A Fan's Take

Now or Never

Author's Note: To all Stris fans; (or as I like to call them: Stris Army)

Have you ever wondered what happened inside of Chris' head to finally push her into Street's arms that faithful night? You know! The night your neighbors jumped out of their skin when you let out that high pitch scream of triumph as an innocent Wall paid the price? Yeah, that night! May 2022!

Well, this is my take as to how and why Chris ended up at the door!

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She watched as the cloud of smoke dispersed into the LA afternoon sky...wondering what on Earth had she done? Did she lose him once and for all? Was this it?

RRRRRUUUUUMMMMMM

The sound of the motorcycle speeding away from the parking lot meant much more than him leaving the area. It was the sound of loneliness, desperation, panic...the sound of 'done'.

"Tell me you don't love me!" she heard his angry voice, over and over and over and over...his eyes searching for her like a sniper's bullet directed to its target!

She couldn't escape the guilt, no matter how hard she tried. Fear, darkness and panic took over her, as a wave of melancholic loneliness swept over her soul. She could feel her feet itching to run after him, sweat of nervousness crawling down her spine, a tight knot forming in her trachea, a sudden pain shooting from her spine all the way to her brain!

But, she couldn't move. She stood motionless, watching Jim Street roll away and...never...look...back!

I can't! I can't! I...just...can't! I can't fall for this guy! I gotta think of myself. Focus on my life!, she thought purposefully, aiming at controlling the urge to run after him.

Sigh.

She could not allow the dampness in her eyes to fully develop. No! There was no way she would make a fool of herself. Not there. Not then! Period.

Deep breath.

She shook her head violently once, demanding herself to get a grip. She was still an officer, even if she had handed in her badge. In that place she had a rep to keep up and she was not about to lose everything now. No! She had to leave with the same dignity she worked so hard to get.

With a heavy heart, she got into her car and drove out. Silently. No music, no distractions. Only the thoughts of his voice, his giggle, his whispers...the sight of his dimples, his lips...

"Get a grip! Geez!" she demanded loudly, angrily.

She grabbed the steering wheel tight, grinded her teeth with wrath! She was so disappointed at herself, letting all this drama affect her the way it has. She was better than this...she had to be!

You know what? To heck with it! I'll go and celebrate my new life...I don't need anyone. I'll take myself to dinner! Yeah! A huge burger and a shake!, she thought confidently, smiling to herself and nodding her head.

She was determined to have a good time... somehow, someway! She turned on the radio to silence the thoughts in her head and hummed to the music.

After a short while, she arrived at the half full parking lot of her favorite burger place. She walked in, noticing just a few tables left unoccupied. Most were filled with hungry customers and young people.

She directed herself to the big half moon shaped bar, at the far right of the diner. Four TV screens up above the bar counter showed several games at once, while a bartender attended the busy area. She headed on to her favorite spot, eyeing around as she took off her leather jacket and placed it around the back of the chair. The bar only had a handful of chairs open, even though it could easily seat more than a dozen people. One group in specific was cheering loudly, staring at a particular screen. By their expressions, she was guessing they were Latinos and they were probably watching a soccer match. She didn't want to focus on that side of the bar though, especially after noticing one of them was signing the bill with his left hand.