Chapter Text
Part 1: the one with the pancakes
Tonight, Street left LAPD SWAT HQ for the last time. At least as a member of 20-Squad. With all his stuff in the bag that he was wearing over the shoulder. He knew that one day, he will be back around for whatever reason. Today had been his last mission with the squad that made him become a decent, respectful, growing up man and the trustworthy officer and leader that he was now. It was the end of an era but the family that they had been building over the years was forever. Swallowing up the miles that separated him from Chris and their cozy home on his bike, he couldn’t stop from feeling this knot in the throat and thinking about this last moment there with Tan in the yard.
Even though he knew that he had taken the right decision. That he was moving in the right direction and that becoming a team leader to 30-Company was clear and obvious in his mind, he was still sad to leave 20-Squad and LAPD because they saved his life on so many levels. Without all of them, he probable didn’t have the magic life that he had now. He wouldn’t probably be living the dream as he was. He would be still under his mom’s spell and might have been fired from police force after numerous complaints about his belligerent mood.
When he opened the door of the apartment, the first thing that he saw was Chris asleep in the sofa. Almost every time that his shift ended late, she was trying to wait for him. Most of the time, she failed and collapsed of fatigue in the sofa, either with a book, her computer or the remote control of the TV. But he did appreciate the fact that she was willing to see his face and share a kiss before going to bed. He smiled at the view and put his stuff on the ground. It was already so late. He will tidy all of this tomorrow morning. All he was dreaming about right now was a hot shower and a good night sleep.
He put his helmet on the little table next to the door, took off his jacket and removed his shoes. It was finally the weekend. All the emotions that he had been through within the last 24 hours drained him to the bone. Seeing Jones, his first mentor, falling and dying under his eyes, leaving he brothers and sisters from 20-Squad to be there for 30-Company, starting a new professional chapter by being a leader and saying goodbye to the team he will be forever grateful and thankful for. He just needed some time off, thinking about nothing and enjoying simple life. Spending relaxing time with Chris, doing nothing or the bare minimum. Going for a run or just walking along the ocean and enjoying the landscape. Anything to escape for a few days that hurricane that knocked him down since this morning.
And everything of this started with going and kissing his favorite person in the world even though she was deep asleep in the sofa, rolled in a blanket but still half uncovered. He walked closer to her on tiptoe and dropped a kiss on her cheek, making her move and turn the head in his direction.
“You’re home.” Was the first words she said, eyes half opened, still sleepy. “How was your day?” She whispered, rubbing her eyes.
“Was ok.” He whispered at his turn. “Will tell you later about it. Go back to sleep, babe.” He kissed her once again on the cheek.
“There’s some enchiladas and empenadas the girls did in the fridge. Insisted to make some more just for you. You’re quite popular at the safe house.”
Finishing her sentence, she rolled over the blanket and felt back to sleep. Street took another blanket at the other end of the sofa and covered her. She was obviously not ready to go to bed to end the night. He looked at her sleeping for a few more minutes until his stomach reminded him that he was hungry. He walked to the kitchen, opened the fridge and found a large box with a post-it “For Jim” on it. He recognized Rosalia’s handwriting immediately. She had this way of forming the J letter like no one else. He told her when he helped her to write motivation letters to get a waitress job in one of those fancy LA restaurants.
He grabbed the box and placed the post-it on the door of the fridge. Opening the Tupperware, he found plenty of salted sweets, ready to be eaten. He took some of them, put them in a plate and placed it into the micro-oven. He enjoyed the moment when it was getting hot to prepare his stuff for his future bathroom getaway. Clean clothes, towel, shampoo and soap. The ring of the micro-oven brought him back to the kitchen. So did the smell.
He ate some enchiladas, enjoying their spicy, flavorsome taste while drinking a beer. Everything around was calm that it contrasted sharply with the foolishness of his work day. In the background, Chris was sleeping and smiling. He had no idea what she was dreaming about but seeing her like this made him smile too. He was the luckiest man. Karma had finally come back his way and for the first time in his life, he was living a relationship where fear and anxiety had never been around. Of course, Chris and he had arguments. Most of the time for stupid and insignificant things but it was normal for a couple. A few hours later they apologized admitting how crazy that they had been. And they didn’t talk about it again, unless to make fun of it.
He cleaned the dishes and put it everything back in the closet. Then walked to the bathroom. On his way, he turned back and went to the sofa instead. Chris was still there, sleeping.
“Hey, babe. You should go to bed. You’d be more comfortable than on the sofa, you know.”
She mumbled something inaudible and ended with a semi-convincing “mmmmm”, letting Street doubtful. He would do what was needed in case she didn’t wake up to go to bed. This time, he walked up to the bathroom. Shower was screaming for him.
[…]
When he got out of the bathroom, Chris was still sleeping in the sofa. She hadn’t moved an inch from where she had been 30 minutes ago. He smiled. Day must have been exhausting for her too. He walked to the bedroom and tidied his stuff in the closet. Then undid the bed and went back to the living room. He knew what he had to do. First because Chris would be better sleeping in bed and second, because he couldn’t imagine spending a night without her by her side.
He uncovered her delicately, feeling goosebumps running over her skin to the contact of the fresh air. At the moment, he was about to take her in the arms, he realized that she was holding something tightly against her. He grinned when he got what it was. She was sleeping with one of his tee-shirts rolled like a ball in her arms, the tee-shirt that he had been looking to go to bed tonight after his shower. Seeing this gave him one more reason to ask her to marry him. It was so adorable to see that she was so attached to him that she had to press one of his clothes to sleep when he was not around. He dropped a kiss on her cheek and carried her to the bed.
“What’s happening?” She asked a little bit scared, rubbing her eyes.
“You’re boarding Street express. Arrival scheduled in bed in 15 seconds.”
She giggled, half awake and nested the head against his chest and placing her arms around his neck.
He lay her down in the bed delicately. Barely there, she rolled on her side, placing her head on the pillow and pressing tightly against her the tee-shirt that had not left her hands. He turned the light off and rushed to lie down next to her. It was the best reward that he could ask for after a day like this. He passed his arms around Chris’ waist and cuddled against her. Few minutes later, he felt asleep to the coconut smell of her shampoo.
[…]
Days off passed in the blink of an eye. They went back to work. They had talked a lot during the weekend. About his new job, his new teammates, how he was missing 20-Squad. She found the right word to comfort him. She had been at his place two years ago. Not for the same reason. But she did too let 20-Squad behind her to pursue her life purpose. It had been a difficult time of her life but she was happy with this choice. And 20-Squad might not be her job anymore, 20-Squad was her family and she saw all of them on a weekly basis. Hikes with Tan and Cabrera, Powell dining at home, going for dinner to Hondo and Nichelle’s or Deac and Annie’s, hanging out at Luca’s place like old times. They were a part of her daily life, just by messaging them for any reason possible.
He went back to LBPD 30-Company peaceful. He was gonna make it. Change was complicated but good. What was stressing him out was that he hadn’t found the perfect moment to ask her to marry him. He called Tan the other night while Chris was in the shower to ask him tips. His best friend’s only answer was to do it when he felt it. This was how it worked with Bonnie when he asked her to marry him in SWAT yard. Nothing was perfect, but he just knew that it was the perfect timing.
“Just hoped it ended differently.” He ended bittersweet.
“Hey Tan!”
Street jumped, hearing Chris popped in the living room, drying her hair with a towel, still in underwear.
“What are you two planning again? No more hotdog eating contest. Cab and I hated it. Why not paintball or one of those wind tunnel free fall simulator?”
She vanished in the kitchen saying this, letting Street some moments to get his composure back.
“Damn, ‘twas a close call! See you this weekend. Cab will be here?”
“Yes, she’s coming. Asked her today and she’s into it.”
“See you then at the usual hiking point!”
“See you there, bro.”
Tan hung up and Street was no further ahead. “You’ll feel it”. Easy to say. Of course, he felt that he wanted to marry Chris but still, there was some rules to respect to ask your better half to tie the knot! He spent the rest of the night to watch TV with Chris, absent-minded.
The next days, he tried many things but all failed: he proposed to go on a picnic but Chris didn’t feel like it. She was tired and wanted to relax at home, he wanted to have a walk on the beach but it was pouring outside. He tried to surprise her at the safe house but it ended in a pizza night with the girls that celebrated Carla’s first job, not that he didn’t like spending time with them, but at this precise moment, it was not what he wanted to do. He eventually opted for doing it at home. It was one of the safest places where they could be alone.
He woke up early on a Sunday morning and began to prepare a brunch for them. The plan was easy. He put a lot of food on the table and came last with a plate full of pancakes and the ring would be hidden in between them. He started his mission more than determined to lead it successfully.
When she woke up, she found him in the kitchen, cooking. The table was full of food. Enough to feed the two of them for at least a whole week.
“Someone’s coming for lunch?”
She surprised him and he turned, the face covered with flour.
“We need more flour and eggs for pancakes.”
“Good morning to you too. And no need of pancakes with what we’ve already had.”
“No, no, no. We need them.”
“Babe, we have enough. You’ll do pancakes another day. Let’s already eat what’s on the table.”
“No, no, no, I want to do pancakes. I’ve too.”
“What’s this obsession with pancakes??? You’re becoming a drag with this. You know what you’re missing eggs and flour, let’s go to the supermarket now.”
“Don’t have my bike, it’s at Darryl’s garage for repair. You can give me a lift?”
“Anyway, let me get dressed and we go. I still don’t get your obsession with pancakes. Really. But anyway.”
“You can’t get it.”
Street’s answer made her furious. She got dressed and they left the apartment ten minutes later. The car drive was only 10-minute long but seemed like an hour. The atmosphere in the car was tense and both of them remained silent, getting impatient to get to the grocery store.
Chris parked the car in Walmart parking lot. She was still boiling over the argument that Street and she just had over stupid pancakes. She knew that he was like her at the moment as he remained quiet. Something that was barely happening around Jim Street.
“You can go and get your eggs and flour now.”
Her tone was colder that she wished it had been.
“Come with me.”
“Oh please, J. It’s eggs and flour, think you can find your way here on your own while I’m waiting in the car.”
“Just come.”
“You’re becoming really impossible. There’s no need to be two to get eggs and flour. It’s not even heavy or whatever. Just go and come back quick so we’re back home. Fácil de hacer, dios mio.”
“Oh come on, Chris. You can just come with me. It’s like 10 minutes and we’ll be back in the car. Just come, come on.”
“What’s so important? You’ve already been to the grocery store by yourself. You don’t need me, this is ridiculous. Anyway, you’ve been weird like this for days now. What’s this about? Just talk and we move forwards. Loco de no hablar quando cuando pasas todo el tiempo chateando...”
“Marry me!” He screamed, letting her speechless.
“What?” She asked a few seconds later, when shock was passed. It was the latest thing that she thought she would hear this morning.
“You heard me well. Marry me, Christina Alonso. Let’s do it. Since I’ve met you, my life has been upside down. I was a carefree, obnoxious, a jerk guy believing that life was not worth it. A guy who burnt the candle by both ends. I was insolent, impulsive, because I thought my crappy childhood defined who I was. You taught me that it was not the case. That I could be someone good, someone reliable. That I could become a better person. A person that I never thought I could become. You’ve made me who I am, you’re a part of me. Without you, I’d be in LA badlands, fighting with low-life criminals, still patrolling and looking for any trouble to entertain me because my life would be empty and senseless. You’ve been giving my life a purpose. You’ve been teaching me boundaries and respect. And the most important of all, family. That you’re not defined by your blood family, you’re defined by the family you chose, blood or not. And I want you and I to be family. With or without kids, dogs, cats or whatever. So, Christina Alonso, would you agree to take me as your husband?”
She remained silent for a while. Astounded by the speech that Street had just told her. Did he just ask what he just did? She never wondered if she wanted to get married at some point and still, when she opened the mouth, without any control on it, only one sound got out of it.
“I do.”
First surprised by the simplicity of her words, she felt a smile drawing on her face and her squishy cheeks filling. A feeling of unimaginable bliss taking over her body. She was cold, she was warm. Her cheeks became red. She felt shivers all along the spine. She had just said yes to Jim Street.
“You do?” He asked, both astonished and moved by the answer that he had dreamed to hear for years and never believed would happen one day.
She nodded the head, not being able to say anything else. Her smile was so large now that she could have played the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland. Impossible to hide the overload of joy bursting inside her mind, heart and body.
“Great… Great…”
Tears rolled over his cheeks. He was also out of words. His dream girl had just agreed to marry him. Him and no other person in this world. He was the lucky one. Too bad for you, boys and girls, she chose him over anyone on this planet.
She looked at him rummaging in his jacket pocket, wondering what he was doing.
“So I think you need this…”
He handed her a thin golden ring. Minimalist but she noticed the little detail above it. A tiny dolphin form was on the top of it.
“The … It…” She was crying too.
“Can I?” He asked.
“Yes.”
She offered him her left hand. With softness, he placed the ring around Chris’ finger. Then looked at her, grinning, unveiling his dimples.
“You know that I’m not taking your name, right?”
She joked to encourage each other to let go of all the stress of the day and push the tears rolling down their cheeks.
“Never ask you too… But I could…”
“Shut up. Wait… This is why you’ve been so weird those last few days???”
He nodded, a sheepish look on his face. She laughed and bent to kiss him with passion and tenderness. As a promise for the future.
“And now let’s go, we need eggs and flour. Those pancakes won’t make by themselves.”
She teased him before getting off the car, letting him inside, smiling like an idiot, looking at the most important person of his life walking in direction of the grocery store entrance door.
[…]