Jim studies Chris's face and demeanor. She looks insecure and not all like someone who just delivered a sharp knock. With every passing moment, he notices how she seems to look smaller and most of all sadder. His mind supplies the picture of her running away again and that finally gives his legs the signal to move. Jim steps to the side and lets Chris walk past him inside the house.

Walking past Street Chris feels a shiver in her spine when his eyes meet hers for that brief moment.
A little unsure of what is next she stops short of sitting down and leans against the kitchen counter.

"Chris, why are you here?" she can hear the disbelief in his voice even if it is laced with relief and worry and something else she can't name right now.
Her answer is simple. She really has only one reason for being here.
"I needed to see you."
The surprise on Jim's face is still mixed with confusion and Chris is sure he is guarded, trying not to read too much into her being here.
When he takes a seat on the sofa she slowly walks over to him. Chris sits on the coffee table to be able to see his eyes the whole time. And she just looks at him. Where did her explanation, her speech, everything she wanted to say go? Her mind was drawing a blank.

"Chris, I am sorry..." hearing Jim say those words Chris finally snaps out of her spiral.
She holds up her hand.
"No, don't. I should apologize. You have nothing to be sorry about."

It breaks her heart to see him sitting there with the perfect storm in his eyes. Confusion, hurt and maybe fear mixed in with the relief she saw in that first moments here.
"Look, Jim. I am sorry for leaving like I did, but I had to." she can see him starting to protest. "No, please listen." Chris pleads with him to let her get her piece out now before her courage has completely disappeared. "I don't know if you have realized how much you mean to me. And I can't put that in words, but I knew I needed to do this. Leave that night and think. Get a clear head again and make a decision about what I want. In my life."
Chris swallows hard and is fighting back the tears that threaten to spill now.
She reaches for his hands but to her surprise, he flinches back.
"And what did you decide? You quit your job, you ran away. Again." the venom in his words hurts.
"I didn't leave to hurt you. I just, I needed to be sure. I quit LAPD but I still have a job. A very good job and ..."
"So, you just decided to leave again and not deal with us. How was that supposed not to hurt me?"
Chris hears his voice break and can't keep the tears in any longer.
"I didn't want you to lose your job. And now..." she chokes back a sob. "Jim, please. It was against..." when she looks up again she can see his eyes, shimmering with tears. Probably a mirror of hers.
"Why did you have to make this decision alone? I could've switched teams, divisions ... gone back to Long Beach. I just need to know why!"
Chris swallows again, but hearing his words gave her hope and the strength to get the last part out.
"Jim, I know all that. But I didn't want you to ruin your career I have different paths and maybe, if you can forgive me for all of it, we can try and work us out?"

This time he lets her intertwine their fingers.

Chris gives his hand a squeeze. In part to encourage Jim to say something and in part to make sure she isn't imagining this.
A gentle tug on her hand signals her to get up and move to the sofa.

When she sits down and turns to face Jim again, Chris recognizes the fear in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" His question is barely a whisper.
With her free hand, Chris lets her fingers feather up his arm to his cheek. When their eyes meet she smiles and nods.

"Yes," and she scoots closer to him. "I know I don't deserve..." she doesn't get to finish her sentence as his lips silence her.

Chris can feel all the tension fall off in that moment and just lets herself feel. For a second she feels cold when Jim pulls away but when she finds herself in a hug she relaxes again instantly. Chris revels in the feeling of being held by him and just listens to his heartbeat. Suddenly she feels tears on her hands and moves back a little.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asks scared and softly wipes away some of the tears from his face. "Jim?" she prompts him again.
"Chris, I..." he stops and shakes his head. "I, god why didn't you talk to me? Can you imagine how I was feeling the past week? I tried calling, texting... I went by your place..." he flaps his arms exasperated. "Please don't play with me. I can't handle that. You need to be sure. Really sure. Or you need to leave. Now."
Chris can see that took a lot out of him. The shaking figure in front of her is not the confident man she is used to.

Chris swallows hard. Having him this broken is not what she intended. Had she made a mistake? She can feel her own tears welling now and fights to keep them in.
"Jim, I am here, right now because I am sure. " after a little pause she dares to add "I quit my job so we could be together."
But Chris realizes quickly that wasn't the right thing to say.
"You were supposed to talk to me about it," Jim sounds more angry than sad right now. "You kissed me and ran away, again." the defeat and maybe disappointment in his statement hurts and Chris feels the need to wrap her arms around herself, just to have some reassurance and support
"I was scared, what if someone saw..." Chris stops immediately. That was not what she wanted to say. "Jim, I wanted nothing more than to stay that night. But I couldn't. It wouldn't have been right. I was your boss."
"You were my friend." the bitter note seems lighter now.
Chris turns to face him and slowly reaches out for his hands again. When she has reached them he even voluntarily turns them over for her to take.
Feeling their fingers intertwine again, and the gentle tug of him to bring her closer to make her smile.
"I still have so many questions, but only this one for now. Are you really sure?" his eyes search hers and Chris feels no need to answer him with words.
She leans in and softly grazes his lips with hers. The moment she feels Jim respond to the kiss the intensity spikes and she knows: Now they can really work on being together and no one needs to be afraid.

Chris was nervous to tell all their friends they worked it out. But she didn't want to hide her happiness and it wouldn't have worked anyway.
Luca had interrupted them on the couch and Molly knew anyway where she was going. And her new employer had asked for more of an explanation too.
So, Chris made the decision to just invite everyone over to have a night together up on that roof again.
She couldn't deny she was a little nervous to see Hondo's reaction and Tan's too. They both, especially Tan had seen their friendship develop up close and the latter had probably suffered a lot of the fighting and tension too.

Waiting up on the roof it felt good standing there wrapped up in Jim's arms and enjoying the few moments of quiet they still had together before everyone would come.
"Are you okay?" she feels his whisper at her ear.

"Yeah, as long as you are right here, I am okay. You?"
He spins her so he can properly kiss her and Chris feels herself melting until a long whistle draws them apart.
"Finally!", Tan yells and walks over to them. "But if you ever hurt her" he starts with a stern look at Street before turning to Chris "or you break him ... again." before smiling and pulling both into a hug.
Bonnie just stands there and smiles. And the reaction from all of them is more of the same.
Deacon and Annie are running a little late but Hondo sort of times his question perfectly.

"So Chris, what are you doing now? After quitting SWAT for this knucklehead?"
"She is leading one of my best teams." comes a proud voice from the door and Jess chuckles "We should've known."

Chris realizes no one can predict what's next but she is happy and as long as she has Jim at her side, it will stay that way.

This is the final chapter I have planned for this story. Thank you for taking this little tour with me. And until next time :)