Hello everyone! This is my first ever SWAT OS. This is the first story I've written in English and I'm not really bilingual. But I had a great proofreader with me(thank you maddie if you come here 3), and it should be pretty decent to read.

I hope you'll like this little story.

Enjoy!


It is often said that when shock is mixed with fear, we cannot move forward. Our brain shuts down to protect itself from the pain that fear can bring.

But for Street, it was just the opposite. When he'd received that phone call from Deacon, he'd been relieved at first, to be able to escape for a moment from that forced meeting between the Long Beach Police Department and SWAT. He had to be the go-between, introducing them to the job, and he hated it. He preferred to be in the field and experience the action firsthand. That's why he was relieved for a moment. Then the caller's name came up. Deacon never called him without a reason, especially on a day when he was in the field. Curiosity replaced relief as he left the room to take the call. He stood in the hallway outside the meeting room. He finally picked up his phone and put it to his ear.

« Hey Deacon, do you miss me that much? » he tried to be humorous anyway.

« Street... »

The older man's voice immediately chilled him and he tensed up suddenly. He felt a knot form in his stomach, he didn't like his tone at all. He hated it. It didn't bode well. He couldn't stop his brain from running through thousands of scenarios before his eyes.

« Street? » questioned his colleague on the other side of the line.

« What's going on? »

He heard his friend take a shaky breath and the knot in his stomach rose up into his throat.

« Street, there's been an accident... »

« Who? » his voice trembled as he tried to keep his composure.

« Chris... she's been- »

« At what hospital? » he cut him off. He wasn't ready to hear all of this, not over the phone.

« Los Angeles Community Hospital. »

« I'm on my way. » Deacon could hear the determination and urgency in his voice.

« Wait Street she's in- »

He hung up, not bothering to listen to his colleague's last words. How could he? How could he have wasted time listening to him instead of rushing to the hospital? Fear had not paralyzed him. On the contrary, it had given him enough adrenaline that he didn't even feel what he was doing. His body was acting automatically while his head was fuzzy. He had left everything behind to rush to his car and get to the hospital as quickly as possible. He had no qualms about turning on the car's sirens so he could drive at an unregulated speed. He had to get there as soon as possible. During the trip, he tried to think about everything but the situation. But his mind was not cooperating at all, he couldn't help thinking about the state he would find her in.

When he "parked" his car in front of the hospital, he quickly got out of it and stormed into the hospital.

He quickly spotted his team in the waiting room but didn't bother to join them. All he could see was blood on Deacon's shirt. He went straight to the reception desk where a young woman greeted him with a polite smile. He placed his hands flat on the counter, trying to calm himself, and looked at her.

« Hello, do you need help? »

Since when were reception nurses so nice? But he didn't care anymore about that, he had to know where she was.

« I'm looking for Christina Alonso uh.. she was brought in uh.. she's injured and uh.. she's SWAT and-» he spoke quickly but the fear was getting to him.

« I'm sorry sir, but it's not possible for you to see her right now. » the young woman replied as she typed on her computer keyboard.

« What?! »

He raised his voice, which alerted his friends in the waiting room next door. They all stood up and in one motion, Hondo moved a little closer to Street.

« What do you mean I can't see her? Are you kidding?! »

« Sir, please calm down. » the nurse tried to reason with him.

« Street. » his boss called out behind him, but he didn't pay much attention.

« No, I want to see her now! » the SWAT officer ordered.

« Sir, it's not possible for you to see her because- »

« Just tell me where she is! »

« Street stop! » warned Hondo as he approached him.

He circled the young man's body to keep him away and try to calm him down, but to no avail. He held him tightly against him as he continued to tell him to calm down, that everything would be okay.

« I want to see my girlfriend right now! » Street finally exploded before calming down and letting the tension go down.

He lowered his head, his hands trembling with rage and fear. He was glad to be held back by his friend because he honestly didn't know if he could have stood on his own at that moment. His four colleagues exchanged surprised and slightly shocked looks at the revelation that the youngest had just made, without even realizing it. When he raised his head a few seconds later, he noticed their looks and his expression changed. He tried to say something, but it was Deacon who cut him off this time.

« Chris is in surgery. No one can see her right now, we can only wait until she comes out, » he explained in a calm, soft voice and tried to catch his gaze in the younger man's. « You're not going to get anything done by getting mad at everyone, okay? So just come wait with us. »

The brunette nodded as he stared at his friend's bloodstained shirt. Deacon looked down at his own shirt and a grimace contorted his face.

« It's not as bad as it looks, » he reassured him.

Street nodded again before walking silently into the waiting room, dropping into one of the chairs. He took his face in his hands and his leg began to twitch, a sign of stress. His colleagues and friends exchanged surprised looks again.

« I didn't expect that. » Tan gasped.

« It was time. » Luca smiled softly as he watched his roommate from afar. At the surprised looks of his friends he elaborated. « I get to see a lot of Chris and Street outside of work, guys, they're both home a lot. And I'm telling you, there are signs that don't deceive. »

« I didn't see that coming. »

« Right now is not the time to talk about it, we have to be there for him. And we need to be there for Chris too. She's our colleague, our friend, our family. » Hondo said.

They all nodded and returned to the waiting room, settling in around Street. Only Deacon remained at the desk. He apologized to the young woman for the younger man's behavior and she brushed off his apology with a smile, she totally understood the frustration people could feel. He smiled back and asked her if she had a t-shirt to give him. He didn't want to be left with his shirt covered in his friend's blood. She nodded and disappeared for a few minutes, coming back with an unstained white shirt. He thanked her and went to change in the bathroom before finally joining his friends.

Their wait seemed to last forever and several times they went back and forth in the room to stretch their legs. Street looked up when he saw shoes in front of him. Hondo was standing right there, a steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

« Thank you, » he murmured.

His boss nodded and sat down beside him, drinking his coffee. Street did the same, his gaze lost in the void. He was angry with himself. He blamed himself for not being there when it happened. Maybe he could have done something to prevent it, maybe one more team member would have prevented it. Right now, he was cursing Hicks for sending him to Long Beach that morning. Sure he knew a lot of cops there, but he would have been more useful with his team. He sighed loudly and tapped his foot on the floor again.

He only knew what he had been willing to listen to. They were looking for a witness to protect him and it was Chris who had found him first while the team was neutralizing gang members. She had called them, but when they arrived, they had just enough time to see the kid stick a knife in their colleague's stomach before he ran away. Hondo and Tan had chased him down and arrested him while Deacon and Luca dealt with Chris. Deacon had made the first move, probably saving her. And they hadn't waited for an ambulance, they had all gone with Black Betty to the hospital. He was grateful for that, even though he felt bad about it.

Half an hour later, the waiting room was stirred by the arrival of Bonnie, Nichelle, and Annie. The three women walked over to their respective companions and could feel a wave of relief wash over the room. They all looked worried, knowing Chris. In the past few months, they had seen each other many times and bonds had been formed. Especially between Bonnie and Chris. They talked with the boys and tried to reassure them. Seeing the respective couples, Street couldn't help but think of his own relationship. It could end as soon as tonight if Chris... he couldn't think of what to do next, it was inconceivable for him to lose Chris, not after all they had been through and endured to find each other. He clenched his fist and left the room in a hurry, unable to be surrounded by all that love.

His friends watched him leave, surprised, so Hondo started to get up to join him. Luca put a hand on his shoulder and told them that he would take care of it. He got up and went after his best friend. He had seen him turn left, towards the exit of the emergency room. He took this direction and found him here, pacing in the ambulance parking lot. The blond looked at him for some seconds before going to sit down on a bench not far from there. He waited patiently in silence. He didn't have to wait a long time since his roommate came to join him on the bench, also keeping the silence. They stayed like that for a few seconds before the younger one spoke.

« It's only been a few weeks, » he admitted.

Luca didn't answer, listening intently. He just needed this for now. He rested his benevolent gaze on his friend to encourage him to continue if he felt like it.

« I've been wanting something to happen for a while. But with this non-fraternization rule, we hadn't tried anything. At least nothing more than what had happened before. »

Even though Luca's curiosity had been piqued with that last remark, he still remained silent. He didn't want to rush his best friend as he began to confide in him. He would wait for the right moment.

« And then a few weeks ago, after my surgery, after the TLI, we had this case. The one where the young woman was killed by her colleague. During interrogation, one of her colleagues had confessed to us that he regretted never having confessed his feelings to her before. That it was too late, » he paused to recall this memory. « And I don't know, I think that unlocked something between us. Because later she came the house. You'd gone to see Tuana and Kelly. And she confessed to me that she didn't want me to be her regret. We kissed each other, and here we are today. » he finished.

The blond man listened to him with a small smile on his lips. He had known Chris for longer, and he had never seen her as fulfilled as she had been since Street joined the squad. And even more so in the last few weeks now that he thought about it. These two were meant to be together and he'd thought about it a few times when he saw them interact. But it had never really struck him until today.

« We decided to keep it a secret since then because we wanted to see if it would work out between us, privately and professionally. And also because work prohibits it. »

Luca nodded, fully understanding the reasons for their respective silences. This job had its drawbacks and he understood that. He just wanted his two friends to be happy, even more so if they were together. There was silence again between the two.

« She's going to kill me if she wakes up. »

« When she'll wake up. » corrected his friend. « And yes, buddy, you're a dead man. » laughed Luca, patting him on the shoulder as a sign of support.

Street laughed in turn, it made him feel good. Luca had this gift to put people at ease to discuss and confide and he admired his best friend enormously for that. The younger man finally let out a weary sigh, taking his head in his hands, looking at the ground.

« I'm in love with her Luca. » he finally confessed.

« Congratulations buddy, you deserve it. You both deserve it. » smiled the blond with a sincere look.

« That's why I'd be willing to be reassigned elsewhere if I had to. »

They stared into each other's eyes and the older man could read a mixture of fear, sadness, and love in them. He knew how much Street loved his job, it was his life. But he also knew how he put those he loved before everything else, even himself. That's why he put a hand on her shoulder to answer him.

« There's no need for you to talk about this right now. Not to Hicks or management anyway. »

« Except that as soon as Chris will find out, and she's going to find out very quickly, she's going to want us to talk about it or end it. And there's no way that's going to happen, I can't lose her, » he muttered, staring his best friend straight in the eye.

Luca nodded, it was easy for him to read all the love that the young man could feel for their friend in his eyes. He did not doubt for a moment that this love was reciprocal for the young woman. That's why despite the sadness of having to lose his best friend as a colleague, he totally understood his decision. He put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile.

Hondo looked outside the hospital and saw his friends. They were silent, Street staring into space and Luca with a slight smile on his lips. He slowly approached them and the younger one raised his head when he saw him near them.

« Any news? »

« The doctor is here. » the team leader announced.

He barely had time to finish his sentence when Street was already on his feet, heading for the emergency room entrance. His two colleagues followed him with quick steps and they all joined the small group in the waiting room. The younger one almost threw himself at the doctor when he got close.

« How is she? » he asked hurriedly.

« She's going to be fine, she's out of surgery and we've put her in recovery. » the doctor smiled.

There was a huge sigh of relief from the entire small group and Street wanted to hug him. He thanked him and bowed his head, the tension suddenly easing in his body.

« Can we go see her? » was asked by Luca.

« Sure, but only one or two people for now. She just needs for it to be quiet now. I'll let you know when she's moved into a room. »

He headed down the huge hallway and they all agreed on the first few visits. So they decided that Hondo and Street would go first and then take turns until she could get her room. When they arrived at the door, they could see her through the plexiglass that separated them from her. The younger one's breath stopped and he observed her for a few seconds without moving. He finally decided to go back and did not wait for Hondo who stayed outside for the moment, wanting to discuss with the doctor.

When he finally entered the room, Jim was overwhelmed by different feelings; anger at seeing her in this state, guilt at not being there, fear of losing her, relief that she was alive and well, and unconditional love for her. He slowly approached the bed, observing the various machines she was hooked up to. The consistent beeping he heard proved to him that she was alive and well with him. He sat down beside her bed, catching her hand in his. The touch of her skin on his made him close his eyes. He opened them and stared at her again, clasping her hand in his to show her he was there.

« Don't ever do that to me again. » he finally said after a few seconds. « Your aunt and uncle are coming, I warned them. »

Silence took possession of the room again and Street watched her quietly sleeping. She seemed peaceful in spite of the heavy operation from which she had just left. He pushed a dark strand of hair behind her ear, his eyes not leaving her face. It is at this precise moment that Hondo returned to the room, startling the youngest.

« I'll bring you a coffee? » asked his friend.

There was a silence during which the two men looked at each other. The older man could not help but notice the proximity of his two colleagues, Chris' hand in Street's, and the gesture he had just witnessed. The brunette moved slightly away from the sleeping young woman and completely faced his superior. He felt a little uncomfortable with this glance and this silence. He then decided to break it.

« I'll leave the team. »

Surprise crossed Hondo's dark irises before he frowned, his posture changing. He crossed his arms and took a step forward.

« Why? »

« You know very well why. The rules. And I don't want Chris to have to make a choice because of it. »

« It's been going on for weeks, you two, I understand? » asked Hondo, looking at him. Street confirmed with a nod so he continued. « Weeks without anyone seeing or even suspecting anything. Even Luca who lives with you didn't see it coming and that's pretty admirable of you, although I worry about his ability to observe now. » he joked, making the younger man smile. « And even though I understand better now some of the things that may have happened, I never envisioned such a change in your duo's situation. But despite this relationship, you were able to remain professional at work and it didn't interfere with your job. You didn't put any mission at risk or your colleagues' lives at risk because of it. That's why I'll talk to Hicks when I get home and vouch for you both. There's no way the team is going to be disbanded. » Hondo finished, looking serious.

Street looked into his bright eyes and nodded, thanking him weakly. He didn't ask so much from him, especially after all the stupid things he had done in the past that had disappointed him. Maybe it was finally possible for him to have everything he wanted? His SWAT family and Chris by his side. That's all he needed to be fulfilled and Hondo was going to give him a chance to have it. He couldn't help but reach out and hug him, thanking him again. The older man nodded, smiling softly at him, sincerely.

« I'm happy for you both, Street. I've never seen you as happy as you've been these past few weeks or when you're together. And you both deserve happiness, and I'm happy if it's together. » he confessed.

« Thank you, Hondo. »

The two men looked at each other again with gratitude. There was a unique bond that had developed between the two men since his arrival at SWAT, and he truly considered Hondo like a role model.

« How about that coffee? » the team leader broke the silence again with a laugh.

« With pleasure, thank you. »

He left the room again as Street returned to his beloved.

Hours passed and Chris was soon moved to a room all to herself. Jim had not left her bedside and her hand as the others came and went in the room. Annie had to pick up the children from school and leave them with friends so she could return to see her friend. She cared a lot about Chris, and although there had been tension between them when she had told her of the differing opinions she held, they had managed to explain and calm things down. She was still her daughter Victoria's godmother. She also knew that she and Deacon were close, he was like a big brother to her and she admired their relationship.

Luca paced around the room, alternating back and forth outside, unable to stand being cooped up in an enclosed space. Hondo had called Hicks, who told him their shift was over and they could stay at the hospital, giving him regular updates on his officer. He was coming as soon as possible. Tan flipped through a magazine absentmindedly, his head resting on his wife's shoulder.

He couldn't say exactly when it happened, but Street found himself alone in the room with Chris at some point. He decided to take a break too, his legs were numb but he didn't want to leave her side. It was only when he felt pressure around his fingers that he focused again on the present. He turned his head sharply toward the bed and could see Chris stirring. She was waking up. He straightened up slightly so he could lean over her bed. He pressed the button to call the doctor beside her bed.

« Chris... » he breathed as she painfully opened her eyes.

He gave her a huge smile as she still stirred. He gently caressed her face as she tried to sit up, looking around. She seemed lost and quite agitated.

« Chris slowly, go slowly, it's all right, » he told her gently, inking his gaze into hers.

She nodded and the doctor entered the room. He smiled widely as he approached his patient.

« Officer Alonso, how nice to see your eyes open. » the man exclaimed as he checked her vitals.

He checked her for a few seconds before telling them that everything was fine and that he would come back later. He ordered his patient to rest before leaving, thus leaving them alone again. Street smiled again and ran his hand through her hair, stroking it tenderly. Chris looked around the hospital room, searching for any trace of human life.

« It's just the two of us, » he told her.

The young woman stopped her observation of the room and refocused on him, relaxing a little. She tried to smile back at him and his heart swelled with love.

« Do you remember what happened? » he asked softly.

She frowned, searching her memory for the last memories she had. After a few seconds, she nodded.

« We were on a witness protection case, » she explained, her voice still a little hoarse. After Street handed her a glass of water, she continued. « We had found his trail in an old abandoned library. We had to find him before the gang did. I'd finally found him hiding in a basement room, he was just a kid. The guys had stumbled upon the gang and were neutralizing the members. I decided to take the witness out to safety with us and I had warned the team. » she paused to catch her breath. « I turned toward the building for three seconds to see where they were and when I turned back to the kid, I felt a sharp pain. It was when he ran away dropping his bloody blade that I realized what had just happened. » she let out a long sigh. « I was stupid. »

The young officer grabbed her hand and put pressure on it so she would look at him. She had frowned as she thought back to the situation.

« Hey Chris, look at me. » once she placed her eyes on his, he continued. « You're not stupid. You couldn't have known that kid was a traitor. We all would have done the same thing in your place. »

She nodded, though she still didn't seem totally convinced.

« I'm sorry I wasn't there, I should have been there to cover your back and fo- »

« Stop. Don't blame yourself Street. You have absolutely nothing to blame yourself for. Hicks sent you away from us, it wasn't your decision to go. For all we know, you could have been the one hit. »

« I would have pre- »

« Don't even think of finishing your sentence, otherwise I'll give you a hard time, » she warned, seriously.

She didn't want him to blame himself, especially for something that was totally out of his hands.

« Besides, Hicks is going to slap me on the wrist. I left my post without warning. »

Chris stared at him, rolling his eyes.

« What? There's no way I could have concentrated knowing one of my teammates was down. He'll understand that just fine. »

He offers her a smile to which she responds with kindly. Damn, he's so happy to see her awake, in front of him, alive. He had spent the day making thousands of scenarios up and he had hated it. He had come to one conclusion after all that: he couldn't see his life without Christina Alonso.

Their gazes locked into each other and the intensity of it made their hearts beat a little faster. Street took advantage of this tender moment to lean in and kiss her. She watched him do so with a smile and slowly moved towards him. But the door opened abruptly on the joyful heads of Tan and Luca and Chris jumped violently.

« Chriiiiis what a pleasure to see you awake! » the blond man raved while raising his arms in the air.

She let go of Street's hand and sank a little more into her pillows, moving away from him at the same time. He too straightened up, smiling awkwardly at his friends. All of their friends watched them happily and Chris smiled back, sparingly accepting hugs from Deacon, Annie, and Bonnie.

« Oh you can go on with your stuff, we know about you two. Street spilled the beans in the ER. » Tan smiled as his wife shook her head.

Chris opened her eyes wide at her friend's words before turning to the main guy. She gave him a bloodcurdling look that was synonymous with "I'm going to kill you James Street." He gave a similar look to Tan who was already being taken back by Bonnie who was explaining what seemed logical to everyone else. Street then turned to his beloved and offered her an apologetic, embarrassed smile. He definitely didn't want her to find out this way.

« I'm sorry I... well that wasn't... uh... »

She continued to look at him with a frown and all laughter had stopped in the small room. The younger man gave a panicked look to his team leader who took a step forward.

« Chris, everything is fine. » Hondo began. « I already talked to Street about it earlier, I explained my point of view and told him I was going to back you up in front of Hicks when you'll talk to him about it. »

« What if he refuses anyway? » she questioned, fear betraying herself although the anger was fading slightly.

« I'll change units. » Street interjected, looking at her. « I'll do whatever it takes not to lose you, Chris. »

She planted her irises in his again, but this time it was tenderness that came out. The silence was again present in the room, but this time the atmosphere seemed much less heavy. Everyone was looking at them, tenderized. They could easily feel all the attachment and love they felt for each other. Despite the immense fear she felt inside, Chris slowly nodded and grabbed Street's hand. She smiled softly at him, a smile he responded to with pleasure. She then turned her gaze to Hondo.

« Thank you, » she said, sincerely.

He responded with an equally sincere smile and pressed his hand to her shoulder to show his support. Street placed a tender kiss on her forehead, which made her friends laugh and shake their heads at him. Chris rolled her eyes, she wasn't done with them at work. But she was going to make them pay if they had fun with them.

« Well that's all very nice, but now we want to hear all about the lovers. » Annie exclaimed as she sat down in the second chair next to her bed.

Bonnie sat on the armrest and looked up at the young policewoman with her eyes shining with joy. The boys laughed as Chris gave her boyfriend a pleading look. He answered her with a bright smile and placed a chaste kiss on her lips as he headed for the exit, accompanied by his four colleagues.

« I think you have a lot to tell them. » he laughed as she glared at him.

« I hate you James. »

« That's totally not true. » he smiled as he winked at her.

He closed the door under the many questions of the girls had for his girlfriend, still smiling. Luca put an arm around her shoulders, also laughing, as they all headed for the exit. They had coffee in the cafeteria and all sat down at a table. The atmosphere was warm and cheerful.

« The girls have a lot to worry about with Chris. »

« Oh if I were you I wouldn't speak too soon. » Deacon warned. « Annie can be a real dragon when she puts her mind to it. » He took a sip of coffee before continuing. « But don't tell her I said that. »

His friends laughed, imagining Bonnie, Nichelle, and Annie questioning Chris. The latter couldn't do anything since she was stuck in a hospital bed. Nevertheless, Street did not doubt for a moment that she would be happy to reveal some small details to arouse their curiosity. He smiled to himself as he looked at his coffee.

« So, we want to know everything now too. » Tan smiled.

« Watch out, Bonnie's rubbing off on you too much, man. » laughed Street, taking a sip of his coffee.

« Come on. » continued his friend.

« You won't know anything more. We're together, that's all there is to know. »

Luca exchanged a look with him, a look that did not fail to emphasize their friend.

« He knows! Why does he know and not us? » he complained.

« Because that's how it is. »

« Besides, Luca, you're the last of the group, you'll have to move. » smiled Hondo, elbowing him.

« Hm, it's in progress, » he said, taking a sip of coffee.

Tan tried to glean information, without success. They all laughed for a few minutes before silence returned. It was Deacon who cut it off.

« I'm really happy for you two, you deserve it. » he smiled.

« Totally agree. » Tan agreed.

Luca and Hondo supported their words with nods and smiles. Street was touched.

« Thanks guys, that means a lot to us. »

« I just hope Hicks agrees too. We don't want to lose a team member. Even if it's the least important one. »

The younger man laughed as he tapped the Asian man on the shoulder. The latter answered him by laughing. No, he didn't want to leave the David 20 unit either. It was his family now, they were all he had.


That's it! I hope you enjoyed this reading. Other projects are being written and will come soon! :)

Let me know what you thought about it, it's always a pleasure :)

xx