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 15. Let's see what this double date is going to be about. Maybe this will give us a few surprises… Lauren is quite nice and pretty… And Chris listening in, should be a little uncomfortable for Street… Sit back and enjoy.

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 watched as Street parked his motorcycle close to the restaurant's entrance. She had decided to stay at a little distance, but she was still close enough to see part of the dining room through the large window bay. It was unlikely they would be seated in that part of the restaurant, but she still looked more closely.

"Okay I'm going in. I think I saw Luca's car there on my right." He turned his head in her general direction but didn't seem to see her. "Wait until I confirm they're inside before getting your food. I think it should be ready by now… I added a selection of drinks… Sparkling water and their famous iced tea. It's supposed to be delicious."

He walked a few steps towards the entrance before chuckling.

"It's a little unnerving to know you can hear me, but you can't say anything back… it's very strange… I should have asked Dave to give me a two-way system." He said as he finally entered the restaurant. "But it's too late. The place looks even posher from the inside. It's a little overkill if you ask me…"

"Good evening Sir, my name is Linda and I am your host for the night." A sweet voice told him and Chris grinned. "How may I help you?"

"I'm having dinner with friends they might already be here." He provided pleasantly. "They made a reservation for Luca."

"Oh indeed, they have arrived a few minutes ago." She confirmed amiably with a melodious voice. 'Let me take you to your table, they're waiting for you."

"Thank you." He said out loud, before whispering only for her. "The food seems nice, at least it smells wonderful. And they have nice nooks… with a little candlelight it is very romantic."

"Street!" Chris heard the older man's booming voice and couldn't help but chuckle at the obvious relief present in his voice. "There you are…"

"Enjoy your evening."

The host chimed in before leaving them she supposed. Her eyes fell on the large window bay, and to her surprise she spotted them. She straightened on her seat as she watched as Street was sitting down next to Lauren. That would be more interesting as she also had a visual. She quickly checked her watch to see how late it was and she decided to go grab her food right away. Now they were all four busy studying the menus to decide what to take and the risk of being seen was probably at its lowest.

When she entered, she saw the area reserved for the takeout patrons on her right and she walked there smiling at the pretty restaurant host who was already busy with a new couple. Behind the counter, a good-looking young man was already eagerly waiting for her and grinned as she approached.

"Good evening Madam, my name is Josh. How may I help you?" He checked her out a little longer than was polite and she refrained from rolling her eyes, plastering a smile on her lips. He seemed very aware of his good looks and a little overconfident despite his young age.

"I have called for take out." The young man nodded and looked at the display in front of him. For a moment Chris hesitated as Street had forgotten to tell her if he had ordered under his or her name. "It's for… Alonso."

When he nodded, she sighed in relief. Of course, Street would place the order using her name and not his.

"Let me confirm with the kitchen you have arrived." Josh explained when she saw him type on the screen. "We were told you wouldn't be able to reheat it, and we needed to make sure the food would stay at the right temperature for your enjoyment. Anna should bring it in a few."

"Thank you." She smiled at the young man. It was strange to hear the chattering of the dining room through the earpiece as well as directly as she was standing here. The table had been rather quiet for now, she imagined they were still reading the menus now that they were done with the greetings and a little chitchat.

A door opened and a young brunette appeared, carrying a cloth bag with the logo of the restaurant. She smiled at them, and Chris could see her blush when her eyes met Josh's.

"Here it is. The takeout containers are sustainable and ecofriendly, and the cutlery is bamboo." He explained as he handed her the satchel over. "This tote bag is on the house of course. Everything was paid in advance. We have marked the different boxes you'll know with what to start first. We hope you will enjoy our dinner and hope you will be able to eat with us one of these days."

"Thank you so much, I hope so too." She thanked him a soft smile. "Have a nice evening."

She turned on her heels and walked back to her car. Things were getting interesting as she heard Luca was talking again. Time to sit back, enjoy the food and listen in.


Chris closed the container of her shrimp salad with a sigh of contentment. They absolutely needed to go to this restaurant together. This dish had been to die for, a perfect combination of fresh and tasty seafood with a salad mesclun, delicious croutons and different crunchy vegetable and fruit bites. The mix of sweet and sour had been flawless. The dressing had complimented perfectly the textures and tastes of the different ingredients. She took a sip of her iced tea and sighed contently. It was the kind of food that would bring a smile to anyone's face, even someone spending a lonely evening in their car.

The conversation at the table had been so far rather uninteresting. They had chosen their food and talked about their respective days. From what she had heard how Melissa was planning to renovate her kitchen completely after the mishap that happened just before their party. Luca had mentioned to Chris a few days earlier he was going to help the older woman and had asked her if her uncle could maybe handle that. She had given him his phone number so that the men could discuss that together and from Melissa was saying, it seemed they had already contacted Uncle Sarzo.

"That shrimp salad is really delicious." Street suddenly said and she grinned, liking the fact he had chosen the same foods for her than he had ordered for himself. It felt somehow intimate to eat the same dish, almost as if there was no distance and they were together enjoying their meal.

"The smoked duck filets are perfect also." Luca said and she heard how Melissa confirmed his statement with a happy expletive.

"The pea and lime mousse they served with them was the best thing I have eaten in a very long time." She confirmed. "I can wait for my veal with mushrooms. What did you like what you had, Lauren?"

The young woman hadn't said much so far. Chris could see her pretty profile and she seemed even shyer now that they were just the four of them. She felt almost bad for the redhead.

"My soup is very nice too. It's very original I must admit." She said pleasantly. "They are a lot of different textures, it's rather unusual for that kind of dishes."

"Well, I'm definitely ready for more. I can't wait for the next dish." Luca chimed in. Chris saw even from a distance how her friend was playing with his cutlery, a sure sign he was a little uncomfortable. "So, Lauren… how is your job hunting going? Melissa told me you had some interviews."

"It's going rather well." She answered in a small voice and Chris had to prick up her ear. "I had a couple of interviews already and several more lined up in the coming weeks. I don't think the first one went too well but we weren't a good fit anyway. The second one was more promising, but it was in Long Beach so a bit further away than what I had planned.

"Oh, Long Beach? Street is from Long Beach." Luca exclaimed excitedly and Chris rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, it's a nice place to live. I loved it there. I mean what is not to love. You have the sea, and the neighborhood is great." Street said enthusiastically and she couldn't help laughing at how eager he sounded to have her move there. "What school was it?"

"Oak Tree. It's a preschool and kindergarten. They were really very nice, and I loved the premises." Lauren's voice grew in strength as she was sharing her experience. "They have several additional services and activities I thought were really interesting."

"You didn't tell me you had felt that strong a connection there." Her aunt told her.

"It's because we had said I should look for a school closer to your place." She admitted sheepishly. "But yeah, I really liked it there. So, I'm not excluding it from my list right now."

"Street could show you around." Luca offered a little hesitantly, obviously waiting for his roommate to say something. "You could spend the day there, the two of you…"

Chris groaned at the idea of them together for a whole day, but it seemed like an obvious thing for Luca to ask considering their matchmaking scheme. She waited for Street to say something with bated breath.

"Sure, I suppose I could." He confirmed with what she thought was a hint of hesitation. She sighed heavily and took another swallow of her tea. "You shouldn't cast the city aside simply because it's a little far from here. Especially if you like the job and they offer you a good position."

"That is very true." Melissa agreed. "As much as I'd love to have you live with me, you're at an age where you have to embrace what you really want. I mean… it's not that far."

"Some people are commuting every day…" Street added. "But you could rent a small apartment there and spend the weekend at your aunt's."

"Very true." Luca quipped in. "So, what about the other interviews you have lined up?"

"I have one the day after tomorrow and another one next Tuesday." She said in her melodic voice. "Those are closer from here. One is a preschool in Santa Monica. I checked their website, and they follow the Reggio Emilia philosophy, like the school I was previously working for. The other one is in Hollywood. I would like that one better because it's also a preschool and kindergarten. I like the opportunity to work with older kids too."

"Oh, where in Hollywood?" Street wondered.

"They're on North Wilton…" She supplied and Chris heard his assenting hum.

While they continued their chitchat about those coming interviews, Chris' mind was wandering. This whole listening in was a little weird she thought but she loved it. At times she felt distracted by the faint sound of his heartbeat, and she wondered if she was noticing it so much because she was attuned to it. Previously when she had listened in during UC, she had never been distracted like that. But then this wasn't work. It was her boyfriend on a dinner date. She sighed and looked at the bag next to her. She had wanted to wait until they had been served their main courses, but that was probably silly, and it was more than likely that her own food would be cold by then.

She grabbed the remaining containers and was pleased to feel they were still quite hot to the touch. One thing was sure that restaurant knew how to keep their food at the best temperature. It smelled divine and she had no doubt Street had chosen another fine morsel she would enjoy. She carefully opened the biggest one and discovered a salmon filet in a creamy sauce. It looked mouthwatering, the fish cooked just the right way and she placed it carefully on her lap as she opened the second box. She found wild rice with grilled asparagus and broccoli. She chuckled when she realized it was most likely the same dish Street had taken, Salmon in sundried cream sauce. She had tried not to read too much into the fact that they had the same appetizers just finding it cute but now, faced with the same main course, she knew he had chosen their menu on purpose.

"You're adorable." She said out loud and she smiled broadly. The final two containers held another serving of sauce and a fresh, crusty roll. He knew how much she loved to indulge drowning her food in that kind of fragrant and rich cream sauce. This was heaven and exactly what she needed. As she was moving the dishes around her, she heard as Lauren finished her long explanation on how much she loved her job. She rolled her eyes at the diatribe. Sure, she was probably completely prejudiced against the young woman, but she was boring. Even if they weren't dating, she doubted she would have caught Street's fancy. Luca really had no clue what his friend was looking for in a partner.

"But maybe you are not objective girl." She told herself and she laughed. "It's not like you ever understood why he dated Molly, except for the fact you had kinda pushed them together…"

She shook her head and decided to dive in her food, looking at the restaurant in front of her. Stake outs were totally boring.


Luca and Melissa definitely sounded a little impatient and a tad annoyed by the time they had all finished their main courses. It wasn't really that Street was rude or anything, but he was just giving them the strict minimum. Adding to that Lauren was too shy to try to get more out of him, the other couple was simply running out of ideas after he had only agreed to visit Long Beach with the pretty redhead. Their outing ideas had not per se been rejected but his noncommittal mumbles had not given them much room for more definite opportunities to meet again.

Chris almost regretted having taped the wire on his chest, it might have been interesting if he simply left it there while he went to the bathroom so she could figure out what they were planning. She had now no doubt Lauren knew about their plan. Her straightforward actions at the party spelled out having been bolstered by the duo as it was now obvious, she was too shy for this kind of behavior on her own. She sounded rather uncomfortable, but Chris supposed flirting with a man in front of her aunt could also be a factor. It was surely a little awkward and probably out of the young woman's comfort zone. While she had shown she fancied him a few weeks ago at the party, Street was behaving too aloof for her to try anything other than letting the older couple take the lead.

When her phone rang for the third time, she looked at the device with a frown. It was an unknown number and she usually always ignored those. But the instance of the caller was making her curious. As nothing much was happening in the restaurant she decided to answer if only to stop that annoying ringing.

"Chris Alonso." She firmly said, her brow automatically furrowing.

"Hey Chris." An unknown male voice answered her, and her frown increased in annoyance as she regretted having given her name instead of her usual Yes. "It's Julian… Bonnie's cousin."

"Oh." She managed after she was finally able to place him. "Yeah… Hi Julian. I didn't think you had my number."

"Yeah, I might have harassed Bonnie to get it." He admitted sheepishly, with a low chuckle. "I hope I'm not catching you at a bad moment. Do you have a few minutes to spare? Don't hesitate to say no."

He sounded hesitant and it made Chris grin. She wasn't quite sure she felt like talking to the other man, when she wanted her attention focused on the conversation in the restaurant. But another part of her was quite curious, why he would want to talk to her considering their exchanges had been friendly but nothing more. It also brought her back to Tan's and Bonnie's comments about how much of a shame it had been, Julian couldn't make it to their Bierfest party. At the end her curiosity got the best of her.

"I have a little time, but not much." She said, her eyes still focused on the window bay and her friends.

"Well then I'm using what I'm getting." He said in good humor, his tone light and agreeable. "I'm due in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks, maybe less… And I was wondering if you would be interesting in meeting up with me."

His voice was hesitant, and it still sounded as if he had rehearsed that question a few times. It still took her completely by surprise and for a moment a frown was back in place.

"Meeting with you?" She parroted back. She heard how he cleared his voice before continuing.

"I don't know a lot of people here anymore. I've been gone for quite a while and most of my closest friends are now in Chicago or on the East Coast." He explained a little tense. "I can't be on Bonnie's back all the time I doubt Victor would appreciate. So, I thought… maybe you would have a little time while I'm over there."

"Oh… like…"

"Just as friends of course." He quickly amended when he heard her very obvious hesitation. "I know you're not available. I haven't forgotten about your marksman of a boyfriend…"

"He's not only good with marks." She joked, trying to lighten the discussion. "Sure, I suppose we could meet. Show you around… You've already been introduced to the team we could organize something an evening or maybe even a weekend."

"I must admit I was more thinking along the lines of… but yeah that could be great." He quickly corrected. "So please, please… save my phone number, so I won't feel like a creep to have yours."

"I can do that…" She answered pleasantly.

"That's already a lot." He added with an amused tone. "So, I will call you as soon as I'll know when I'll come to LA, if you'll allow me of course."

"I allow you." She finally said, not sure another answer would do.

"Bye Chris, have a wonderful evening." He added sweetly.

"Bye Julian… likewise."

When he hung up, she looked at her phone with a frown. Now that had been unexpected to say the least. She shook her head and turned her attention back to her friends and their antics.

"I know you have a sweet tooth Street, why don't you want to take a dessert?" Luca wondered for at least the third time.

"I'm not hungry anymore." He simply said, his tone apologetic but firm.

"They have the best exotic fruit salad in the city if you're not too hungry…" The older agent insisted, and she could hear Street's deep sigh as he pondered his best course of action. Chris felt like texting him to simply give in, as it was still early.

"Okay why not… Fruit salad…" He accepted reluctantly and she couldn't help laughing at his less than enthusiastic tone.

"I hate it when the ladies feel like it's a crime to take dessert…" His roommate told him, and he simply nodded. "It's not like you are in a hurry to go home. Or are you in a hurry to go home?"

"I'm just not hungry anymore." He finally conceded, certainly hoping his friend would let it go.

"Who are you and what have you done with my friend?" Luca exclaimed theatrically and the two women laughed at his teasing. "I'm saying this because he once spent a whole two hours to explain to me that dessert was not really food and that even if you were not hungry you could always indulge."

"Oh." Melissa burst out laughing. "Really Jim? You certainly changed your tune on that."

"He forgets to mention that I was very drunk the night in question, and I barely remember that conversation. In fact, I wouldn't remember it at all if Chris hadn't recorded part of the exchange and shown it to me afterwards. She said something about incriminating evidence."

Chris laughed out loud in her car. She remembered that night not long after they had finished the renovation of Luca's house. They had spent the evening eating pizza, laughing and watching sports on television. It now seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Chris is the best." Luca said fondly.

"She certainly is." Street added and she heard a rustling sound at his words as if he was caressing the microphone below his shirt. She smiled lovingly, wishing he had refused the dessert and they could be together right now.


Street smiled at his friends as they were standing in front of the restaurant. They had finished their dinner in a rather uneventful way, with comfortable conversation and a few anecdotes. When he had insisted to pay half of the tab, Luca had reacted with outrage and had very vocally refused it dead on. It seemed he was still feeling guilty about leaving him too often with Chris when they had organized the party and of course when he had done a runner after everything had been finished. No doubt Chris had found the whole conversation very funny. A few times his phone had vibrated but he had realized much to his dismay he wouldn't be able to check it as he had wanted without raising suspicions.

"So, it's getting late. I'm going to drive the ladies home…" Luca explained, clapping his hands with a satisfied grin.

"Am I going to see you again or will you be spending the night?" He wondered and Melissa blushed a little at the implication. "Sometimes I feel like the house is mine now… I think I spend more time there than you."

"Huh yeah…" He admitted sheepishly with a grin, and he stole a quick glance at his girlfriend.

"That said if you had chosen a restaurant closer to home…" Street pushed, gesturing towards the stylish building. "But I know you wanted seafood tonight… So, we had to drive to Santa Monica. You're lucky you didn't have to drive me too… that would have been funny."

"You like to ride your motorcycle way too much to drive with me outside of work." He laughed happily and Melissa joined in, while Lauren was quietly listening to the exchange. "So, what are we saying about the day in Long Beach? Lauren? Don't be shy, would that be helpful for you to decide if that job is worth the hassle to move further away?"

"Oh…" The redhead blushed and nodded timidly, and Street couldn't help but feel uncomfortable that his friend was pushing the issue further than the young woman wanted. "It could be… But I think I should see if they would even consider me for the position. I think I'm more junior than what they were looking for…"

"There's no rush. Just tell Luca if you're interested." Street smiled at her, trying to make her feel better. "I know Tan and Chris both wanted to go there, maybe we can organize something together. It could be fun."

"Good idea. But it would be easier if you exchanged phone numbers." Luca quipped in with a broad smile. "You don't need me for that kind of things."

"Exactly." Melissa agreed with a nod. "You're always on your phone Lauren… and I'm sure Jim is the same. It would make much more sense."

The older couple looked at them expectantly and Street tutored his features so as not to show his real feelings. He felt at the same time amused but also annoyed by their obvious scheming. Poor Lauren didn't need that at the moment. He fished his phone out of his pocket and took a couple of steps to stand next to her. He quickly hid the notifications from Chris' messages before opening his contacts.

"Send it to me through Airdrop and I'll text you, so you'll have my number too." He offered and she smiled at him. "Perfect, here you have. So, Luca… I'll see you tomorrow at HQ?"

"Yeah, I'll stay at Melissa's tonight." The older man confirmed with a happy grin.

"You know you can spend the night at the house too." Street said not resisting teasing the couple. "Poor Lauren must be tired to have you there all the time. You could give her a respite."

"No, no…" She quickly interjected, blushing even more. "I don't mind at all. I mean I'm so glad I can stay at your place Aunt Melissa… And the house is big…"

"He's joking…" Luca reassured her, and he frowned at the young man. "Street has a strange sense of humor… you'll see once you know him better. But now let's go… Bye Street!"

"Bye, drive safe… Be careful Luca, your car is not as stable as Black Betty and you don't have a SWAT team in full gear behind…"

"See…" He pointed at his roommate. "He's not that funny."

They waved at him as they walked towards the Charger. Street waited next to his bike, until they had driven past him. He watched them leave before retrieving his phone to check Chris' messages. Most of her texts had been funny emojis and he smiled fondly. The last one though was telling him she had parked a little further away to make sure their friends couldn't see her. He grinned and selected her contact.

"So, are they finally gone?" She asked immediately when the call connected.

"Where are you?" He wondered impatiently, his eyes automatically scanning the neighborhood. "Are you that far away that you couldn't hear us anymore?"

"Oh, I heard you exchange phone numbers with Lauren…" She chuckled. "I don't remember Tan ever having said he wanted to visit Long Beach, but it was a good idea. I'm not sure you're up dealing with two ladies at the same time…"

"I'll manage, don't worry." He simply said with an easy laugh. "So, you heard where Luca will go tonight…"

"Oh, I did…" Her tone was light, and he could easily guess she was smiling. "So, I can now officially invite you to spend the night at my place."

"Exactly… And I remember we talked about the chocolate cake…"

"I said I had plans with it…" She reminded him. "I never said those involved you eating with me… Especially as you already had dessert…"

"Hmm okay…" He hummed uncertainly. "So, are we racing each other to your place?"

"Certainly not." She laughed wholeheartedly. "At this hour you'll win pretty easily. I'm not that far from the restaurant. And we're not taking risks for nothing. We'll get there… when we'll get there. Be safe."

"Of course. I'm rather curious about those plans of yours…"

"I can't wait to show you."

She heard him laugh happily before she disconnected and grinned widely. This was going to be so good.