Summary: Follows the show up to season 4, episode 7. This story begins in episode 8. I do not own any characters or information. This is all fiction.
What would have happened if Erika had never died? What would have happened if Chris had been hit instead? Of course, this is a Stris story!
Opening scene:
20 squad is raiding the Imperial Duke's compound. The scene is chaos. Bullets are flying in and out of the ceiling, and various people are shouting. Tan gets hit and goes down. Chris and Erika grab him and carry him outside. Once outside, Chris realizes she has been hit and collapses into Erika's arms.
Streets POV:
"24 David is down, I need a medic NOW, I repeat, 24 David is down!" All I hear is Erika's voice coming through my radio, and my heart stops. I'm still inside the compound and need to focus on the mission, but my mind keeps returning to Chris being injured, and I have no clue how bad it is. Was she grazed in the hail of bullets? Was she hit and about to die? Is she being stubborn as usual and bitching to the paramedics that she's fine and doesn't need help, or is she silently fighting for her life right now? My mind is far from where it should be right now. I physically shake my head to clear it and continue the job.
I finish clearing the compound with Deacon and get outside as quickly as possible. It didn't seem like much time had passed between when the call for help was sent, and I got outside, but she was already gone when I got to where she went down. I can barely see the ambulance's taillights on the road anymore. I look back and try to focus on what is happening when I see what feels like the end of my life unfolding before my eyes. I see a large pool of dark red blood on the ground. Erika is still sitting in it, frozen and speechless. I then realize no one else is speaking. No one is moving. Everyone looks pale. No one moves for what feels like hours, but someone walking past me bumps into me, and I am snapped back into reality. I had been watching the scene in slow-mo.
I hear Hicks barking out orders to various people all over the scene. Hondo is trying to get us to focus because, given the severity of Chris' injuries, we will have to speak to IA. We are not allowed to leave the scene yet, nor are we allowed to speak to each other, which is a good thing because I can't form a sentence, much less coherent words or thoughts right now. I wait for Hondo to finish giving his orders.
"Listen up, guys, I know we're all worried about Chris right now, but no one goes off the scene, and no one speaks to each other until IA has completed their investigation. As soon as we are allowed to leave, we will all go straight to the hospital, I promise. Chris is a fighter! We have to believe she'll be okay." Says Hondo.
I turn to walk away, and as I do, I overhear Hicks speaking to Lynch quietly. "We need to notify the family and retrieve her letters. This does not look good!" The look on his face says it all, and I know I have to get out of here.
I know I wasn't meant to hear those words, but I did, and immediately all of the air in my lungs leaves my body, and my stomach drops again. I need to get away from everyone and everything. My walk turns into a full-on sprint, and I don't stop until I hit a tree in a nearby clearing. I hold onto the tree for stability as I begin to puke from the gut punch to my soul that those words just inflicted.
I sit down, trying to catch my breath. Why is this happening? Why did it have to be her? Why am I having this reaction? That's a stupid question, honestly. I know why I'm reacting this way. I cannot lose her. I will not recover from her death. This will be the end of my life as I know it if she dies. She cannot die. She cannot leave me. She needs to know. I need her to know that I love her.