AUTHORS NOTE:

This story begins after Season 2, Episode18: Cashflow where Champ (Chris's former K9 partner dies).

No kiss or anything has occurred between Street and Chris yet.

Special Thanks to:

Lalez, for being an amazing Beta reader, for helping me get the storyline, timeline and finer details of this story sorted.

And fellow writer Chris Cody for the ongoing support and encouragement with all of my crazy ideas.

Chapter 1

"Maybe you're just not in the right relationship?" Street's words were haunting her that night, they had kept her awake and as Chris lay there, under the covers she replayed the response she had given him over and over in her head. She had shaken her head, rolled her eyes and turned away from him to pull her bag out of her locker with force. Her body language had screamed at him just how pissed off she was. She was pissed at him for the way he had blabbed to Ty without even a second thought. That kind of stuff was for her to share, not him, who the hell did he think he was? But then as she lay there, she stopped herself. She knew deep down inside that Street had not been trying to interfere in her life like she had accused him of. She knew he was just concerned for her after the immense loss she had suffered. As she thought about, how he reacted to her behaviour in the locker room she realised that when Street had stood for a second looking at her back and then when he had simply turned and walked away without another word. She knew that he knew, pushing it any further would cause her to become even angrier.

Chris closed her eyes with a sigh as she lay there. Her thoughts and conscience telling her that she should have apologised to him before leaving for the night. He really didn't deserve the way she had treated him and if she was being 100% honest, maybe he was right. Chris was in fact already doubting the relationship with Ty and Kira and the events of the day had made her again realise that.

As the internal battle raged within her, her alarm sounded. She blew out a slow breath and got up to shower for work. The warm water began soaking her hair and she made a deal with herself to apologise to Street first thing this morning. He was her best friend and she didn't want to screw that up.

She drove her truck downtown rehearsing her apology to Street. As she pulled into the garage at HQ, she couldn't see his bike at all. She chewed her lip. He usually beat her to shift. Where was he?

As she climbed out of the truck her phone buzzed in her pocket. A text from Street appeared and she couldn't help but smile. 'Great minds think alike' she whispered to herself.

STREET: Morning, would you like anything from Frank's café?

Chris smiled as she read it and couldn't help but smirk and bite her lip. Even after yesterday's train wreck of an encounter he was still there thinking about her and trying to be an amazing friend.

Her thumbs hovered over the phone and she tilted her head side to side trying to decide what to reply.

CHRIS: Hey, Thanks. I'm ok though. I bought my coffee from home

Before she could close the door and lock the truck he replied.

STREET: U sure? U love this place…. a pastry? Smoothie?

Chris felt herself smiling as she read it,

CHRIS: No, I am ok... thank you though…. Hey, when you get in can we talk?

Street read her reply and tapped his leg wondering what she wanted to talk about. Was she still annoyed with him after yesterday?

STREET: Yeah sure we can, you ok?

CHRIS: thanks, yeah, I just need to talk to you.

Street grabbed his takeaway bag, placing it in his backpack he straddled his bike. As he turned his bike down the garage ramp at HQ, he couldn't help but smile, seeing her sitting on the tailgate of her truck swinging her legs, drinking her coffee. She smiled as he pulled into the space next to her truck.

"Damn, she is beautiful," he whispered to himself before lifting his visor. "Hey," he said smiling.

"Hi," she replied, glancing away trying to hide her secret thoughts. … "Wow, he looks good!"

He pulled the café bag from his backpack, taking out an enormous croissant and a muffin. He walked to her holding them out….

"You choose…. I wasn't sure so I got both," he smiled at her and she smirked and rolled her eyes.

"I said I was ok?" She laughed.

"Peace offering then?" He said as he came side by side with her.

Chris couldn't believe what a good guy he was. She was the one who should be grovelling and bringing him things to say that she was sorry.

"Look, I um," Chris began patting the spot next to her for him to sit. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She said without looking at him. He went to say something, and she tapped his arm for him to wait…

"There is a reason I didn't tell Ty and Kira about Champ," she slowly drew her eyes up to him. "It's just as cops there are things that happen on the job you know," she paused and chewed her lip "And as much as I wanna share, I just wanna tell someone who will get it!" Again, she paused and blinked slowly, finding his eyes and letting her usually strong wall down a fraction, "…that's why I shared it with you!" She blinked slowly at him and he could see she was actually really trying here.

"And hey listen," Street began in response, studying her face. "Um, I'm sorry about all the stuff that I said."

"Don't be sorry," she raised her eyebrows and turned up her mouth at him "Maybe you were right?"

Street leant against the tailgate looking her in the eyes. He could see the turmoil she was in and it hurt him watching her go through this.

"So, we are ok?" He asked with a tiny grin making his dimples show.

She chuckled a bit and nodded, "Yeah I hope we are."

Street smiled and motioned for her to walk with him into HQ. "Come on…. Or we will be late". He held out his hand to help her off the tailgate. Chris couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief as she walked side by side with him, him teasing her and elbowing her playfully as they nudged the doors open and stepped inside. Chris knew it would be ok again and that put her mind at ease.

Shift briefing was fairly plain today, no exciting cases they knew about and as she leant on the table listening to Hondo, she could feel Streets eyes on her. As Hondo spoke about training exercises and remembering stuff about paperwork Street smirked and rolled his eyes at Chris, making fun of their boss. She looked down smirking, trying to suppress the giggle as she threw a glare back at him to stop it. Having this back and things being ok again made her so incredibly happy. Again, she felt content.

20 David were keeping busy, Hondo had them moving through the dark room drills over and over, honing their time to within fractions of a second off 50 David's long held record.

"Okay," Hondo said tapping Deac's arm and nodding to the team. "Find your places…let's do this right this time."

As Hondo was prepping his team, Hicks was heading to the observation booth with Lt. Detective Piper Lynch. She had a case that she was working on with a special FBI Taskforce and had been in discussions with Hicks. He had bought her over to see the team in action. They both stood silently watching 20 David rehearsing their entry skills.

"Here we go!" Hick's said grinning at Lt. Lynch and nodding for her to watch. He was proud to be showing off one of his best teams. The room below them was pitch black and they stared intently at the door as a loud bang was followed by a barrage of barrel flashes from all 6 team members, as they entered the room and took down the suspect cut-outs with precision and accuracy, that honestly impressed her. As the buzzer sounded and the lights came on Hondo announced they had finally shaved 1 second from Rockers team's best score. Cheers, high fives and hugs erupted amongst the team as they celebrated their hard work.

"Ha, Rockers gunna have a target on you now you know boss," laughed Luca.

"Yeah yeah…. but how good does it feel." Hondo nodded eyeing the team, who were all smiling and nodding with him. "It's gunna be so worth it…just to see the look on his face." He laughed.

"Ok…. Sorry to break up this little party," Hicks' voice came over the intercom and they all turned to face the window, "We have a case… I need you all back in the situation room ASAP!"

Hondo nodded at the team, "Let's move".

As the team moved quickly into HQ and headed for the situation room, Hondo tapped Chris's and Street's arms and quietly said

"With me," as they peeled off from the rest of 20 David. Approaching Hicks' office Chris looked nervously at Street as she slid in the door and passed Hondo and Lt. Lynch.

Street stood hands in pockets nervously glancing about the room as Chris instinctively moved next to him and held his gaze for a second, with a nod and slight smile. His proximity always helped her feel safe and secure. Hicks grabbed a remote from his desk, flicking on the TV on the wall to reveal a mug shot of a man in his 30's. Chris and Street looked at it as Hondo moved behind them and patted both their shoulders.

"Ok…" Hicks began…. "This one is going to be difficult…... But we want to run this past you two before we take it to the rest of the team." Street ran his eyes nervously over Chris, not having any idea what was going on here. Chris swallowed hard and nodded looking from Hicks back to the screen.

"This is Wyatt Wilson. His claim to fame is being number 6 on the FBI's most wanted list."

Street inhaled, folded his arms and tilted his head, listening intently as Lt. Lynch went on to explain that this man was wanted for multiple offences all across the country.

"Kidnapping, Murder, Theft, Drugs and Weapons charges, just to name a few of his warrants." She explained. "Today, the FBI task force and I, reached out to Metro SWAT. We know he is coming to LA as we have 'set up' a meet as a sting to finally take him down." Chris frowned at Street. She had anticipated the next sentence.

"We are asking you," Lt. Lynch said gently tapping Chris's elbow "and Officer Street to go undercover to help catch him." Chris threw her gaze quickly to Street. The worry and concern evident on his face.

"Why me and Chris?" He asked looking back at Hicks and Hondo. Hondo smirked slightly and spoke first. "The sting the FBI has arranged revolves around Wilson's trafficking enterprise. They have made him believe he is coming to LA next week to meet a newly married couple who are trafficking kidnapped infants for big money."

Chris's eyes widened and Street chewed his lip frowning. Chris looked at him sideways and as Hicks began to speak again Street returned her glance. These two could always tell each other everything through just their looks.

"When I got the call this morning and they asked if we had anyone who could possibly pull this off, well, I immediately thought of you two."

Chris's cheeks flushed, and she couldn't look in Street's direction, she had turned her back to him. Street inhaled hard and stared at Hondo, who was still smirking a little. The idea of playing that role with Chris made him a little nervous.

"Okay..." Chris said slowly, "What do I need to know?"

"You are willing to do this?" Lt. Lynch asked.

Chris smiled a little…. "Tell me the details first," she said…... finally feeling able to glance at Street. He blinked at her and nodded. As if a silent agreement had just been made that they could do this.

"We have a house secured and the background details to pass you two off as Mr Colby and Mrs Sally Sloane. A newly married couple, both with previous criminal records, who are solely interested in fast cash."

Street looked at Hondo then at Lynch, "Ok… but what will this involve?"

"Well…. Wilson will meet with you both to negotiate a payment for each infant you supply to his network. You will need to be in place, assuming the role of your covers for roughly a week to pull this off… starting Thursday morning." Lynch explained.

"Keep in mind that he has been linked to hundreds of kidnappings and trafficking of minors under the age of 2. We really want this guy locked up." Hicks said tapping his desk and eyeing them both.

Street instinctively stepped a fraction closer to Chris, as she turned slightly to face him. Her face showing her worry.

"We will give you two a minute to decide," Lt. Lynch said and she, Hondo and Hicks left the room.

Street stepped across and sat on the edge of Hicks desk. Chris watched them leave and leant on the chairs opposite Street. He studied her, noting her apprehension as she fidgeted and finally looked up at him.

"Ok… so there is no denying that this guy, Wilson, is a piece of crap who we want off the streets."

"But?" Street queried with his arms folded studying her.

Chris looked down at the floor and kicked her foot a little. "This is…. um…. different to other undercover work!" She said, slowly smiling a little as she drew her gaze up to him.

Street knew the idea of this was unsettling her, so he began "Look…. If you would rather, we say no… and they find someone else, then I …"

"No… No," she interrupted stepping towards him waving her hand. "I know we need to get this asshole off the streets…. I just um…..."

Street looked at her as she looked down, her dark hair hiding her face from him a bit. He knew that Chris was struggling here, but was she struggling with the 'living as a married couple' part? Or the 'staying in place for a week' part? He knew she was anxious about not being able to see Ty and Kira and what they would think of it all.

"Is it the not seeing Ty and Kira thing for a week or, are you struggling with the living together as a couple part?" Street asked with a slight smile, almost flirting with her a little.

Chris chuckled slightly, pursing her lips and nodding. "Maybe both," she admitted. "I just..." she shook her head… "No never mind."

Street stepped to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Look… Chris… it's just a role…for a week…. not a real life commitment." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

She laughed and thumped his chest, shaking her head. "I know that…. God you are an ass," she added giggling a little, shoving him gently and rolling her eyes at him.

"Then?" He said, stepping back holding out his hands to question her.

"We can do it… It will just be…" she was still fidgeting like she does when she is anxious or nervous.

"Hey…..." he smiled at her and leant back on the desk. "Relax Chris…... This is what we do…. And hey, didn't you ever play mommies and daddies?"

That made her laugh, a deep belly laugh, and she nodded….

"Ok… we got this." She said nodding at him. He stood up and smiled at her,

"You sure? ... You good?" he asked, making eye contact with her.

"Yeah... yeah…I am." She said smiling back at his soft brown eyes, as she motioned for him to open the door and call them back.

Soon they all re-joined the team and Chris flicked through the case images and information on the iPad as Luca, Tan and Street stood glued to the screens in front of them. Hondo, Hicks and Lt. Lynch walked back over discussing the case that had torn them out of their drills.

"Ok, so this is a big one, listen up." Hicks positioned himself near the screens and began to explain the case. "This is Lt. Detective Piper Lynch. She is liaising with a special FBI taskforce chasing the number 6 on the FBI's most wanted list." He paused at looked at Lt. Lynch.

"Thank you, Commander, this is 34 year old Wyatt Wilson," she said pointing to the picture of their suspect on the screen. "He is wanted in 26 states, has dozens of state and federal arrest warrants but has so far somehow always managed to slip the net. I have asked your commander for your help to infiltrate his tight circle and bring him down right here in LA."

"What's he into boss?" Asked Tan looking at Hondo.

"You name it… he's got a record for it…...Drugs, weapons, trafficking, murder, assault, kidnapping and has just made it to number 6 on the FBI's top 10 most wanted."

Deacon scrunched his lips, widened his eyes a little and then frowned, looking sideways at Luca. "So, what's our game plan?"

Hondo adjusted his belt and puffed his chest before sighing…. "Well that's where this gets interesting," he said glancing at the team then at Lynch.

"We have an operative who has managed to intercept some communications from Wilson to an associate in his circle here in LA. Wilson thinks he is coming to LA to meet a newly married couple who are trafficking infants on the black market for big dollars."

"Okay?" Deac nodded,

"So, what's our play?" Luca asked.

Hicks nodded at Street and answered "Our play is to plant the imaginary married couple, two of our own…. undercover."

Deacon inhaled a big breath and nodded, "Kinda risky but ok, I get it… who gets to play those two treasures?" He asked.

Hicks motioned to Chris and Street who were standing side by side. Chris dropped the iPad down, looking up as she smiled a little at Deac. The team nodded and Tan patted Streets back as Luca added,

"Yeah you two have got this!" He smiled at Chris. The rest of their day was spent finding whatever information and intelligence they could on Wyatt Wilson and his connections and associates. As darkness began to fall, and the team began to pack up and head home, Hondo called Street and Chris over.

"Okay, look I know this is a lot to ask, but I have every confidence in you two." Chris dropped her gaze and stared out the window as he spoke. "I suggest you both go home, get some rest and be ready to start briefing for the case at 05:00 hours"

"Yes boss," they both answered as Hondo nodded at them.

"See you tomorrow." He added as he walked away.

Chris inhaled and tilted her head before she started to walk.

"Hey," Street said as she took a step not looking at him. She turned but did not meet his eyes.

"You okay? I mean really okay?"

Chris nodded "Yeah…just a bit nervous about selling this to Ty and Kira, I already know they will hate the idea."

Street put his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Okay but Chris, it's all part of what we do." He said.

"I know." She answered frowning, "It will be ok… I'll be ok. See you tomorrow," she patted his arm and headed away.