst they were active like this, it felt like nothing had ever changed. But when the missions were all over and they were back in Black Betty or at HQ, she dreaded seeing him. Dreaded him saying anything to her. Dreaded having to feel the way it all broke her heart.

As Street swung into the next office, they saw a curtain move. He motioned for her to go and he would cover her. She approached the curtain.

"LAPD Metro Swat." She called as she reached out and flung the curtain sideways. In an instant her eyes closed, and she jumped back. A cloud of white powder flew up into the air and covered Chris completely. She froze and stood in shock looking at Street.

"Shit!" He muttered reaching for his radio and calling for EMT's. "Don't touch it Chris." He grabbed a water jug and guided her to the sink, rinsing her face carefully and helping her downstairs. He knew she would be terrified. No one knew what that substance was and knowing the crew they were currently chasing it could be anything from a chemical agent booby trap or drugs to something completely harmless.

20 David gathered around Chris as Street helped her outside. A hazmat team stood ready to decontaminate her. Street watched her shake a little as they helped her remove her gear and she disappeared into their mobile tent. Hondo ordered her to go to the hospital to be checked and tested. Her hands shook as they sat her on the stretcher and pushed her inside the ambulance. She briefly caught Street's eyes as she moved backwards out of sight.

"Anyone coming for the ride?" The EMT asked turning to 20 David. All of them instantly turned to Street, who looked a little shocked. He knew she wouldn't want him in there with her. He knew that would be every part of awkward. But before he could think of something to say, Tan had taken his weapons and shoved him to the back door.

"Let us know how she is holding up ASAP." He said waving to Street as he closed the door. Street inhaled hard clenching his jaw as he nervously turned. Her eyes were down looking at her hands which she had clenched in front of her. She looked scared. He couldn't help but feel it too. They had no idea what this powder was. Chris sat wrapped in a blanket, wearing a disposable jumpsuit from Hazmat. Her hair was wet, she looked cold and he slowly moved to the seat behind her. He gently put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I am here." Was all he could think to say. She nodded but didn't turn to look at him.

"Thanks." She knew he, even despite all of the shit between them right now, that he would be worried for her.