Something in Hawk, or better his messages, drew Chris in further. And over the next couple of weeks, they regain their regular exchange of messages. He slowly but surely has become her anker in her days. The person that grounds her after a long, hard day. The one that can read her without ever having seen her.
She smiles to herself walking into work, and Chris can see it in Deacon's face he has definitely noticed. Probably the rest of the team too. She just didn't know how to explain this relationship.
Wait.
Is it a relationship if you've never actually met the person, nor know their name?
"You seem happier," Street comments and shuts his locker.
"I am happy. How are you?" Chris turns to face him and shuts her locker.
"Getting there," he offers with a shrug.
"You know we're all here for you. You don't have to do this alone." She offers. She can honestly say she feels bad for having been more than a little distracted.
"It's okay. I am talking to someone. I am not alone."
Street's answer surprises Chris, but she can't question him any further as their phones remind them of their mission. He rushes out the door, leaving her behind a little stunned and questioning that feeling in her gut.
She quickly shakes, loses the weirdness, and heads out after him.
As she slides into her spot in Black Betty, Chris feels her phone vibrate against her leg, and she pulls out her phone to check the notification. Her lips immediately curl up, seeing the Spark logo, and the excited feeling settles in her stomach again.
"Have a beautiful day, and I can't wait to talk to you later. Any idea when this app will move us to the next level?"
Chris shakes her head for two reasons: one, Hawk's growing impatience she'd been teasing him about all week already, and two, to focus herself back on the work.
When she looks up, she can see the curiously raised eyebrow from Tan, but one pointed look from Hondo gets that solved, too.
Hours later, after the hostage situation has been cleared, Chris can feel her phone vibrating again.
She takes a look around the locker room. She is alone with her thoughts. Maybe not the best place to be right now. Not after the emotionally draining time they all went through today.
"Is everything okay? I am sorry that I was too pushy again. I just really want to meet you. I feel so close to you already."
Chris gulps down the lump forming in her throat.
"I should apologize. My day was insane, and I just got a moment to breathe. I don't know if I can find time to text tonight. I feel like being with family. Hugging my aunt and uncle. My cousins."
She presses send before closing her locker and heading home to do just that.
She feels immediately engulfed in the hustle and bustle of the Alonso household, and no one really questions her when she is a little bit quieter than usual. Just being with them keeps her together tonight. Even if in the back of her head, she questions if she should maybe reach out to her teammates and friends, too, to make sure they are okay. She knows everyone has family to catch them. Except maybe Street, but her best guess right now is he is with Buck.
"Family is important. You told me that. I'll be with the man I consider my father, too. He needs me tonight. So maybe tomorrow, we can talk again. And find some beauty in this world again. Because I need to believe there is still something good out there. You are."
Chris swallows, reading the text the following day. She wants to reach out and ask what is going on. But she also wants to heed his request and tell him about something beautiful in this world.
To get a clear head, Chris pulls on her running shoes and just runs. She runs as long as she needs to work through the emotional last day and reset herself to focus back on her work. On her family and friends.
As she reaches an overlook, she pulls out her phone and takes a picture of the morning sky over LA.
"Good morning. It is a beautiful new day to make more memories with our chosen family."
After a short break, she heads home to shower and maybe have some quiet time. When Chris steps out of the shower, her first glance is at her phone, and the familiar rush of happiness engulfs her as she sees the notification from Spark.
"It definitely is, and I am sure one of these days we'll get to experience this together." Hawk had attached a picture, too. His showing the view from a different outlook and over the bay.
She is still trying to decide what to type back when the app sends her a new notification:
"Your spark has survived a long time. The flame is still burning. Are you ready for the next step?"
Thank you for following along. As you may guess, I decided the next chapter will be the last. I don't want to drag this out longer than absolutely necessary, or the story might break. If you're interested in more stories of this style, I have some similar concepts to recommend to you:
Time Flies - One Tree Hill - similar elements but very different still
Courage - Stargate Atlantis - story told through two POVs, both unknown at the beginning of the story.
The secrets we keep - SWAT - technically, only chapter one is a riddle. The rest is the story of season 1 and two with some tweaks.
What if: Chapter 1 Surprise Reunion - SWAT - not entirely so secret but still was a fun write (plus the sequel story A Tangled Web, which I am pretty proud of and fond of)
if you're looking for something fun and very similar to this one: Swipe Right or What if Chapter 6 Undercover Trouble.
But most importantly:
Fanfic is supposed to be fun, and I am finding my fun in original work right now. Feel free to browse that too over on my fictionpress or AO3 account.