Chapter 23: It's Not Gonna Work

The next morning, they went in to work together. They'd barely said a word to each other all morning. Everyone noticed how distant they seemed to be from one another. They danced around each other for hours and when it was time for them to break for lunch, Chris opted to stay behind at the station while the rest of the team left for lunch. She didn't want to deal with the awkwardness that was happening between her and Amanda. She knew Olivia, Nick and Fin could tell something was up between them and she didn't want to deal with their probing. Captain Cragen noticed her sitting at her desk and went over to talk to her.

"Reyes, you not eating lunch?" he asked. She shook her head from side to side.

"I'm not hungry" she said looking at him over her shoulder.

"Everything alright with you and Rollins?"

"Yeah, everything's fine" she said quickly. "Did someone say something?" she asked. He shook his head.

"No. I'm just checking in".

"Oh. Well, everything's fine" she said again. Cragen wasn't a fool. He knew, just like Fin, Olivia and Nick, that something was going on between her and Amanda. He'd warned them to leave their relationship at the door or changes would have to be made. So far whatever it was that was happening between them wasn't affecting their work. He hoped that they'd work things out before it could. She could feel him staring at her but she kept her eyes on her computer screen until he walked away and went back to his office. Her phone vibrated on the desk and she checked to see that she'd gotten a message from Franco asking her about drinks. He wanted to meet that night at a bar, her choice he said. She texted him back that she'd talk to Amanda and get back to him. When they got back from lunch, Chris asked Amanda if they could talk in private. They went back to the cribs and shut the door.

"Look, I know you're not happy with me right now but while we're at work can we just…try to get along" Chris said sitting down on one of the beds.

"I didn't know we weren't getting along" Amanda said leaning against the bunk across from where she was sitting.

"We've barely said two words to each other all day. They might not say anything but Fin, Olivia and Nick are noticing it". Amanda didn't seem to care so she said what she knew would get her attention. "The captain is noticing it too".

"How do you know that?" she asked.

"He came over to my desk after you left for lunch; asked me how everything was between us" she said filling her in on her little chat with their boss. "He's not blind Amanda. He didn't make Captain by being oblivious". Amanda folded her arms over her chest and sighed heavily.

"You still don't wanna tell me what last night was about?" she asked. Chris shrugged her shoulders.

"I already told you" she said trying to get out of talking about it.

"No, you didn't" Amanda said angrily.

"Ok, can we not talk about this right now? Please?" she asked. "I just want us to agree that when we come to work, we leave our problems at the door". Amanda nodded.

"Alright" she agreed.

"Ok, good" Chris said letting out a relieved sigh. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her girlfriend. "Can we kiss and make up?" she asked sarcastically. She leaned in and tried to kiss her but Amanda put her hand up and stopped her.

"No" she said firmly. "This isn't over". She stepped around her and walked out of the room. Chris turned and followed her, walking quickly to catch up.

"Franco wants us to go for a drink with him tonight" she said walking beside her.

"What is his deal?" Amanda asked. She was completely annoyed by him and his player mentality. "He knows we're together but he has no problem flirting with me".

"That's just Franco" Chris said, telling her the same thing she'd tell anyone about her old handler. "He'll grow up one of these days". She followed Amanda to her desk so she could get an answer. "Sooo….drinks?"

"Yeah, ok" she said agreeing to meet up with him.

"Drinks with who?" Amaro asked from his desk, being nosey as usual. Chris ignored him and went back to her desk.

"Franco" Amanda answered. Fin shook his head from side to side. "What?" Amanda asked interested by his reaction.

"I don't like him" he answered honestly.

"I don't think he likes you either" Chris said looking at Fin over her shoulder. He looked up and saw a smile on her face so he knew she was just pulling his leg.

"Well, can we come?" Nick asked. "I could use a drink".

"Why not? Let's make it a family outing" Chris said sarcastically. Olivia turned around and punched her playfully in the arm. "Ouch" Chris said jokingly rubbing her arm as if she were actually in pain. She and Olivia had grown past their dislike for one another. More like Olivia had gotten past her dislike for Chris. They weren't best friends or even good friends but they got along well enough. Chris was happy about that. For her, there were few things worse than having to work with someone every day that she didn't like. They talked a little more about it and everyone said they'd be down for a drink after work. They even invited Captain Cragen to join them. He declined saying he had a date with Ilene. They were finally able to call it quits at six thirty. They decided to go for a bite to eat before heading to the bar. They walked in at eight thirty and grabbed a table in the middle of the bar. Franco walked in about ten minutes later and saw that Chris had brought everyone with her. He took out his phone and sent a text inviting someone of his own before going over to the table to join them.

"Hey" he said pulling up a chair, "whole gang's here. Nice". A waitress was passing by so he reached out his hand tapped her on the arm. "Let me get a pitcher of budlight sweetheart" he ordered more than asked. She nodded her head. "Thanks. So…" he said turning his attention back to everyone sitting at the table. "Is this a regular thing; you all going out for a drink after work?"

"Not a regular thing" Nick answered. "Maybe a couple times a week".

"That's nice, you know. You gotta like the people you work with, especially on the job". The waitress brought over his pitcher and sat it on the table with some extra glasses. "Thanks honey".

"Sam" Chris said. "Her name is Sam". Franco met her eyes and received a discerning stare.

"Sam" he corrected himself, looking away from Chris to the waitress. "Thanks Sam".

"You're welcome" she said giving Chris a look of thanks. She walked away to tend to her other tables. He took one of the glasses and filled it with beer then set it in front of Chris.

"Drink up….sweetheart" he added. Chris took the beer and took a drink. She sat the glass back down then punched Franco in the arm. He hid his grimace and poured himself a glass of beer. He pushed the pitcher to the center of the table and told them to help themselves. "Excuse me, Sam" he said, stopping the waitress as she walked by their table. "Can I get another, please?" he asked gesturing to the pitcher.

"Coming right up, boss" she said sarcastically.

"I think she likes me" Franco said arrogantly. Chris laughed and shook her head, picking up her beer to take another drink. "So Mandy" he said turning to Amanda, "Can I call you Mandy?" he asked. Chris put her beer down on the table with a little more force than necessary.

"No" Amanda said giving Chris a pacifying pat on the thigh. "I'd prefer Amanda...or Rollins. Not Mandy".

"Ok…Amanda then" he said choosing to call her by her first name. "Chris tells me you're from Georgia". She nodded her head as confirmation. "That's a long way to travel for a job".

"Well, I like to learn from and work with the best" she said. Nick raised his glass to the statement.

"You from out of town too" Franco asked intentionally trying to include the others in the conversation. He didn't want it to be obvious that his only real interest was in Chris and Amanda. Nick nodded his head.

"Miami" he said, "Greatest place on earth".

"Yeah right" Fin said laughing. Chris' brother Robbie walked into the bar and spotted his sister and Franco sitting at a table in the middle of the floor. He walked over and pulled a chair from another table taking a seat next to Olivia. He had his eye on her and hoped that his sister would stay out of it.

"What are you doing here?" Chris asked when her brother joined them.

"Franco invited me". He took one of the glasses and filled it with beer then took a big gulp. Chris glared at Franco who avoided making eye contact with her. "How are you?" he asked leaning towards Olivia.

"Don't even think about it" Chris said shutting him down before he could even get started.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I was just being polite".

"Yeah right" she said rolling her eyes. They drank their beers and enjoyed light conversation. Franco was of course focusing most of his attention on Amanda. Little did they know, he was only trying to separate her from his real goal. Their conversation was interrupted when a guy came over to their table and asked if he could buy Chris a drink.

"No thank you. I'm good" she said, declining politely.

"Oh come on" he persisted. "Just one drink".

"No really. Thanks but I'm good" she said declining again. He laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, my buddy over there" he said gesturing to a guy sitting at the bar looking at them, "He told me not even bother trying. Said you looked like the stuck up bitch type".

"What'd you just say?" Robbie asked rhetorically. He stood up and got in the guy's face. Chris got up and tried to pull her brother away.

"Robbie, just let it go" she said in his ear.

"No, I want to him to repeat what he just said" he said shrugging her off. "What the fuck did you just day to my sister?" he yelled in his face.

"Hey, all I'm saying is that my buddy warned me" he said holding his hands up defensively. "It's not my fault he turned out to be right".

"Get him Robbie" Franco said, egging him on. Chris glared at him for encouraging her brother to continue this conflict. She continued trying to calm him down but her efforts were worthless. The fuse had been lit and there was no putting it out. Amanda stood up and took her by the hand, pulling her back from the confrontation.

"Oh, I get it" he said, seeing Amanda grab Chris hand. "You're not a stuck up bitch. You're a dyke" he said in disgust. Before she could stop him, Robbie brought his arm back, hand balled up into a fist, and brought it forward with all the force he could muster, cracking the guy in the mouth.

"Robbie, stop it!" Chris yelled letting go of Amanda's. She caught his arm when he brought it back again, stopping him from punching the guy a third time. His friend hopped down from his bar stool and came over to help his buddy. Franco got up from his chair and stood in front of the guy.

"Don't even think about it" he said taking a protective stance in front of Chris and her brother. The owner kicked the guy and his friend out of the bar and told Chris to get her brother under control. He wouldn't hesitate to call the cops if he had to. As the guys left the bar, Robbie continued to taunt them.

"Robbie, knock it off!" she yelled. "Sit down" she said pushing him back into his chair. He sat down, still seething from the altercation. He picked up his beer and drank it down in one breath. He flexed his hand open and closed, working through the pain in his now bruised and torn knuckles. Chris punched Franco in the chest and walked angrily to the back of the bar. Franco kicked a chair then followed her to the back. "What the hell was that?" she asked angrily, trying to keep her voice down.

"It looked to me like a big brother standing up for his little sister" he said nonchalantly. "It's what any brother would do".

"And you think it's wise to encourage my brother to get in a bar fight?" she asked.

"I didn't encourage him".

"You didn't? So that "Get him, Robbie", that was you trying to dissuade him from punching the guy in the face?" she asked annoyed.

"Look, somebody had to put that asshole in his place. I figured he was the best person to do it" he said defending himself. "It was either gonna be me or him that stood up for you. It sure as hell wasn't gonna be that girlfriend of yours". Rae scoffed and rolled her eyes. She was waiting for the time to come when Franco would bring Amanda into the equation. She wasn't going to let him make himself her hero.

"That's because Amanda understands that I don't need anyone to stand up for me" she said defending her girlfriend's inaction. "If I'd wanted the guy put in his place, I would've done it myself Franco. Do you know how many guys there are out there that are just like him? Huh?" she asked not really wanting an answer from him. "Way too many. I'd spend more than half my life standing up for myself" she said using air quotes. "It's called picking your battles and he wasn't worth it".

"But you are" he said forcefully.

"Don't do this" she said firmly. Don't mak…." she paused when someone came out of the bathroom and walked between them. "Don't make this about us" she said lowering her voice.

"I can't not make this about us because this is about us. You deserve someone who thinks you're worth every battle, even the ones you think are insignificant. I'm that guy" he said confidently. "I'm tired of seeing you waste your time, bouncing from one girl to the next to the next".

"Franco" she said running her hands through her hair. "If there was any guy I would ever be with, you know it would be you. But I wouldn't be with a guy. You need to start accepting the fact that I'm a lesbian" she said punctuated the lesbian part of that statement.

"No" he said simply. "I remember you, how you were with me, when we were together".

"That was the job" she said wanting desperately for him to move on from the idea of them being together. "I was doing my job".

"Like you were doing your job with her?" he asked referring to Amanda and their recent undercover operation. "That's how you do your job?"

"That was different" she whispered. He shook his head. "Yes" she said, "it was. It was different".

"It's not gonna work out" he said assuredly. "You and I both know, it's not gonna work. You're gonna hurt her".

"No, I won't" she said unsure herself. He laughed.

"Yeah, you will. It's what you do". Franco knew Chris well and he knew that no woman had ever walked away from her unscathed. "You're not built for it, a relationship".

"And here I thought that's what you were angling for" she said crossing her arms over her chest.

"We're more compatible than you and Amanda, or anyone else for that matter, will ever be".

"So what do you want?" she asked. "You want us to be together from across the country, in what, an open relationship?" she asked rhetorically. "Because monogamy, it's not for us, right? So you sleep with whoever you want to on the side and I do the same and we take turns flying across the country to see each every once in a while? That's what you want?" Franco couldn't deny how ridiculous that arrangement sounded. But he still hadn't told Chris the real reason he'd come to New York. He figured now was the perfect time.

"No need to fly across the country" he said, "just drive across the city". Chris looked confused by his statement. "I told you I came here to check up on you but that was a lie. I came here for a job interview".

"What?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded his head.

"Yep. It's been in the works for a while now. I finally got here for an in person interview and I got it. I got the job. Brooklyn narcotics. I already accepted". He waited for a response but Chris was stunned. She couldn't find any words. She leaned against the wall and took a deep breath, trying to process the info she'd just gotten. "I accepted on the condition that they had another open spot…..for you" he added. Her eyes shot up to meet his. "That's right. We could be together again" he said stepping into her personal space. "You and me, that's how it's always been. From the minute you walked into the squad back in San Bern and Cap assigned you to my detail, I knew. I knew we'd….we'd always be a team". Chris shook her head.

"We'll never be a team in the way you want, Franco" she whispered. "Ever".

"Don't say no. Just think about it" he said bringing his hands up on either side of her face. She looked into his eyes and saw how much he wanted her to say she'd at least consider it. She gave a small nod but couldn't bring herself to hold eye contact with him. Deep down she knew her mind was already made up. He lifted her head and brought their lips together. Chris pushed him away but soon enough. Nick had come back to use the bathroom and had seen them kiss. Chris cursed inwardly when she saw him standing there looking at them. Franco walked past him out to the bar, stopping by the table to say his goodbyes. He left some money on the table and then left the bar. Chris took a step to walk past him but he blocked her way.

"You know you shouldn't play Rollins like this. It's not a cool" he said giving his opinion on the matter.

"You know you should really learn to mind your own business". She pushed past him and went back out to the table. Amanda could see that she wasn't very happy. There was an awkward silence between all of them. Chris grabbed her beer from the table and finished it, not bothering to sit down. Nick came back from the bathroom and retook his seat. He stared her down and she returned the glare. "I'm gonna go" she said ending the standoff. She slapped her brother on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's get outta here" she said in tone that said he didn't have a choice. He drank down the rest of his beer and said his goodbyes then headed out of the bar. Chris said goodbye as well and turned to leave. Amanda stood up from her chair and grabbed her by the arm, stopping her from leaving.

"Hey, are you….you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm…I'm good" she said hesitantly. She honestly didn't know how she felt. She needed some time to digest the events of the evening. "I'm gonna take Robbie home. Call me when you get in. I'll come over".

"Ok" she said in agreement. Chris turned to leave again but stopped suddenly and turned back to Amanda. She kissed her sweetly on the lips then finally walked out of the bar. Nick shook his head as he watched the scene in front of him. His reaction didn't go unnoticed by Olivia and Fin. Amanda watched Chris walk away through the bar's glass window until she disappeared out of sight. She rejoined her colleagues at their table and picked up her beer to take a drink. She stopped when she realized that Nick was staring at her.

"What?" she asked, wanting to know why he was looking at her like she had two heads. He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothing" he said, deciding not to tell her about what he'd seen. He thought she had a right to know but debated whether he was the one to tell her. He secretly wanted her to leave so he could run it by Liv and Fin. After another ten minutes, Amanda decided to leave. She wanted to get home and call Chris to come over to her place. She knew that everything wasn't ok with her. She just hoped Chris wanted to talk to her about it.