𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 » chris evans [✓]

𝐱𝐱𝐢𝐢.

Two squad cars and an ambulance with their lights flashing caught Chris's attention as he, Max, Hope, and Detective Fowler pulled into an abandoned, dimly lit parking lot. Only one car accompanied the police vehicles, and his heart fell into the pit of his stomach as he immediately recognized who the driver was.

But as much as Carly's betrayal both hurt and mystified him, Chris couldn't dwell on it. Not when he still had no way of knowing whether Faith was still alive.

Detective Fowler unhooked his walkie-talkie from his belt and hopped out of the SUV, shutting the door firmly behind him. Chris was on the passenger's side and so he rolled the window down to speak to the older man. "Jack, can I come with–"

"All three of you are staying here." Fowler cut him off before he could finish the rest of the sentence. "My guys are trained for situations like this, and the last thing I need is for anyone to get caught in the crossfire."

The use of the word crossfire was about too much for his bundle of nerves, but Chris simply nodded and rolled back up his window. He had no idea how the police were going to handle the situation. What if Derek had a gun? What if Faith was hurt?

After taking a few steps away from the truck, Fowler spoke into his radio. A garbled message that Chris could only catch bits and pieces of drifted toward him: "A weapon...need to tread lightly..."

He'd always seen or acted in scenarios like this on the big screen—but where the terror those characters felt was fictional, seeing it unfold in real time was agony. Chris wasn't religious, but tonight he prayed to any deity that would listen, hoping for nothing more than a simple, safe recovery and no one being harmed in the process.

He dug his fingernails into his palm as one of the uniformed officers moved closer to Derek's car, barking out orders through a megaphone. "Everyone inside the vehicle, step out slowly and keep your hands where I can see them!"

The driver's side door opened first, and out came his sister. A bevy of emotions swirled through Chris at the sight, angrier than he'd felt in a long time. It was really clicking for the first time what she'd done...and what hurt the most was that he may never know the real reason why.

From the backseat then emerged Derek, whose expression was unreadable. Immediately an officer wrenched his hands behind his back and slapped on handcuffs. That was more than satisfying to witness firsthand.

And then, finally, out stepped Faith, her hands lifted to the heavens in surrender. A paramedic immediately walked over and placed a blanket over her, leading her to the back of the ambulance.

Chris knew that Detective Fowler had told him to stay put, but he couldn't wait any longer. The weight of the past 24 hours—from his initial terror to now sweet relief at the fact that his love was safe—overwhelmed him completely. Before he could talk himself out of it, Chris flung the car door open and hopped out, making a beeline for the ambulance.

He wasn't sure if anyone had called out for him to stop; not when the only person he could focus on in that moment was the woman who held the key to his heart. When Faith looked up and saw him, it finally seeming to register in her mind what was happening, she stumbled forward to meet him in the middle, their bodies connecting like they had so many times before. Except this time, they held each other tighter, neither wanting to let go. Chris buried his face into her neck, the overflow of his tears wetting her skin.

They rocked side to side, whispering an I love you here and there, if nothing else than to relish in the fact that the last time they'd done so, was no longer going to be the last time.

• • • •

Faith had to endure a two-night stay at the local hospital to tend to her minor injuries and ensure all drugs Derek and Carly had given her were properly flushed from her immune system. Once she was discharged, then began a series of statements made to the county's police department about the circumstances of her abduction as best she could recall. Four days later, long after the Bucks had beaten the Celtics and moved onto the next round, Faith, Chris, and Hope were finally allowed to fly back to Boston.