Hondo's words are still echoing through Chris's head.
"We won't continue to be understaffed either." Hondo approached his team with a folder. Everyone looked puzzled, waiting for more info.
"We're getting Jim Street." He held the folder in the air for all to see and the picture of the new colleague.
Chris still can't believe that Street, of all people, is now her new colleague. She would have preferred anyone but him. The team would eventually and probably fairly quickly, discover that they knew each other better than they let on. Should she talk to Hondo about it? She exhales deeply and before she can take her backpack out of her locker, her new colleague walks in. She instinctively turns away and rolls her eyes.
"Can't even get off work in peace." She mutters to herself.
"What did you say Chris?" He looks at her questioningly.
"Nothing meant for your ears." She says flippantly and closes her locker´s door a little loudly so there is a bang.
"What did you say?" He looks confused.
"Can you actually do anything other than ask stupid questions or trying to get yourself killed?" She retorts.
"That´s not fair. It was my first day." The brown-haired cop exclaims and takes a step to the side. Chris takes her chance and walks past him resolutely.
"Than act like it!" It comes dryly from her.
But Street steps in her way.
"Let me through." She says in a firm voice, but Street doesn't move an inch.
"Nope, not until you tell me what's going on. Did I do something to you? You ignore me as much as you can and I always get sparse answers. I thought we're friends. So?" He doesn't let up, after all he knows her well enough to know how to draw her out.
"Friends? You think we're friends?" Her voice is louder and higher than she wants it to be, but she's almost fuming. "Let me tell you what friends would do. Friends would check in with each other, not just disappear for months and then never be heard from again!" That hit home. Street stands there with his mouth open and only now realizes that he must have hurt Chris pretty badly back then. "You didn't have my new number, ok, but you had my family's address, you know my family, they loved you and they could have fucking told you where I live. You could have easily reached out if you wanted to!" Her voice shakes with anger and she has to fight to keep tears from welling up in her eyes.
"Chris, I, I had no idea how hurt you were and obviously are." He says softly, suddenly terribly sorry. "I really tried a lot of things to get your new number. I even wanted to ask my boss if he could make an exception and look it up in the registry for me. I really didn't think about your family. But wouldn't that have been too private?" Now Chris has had enough.
"Too private? Damn it Street we slept together, how much more private would you have wanted us to be? Just forget it and let me through. You should go home and get some rest too. You need to be fit tomorrow." Her voice is firm as she pushes past him, leaving him heavily confused and with a guilty conscience.
A few days have passed and nothing has changed between Chris and Street. They deal with each other professionally, now and then there is the odd joke that is laughed at, but that's it.
Jess calls the team into the meeting room and she looks serious, even a little glum.
"Guys we have a very sensitive case. It's about Cuchillo. He's a very violent man and he's reappeared around here. We tried to apprehend him years ago, but he got away from us every time. A young woman, Sofia, with her two children is in acute danger, she was a witness at the time and Cuchillo knows it. Hondo and I will retire for a moment and discuss how to proceed." And just like that, the two were gone. The alarm bells immediately ring for Chris and Street, children are involved, that is the nightmare of the two.
As Hondo enters the room it starts.
"Chris, Street. You two drive after me." He says tensely and is already in his Charger. There is silence in the car, no one knows what to say, but the tension is clear. When they arrive at the house and Hondo is already standing in front of it they wonder what are supposed to be here.
"Oh great, are we supposed to babysit here while you guys get the action?" Street says as he walks towards the house and Chris can't help but roll her eyes.
"Me and Street in close quarters? You hoping I'll kill him?" She chuckles a bit.
"I'm hoping you can get him to realize this team is a family and right now he's the black sheep." Hondo says.
"I'll do what I can." She sighs.
It is already dark and they are both standing at the window to get a better view of the neighborhood. Cuchillo could show up at any time. The two stare into the distance and neither knows what to say. Street gets a little restless next to Chris and teeters from one leg to the other.
"Um, today at HQ when I was supposed to get something out of the Betty, Hondo wanted me to leave for a minute so you guys could talk about something you didn't want me to hear, right?" He scratches the back of his head and looks over at her. She doesn't look at him, but her expression tells him she doesn't quite know how to answer. "You can tell me, you know me, I'm not mad." She flinches briefly at these words and jerks her head around.
"I know you? Apparently not enough." She says in a slightly raised voice. Street is irritated and shows it to her with his facial expressions. "We've been through so much together and well, actually I thought we had something connecting us, but you seem to have two faces Street. Your saying the other day in the locker room was so out of line and then our argument a few days ago. You can't just say something like that. What if someone heard it?" She looks at him reproachfully.
"What's the problem Chris? Well then maybe someone would have heard it and then what?" He shrugs.
"We are colleagues now and I don't want anyone to know about our night together back then. That would start the gossip right away, you know?" She exhales deeply.
"Ok ok, stay calm. I'll try to control myself, but I can't promise. That night was just amazing." He looks to her and grins.
Chris can't help it and rolls her eyes. Street's phone vibrates and as he looks at the screen he has to grin. Chris squints one eye over and sees him actually using a dating app during their mission after all. He sees the look on her face.
"What, I have to answer and by the way, your profile is really great. Your picture with the sports bra, very sexy but not cheap." He says appreciatively. Not a second later she pulls out her phone and taps away on it. "Aha, I'm not allowed to use my phone and you are?" He raises an eyebrow.
"I'm deleting my profile right now." She says tonelessly.
"Oh Chris, come on. What's wrong with a little flirting?"
"Either you're that dumb or you don't want to understand Street." She looks pissed. "We're co-workers and besides, it was a one-time thing back then. You don't need to think that this is going to change anything between us now." She says firmly.
"You haven't changed a bit Chris. You're still just as stubborn as you were back then, but that's what I love about you. What were you talking about now that you didn't want me to hear?" He asks with interest.
"Hondo requested your file from Long Beach." That's all she really wants to say.
"So, how did the others react?" He's getting serious now.
"Well they were shocked and expressed sympathy." She pauses and turns to him. "Which now doesn't mean we're going to let you get away with everything. You need to pay attention Street, get your head in gear and don't screw up like you did today. Hondo is a great boss, but even he has his limits of tolerance." The words hit home. He looks thoughtful.
"Thanks for telling me Chris. I'm sorry about the line in the shower. I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I'll try to do better, I promise, and I'm really sorry I wasn't more persistent in finding you then." He's quiet, not knowing if he's made things worse with his words now. He waits until Chris takes a deep breath and looks to him.
"It's nice that you realize your mistake and can understand me. Let's just try to move forward, okay?" Instantly, his expression changes to a gentle smile.
"Thanks Chris." He says with relief, well aware that he can't afford any more crap. A soft clearing of the throat interrupts the two, as Casper stands in the room, shaking.
"Hey buddy what's up?" Street immediately walks up to the little boy and sees the need in his eyes.
"I'm scared Cuchillo is going to come back and hurt us. I want to protect my mom and sister, but I can't." He says, sniffling. Street takes him by the hand and walks him to the sofa. He pulls him onto his lap and puts an arm around Casper's shoulders.
"Listen Casper, nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. My colleague Chris and I will take care of you and Cuchillo won't come near you, we won't let that happen, ok?" The little one nods and rests his head on Street's shoulder.
"When I grow up I want to be like you." He looks at the officer and a small smile graces his mouth.
"Oh you know, I'm not that great and you're a wonderful boy. Your mom should be proud of you. Now you'd better go and see them quickly. Your presence will calm them a lot and that's great." Casper suddenly wraps his arms around Street.
"Thanks." Stands up and walks back into the bedroom. Chris smirks and right at that moment she sees again the Jim Street she fell in love with back then. He's a good man and has a heart of gold, she's known that for a long time...
After the team is back at HQ and Cuchillo sits successfully behind bars, Hondo takes Chris aside.
"Chris listen, how about you to take Street to see your family tonight and really show him what it means to have a family?" She is speechless for a moment, as Street has known her family for many years, but she can't tell Hondo that, at least not yet.
"Um that's a nice idea Hondo. I don't know if he has time today though. While interrogating Chuchillo's girlfriend, he secured a phone number from a female tourist. He can never resist, can he?" She tries to grin.
"Yeah I saw that, but hey, convince him. If not you then who." He winks at her and leaves.
Great, Chris thinks to herself. She's sure her family will be thrilled to see him again, but is she that happy about it? She sets off to find him and sees him just coming out of the locker room. Hondo watches them.
"Street wait up. What do you think about canceling your date tonight?" She hooks up with him and they walk a bit together. Street looks slightly confused.
"Uh no, no way I'm canceling unless you can top it." He grins mischievously. Chris takes another quick look around at Hondo and doesn't see him anymore.
"So over with the acting." She takes her arm away from him.
"Say, what are you talking about? Are you okay?" He laughs and stands in front of her.
"Hondo wants me to take you to see my family and show you what it means to have a family. But you go on your date and I'll tell Hondo tomorrow how nice it was, okay?" She waits to see what he responds.
"What, to your family? Well for that I'll cancel the date a zillion times! I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again, especially Helena." He walks off and heads for the exit. Chris stops in disbelief and thinks she has misheard him. He stops again and turns to her.
"Well, what now? Are you finally coming or are you going to keep Sarzo and the others waiting?" He continues walking, whistling happily to himself.
"Well great, that can be something." She murmurs and walks after him.