SWAT Short Stories

[Stris] The Father She Never Had

"You're like the father I never had," Chris whispered into his ear.

*General*

It was a breezy October morning when Chris arrived at Deacon's house. Usually, when Chris came to the Kay household, it was to either see her goddaughter Victoria (and the other children, of course) or to ask Deacon for some fatherly advice; today, she sought the latter.

Chris knocked on the front door loud enough that one of the couple would be able to hear her over all their children, and soon Deacon opened the door for the friend he had been expecting.

"Chris," he exclaimed as he opened his arms for his oldest daughter. "I'm so glad you're here."

Chris smiled and gently hugged the man she looked up to as she stepped into the house.

"Me too," she replied as she looked around. "I think this is the quietest I've ever heard your house."

Deacon chuckled and led Chris towards his kitchen.

"That is because Annie decided to be super mom today and take all four kids to the park by herself."

"Brave woman," Chris chuckled as Deacon handed her a cup of coffee and sat across from her with one for himself.

"That she is," Deacon said with a concerned look starting to creep onto his face. "But you asked to come over to talk about something with me, and, honestly, you've got me worried, Chris."

Chris took a deep breath and thought over her first move as she looked at Deacon.

"Can I ask you to be my fatherly friend, Deacon, and not my coworker Deacon for this conversation?" Chris asked with a stressed look on her face.

"Of course," he replied with a smile. "And whatever it is, Chris, I promise we'll figure it out."

"Street and I are dating," she said bluntly as he finished.

Deacon looked her over with a puzzled face before exhaling loudly and chuckling.

"Oh, thank god," he said, relieved. "The way you were talking, I thought you were pregnant or something crazy like that. Not that we wouldn't have figured everything out, but this is a thousand times better than what I expected out of this conversation."

However, a look of relief did not wash over Chris; in fact, she looked pale as a ghost, like she was on the verge of tears and nauseous all at the same time.

"Chris," Deacon said as he snapped his fingers to get her attention. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

She pondered what to say for a moment before settling on the only thing she could think of.

"That's the first time I've said that out loud..."

Deacon could sense her fear and didn't know exactly what to say to ease her nerves. He decided to attempt to reassure her.

"I know you're scared of commitment, Chris. This was a big step for you, and I'm proud of you for telling me," Deacon said seriously and paused to look her in the eyes.

"I just have one question. Are you happy?" He asked seriously.

"Happier than I've ever been," she replied without hesitation.

"Then that's all that matters," Deacon said with a soft smile. "The rest will work itself out."

Chris took a sip from her coffee, leaned back in the chair, and closed her eyes.

"I had always hoped you would one day open your heart to the love he has for you. It's been there from day one."

Deacon's statement brought Chris back to the present, and she smiled at his words.

"You knew all along?" She asked but said it as more of a statement.

"From the minute he walked through those SWAT doors," he replied. "I knew that if Street came by Buck's recommendation, he'd be a good one, especially for you. And after I saw you fight so hard to get him back on SWAT, I knew he was the one for you. I think you knew all along, too; your heart just wasn't ready yet."

"You could have said something, Deac," Chris said as she nudged her friend and nursed her coffee with a smile on her face.

"I could have," Deacon shrugged. "But you wouldn't have believed me. You needed to fall for him on your own without anyone else interfering."

Chris thought over his sentiment as her fears began to creep back in.

"Do you think anyone else knows?" She asked.

"That's hard to say with some of them," he replied. "Annie definitely knows, and I think Tan has his suspicions. Luca knows about Street's feelings, but I wouldn't necessarily say he knows about yours, although you two did just spend a lot of time together in Germany. I think you should talk to him next. He'll be really happy for you two. As far as everyone else, I'd say they probably don't know or at least don't have a lot of suspicions."

"Everyone will know by the end of the week," Chris said with a sigh. "I'm a little worried."

Deacon frowned and put his hand on top of hers.

"You need to take a breath, Chris," he said with a sigh of his own. "I promise that in no real-world will this be as bad as the scenarios you make up in your mind. You've always been a worrier, Christina, and it makes you a great officer, but this isn't a job. This is your life and your happiness; it's just different. The team is going to be ecstatic for you and Street both. The worst that can happen is that you get a little office teasing from the other teams, and you and Street get split up, but I know you're prepared for both of those things, and you two will make it work. I truly believe you two were meant to be together and that everything will work itself out with time."

"Thank you, Deacon," Chris said as she squeezed his hand.

He quickly got up to hug his oldest, and she happily obliged.

"You're like the father I never had," Chris whispered into his ear.

Deacon laughed and pulled away to look at her.

"And you're my weird oldest child who is scarily like me," he chuckled.

The two of them sat back down at the table and continued to chat and sip their respective coffees for a while.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you I passed my sergeant's exam," Chris said with a smile.

Deacon's face gleamed with pride at her words.

His daughter was a sergeant just like him.

[END]

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[written 8.19.2021 - edited 9.15.2021 + 4.3.2022]

Hi. I love the father/daughter relationship between Chris and Deacon, so this piece was born. In other news, I have officially moved to college and completed my first week of class. Class is great, but I'm still getting used to the social aspect of college. I haven't really made any friends yet, and I'm missing my friends from home. I still have several prompts/ideas on my list, and I have 3 days off, so there may be more stories coming your way this weekend. See y'all soon. <3 -Sharna