Warning: I don't have a beta-reader (yeah that hasn't changed either) and as English is not my main language I'm bound to make mistakes. I hope it's not too bad and you'll bear with me.
If you don't like, don't read. Flames will probably be ignored; constructive critics and other reviews are always very welcome. Read and enjoy.
This is the addendum to 5x13 Shirt Fuse as some of my friends have requested after watching the episode (the same ones, you know who you are). I wrote it because we were all disappointed we didn't get our date.
Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing around so don't sue… Belongs to CBS Studios, Sony Pictures Television and many others.
Chris opened the door of her apartment. She threw her bag next to her couch and walked to the fridge to grab a bottle of water. She opened it and gulped the cold liquid thirstily. She sighed when she placed it on the table and grimaced. She felt tired and restless. The day had not gone at all as she had expected. While she was happy Marta had finally faced the judge to plead for her case, this had taken way longer than she had anticipated. She replayed her discussion with Deac from a few minutes ago in her head. It should have felt good to hear him praise her for her perfect cop work and her involvement helping Mama Pina with those young women in need. Again, she didn't feel the usual satisfaction. She sighed and looked at her fridge. She had driven home directly not wanting to stall at HQ and not really knowing what to do with herself. She opened the appliance and looked for food knowing fully there weren't many options to choose from.
She closed the door again uncertain if she was in the mood for the Chinese and Mexican leftovers available. She retrieved her phone from her pants as she was considering what she could order in at this hour. Her eyes fell on the text icon, and she couldn't help but check once more her last message looking at the tantalizing picture and the message. She sighed heavily and closed the text before opening her contacts to see which one of her favorite restaurants would get her fancy tonight. Her finger flipped through the names, but she didn't feel like any of them.
"A girl's got to eat…"
Her earlier remark came back to her mind, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She definitely needed to eat but she was too unsettled to choose, and nothing had seemed remotely appealing. She opened a cupboard and grabbed a pack of crackers, starting to munch on one. She didn't feel like ordering in, suddenly the sweet and sour chicken with noodles waiting for her in her fridge didn't seem that bad. She was walking towards the fridge again when her phone chimed. She stopped dead in her tracks and checked the device. She frowned for an instant when she saw who had sent the text but eagerly opened it.
'Finally home?'
'Yes home and wondering what to eat…' She wrote adding a rolling eyes emoji.
She was glad he had reached out to her when she hadn't dared, fearing he was angry at her for not making it to their date. Apparently, he wasn't, and she already felt better. Her eyes stayed glued to the display as she waited for his answer. Absent-mindedly she grabbed another cracker and chomped on it. When the phone rang she startled a little surprised but she accepted the call with a smile.
"Hey…" She answered timidly a smile appearing on her face.
"So, you haven't eaten yet." He remarked noncommittally.
"I don't have much at home… as usual…" She chuckled. "I think I'll settle on sweet and sour, it's the only remotely nice food I have available."
"Terrible." He added. "You should have chosen the burger it was quite nice."
"Yeah, I know." She sighed heavily.
"Maybe that could be arranged." He offered cryptically.
"Well, I hope so and next time I'll invite." She said eagerly and her smile grew.
"Huh uh…"
When she heard a knock at her door she frowned and wondered which one of her neighbors needed something that late on a weeknight. She sighed and shook her head.
"Wait there's someone at the door." She told Street. "I'll get rid of them, give me just a moment."
She walked resolutely to the door and opened it in one swing, ready to turn away whoever was disturbing her that late. Her eyes opened wide, and her mouth fell agape when she took in the person in front of her.
"Get rid of me?" He wondered with a frown as he disconnected the call and grimaced at her. "Two blows in the same day, that's a bit much even for me."
"How did you get up here?" She chuckled happily as he entered the apartment, and she closed the door behind him.
"One of your neighbors just arrived when I was about to ring so I just followed her inside." He explained with a grin. "They're very trusting in this building I'm not sure that's a good thing."
"I'm sure you flashed her your best smile and she was mesmerized."
"Oh, you're very confident in my abilities." He laughed out loud. He placed his helmet on the table and opened his backpack to retrieve a white takeout bag. "I was ready to bet you wouldn't have any food here. You don't take very good care of yourself. So, I thought I should probably step in."
He placed a white container on the table, and she immediately sniffed the sweet smell of grilled beef. When she opened it, she saw the same perfect burger he had photographed a good half an hour ago. She turned towards him with a wide grin.
"You brought me a burger…" She stated happily.
"I couldn't wait forever I was too hungry." He simply stated using the words he had texted her earlier. "I thought you would join me after I texted you… when you didn't, I thought you had gotten to HQ too late, and I thought bringing you food might be a good idea… Worst case scenario you weren't home yet, and I would have waited downstairs."
"I could have had brought food home or already eaten." She said jokingly as she grabbed a plate and cutlery from her cupboard. He placed a second container next to the first and grinned.
"I knew you didn't." He smirked knowingly as he sat down. "I brought some broccolini but also fries. I thought that after such a hard and long day you might want to indulge in something a little bit greasy and comforting. I had some they're good. Start with them before they get cool and chewy."
She took the seat next to him at the end of the table and quickly started eating. The burger was as heavenly as she had expected it and she took another bite, licking the salty juice dripping on her fingers. She grabbed another fry and pointed it at him.
"You didn't have to do that." She said with a fond smile. "You had a long day too. I'm sure you're tired."
"It was no bother. At least now I'm sure you had real food tonight." He watched her eat with pleasure. She looked like a little girl indulging in her favorite forbidden food and she ate the fries ignoring the healthy vegetables. "So how were things at court? Successful I hope."
She nodded at his question and took another eager bite. She swallowed the mouthful, before placing what was left of her burger on her plate with a happy sigh. She grabbed a few more fries before finally turning her attention to the broccolini.
"She had documented everything in her diary, I just told her to explain her situation as she had written it." Chris finally said after a moment. "I was worried she would bolt at the last minute. She was nervous and so scared. But she spoke bravely in front of the immigration panel. And after the initial nerves, she managed to tell her whole story. She made a good case, at least as well as I could have hoped, probably better."
"And now the waiting game starts." Street said as he stole one of her fries and she nodded.
"It could be weeks, months even…" She said solemnly, her pleasure at their improvised dinner forgotten for a few seconds. "I hope they won't send her back to El Salvador."
"It's not over. There are still ways to fight if it came to that. There are good lawyers who could help." He reminded her and she nodded. "As you said she documented everything, this could be used. And certainly, other proofs could be found if necessary. The fight doesn't end there even if the court wants to deport her."
She nodded again and smiled at him, feeling suddenly a little lighter thanks to his comforting words. He was right. They would fight all together. It wouldn't end there, and she had seen how her story had moved the judge, despite his stern demeanor. There was a good chance she would be allowed to stay. She at least wanted to believe it for now. She took her fork and speared another broccolini. She brought it to her lips and crunched the vegetable with a grin. Street shook his head with a laugh.
"Come on I know you prefer the fries. You can eat the broccolini tomorrow. I'm sure they'll be perfect with rice or pasta." He offered helpfully.
"The art to accommodate leftovers." She mocked gently with a smirk. "Luca told me you loved to watch cooking shows. He sounded even impressed by your skills."
"You can't always eat out or order in." He simply said. "I must admit I like it. It started because I didn't want Luca to do all the cooking at the house. I thought I ought to make an effort. At the beginning he was less than impressed with my concoctions, but now I think he actually enjoys some of my recipes."
"Your recipes?" She wondered with scrunched eyes.
"Okay the recipes I've seen on TV or those I found on the net." He conceded with a roll of his eyes. "But I can say that more and more I don't need to follow those to the letter. I've elaborated my own creations and I haven't heard complains."
"Now that sounds interesting." She said as she finished her burger and the fries.
"If you behave, I might cook for you one of these days." He proposed cheerfully. "So, what did you think about this burger? Is Paul's Chophouse's reputation justified?"
"I must admit it was very good." She nodded happily. "It certainly was what I needed tonight. Thank you for bringing me dinner."
"It was well deserved." He nodded happily. "Maybe I have something else."
"Something else?" Her smile widened at the idea.
She tilted her head as she looked at him quizzically. Her eyes fell on his bag as he slid it close and retrieved another container. He opened it and presented her with two pieces of chocolate cream pie. A huge grin appeared on her face.
"Oh my God this look so good." She stood up and brought two plates and spoons.
"Who can resist chocolate pie?" He wondered half seriously, and she giggled at his tone. "Yeah, certainly not us. I was almost already out of the restaurant when I saw how a table was getting that miracle of a dessert and I had to buy two pieces."
"And how right you were." She licked the rich chocolate cream that was still sticking to the spoon. "This is so good. It's perfect."
"We absolutely need to have dinner there."
"Well, I think you might deserve something better than just a burger when we get out." She said almost shily.
"I only might?" He wondered as he spooned another portion of the cake.
"Okay you totally deserve a nice restaurant and this time it will be my treat." She conceded with a happy and she loved how he grinned back at her. "It means a lot that you brought me dinner tonight. I was not feeling too well…"
"Why?" he wondered suddenly serious at her change of mood. "Are you worried about Marta? Or did something else happen?"
"Of course, I worry about her…" She admitted with a sorrowful sigh. "But I also worried about you…"
"About me?" He looked at her genuinely surprised by her concern.
"I thought you were angry at me for having cancelled our date." She acknowledged a little uneasily. "I really wanted to go you know."
"Sometimes other things are more important and I'm not going to be mad because of that, a little disappointed maybe. But there will be other opportunities if we want to." He simply said and smiled at her sweetly when she nodded. "I thought you would show up… a little late but that you might still come. I was a little sad when you didn't."
"So, you texted me to show me what I was missing…"
"Yeah, something like that. I still thought that would move you to come over." He admitted a little sheepishly. "And then I thought my text was a little bit mean and I decided you probably hadn't eaten yet, so I asked for what I had to go, plus the fries of course."
"I wanted to come over, but I wasn't sure…" She stated. "I didn't like to cancel last minute, and I wasn't sure how I would have reacted if someone had done that to me…"
"You had an excellent reason to do so. Marta needed all the help and support she could get." He reminded her. "If you hadn't been there, she wouldn't have gone to the hearing. Thanks to you she has a fair chance of being able to stay in this country. You had to go. That's just who you are. You think about others before thinking about yourself. That's what makes you happy."
"And yet…" She hesitated.
"Yes?" He pushed after a moment when she remained silent.
"Tonight, I wanted to go to that date more than I wanted to help Marta." She conceded with a shy smile. "I felt selfish thinking like that, when there are so many people who need help."
"It's not always a bad thing to think about oneself… I mean from time to time…" He added cautiously and she nodded.
"So, are you set on burgers for our date or is something else a possibility too?"
"I'm absolutely open…" He smirked at her happily.
"Even that vegan café I heard about a couple of weeks ago and that had all you guys roll your eyes when I mentioned it?" She teased him but he simply smiled back at her.
"Well, I'm ready to try new things. I'm sure that they have very nice dishes on their menu."
"Okay I'll think about it then." She placed her hand on his and his thumb caressed her wrist. "We go together like a burger and fries."
He chuckled quietly at her comment and turned his hand to hold hers.
"Then it's fortunate I brought fries." He softly added.
Their eyes met and they smiled happily at each other. Today had been a good day.
