Give Up the Chase

Part 2

In his arms, embraced by his lips, Chris was finally home. She had gotten a taste of this feeling that one night as they sat on his picnic table, but it had terrified her then. In that moment her heart had been set aflutter and she was overwhelmed with a sense of relief and belonging. Emotions that, at the time, she could only compare to her previous situation with the man who forced her to create her rule against dating cops. It was too much. Their friendship meant everything to her and there was no way she would have risked history repeating itself with Street.

But, as she looked at it now, the strength of their friendship may prove to serve as a solid foundation for their relationship. The fact of the matter was that Street was nothing like the man she dated before. As much as she swore she knew everything he was about when she first met him, Jim wasn't like anyone she had ever encountered. He was complex, but simple. He was guarded, but he had a heart similar to the size of the one Luca wears on his sleeve - if not larger. He was honest with her, even when she didn't necessarily want him to be.

While all of those things were qualities she loved about him, what she could never understand was how easily he wiggled his way under her skin. Chris wasn't one to open up to people. She was aware that she had built up an abnormal amount of walls to protect herself. But it was what she felt she needed to get through this life in one piece. No one has ever knocked down her barriers as effortlessly as Jim did.

Somehow he knew exactly how to handle her without ever being told. He was as observant of her behavior patterns as she was of his. While Hondo, Deac, and Tan all knew when to give her space, none of them had ever perfectly timed when to circle back to her. But Street did. And he made a habit of it very early on, perfectly balancing tough love, comedic relief, and gentle reassurance depending on what she needed at each moment. As for her walls, he didn't just knock them down, he obliterated them until he left her in her current position behind her final line of defenses.

"So, Mr. I've-Figured-Everything-Out, how exactly do we do this without getting caught?" Chris asked as they broke apart.

"We just act normal," Street answers with a smile and an easy shrug of his shoulders. "It's not like we haven't hid something that happened between us from them before." He sat on his bed and gestured for Chris to follow.

"One kiss is completely different than us really trying to figure things out," Christina laughed. "But I guess you're right, as long as we keep Chris & Street at work and Christina and Jim outside of work then we should be fine," she agreed as sat cross-legged on Street's bed. He nodded and a comfortable silence fell over them.

Neither of them could stop the love struck smiles taking residence on their faces as they looked at each other. For the first time they could finally look at the person in front of them and say 'they're mine.' They'd both be lying if they said they weren't relieved.

Chris was the one to break the eye contact as she chuckled and glanced down. "Yeah, so that right there definitely cannot happen around anyone else," she spoke, subtly shaking her head and looking up at him.

Street chuckled and nodded slightly. "I promise to keep my eyes to myself when I have to," he joked.

"I'm still mad at you for Paris, you know," Jim stated with a teasing lift of his eyebrows. "But I still do want all of the details you jipped me of while you were there."

Playing with the fabric of Street's comforter, Chris smiled softly. "Where to start," she laughed. "Oh! The first thing I can tell you is that Luca made it look much easier than it actually is," she started as she proceeded to tell him everything about her TLI experience.

____

The following morning, as Chris got ready for work, she wondered how well her and Street would actually be able to put their 'act normal' plan into action. She knew they would be professional enough to focus on any mission they got thrown into that day, but it was the downtime moments she was worried about. Would anyone notice the difference in their body language? Would someone witness them having another long eye contact moment? What if Jim gave her his little love struck smile that made her blush in the way she hated so much?

Eh, we'll be fine, Chris thought as she walked out of the door. Its not like her and Street were going to suddenly be jumping each other every five seconds. They were going to be adjusting from friends to being in a relationship, which already sounded kind of weird to her. A good weird, but weird nonetheless.

When Chris pulled into work she headed straight to the locker room, as per her normal routine. She figured, since today was intended to be a headquarter day for 20-David, she would take advantage of the downtime and get some training in. Hopefully Tan would be up for hopping in the ring with her.

"You sure do have a way with the ladies, huh, Street?" Tan teased through laughter as Chris walked in. She glanced toward Jim with an intrigued smile and upturned eyebrow. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"What'd he do now, another night with a woman he had 'no idea' was married?" Chris joked, earning chuckles from Deacon and Tan, but a simple squint from Street.

"Smooth guy over here cut off an older lady on his way to work today. She got so pissed off she followed him here and threw her grandson's bologna sandwich at him," Luca explained with a wide smile.

"A bologna sandwich?" Chris asked with a laugh, not entirely believing she heard the right thing.

"Yes, a freaking bologna sandwich," Street answered slightly annoyed. "I didn't even know people still let kids eat bologna anymore," he mumbled as he shuffled through his locker.

"Oh, she didn't. She clearly thought you'd enjoy it for breakfast though," Tan quipped, erupting in laughter as he caught the shirt his teammate had thrown at him in response.

"Come on, Street, you could've at least chosen the grandma with the kid who liked BLTs," Deacon joined in. Chris smiled shook her head as she opened her locker. There really was never a dull day with this team.

Hondo entered the room with a bright smile on his face. "Alright y'all, change of plans. It's looking like a patrol day for us. We're headed downtown and we'll split up when we get there. We got Tan and Luca, and then Deac and Chris. Bologna Boy," he addressed Street as he widened his smile and pointed in his direction. "You're with me - can't have you pissing off any more old ladies," he laughed.

Street humorously flung his hands up and shook his head. Nothing like being the subject of a roasting session at 7 AM.

"We're out in 20," Hondo instructed, moving to his own locker. The team continued cracking jokes on Street as they got ready to leave HQ.

"We're not really sticking with the Bologna Boy nickname today, are we?" Jim asked as they all made their way out of the building.

Hondo glanced back with a laugh. "I might stick with it all week!"

Jim looked next to him and made eye contact with Chris as she chuckled to herself. He playfully squinted at her, making her laugh a little more and shake her head as she looked forward. Street sighed and shook his head with a soft smile. One of these days he wouldn't be the butt of the joke.