Chapter 39: Breaking the News

After spending a few hours at Narcotics being brought up to speed on the case Christina headed home to her family for dinner. Franco's Captain wanted her to leave right away to assume her undercover identity but she refused. She said they were already imposing on her enough by forcing her into this. They weren't about to screw her out of the chance to explain things to her family and say goodbye. He could see she wasn't going to budge so he said she could go but she was to report back at ten o'clock sharp. She'd planned to interact with Franco as little as possible before she learned what his real role in the operation would be. He knew she wasn't happy to hear the entire story but she'd have to get over it. She didn't have a choice. This was the job and she had to do it.

She walked through the front door, dreading the conversation she had to have with her dad, brother and especially her sister. Jeza was almost eight months along. She'd hate it if she missed the birth of her first niece or nephew. She knew Jeza wouldn't take it well, but there was nothing she could do. She couldn't promise her that things would work out and that she'd be back in time to see the baby born. She didn't know how long this thing would last. They would just have to make the best of it, same as always. Her father was already in the kitchen cooking dinner and Robbie was finishing setting the table. He'd come around a lot in the last few months of Jeza's pregnancy. He was helping her out around the house and driving her to doctor's appointments. He'd even bought some toys and clothes for the baby. He and Javi were getting along more which made Jeza really happy. Robbie had grown up a lot since their mother died and Chris couldn't be happier with him.

Amanda got to the house just after seven with Frannie Mae. She was so fascinated with Jeza. She'd always go right over to her and inspect her belly. When they sat down at the table, Frannie laid down next to Jeza's chair. They all loved both Amanda and Frannie and treated them like family. It was like they'd been around for years. They enjoyed the dinner their father had made and talked about their days. Finally, it was time for Chris to break the news. She took a drink of her water and took a deep breath then cleared her throat to speak.

"So, listen" she said nervously, "I, ummm, I'm gonna be going away for a while….for work". Robbie Sr., Robbie Jr, and Jeza all looked at her confused.

"What do you mean "away"?" Robbie asked. "Away where?"

"Uh, I can't say" she said softly.

"So you two going off again, just like that?" he asked.

"No" Chris said, "Amanda's not going. It's just me".

"But you'll be back in time for the baby right?" Jeza asked. The look on Chris' face told her all she needed to know. "Christina" she said angrily.

"I'm sorry, Jeza" she apologized, "I want to be here for you, you know that. But I just….I don't know if I'll be back in time to see the baby born".

"You promised you'd be there" she said in shaky voice. Tears started to well up in her eyes. "You said you'd be in the room me. You promised".

"I know" Chris said softly. She was getting a bit emotional herself.

"Tell them you can't do it" Jeza said, tears now spilling over and running down her face. "Tell them you can't go".

"I can't. I tried that, Jez" she explained. "I don't have a choice. If I don't go, I could get fired".

"This isn't fair" Jeza cried. Christina reached over and took her hand.

"I know it isn't. I would change it if I could. But you're gonna be okay" she assured her. "You have papa and Robbie and Javi and Sophia. You're gonna do great" she said squeezing her hand. "And I'm gonna be back as soon as I can. Ok?" Jeza sniffled and nodded her head. Chris pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Her father, surprisingly, didn't have much to say. She could only imagine what he was thinking inside his head. All in all, it'd gone a lot better than she'd expected. They enjoyed the rest of their time together before Christina went upstairs to her room with Amanda to pack some of her things. She wasn't taking much; just a few things she felt she didn't want to be without. Once her bag was packed she sat down on the bed to break some more news to Amanda.

"So Franco…."she said starting to explain his role in the operation, "he's, ummm, he's not gonna be my handler this time. There's another detective, Schiller…." she paused, "Franco and I will be checking in with him when we're not checking in with you guys".

"What?" Amanda asked. "Wait…." She paused for a minute processing what she'd just heard. "What do you mean "Franco and I"?"

"I mean Franco and I" she repeated, "will be checking in with our handler, detective Schiller".

"You're going undercover together?" Christina nodded. "As a couple?" She nodded again. "And….exactly how serious does this relationship have to be?" Amanda asked nervously. If it had to be at all as serious as theirs was when they were undercover, she wouldn't be okay with it. Christina just shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know" she said softly. "Believable at the very least".

"And at the most?"

"I don't know, Amanda". Chris knew this was going to be hard on them and their relationship. She hated Franco for doing this to her. She never thought things would go this way between them. "I know this sucks" she said softly. "But I have to do it".

"I know".

"And everything's gonna be okay".

"I know" Amanda said again. Christina turned to face Amanda and looker her in the eyes.

"And no matter what happens between me and Franco during this thing, it doesn't mean anything. I love you".

"I love you too". She kissed her softly on the lips then pulled her into a hug. She inhaled the scent of her hair and her clothes and enjoyed the feeling of her arms around her. They finally let go after a few minutes before standing up from the bed. Amanda grabbed Chris' bag for her and they left the bedroom together and headed downstairs. Chris' family was downstairs waiting at the door to say goodbye to her. She gave them each a hug and a kiss. Her father gave her a sad smile and told her to take care of herself. She told him the same. She told Jeza to keep up with her medication and listen to her doctor and their father and that she'd call as soon as she could. She hoped that she wouldn't be gone as long as they were expecting and she'd get to be there for the birth of her first niece or nephew. She gave her another hug then made her way out of the door before she got too emotional. Amanda told them she'd keep them in the loop as much as possible before leaving the house. They stood on the front stoop until Chris and Amanda drove away then went back inside for the evening.

Amanda drove Chris to Brooklyn narcotics precinct and walked with her upstairs to the squad room. When they got there Olivia, Nick, Fin and Carisi were there waiting. She was surprised to see that they'd come to see her off. Franco, Detective Schiller and Captain Hawes, commander of Brooklyn narcotics was there and they were all ready to get the show on the road. Chris paid them no mind and walked straight over to her teammates without so much as an acknowledgement of their presence. They huddled together to have a quick conversation before she had to leave.

"So what's this about this Schiller guy being your handler?" Carisi asked in a whisper.

"Yeah, I thought Franco was gonna be your handler" Fin chimed in.

"Uh, no" Chris said softly, "Franco's gonna be under with me" she said filling them in.

"What?" Amaro asked surprised.

"Look, I don't have a lot of time so I need to say this quickly. Franco doesn't do undercover well. He's got a history of losing control and things getting out of hand and people get hurt…." She paused for a second remembering the last time she went undercover with Franco. "People get killed" she added. "So I'll call Schiller because I have to but I'm gonna call you guys too". They all listened attentively while she spoke, making sure they didn't miss a word.

"Hey Reyes" Captain Hawes said from behind her. She turned to look at him, "Let's get a move on" he said rushing her. She nodded and turned back to her teammates.

"I'll check in with you after I talk to Schiller so give me thirty minutes max, ok?" she said increasing her pace of speech. They all nodded their understanding. "If I'm late, even one minute late…."

"I already told you" Fin said interrupting her, "we'll be barking up Schiller's tree".

"Don't worry about anything" Nick said, "we've got your back. You've got this". She took a deep breath and let it out and nodded her head.

"Ok" she said softly. She took her bag from Amanda and started to walk away. She suddenly turned back and pulled Amanda into one last hug. "I'm gonna be okay" she said trying to convince herself more than Amanda.

"Yeah" Amanda said with a nod.

"You'll check in on Jeza for me?" she asked. Amanda nodded again. "And if I miss the baby, you have to be there for her, ok? And take lots of video and pictures so I don't miss anything".

"I will".

"I'm gonna be okay" she said again. Amanda just nodded her head. "I love you".

"I love you too". She gave her a kiss and reluctantly walked away. Franco tried to grab her arm as she walked past him but she angrily shrugged him off and kept walking out of the squad room. He stood there for a moment longer before following Chris out of the squad room. Captain Hawes walked over and stood in front of them.

"Sergeant Benson, we'll keep you as updated as possible on the weeks that aren't your check in" he said.

"I appreciate that" she said keeping in mind everything Chris had said before she left. He nodded his head then went to his office while Detective Schiller returned to his desk. "Come on" Olivia said looking at her squad, "let's get outta here". They all walked out the Brooklyn Narcotics squad room together.

Franco and Chris were in the car driving to the apartment they'd be staying in while they were undercover. Franco was driving and Chris was silently staring out the window. Franco took glances at her out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe how far their relationship had fallen. They used to be best friends and now they didn't have two words to say to each other. Actually, it was Chris who didn't have two words to say to Franco. Franco, on the other hand, had a lot to say to her.

"You know you're gonna have to talk to me sooner or later" he said finally breaking the silence between them.

"Later is fine with me" she said continuing to stare out of the window.

"Look Chris I'm sorry for what I said at the bar" he said finally apologizing.

"I'm not. I meant everything I said" she said finally looking over at him. "You needed to hear it". He sucked his teeth and nodded his head.

"That's really how you feel?" he asked.

"Yeah, it is" she said without remorse. "Back in San Bern you thought you could control my life, not to mention my career. You still think that. I know you put my name in for this" she said angrily. "If you thought this was going to make me want to come over to work with you in narcotics, you can think again. You've killed any chance you ever had of having me as a partner again".

"I did put your name in" he said confirming what she already knew. "But not to convince you to come back and work with me. I just know that you're the one that can close this case".

"How about asking me, Franco? Did you think of that?" she asked slightly yelling.

"I knew you'd say no" he answered.

"So you just took my choice away? You get me a job replacing an undercover that you couldn't keep track of".

"Why do you think I'm doing this with you?" he yelled. "I'm going under so I can find her; get her out. I'm trying to bring her home".

"Maybe you should have been more attentive before" she said critically. "Old habits die hard, I guess".

"Don't start that shit" he said rolling his eyes. He finally pulled over in front of an apartment building. It didn't look like much to Chris from the outside but it'd have to be enough. "What happened back in San Bern, that wasn't my fault. Sandy made her own decisions during that op. Rico too".

"Whatever Franco. It doesn't matter anymore" she said with a shrug. "I just know that this time things are gonna be different. You are not in charge and no matter what you might think I feel or what you actually feel, this is a job. When it's done, we're done. Period". She reached back and grabbed her bag from the backseat before getting out of the car, slamming the door behind her. She walked up the fronts stairs and waited for Franco since he had the keys. He turned off the car but remained in his seat, sulking over Chris' words. He hit the steering wheel in frustration before getting out and locking up the car then heading up to the building with Chris. He opened the door for her and they went inside and up to their apartment to start in their new undercover identities.