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.

So here we are with chapter 9. We're finally at the party as it starts and the people arrive. There will be 2 more chapters (lots of conversations I'm afraid) and maybe a little smut afterwards if people are interested.

Disclaimer: Don't own, just playing around so don't sue… Belongs to CBS Studios, Sony Pictures Television and many others.


"We have every right to create our own destiny, but none to interfere in someone else's." Martin Rubin. ;)


Chris parked her truck in front of the house at her usual spot. She opened the trunk and as agreed texted Street to help her with the beverages. She checked her watch, she had managed to get there and back in a record time but it seemed Luca was still MIA with Melissa. When she looked at the house, she saw a grinning Street coming her way. He quickly pecked her lips and grabbed two crates at once.

"Did you hear anything from Luca?" She smiled at him, took a crate herself and followed him to the yard.

"He called about ten minutes ago to say he was running late." Street explained as he placed the crates next to their makeshift bar. He took the one she was carrying with a grin. "It seems they have more decoration we could use. I told him we were good but apparently it's let me quote him 'too great to pass'."

"He's even worse than you." She grumbled and he burst out laughing.

"Oh he's definitely worse than me. I listen and obey." She was already marching towards her car again and turned around to look at him disbelievingly. "Well most of the time at least…"

"Yeah I'll let it pass because you're cute and you'll show me later how good you can obey."

"Oh I like how you think."

"Of course you do, you're putty in my hands." He was about to answer when he saw Luca's truck approaching. "Ah here he is… And it seems there is more than one person with him. Did he tell you when he called earlier?"

"He sure didn't." He grabbed two kegs and watched his roommate park next to Chris' truck.

"Hey guys."

He sprang out of the truck and ran to the other side of it to open both doors. Melissa got out and walked next to a pretty redhead.

"You remember Melissa? You met her at Annie and Deac's party after we came back from Germany. And this pretty lady is her niece Lauren. She's currently visiting and we couldn't leave her at home."

They quickly greeted each other as he was making the introductions.

"I hope I'm not imposing." She asked smiling sweetly her eyes stopped an instant on Chris but lingered on Street. Chris scrunched her eyes as she watched Lauren simper.

"Absolutely not." She said as she slightly punched Lauren's arm just to see if she could get her to stop staring. She heard Street's chuckle and she grinned broadly at the young woman. "We're running a little late any help will be welcome."

"Lauren is a trained kindergarten teacher. She's currently thinking about relocating in California." Luca explained. "I thought she could help Street run the kiddies' activities."

"We currently need help with the food we're very late with that. Most of the activities are already up. But I hear you brought more decorations, so I'll have to take care of that and I won't be able to help you." Chris pursed her lips in displeasure and the older man blanched a little. "So Street is going to get the bar set up and he'll make sure the grill will be ready on time. You will finish with Melissa and Lauren all the food preparations. I have the list of what everyone promised to bring, check if anything important should be prepared or cooked or ordered. We talked about more salads but I'm not sure if we really have more time for that…"

"Yes of course." He gulped uncomfortably and nodded repeatedly looking at the two women next to him. "We will do that. You are absolutely right."

"Perfect march inside. If you finish early, I will run Lauren through the different activities we have set up outside. I'm afraid unless you're extremely fast in the kitchen, Street will have to man the grill for now." She watched as the trio hurriedly went inside without further comments.

"Well that's settled."

"What is?" She wondered with a frown.

"They now know who the boss is." He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her temple. "What is it?"

"Is it me or was she flirting with you?"

"Who?" She rolled her eyes at his question.

"Lauren, obviously not Melissa." She said impatiently.

"Oh…" He frowned thinking of what had just happened. "No I don't think so…"

"Yeah right." She pushed him towards the yard. "Go, unload the beverages. On the way there, remind Luca that the food is in his damn truck he should get it instead of hiding in the house. In the meantime I'll check what was 'too great to pass'."


Chris checked her wristwatch, the first guests were supposed to arrive any minute now. She looked around and was satisfied after the changes she had made. Some of the additional decoration brought by Luca had been quite nice and had been quite easy to set up. Everything was finally in place, except for most of the food that was still in the fridge. Street bumped playfully his shoulder against hers and she chuckled.

"Ready for the guests?" He wondered.

"Yup. Where are the others?" She turned her gaze to the house, as they were still alone in the backyard.

"You probably scared them away. They'll stay hidden until everyone has gone home." He joked with a crooked smile. "No seriously… When I got in earlier, they were discussing the music. Apparently Luca's selection has not found grace with Melissa."

"Oh the music." She sighed.

Chris had left this aspect in the hands of Luca. She knew he had hundreds of German songs from their time in Berlin and since he had decided to throw the party, he had actively researched the type of music and songs best played during such an event. She could imagine that for the American ear those weren't probably the most entertaining.

"It doesn't really matter, it's not like we're gonna listen to it." Street noted. "After a while we'll be so loud no one will pay attention to the music. Melissa doesn't know us yet."

"Is there someone?" They turned their heads towards the sweet voice and they saw Bonnie waving at them. "Oh my Gosh this is so great. The sign, the decorations are amazing, this is so perfect. You guys outdid yourselves."

"Hey guys!" Tan joined his wife, a huge bowl with potato salad in his hands and the two couples quickly hugged. "Where am I supposed to put that? And where is Luca?"

"They're still inside fighting over the music to play." Street explained. "I was going to get them just before you guys showed up. Let's bring the salad inside and convince them that typical Bavarian music is what we need for today. I'm sure Luca will be grateful for a little manly support. Chris already chewed him out several times this morning…"

"I didn't." She protested and punched his arm hard.

"And now I can add assault to the list of your offenses…"

"Okay let's bring this inside and the people hiding in the house outside." Tan offered dragging Street with him. "I'm sure that the others will be making their appearance soon."

When both men entered the house, Bonnie turned towards Chris with an apologetic smile.

"I'm so sorry." Chris turned puzzled eyes toward her friend. "Julian couldn't make it. He was really looking forward seeing you again."

"Julian? I didn't know he was on the guest list."

"Yeah he was supposed to come over for a few days but at the last minute he had to stay for a surgery. But he should be back to LA soon for some job interviews. Maybe we could use the opportunity to have a dinner altogether. It would be so nice to see you outside of work again."

"Sure why not." She plastered a smile on her face and was rewarded by a happy squeal from the blonde. This was really a new kind of weird.


A few minutes later more guests had joined the party and the music was finally playing loudly to the satisfaction of Luca. Tan and Street had made a case for the full Bavarian selection he had made and the women had given in. It did bring a nice atmosphere that fitted the decoration. It had definitely brought grins to the faces of all guests once they had heard it play.

When Hondo and Rochelle arrived, they were surprised to see that so many guests had already gathered in the yard. The officer chuckled when he saw all the efforts his friends had put in the party. He took his phone out and took several pictures to remember the day. He grabbed the different salads they had prepared and gave one to Nichelle.

"This is so incredible." She told him apparently as impressed as he was. "I see Chris' touch in this. Luca was not kidding when he talked about her organizational skills. It's impressive. You'll lose her one day to an event management company."

"That will never happen. Chris is a police officer to the core, but I'm sure she enjoyed bullying and ordering Luca and Street around." Nichelle laughed happily at that.

As they were ready to enter, they heard a familiar voice call them and they turned around to see Don Rocker with his wife Val and their two children wave at them. Their hands were full of food and they looked impatient to join the fun, their son already running ahead to see what had been organized for the children. He passed by the couple and greeted them before rushing in the yard already impatient to play with the other children.

"Oh my, they outdid themselves." Rocker said when he finally had a good view. "For the first 50-David party, we'll have to at least match that. That will be hard to beat."

"It will be hard to beat for anyone. They set the bar very high." Hondo said.

"But who is really organizing, because it's at Luca's house but I heard that Chris was the mastermind behind all this? If she's going to help each and every one of you, this is not going to be a fair fight…"

"Okay I have missed an episode but since when have those outings become a competition between SWAT teams?" Hondo wondered in good humor.

"Isn't everything a competition?"

"Oh you guys have already lost." He joked. "We better discuss today what the wager is going to be so that we know what we are crushing you for."

"Yeah dream on Hondo. Now let's go inside before the others eat all the good food." Rocker playfully punched Hondo's arm and the other man just laughed and nodded.


Annie and Deac arrived among the last. Getting all the children ready was always a challenge. They had gone home after church to change into comfortable clothes, especially for the children. They had also taken a few changes of clothes, as Street had told them some games would involve water. Lila was proudly carrying the Apple strudel they had baked together the previous day. The smell of sausages was in the whole neighborhood and they could hear the laughs and the shouting coming from Luca's house. The party was definitely in full swing. They saw Nora and her son Thomas had arrived just before them and were apparently hesitating before entering the yard.

"Hey Nora!" She turned her head at his call and smiled at him, her hand on her son's shoulder. The young boy seemed to be about the same age as Samuel and he smiled shyly at his boys. Deac bounced his youngest daughter on his arm as she was becoming a little restless. "Why aren't going in?"

"Hey Deac, hi Annie, hi children." She smiled at them. "I must admit I felt a little overwhelmed for a moment. We had a little emergency at home so we're here a little later than expected."

"Ah don't you worry! You'll never be later than us on a Sunday." Annie joked and smiled fondly at the officer. "Let's get in and see if it is as great as it sounds and smells. The kids are impatient to play, I'm sure so is your son."

He smiled shyly at her and she nudged her two sons.

"Go in with…"

"Thomas, but he likes Tommy better."

"Good those are Matthew and Samuel, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun here. I already see many kids to play with." The children rushed inside when she had finished talking. "Let's go too and find Chris and the men of the house to congratulate them for this great party… It makes me nervous to have agreed to host a party soon. When I see what they have achieved in such a short time, it sure puts a lot of pressure on us."

"The theme and its realization are just perfect." Nora agreed.

"I don't have the slightest idea of what theme to choose." Annie said with a grimace.

"Honey we still have several weeks to find something, don't worry now. Let's enjoy today and try if we can convince Chris to help us too… we'll play the 'we're practically family' card." When he said it he only half joked.


Bonnie spotted Luca as he was taking a break from operating the barbecue. He was quietly enjoying a beer with Melissa next to him. She joined them with a grin sliding on the bench opposite them. They hadn't time to talk much since she greeted them when they had gone outside.

"Hey Bonnie, I hope you are enjoying yourself?"

"Are you kidding? This is the most fun I've had in a very, very long time, my wedding included." She said enthusiastically. "I love everything, the food is delicious, the beer is so good and this mix with apple juice is awesome I never thought of drinking this."

"Yeah it's called Apfelschorle. We also have Radler. It's beer mixed with a soft drink similar to Sprite. Have you tried it? We have some bottles I think." He turned his gaze towards Melissa who confirmed with a nod. "You have to try it."

"Oh I will. I want another pretzel they are so good. You have to tell us all where you have purchased all the food. Everyone is raving about how good everything is. They will definitely do business with lots of people after today." Bonnie gushed again. "But I didn't only come for that… I was wondering how things were with our little project?"

Luca and Melissa both laughed heartily at her eager question.

"Well I don't think there was much progress." Melissa giggled. "We arrived quite late this morning because my car just wouldn't start this morning. And you know General Alonso, she had no pity. She put us all at work in the kitchen while Street was outside taking care of the barbecue and the bar."

"Yeah I had wanted Lauren to work with Street right away on the children's activities but Chris wouldn't have it." Luca added with a sigh. "But she was right. We needed to step up. I think they discussed a little earlier… but they're mostly helping on games in different locations. I must admit it's not exactly going as I expected."

"I talked to her earlier and she was a little disappointed." Melissa chimed in. "But it's not like she's leaving tomorrow. She's with me for at least another two months even if her job hunt isn't as successful as expected. We will have plenty of opportunities to have those two meet."

"That means that she is interested." Bonnie chuckled. "And she's so pretty, I'm sure she will catch his eye."

She turned around to look at all the people gathered and spotted Lauren making her way towards Street.

"Oh I think she is seizing an opportunity." She giggled and the trio looked at the couple with interest.

Lauren took a deep intake of breath and walked resolutely towards Street. She wasn't usually one for the direct approach, especially when she was the one to do the first step. Luca had explained to her a little the situation at least from his point of view, how he thought that Street was rather lonely since he had broken up with his girlfriend. At first she had been a little confused, not really sure why a good looking SWAT officer would need his friend to help him but she had to admit that after she had seen some of his pictures she had been more interested. But she hadn't promised anything to Luca and had been very clear about it. To be honest she felt still a little weird about the whole thing. She also wondered what she possibly could have in common with him, but she was ready to give it a try.

"Hey." She smiled shyly at him and he turned towards her with a bright smile.

"Hey Lauren." He had just finished gathering all the Frisbees from the Frisbee toss in case some other kids wanted to give a go again.

"I wanted to apologize again for coming here unannounced." She explained. "I thought Luca had told you guys, but I saw this morning that it hadn't been the case. I hadn't understood it was a SWAT party, I wouldn't have come if I had known."

"You don't need to apologize. This is Luca's house and you are his guest. We're all happy to have you here don't worry."

"Thanks. But now I have a question for you, how should I call you?" She asked with a wide grin. "I heard everything from Street to Jimmy."

"At work most people call me Street, but anything works, James or Jim." He chuckled. "My mom is usually the only one who goes with Jimmy, Rocker just wanted to be funny and as you could see he wasn't very successful."

"If you don't mind I like James best. I must admit I'm not very good with nicknames." She flirtatiously put a strand of hair behind her ear and flashed him another smile. "I was wondering if you needed some help with the games. I saw you were a little overwhelmed just before."

"Nah it's quiet right now, but a little later we will organize the Pool prize search in that big bucket." He pointed his finger towards an area closer to the house. "I won't be against a little help. Chris brought nice prizes and the kids have heard about it. Some of the children are very eager to win the best ones. I hope we'll have enough for all of them."

"You can count me in." She waited for him to say something else but when nothing came, she smiled a little awkwardly at him. "Well tell me when you want to start with it and I'll be there with you."

She boldly placed her hand on his arm and he smiled a little uncomfortably back at her. His eyes caught Chris staring at them and she frowned as she took in the little scene. Even from the distance, he could see her eyes squint.

"Sure Lauren, I will."

Lauren smiled at him again before going back to her aunt and Luca. Street followed her with his eyes a little confused by the whole exchange. When he turned around, he saw Chris heading resolutely to the house. She stopped at the steps and stared back at him. He gulped and after rapidly checking the people around him, he also made his way there.