SWAT Short Stories

[Stris] You Will Never Be Alone (post 5x06)

"You will never be alone," she whispered before planting a firm kiss on his forehead.

*General*

"You want me to take you back, kid?" Hondo asked as the staff began to fill Karen's open grave with dirt.

Before Street could answer, Chris had stepped forward and answered for him.

"I got it," she told her boss.

Hondo looked her over and glanced at Street for approval.

The younger man nodded slightly to let his boss know he was okay.

The team shared final goodbyes and sympathies with Street before he stepped back towards Chris to let her know it was time to go.

Chris wasn't exempt from a few concerned and odd looks from her teammates during that time either. She didn't have it in her to care now, though; her focus was on Jim.

The two made the walk back to her car in silence. When they both arrived, Chris waited for everyone to leave before turning her attention toward him.

"So," she started to get his attention. "Are we going back to HQ or to your hiding place at Long Beach?"

This definitely got his attention. No one knew about Long Beach except for Buck.

"How do you know about Long Beach?" He asked her seriously.

"You forget that I know you better than anyone," Chris told him as she started her car and headed towards the Long Beach exit.

"It's a 45-minute drive, you know?" Jim told her as she merged onto the interstate.

"I'm aware," she responded without as much as a look his way.

"And Luca's going to be home soon and making assumptions."

Screw the assumptions, Chris thought.

"Is this you telling me you don't want to go?" She asked him.

"No," he said flatly. "But I am confused about how you even know about that spot, much less the entire drive from memory."

Chris sighed. Today was not the day she expected to tell him this.

"I went to see Buck when you went undercover; I was worried. He told me I might find you there, but I never did. I've gone back a few times since. You picked a nice spot."

"I'm from Long Beach, remember?" Jim told her to lighten the mood. He could see the conflict on her face at her admission.

"I do believe I'm the one who gave you the Long Beach nickname for that very reason," Chris remembered with a fond smile.

---

"You wanna tell me the story of this place?" Chris asked Street as they strolled down a quiet beach barefoot. "Buck told me the place but not the story behind it."

"There's nothing really to tell," he told her. "Buck took me here a few times as a kid; I know he's from Long Beach, but I don't know how he found this place. When I started patrolling the area, I started coming back more after shifts to let my mind wash away with the waves. I guess I never grew out of it."

"I can see why. I've been coming here for a year now," she admitted to him.

Jim didn't want to press her further on the issue, so he settled on a small smile to let her know he was happy his place was now theirs.

"I've spilled a secret, so now it's your turn," Chris said with a nudge in his direction. "What's on your mind, Long Beach?"

Street thought the question over for a moment. A better question would have been what wasn't on his mind.

"I don't know. What's supposed to be on your mind after burying your mother from a drug overdose three months after you risked your life and career to give her half your liver?"

Chris stopped in her tracks and grabbed his hand.

"Can I ask you a question, and you give me an honest answer?" She asked him seriously.

"Of course," he replied and squeezed her hand.

"Do you want me here right now?" She asked seriously. "Because I feel like you're giving me enough to keep me appeased, but I know you too well. If I'm intruding on your grieving or anything like that, just tell me, and I'll go."

"I always want you with me, Chris," he answered sincerely.

The two of them continued down the shoreline, hands clasped firmly, until a bench appeared near some rocks, and Jim tugged her to sit down.

Night had fallen, and they sat in silence, watching the moon shine over the tide rolling in.

"I keep asking myself why I was the one Street that made it out alive," he admitted to her softly.

"I've asked myself the same question for years, and the only thing I've come up with is a combination of fate and different environments. We got an education and a career that gave us another family to influence our lives," she paused. "Not that it's any comfort."

Jim thought over how to phrase his next question intently. He didn't want to scare her away.

"Why did you come with me tonight? We've been fighting for days now."

She recalled their argument two days prior quite vividly.

"I know what it's like to bury a parent," Chris reminded him. "I agree that my actions before tonight haven't been the best, but my intention tonight was pure. I wanted to at least delay that inevitable feeling for you. That feeling of your life never being the same again while the whole world just keeps going. That feeling of being alone in your grief. I wanted you to know that you don't have to feel those things alone."

"Does it last forever? The grief thing," he asked her.

"Unfortunately," she told him. "Some days are better than others, and sometimes intrusive thoughts will take you right back to today."

"How do you do this every day?" Street asked with a mixture of a chuckle and a sigh.

"Therapy, for starters. And people like you make it tolerable," Chris said honestly.

She let go of their intertwined hands and wrapped her slender arm around him as best she could before pulling him into her shoulder.

"You will never be alone," she whispered before planting a firm kiss on his forehead.

Jim looked up at her with the most love in his eyes that anyone had ever seen.

"Thank you."

Chris stood up and offered her hand back to him once again.

"I think it's time to rejoin reality," she sadly told him.

"Can I come sleep on your couch for the night?" He asked her. "I'm not ready for that grieving alone thing quite yet."

"I'd love that," she told him. "But you're coming to sleep in my bed next to me. So call Luca and tell him I'm dragging you to a sleepover and will return you tomorrow."

-----

[written 11.13.2021 - edited 4.3.2022]

You can consider them whatever you like in this one but it's canon for post 5x06. I know a lot of people have theories about them seeing each other on the down-low, so I left their relationship open here. This is the first piece I've written in about 2 months that I'm actually proud of. It was also written in one sitting so yay for Sharna's perfectionism healing for the moment. But don't hold your breath; I have finals in 2 weeks. We have a 3 week break until 5x07 so enjoy this until then. <3 -Sharna