A/N: Hey! This is a short fic that plays off of 5x09. I really enjoyed the episode, but since we didn't get a lot of Stris, I decided to write some myself. Hope you enjoy, please let me know!

"Street, I'm fine."

Street shook his head at Chris' stubbornness as he helped her through the door to her apartment. His heart had finally returned to normal after the day's events, but he was still concerned about his partner's well-being.

She had taken quite a few blows, but was still insistent that everything was fine. It was just like her to play down any injuries.

Street knew Chris was tough and could handle anything, but he was still shook up over the thoughts of almost losing her. That was something he couldn't ever deal with, yet was faced with that possible scenario all day today. Now that he had her back, he was going to make damn sure that she was taken care of. "Chris, I believe you, but could you please just let me help. If anything, do it for my peace of mind?"

She sighed, but Street could tell it was half-hearted due to the smirk playing on her lips. "Fine, but it's just a limp."

It wasn't just a limp. Her knee had been dislocated, along with sustaining a hairline fracture to her tibia. Chris was lucky to be walking as good as she was, and she knew that just as well as Street did. The rest of her injuries, minus the mild concussion, were superficial, but she would be in quite a bit of pain for a while. Her ears were still ringing from the blasts, and her head was throbbing, but she wasn't going to tell Street that. He was worried enough as it was… but despite her protests, she did appreciate his concern. With that being said, she let him help her into the apartment.

"Why don't you rest on the couch for a bit, while I grab you some Tylenol and water."

She went to protest again, but the pleading look on his face said that he needed this more than she did. "Okay, but only for a minute. I need a shower."

Street nodded and went to get the aforementioned items. He was back only a moment later.

Chris smiled up at him. "Thanks." He took a seat next to her on the couch, and she found that she was relieved over his close proximity. They both sat in silence, their minds running through today's events.

There were several times today when Chris didn't think she'd ever see Street again. That thought had really scared her when she was hunkered down in that old ghost town, and now she realized how close she truly came to that possibility.

If she would have died out there today, she would have done so without him knowing the extent of her feelings towards him. She couldn't deny that, in the back of her head, a part of her was screaming, 'Screw the rules. This man is more important to you than SWAT ever could be.' She loved her job more than she could say, but she was starting to realize that Street was the one thing she couldn't live without.

She turned to look at the man beside of her, and involuntarily smiled at the look of deep concentration written all over his features. "Street, I think we need to talk."

His hazel eyes locked on hers. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just…" She repositioned herself on the couch so that she was more comfortable facing him, and he quickly did the same. "Street, when Deac and I were out there today, Miguel asked me if I ever thought how my family would deal with losing me…"

Street swallowed hard at Chris' words.

".. And it's true that I have thought about that, but… I think about you too."

His eyes widened slightly. Was she actually going to bring up the subject of him and her, without him having to do so first?

"I know I've never really allowed myself to open up about us because it all kind of scares me, but you need to know the truth." She took a deep breath, and focused on her hands that were resting in her lap. "I love you, Street. I have for longer than I ever admitted to myself. It kills me that things have had to be like they have been between us, but I'm ready for that to change. I'm willing to take that chance."

Street was rendered speechless. Of all the things he expected Chris to say, it wasn't that… not that he was complaining though, that's all he's ever wanted to hear. "Chris, I was terrified the whole time you were missing. I thought I was losing my mind. I love you so much, I always have."

She looked up at him through her lashes, and he could have swore he saw her blush. He leaned forward, slowly reaching up to cup her cheek. Being mindful of her injuries, he closed the gap between them. He kept the kiss soft, not wanting put too much pressure on her busted lip, but she didn't seem to have a problem with what he was doing.. In fact, she was kissing him back pretty eagerly.

She tasted so good, and it had been too long since he experienced the feeling of her lips moving against his. Street pulled back reluctantly, as the need for air became too much. He didn't go far though, keeping himself next to her side and placing his hand on her waist.

Chris smiled softly at him, and he couldn't believe how beautiful she was… even after a day like today. "Thanks for being so patient with me, Street."

"You're worth it. Chris, we're you serious though… about giving us a chance?"

Chris, still slightly dazed from his touch (or maybe it was the mild concussion, she couldn't really tell), lightly grabbed his hand. "Yes, I'm sure. I know it's taken us a while to get to this point, and that's on me. The worries about the consequences are still there, but I can't deal with us not giving this a real shot. That is if you still want to."

"Chris, that's all I've ever wanted." He was getting ready to lean towards her again, but the ringing of his cell phone quickly shattered the moment. He muttered a few choice words under his breath before grabbing the offending device. "It's Luca. He's probably calling to check in on you, he knew I was bringing you home. Sorry, Chris."

"It's okay." She stood up with a wince. "I need to get a shower anyways."

"Hey, Luca." After answering the phone, he covered it with his hand long enough to ask Chris, "Do you need help with anything?"

"I can manage. Thanks."

"I'll be right here if you need me." He uncovered the phone. "What was that, Luca?"

Chris made her way to the bathroom after grabbing a change of clothes. She was really sore, but she felt dirty and knew a hot shower would make her feel some better. Gingerly taking off her dirt-covered clothes, she adjusted the water to as hot as it would go. As steam quickly filled the small bathroom, she stepped under the spray.

The cuts and bruises littering her body stung on impact, but Chris couldn't bring herself to care too much about that. She just needed to get the dirt and sand off of her and she would feel much better.

It wasn't a long shower, as she wasn't able to put too much weight on her injured leg for a long period of time, but it was enough for tonight. Shutting off the water, she grabbed a towel from the nearby rack.

When she was in the middle of drying herself off, a knock sounded from the door. "Chris, you okay?"

"Yeah, just a second." She carefully put on her t-shirt and sweatpants before opening the bathroom door.

Street was standing there smiling at her, but there was still a concerned glint in his eyes.

"I'm good, seriously."

He chuckled. "Okay. Are you okay with me crashing here tonight? I'd just feel better knowing that I'm here if you need anything. After all, you do have a concussion and need to be woken up through the night."

"I guess that is a good excuse. Yeah, that's fine." She definitely didn't mind the thoughts of him staying over, so she wasn't about to protest.

"Okay." He smiled again before kissing her softly. It didn't take long for it to become heated, and Street gently pulled her closer to him.

Chris' hands gripped his hair and neck before making their way down to the hem of his t-shirt.

Street moaned at the feeling, and though he wasn't in the clearest state of mind, he did realize why they shouldn't be doing this right now. He grabbed her hands before breaking apart their lips. "Woah, Chris."

She looked at him with dark eyes, and he could tell she was still breathless. He was proud to still have some semblance of self-control. "Look, it's not that I don't want this… because you have no idea how much I do… but, you're injured, and I'm not about to do anything to make that worse." He was still holding her hands, and she squeezed his in return.

She smiled at him, once again being shown how caring the man in front of her truly was. "Thank you."

"Anything for you, Chris." He started to take a step back, but she halted him by pulling on his arm.

"That don't mean I'm letting you sleep on the couch. C'mon, you can come in here with me." She gestured towards the bedroom, making him laugh.

"Okay, that sounds good. Let me just run downstairs and grab my go-bag from my truck. I need something to change into for tonight."

She nodded and made her way to the bedroom. By the time he was back and changed into a pair of lounge pants, she had crawled under the covers and made herself comfortable.

Street smiled at the sight of her, and he was thrilled to get to spend this time with her. He shut off the lights and climbed in beside of her. She started to scoot closer, so he pulled her into his side. "Is this okay? Are you comfortable?"

"Yeah." She rested her head on his chest and breathed in his scent. It was so comforting, and she was happy to be in his arms right now.

He dropped a kiss to the top of her head, so relieved that she was safe. He couldn't believe that he was getting to be here like this, and though he wished today would have been better for Chris, he wouldn't trade a second of time with her for the world.

Things were finally starting to fall into place for the pair. Neither of them knew exactly how they would deal with this, or what consequences would be thrown their way… but they did know that they were done wasting time.