here is a link to my educational philosophy and view of the child. if you do not like children, dni. I am an early childhood educator and a parent, and therefore I do not condone bad-mouthing children or promoting how much you don't like children.
that being said, my fics are GOING to involve children and pregnancy. your media consumption is your responsibility. I do not interact with those who don't like children, and if you come into my ask box spewing hate about children, or my fics including children, you will be blocked and reported for bullying. thank you.
⋆˚࿔ Warnings: angst, mentions of divorce, breakups, lots of references to Hadestown and The Odyssey (can u tell what i’ve watched the past two days), happy ending i promise!!
⋆˚࿔ A/N: i hope you guys enjoy!!!
I've been having a hard time adjusting
I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting
I didn't know if you'd care if I came back
I have a lot of regrets about that
Florence knew that coming home would be hard. She had been gone for nearly 6 months, which is the longest you and her had ever been apart. Even while filming Thunderbolts, which also took about the same amount of time, she was able to fly home at least twice a month to see you, and you were able to fly out and see her a few times. This time, however, due to the filming locations, it was harder for you to fly out. Not only that, but you had a job, as well as yours and Florence’s daughter, Isla to take care of.
While she understood this, it didn’t help that she missed you two terribly. She missed you guys so much, that she debated pulling out a few times. The closest she had ever gotten to pulling out was when she got the video you sent her of Isla taking her first steps. You two were at a park, and Isla had pulled herself up on a large rock, and was looking towards the camera with that mischievous smile you claim she got from Florence. After a few moments, Isla lifts one tiny leg, and puts it in front of her, and steps away from the rock. She only took about 3 steps in the video, but once she had lost her balance and plopped down on her diapered bottom, she giggled, and clapped, the biggest smile Florence had ever seen on her little face. Florence cried the first few times she watched that video, and had even drafted an email to her agent, but ended up scrapping it, knowing it would affect her and the film negatively if she pulled out, and she could be blacklisted.
So, she waited it out. It was hard, the hardest thing she’d ever done, and every single day, she wished she was at home with you two, instead of on a movie set. That feeling lasted until she stepped into the house after finally getting home, and seeing you come around the corner, dropping the dish towel you had been holding, and running to her. She held you tighter than she ever had before, feeling so relieved to be home, and not away from her girls anymore.
However, that feeling quickly evaporated, when Isla, now 20 months old, and much more toddler like than baby like, came around the corner. Florence had pulled away from, gotten down to Isla’s level, held open her arms, and said “Hi bubba!”, and all Isla did was stare at Florence like she had no idea who she was, and then burst into tears, reaching for you, instead of her.
Pulled the car off the road to the lookout
Could've followed my fears all the way down
And maybe I don't quite know what to say
But I'm here in your doorway
At first, it did sting, she won’t lie. She grew Isla. She suffered through severe morning sickness, exhaustion, aches, pains, and gestational diabetes, in order to create this beautiful little girl that she shares with you, so yes, it did sting that Isla now suddenly wanted nothing to do with her. But, rationally, she knew that Isla had grown a lot, physically, emotionally, and developmentally, so her little girl had changed, whether she liked it or not. So, she, foolishly, thought that all she would have to do is jump back into being her daughters care taker, and everything would be fine.
Oh, how silly that thought was.
Quickly, Florence realized her daughter had changed. And on top of that, nothing Florence did for Isla was right. She gave her the wrong cup, picked the wrong bubble bath, moved the wrong stuffy at the same time. One morning, she had made some steamed broccoli for Isla, and put it into her omelette, as prior to Florence leaving, that was your daughters favourite breakfast. Now, it made Isla scream and attempt to detach and throw the suction cupped plate off of the high chair in disgust, only calming down when you came in, made her some cereal and milk, and removed the offensive omelette from her sight.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” you’d said, with a sigh tinged with annoyance. “She’s going through a big egg and soft veggies aversion right now. So no eggs, and only raw veggies.”
“Oh,” Florence had replied, full of regret and a bit of shame. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
You’d shrugged, as if that simple sentence you’d uttered hadn’t made Florence feel like she was in a strangers house. “Its fine. It’s my fault, I should’ve just made her breakfast, you deserve to sleep in.” Florence didn’t even get a chance to respond to that, as you’d put the milk back into the fridge, and walked away.
That is when Florence also realized something else had changed, too. Whenever Florence did something wrong in Isla’s eyes, you rushed in and fixed it, giving Florence an explanation in a tone that, day by day, had more annoyance in it. Florence knew that the distance had been hard on you too, but she didn’t understand why you kept getting more and more annoyed with her, especially when it was over simple things like the colour of a cup that Isla wanted, or the type of lotion they apparently buy now.
And, it wasn’t just to do with Isla. It was everything. You got annoyed when Florence took Billie for a walk, you would get annoyed. If she took the initiative to decide what was for dinner (something you used to love), you’d get annoyed. If Florence even tried to help out around the house at all, you’d be annoyed, and it was starting to annoy Florence too, because all Florence was trying to do was help, try to be the wife she used to be to you again, and to Florence, it almost felt like you were pushing her away, or looking for something annoying enough that would justify ending the relationship.
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
Florence knew it was irrational. That it was just her anxiety speaking to her, and filling her mind with lies. But also, she now dreaded being home. She hated relaxing because then she felt like a shitty wife, but then she also hated trying to do housework, because she felt like she was annoying you. She also hated being out, because then she wasn’t at home helping with Isla, but its also not like Isla would even want to come with her, and you most likely would say that Isla can stay home. The only time that she didnt feel like this was when you three would take Billie on a walk together, and everything would feel normal, at least for a bit.
But then, reality would set in, and the dread would return. She felt like she couldn’t audition or say yes to projects, because that could potentially mean leaving you two again, therefore causing you to have even more resentment for Flo, but also, she felt like she couldn’t stay home, as you were insistent that Isla stay in daycare, and any attempt of Florence’s to assure you that she can watch Isla was met with an excuse about wanting to keep her with her friends. As if phones and social media didn’t exist, and they couldn’t just arrange playdates or something.
She wanted to talk to someone else about this, see if she was in the wrong, but then she felt like she was betraying your trust, which she vowed to never, ever, do. She even made a Reddit account, with the intention of posting on Am I The Asshole, but then remembered that all those stories get posted elsewhere, such as a Smosh on YouTube, and she didn’t want to risk it getting posted there and it getting back to you somehow. She did, however, tell her therapist about it, as he was the one person who legally couldn’t tell anyone about it. Somehow, that made her feel worse.
But her therapist, who she always jokes, is her right hand man, betrayed her and told her that if she was having these feelings and thoughts, to do the one thing that Florence felt like she couldn’t do.
Talk to you.
They told me all of my cages were mental
So I got wasted like all my potential
And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad
I have a lot of regrets about that
Because the thing is, Florence knows she’s not completely innocent in this either. She is able to admit that during all of this relationship and parenting turmoil, she may have not been quiet, and just let you talk to her like that. She has always been outspoken, and its one of the things that you absolutely adored about her. How she never hid how she was feeling, and was always willing to work things out. However, now, those feelings were directed at you, and while she tried to be the bigger person, she wasn’t perfect, and slipped up.
Some days, the tension was too much, and when you’d say something in that tone, she’d respond. It was never rude. She never yelled. But instead, she got a little snarky with it. A “Okay, it was just a question.” Or a “I’m sorry, you never told me, so therefore, I didn’t know.” She never put the full blame on you. Even though sometimes she wanted to. Even though she wanted to yell. To scream. To grab you, shake you, and demand to know why the actual fuck you are treating her like an outsider in her own home. The home SHE pays for, and the home that she could easily kick you out-
No. No.
She would never. She knows she would never. If anything, if it came down to it, she would offer to leave, and transfer the house into her name. Because no matter how frustrated she was with you, how angering this whole situation was, she would not put you out on the street, when you are the love of her life, and you are the mother of her child. And no matter how angry she got, she would never do that to you.
But she can’t deny that she’s getting tired of walking on eggshells.
I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere
Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here
Pourin' out my heart to a stranger
But I didn't pour the whiskey
She debates going to a bar, getting a drink, and just ranting to the bar tender. To a stranger. To someone who might just understand while being removed enough from the situation, from their family, to understand and be objective.
She didn’t like that. Referring to you, Isla, and her as a situation.
Because at the end of the day, you were much more than a “situation”. You two were her family. Her nice, soft place to land. Her safe haven, and her Eurydice to her Orpheus, in this hard world.
Which made it hurt just that much more when she realizes that you two, that your marriage, is not okay.
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
She can’t keep avoiding this.
She can’t just keep burying her feelings, and expecting that everything will work itself out. Because she knows that’s not how the world works. But she’s scared. She hates seeing you cry, and knows that you absolutely will cry when you two have this inevitable conversation. But she is also infinitely more scared of losing you, and cannot hold out any longer.
At least I'm trying
When the truth comes out, it comes out brutally. She knows the ‘trendy’ thing to say right now is that the saxophones got louder, but she didn’t hear them. Instead, she heard that fuck ass piano playing those tragic notes after Orpheus turns around, sending Eurydice back down to the Underworld. She hears Odysseus plucking his bow, and she feels not like Penelope, but Antinous.
God, she wished she felt like Penelope.
And it's hard to be at a party
When I feel like an open wound
It's hard to be anywhere these days
When all I want is you
You're a flashback in a film reel
On the one screen in my town
“Baby,” She’d said. “Can we talk?”
You nod, having just walked into the room from checking on Isla. “Yeah, of course. We can always talk.”
Florence almost laughed, but stopped herself. “Really? Is that so?”
You paused. “What?” You asked, almost pretending you had no idea what this was about.
“Really?” Florence scoffed. “You know what.”
Your breath caught, and the tears began to well in your eyes, but she stayed strong, despite the siren song in her heart telling her to go to you, to hug, kiss, and forget about this.
“No, I don’t.” You confessed, and when Florence looked at you, she could see that you truly didn’t know anything was wrong. That should have made her feel better, but it didn’t. Because your marriage was not doing good, and it shouldn’t have been just Florence noticing things.
“Baby,” Florence began. “You’ve been icing me out since I came back.”
“No.” You insisted, turning to leave, but Florence stopped you.
“No, look at me.” You turned around instantly, and she continued. “You have. You have been icing me out of our marriage and our daughters life since I got back. I understand that Isla doesn’t recognize me right now. Id been gone nearly half a year, and a few moments a day on FaceTime is not the same as being here. But I’m trying. I am trying so hard to be her mom, and you won’t let me.”
You looked bewildered. “What do you mean? Of course I let you-“
“No, you don’t.” Flo cut you off, released your arm, and sat down on the bed. “You swoop in whenever I try to do things. You know exactly what she needs, but won’t tell me. Won’t let me learn. You don’t tell me what’s changed until I’ve already screwed it up. Like with the milk, the diapers, and the lotion. With the bath bubbles, with the omelettes. I can’t do housework properly either. I wasn’t here for 5 months, and I’m not a mind reader. I can’t just look at her crying, or you being frustrated, and magically know what’s wrong, and how to fix it. How to do things the way you want. And I’m sorry about that, but I also need a little bit of grace here. I just spent 5 months filming in the desert, and my body is still adjusting.”
You went to open your mouth, but Flo cut you off again. “If you make a snarky comment about me ‘enjoying my vacation’, we are going to have a big issue.” She said firmly, and you promptly shut your mouth. “You have been incessantly snarky and snappy with me. I am exhausted. and I know you are too, but this,” She gestured between the two of you. “This cannot continue. I cannot continue to feel like a stranger in my own home. Like I am walking on eggshells. Like you’re going to leave me, and take Isla with you.”
Your head snapped up at that. “No, I’m not-“
“Baby, I know-“ she began, but you cut her off.
“I swear, I would never!” You began to panic, and as much as Florence wanted to stop it, she knew you needed to get it out. “I-I’ve just been so in my head, with not having you here, having to work full time, then come home, do all the cooking, cleaning and parenting, and not even get a break in the middle of the night. And I know you’re absolutely exhausted, and I’m trying to make things easier on you, and I’m tired too, but not as much as you are, and I’m just trying so hold to holding things together, and I feel like I’m failing-“
Florence cut you off by standing, grabbing you, and pulling you in for a hug. Your legs buckled as you sobbed, and she followed you onto the ground. “Its okay.” Florence whispered, barely holding her own tears back. “Its okay, baby. I know. I know, you’re so tired. You’re trying so hard. But you have to realize you don’t have to do it all anymore, okay? I am your wife, and the mother of your child. My exhaustion from working long days doesn’t mean I don’t have the ability to do housework, to stay home with our daughter, or be your wife. it means I have more energy to do those things. I want to do those things.” She pulled back and brushed your wet cheeks. “All I need you to do is let me.” She said, resting her forehead against yours. “Can you let me?”
You nodded, choking out another sob. “Y-Yes. I’m sorry.”
Florence shook her head, and tilted your head up. “None of that. No more sorries.”
And then she pressed her lips to yours.
And I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying (And maybe I don't quite know what to say)
I just wanted you to know
That this is me trying
A week later, everything had changed. You two were happy. Isla was happy, and was learning to trust Florence again slowly. Your marriage wasn’t perfect, it never would be, but you two communicated much more than you had before the talk. You let her help. You explained how Isla had changed. How she liked to fill up her own water bottle now, because her teacher at daycare let her once, and she hadn’t stopped ever since. How she’s not the biggest fan of Bluey, but adores Blues Clues. How she had started taking an interest in the potty, but thought sitting down for .2 seconds was a valid attempt. How she slept better when she had a snack before bed.
Florence didn’t feel like a stranger anymore. She didn’t feel like Antinous. She felt like Orpheus, when he sees Eurydice again. And again, and again. She feels like a wife, like a woman in love. Whole.
Florence had known it would be hard, but just like Orpheus, she would do it over and over again just to come out the other side together, stronger, even if it took her a lifetime.
Because you two, you and Isla, were her safe place to land.
i'm so sorry i got distracted with the littles last night!!! the chenford fic was great!!! i've always known you're a great writer but i was just reminded of it!!! i love it so much!!! it's so amazing !!!
omg bestie don’t even worry i figured you got busy!!!! but i’m so glad you loved it, i was so nervous to post it lmao
𝐚/𝐧: all stories in this collection are based on different taylor swift songs, most of them inspired by @natashasera and i comparing characters and people to taylor's songs lol. all of these are one shots and stand alone fics. can be read in any order and wont be posted in order!
betty - college!chris evans x reader
the very first night - peter parker x michelle jones
the moment i knew - post endgame!steve rogers x bucky barnes
come back...be here - steve rogers x bucky barnes
sad beautiful tragic - post endgame!steve rogers x bucky barnes
the last time - post endgame!steve rogers x bucky barnes
mad woman - natasha romanoff x carol danvers
epiphany - post catws!steve rogers x bucky barnes
august - hookup!august walker x reader
exile - ex husband!henry cavill x reader
coney island - post endgame!steve rogers x bucky barnes
willow - bill weasley x reader
gold rush - fred weasley x reader
never grow up - elizabeth olsen x daughter!reader
this is me trying - ex!florence pugh x reader
seven - amy march x reader
illicit affairs - 1940!steve roger x bucky barnes
invisible string - jaeden martell x evans!reader
peace - steve rogers x peggy carter x ofc!daughter
hoax - bucky barnes x reader
london boy - tom holland x reader
i think he knows - dr. strange x reader
the best day - miley cyrus x daughter!reader
all too well - quentin beck x reader
i know places - bucky barnes x reader
ours - bucky barnes x reader
hey stephen - peter parker x michelle jones
the lucky one part one - natasha romanoff (no pairing)
the lucky one part two - sharon carter (no pairing)
the way i loved you - hermione granger x ron weasley
the weight of the world (atlas has abandoned his post)
⋆˚࿔ Pairing: Lucy Chen X Tim Bradford
⋆˚࿔ Warnings: lots of emotions, me figuring out how the fuck to be an author again, Chenford
⋆˚࿔ A/N: omg heyyyyyy so sorry for the like multiyear delay. also sorry for sounding like a typical AO3 author by saying that a lot has happened irl since I posted here, including a narrowly avoided divorce and me nearly dying due to pneumonia looool. anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter and that I haven't lost my writing abilities LMAO
The next morning, Tim’s eyes opened, and just like every morning since the night he fucked everything up with Lucy, he rolled over, and was greeted with her side of the bed. Cold, and empty. He squeezed his eyes shut, giving himself one last second to relish in the dream he had where Lucy was here, not mad at him, and his once more, before he forced himself out of bed, and into the cold hallway. Kojo, noticing his dad was leaving the nice, warm, and dark bedroom, looked up for a brief moment, but then seemingly decided that moving wasn’t worth it, and settled back down. Tim huffed a noise of amusement.
“Wish I was a fuckin’ dog right about now.” Tim muttered to himself as he pressed the power button on his phone, only to be blinded by the brightness, and the clock which read 5:00am. He turned the brightness down, sent Lucy a good morning text, and then pocketed the phone, as he approached Tamaras door. He pushes it open, and to his surprise, Tamara is mostly ready. Her hair is in a bun, leotard and tights are on, and she was in the process of pulling on her warm ups, but seemed to have gotten her head stuck in pants.
“Tam, you do realize that those are your pants?” Tim said, slightly amused. Tamara stops struggling, and then lets out a very quiet, and very tired “no.”
“I thought it was my wrap.” She whispers. Tim chuckles and walks forward, helping her remove her head from her pants, find the actual ballet wrap, and put it on properly.
“Why are you getting dressed in the dark?” Tim asked, and Tamara shrugged.
“I don’t know. It feels too early to have the lights on.” She whispered. “Can we just get food on the way to the studio?”
Tim laughed. “Nope. You had Taco Bell for dinner last night, I am making you a full, and proper breakfast.” He turned to walk out the door, and smiled at the groan that Tamara let out.
“It was just two tacos! That barely counts as a full meal from Taco Bell anyways!”
—————
An hour and a half later, Tim has inexplicably found himself holding a pointe shoe, elastic, and a needle and thread, and despite the very quick and somewhat vague instructions from his daughter on how to sew them, he was making some good progress. He was currently focused on tying the knot at the end of his line of stitches, and was so focused that he, Tim Bradford, did not hear someone approach him on the bench, and take a seat next to him.
Which then resulted in him getting the fright of his life when he hears Lucy’s voice come from directly beside him.
“You seem very angry at that needle.” His favourite voice in the world said softly from beside him, which caused him to jump, stab himself in the hand with the needle, and drop the pointe shoe.
“Jesus Christ, Boot!” He exclaimed, taking a breath, and picking up the items he had dropped. “You can’t sneak up on me like that, especially when I have a weapon in my hand!”
Lucy laughed. “Okay, first of all, not your Boot anymore, and second of all, you can hardly call a tiny little sewing needle a weapon.”
Tim just rolled his eyes at that, as he tried to not think about how he wanted to kiss that sass out of her mouth.
“What are you doing here, anyways?” Tim asked, moving onto the other side of the elastic. “You worked last night, you should be at home in bed.”
Lucy shrugged. “I always stay and watch her dance on Thursdays.” She responded. “Even though its not my custody day, I figured it would be fine since there’s nothing in the agreement that says we can’t see her when she’s at the other parents house.”
“You’re right.” Tim said. “I just figured you’d want to take the opportunity to get some sleep. Or, were you worried I would forget her again?”
Lucy scoffed. “Really? You’re gonna sass me? We were having a nice conversation. Our first normal one in weeks, mind you.”
Tim shrugged, focusing his attention on the shoe. “Seemed like a plausible option, considering you seem to think I’m irresponsible and can’t take care of a teenager.”
“Tim, I never said that.”
That made Tim look up from the shoe, and look into her eyes. The same eyes he’d stared in many times before. The same eyes he wiped while she cried, the same ones that he watched her heart break through when he ended things. He was being an asshole, he realized, and he needed to stop. He had already lost her once, and he was in great danger of not getting her back.
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” He admitted. “I’m lashing out, and you don’t deserve that.”
Lucy opened her mouth to respond, but just then, the door opened, and Tamara came running up the stairs to the viewing area.
“Mom! Did you see it? Did you see my triple?!”
Lucy, despite the fact that she absolutely had NOT seen their daughter do a triple pirouette, immediately smiled, and stood up to pull Tamara into a hug.
“I did, and it was the best triple I have ever seen. Im so proud of you.” Lucy pressed a kiss into Tamaras hair, just before Tamara pulled back. “IS your private done?”
Tamara nodded. “Yeah I’m gonna go shower quick.” And took off back down the stairs.
“We’ll meet you in the lobby!” Tim called after her.
“‘Kay!” Tamara yelled back a moment before the door closed behind her.
Lucy then turned to Tim, worry written all over her face. “Did you see her triple?”
Tim smiled, and held up the pointe shoes. “Nope, but at least I’ve got a solid reason. You, ma’am, however, are a big fat lying liar who lies.” He retorted as he walked out of the door, leaving Lucy there, desperately searching her brain for a comeback.
“Yeah, well… You forgot her last night!” Making Tim laugh out loud for the first time since their break up.
————
Twenty minutes, and some very weak comebacks from Lucy later, they were stood in the lobby, when the door to the change rooms open. Tamara came running out, headed right towards Tim, and took her pointe shoe from his hand.
She turned the satin and cardboard shoe over in her hand, inspecting it, and said “Wow, you actually did it right.”
Tim’s mouth fell open, as he stared at his daughter, aghast at what she had the audacity to say. “Hey! I’ll have you know I’ve sewn things before!”
Lucy huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, your comforter when Kojo chewed it and you were too cheap to buy a new one.”
“It still counts!” He shot back.
“Okay both of you,” Tamara yelled, as she handed Tim her bag and headed towards the door. “I’m hungry and have classes to attend. Lets go.”
“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever.” Tim said, as he hoisted her dance bag up higher and followed her out. “Lets get food into you before you turn into your mother.”
“Hey!”
————
Five minutes later they still haven’t left. Mainly because Tim is trying to load his schedule for the next week on his old iPhone 11, and Lucy was busy brushing out Tamaras hair.
“This stupid thing won’t load.”
“Yeah, because your phone is ancient, Dad.”
Tim shot her a look. “Well, phones are expensive.”
“You make $94k a year! I think you could spare $1k of that to get a new phone that works.” Lucy joined in.
“Hey,” he said, his finger pointed at her. “Don’t you start too. I can still blue page you.”
“No you can’t.” Lucy responded, in a sing song voice.
“Shut up.” Tim huffed, which made Lucy laugh again. God, he will never ever get tired of listening to that laugh fro as long as he lives.
“Can you two stop flirting for two seconds and consider that your child is wasting away from hunger?” Tamara cut in, and Tim debated being defensive, before, like Kojo this morning, deciding it wasn’t worth it, and just closed his mouth.
“Im sorry, honey. Do you want Tim to stop on the way to school to get you food?” Lucy asked, which caused Tim to raise his arms in a ‘what the fuck’ motion, to which Lucy responded, “What? My custody time doesn’t start until tomorrow at 3:30. Technically, you gotta feed her.”
“Actually, can we go out for breakfast together?” Tamara asked, eyes full of hope, which made Tim pause, and look at Lucy.
He wanted to say yes. More than anything, god, did he want to say yes. But, he knew he couldn’t. The yes had to come from Lucy. Which, he knew wouldn’t happen, considering she was still mad at him. But, knowing all of this didn’t make the no any easier to hear, even if Lucy had valid reasons that weren’t ‘I don’t want to be around your Dad right now.’
“No, honey, I don’t think that will work today. You’ve got school in an hour, Dad’s gotta get to the station, and I gotta get home to sleep.” She said. Tim watched as the hope in Tamaras eyes disappeared. “Im sorry, love. Maybe we can all go out for dinner tomorrow? Im off, so is Dad, and you don’t have dance?”
Tamara just nodded, and gave her mom a quick hug before climbing back into the truck. “Okay. You’re right, I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Tamara then reached out, grabbed the door, and slammed it closed.
Lucy winced. “She’s mad at me now.”
Tim shook his head, and stepped closer to Lucy. “No she’s not.”
“Yes she is.”
“No, she’s not.” Tim reiterated. “She’s tired, hungry, and not wanting to go to school, like any other 16 year old would be. I’ll get some food into her and get her off to school, and shell be as right as rain.”
Lucy groaned as she turned and walked off. “God, you’re such an old man.”
“Im gonna take that as a compliment!” He shouted after her.
“Its not!”
————
Tamara was absolutely mad.
Any of the food options that Tim suggested were met with a very short and attitude filled “No.” She also refused to look at him, looking out the passenger side window instead.
“Look, Tam, I’m sorry we didn’t get to go out for breakfast but-“ he began, but then was cut off by Tamara.
“That’s not what I’m mad about!” She retorted.
“Okay, so then what was it about?” Tim asked, glancing over at her.
“Nothing.”
“Well its clearly something if you’re sitting her giving me attitude about it.”
“I’m not giving you attitude!”
“Oh, yes you are, but I’m choosing to not get upset because you are clearly struggling.” He said. “So, tell me what is going on, so I can fix it.”
“You can’t fix it.”
“Oh yeah, try me.”
Tamara sighed before she spoke again. “When I asked to go out for breakfast together, I didn’t mean we had to go to a diner or a sit down place or anything like that! I just wanted to spend time with both of my parents when they weren’t yelling at each other or talking about custody things! I just wanted to have some greasy McDonalds breakfast from the Drive Thru while my parents sat in the front seat, and I could pretend, for one second that you two are back together, and are happy. That’s all I wanted, but Mom shut it down without even letting me explain!”
Tim sighed. Tamara was right. She had never specified that it had to be a sit down restaurant, and Lucy did immediately shut it down, which wasn’t fair to Tamara.
“I’m sorry.” Tim said calmly. “You’re absolutely right. Mom should’ve let you explain, and I’m sorry you didn’t get a chance to.” He explained. “And its also not fair to you that we are going through this rough patch. I love your mother, Tam. I really do. I am doing all that I can to prove to her that I can be the partner she deserves, and that I can show up for you, and be a good dad. And unfortunately I’ve made some mistakes along the way, and so she doesn’t have a lot of trust in me right now, which means she doesn’t want to be around me. And I don’t blame her, I never would, but also we should be thinking about you. One day, we will be back together, and we will be happy. I wish more than anything that that day was today, but I have to do this on your moms terms, okay?” He said, as he put the truck in park in front of her high school.
“Okay.” She said as she gathered her things. Tim reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20, and handed it to her.
“Here. Get yourself something to eat, okay?” She nodded and took it from his hand, shutting the door behind her with less force than before.
Tim waited until Tamara was in the building, then texted Gray, letting him know he’s running about an hour behind, but will be there as soon as possible. He then threw the truck into reverse, and headed in the opposite direction of the station.
He was going to fix it, and he was going to fix it today.
————
Lucy must have been looking out the window when he pulled into her apartment parking lot, because the second he pressed her unit buzzer, she was already buzzing him in.
He went in, got up to her floor, and walked in without knocking.
“Why wasn’t your door locked?” He demanded, and Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Because I saw you walk into the building.”
“You should still lock your door.”
“Will you get to the point? Or do I have to sit here on the edge of my seat until you’re done with your cop rant?”
“Technically, you’re a cop too, so its just a-“
“TIM!”
“Okay okay!” He said, raising his hands. “Im sorry, getting to the point.” He followed Lucy over to her couch and took a seat aross from her, bracing his elbows on his knees. “Tamara is not happy with us.”
“Yeah, I kinda gathered that when she slammed the truck door in my face.” Tim shot Lucy a look. “Sorry.” She responded. “Why is she so mad?”
“Because she wants us to be back together, and happy. She wasn’t requesting we go to a sit down meal or anything, she just wanted in her words, to be able to sit in the car with both of us, eating a greasy breakfast from McDonalds, and pretend, at least for a bit, that we were together, and happy, and a proper family.” He explained. His heart then broke as tears welled up in Lucy’s eyes, and he slid closer to her.
“Goosey-“ He began, using the nickname he used to use on her, but she cut him off.
“Don’t!” She snapped, and stood up, facing away from him. “Don’t call me that.”
Tim leaned back against the couch. “Why not?”
Lucy whipped around and looked at him, tears dripping down her cheeks. “Because it makes me feel like I’m yours again!”
Tim leaned forward. “Is that what you want?”
“I don’t know!” Exclaimed Lucy. “I love you. I love you more than almost anything in this world. The only thing I love more is our daughter, who is now mad at me because I keep pushing you away when really all I want is to run back into your arms and pretend like the breakup never happened!”
Tim stood up from the couch, and slowly approached Lucy. “Goosey, if that’s what you want, you know that all you have to do is say the word.”
Lucy shook her head, but let Tim approach her. “I can’t.” “Why not?”
“Because what if you push me out again? I can’t do that again.”
Tim grasped onto Lucy once he was close enough, and pulled her close, so her body as pressed against his.
“You can trust me when I say that I will never, ever, push you out again.” He said quietly, staring into his favourite pair of eyes. “I have been so, so miserable without you. I don’t want to do life without you. I don’t want to just be coparents. I want to be a family. I want to be your boyfriend.” He said, leaning closer to her. “Wait no. I don’t just want to be your boyfriend.”
“T-Then what do you want?”
Tim cleared his throat, and smiled. “I want to be your husband. I want to be yours, forever. I want to vow to love you through sickness and health, until death do us part. I want to be a family again. To have you and our girl in the same house. To have babies with you. I want everything. But,” he said. “You have to want it too. I don’t want to do this if you don’t want this too. The yes has to come from you, Goosey.”
Lucy broke eye contact, and looked down, sniffling.
“Lucy?” He said quietly, and she looked up. “Is it a yes or a no?”
A beat passed, and then Lucy leaned in, and pressed a kiss to his lips. His hands tightened on her waist, and he pulled her back, walking backwards until his legs hit the couch. He sat down, pulled Lucy down with him, and maneuvered her to sit on his lap. They broke apart a few minutes later, when Tim thought he was in serious danger of passing out, and pressed his forehead to hers.
omg hi uh so i may or may not have completed writing my first chapter of a fanfiction in like 2 ish years and posted it on AO3. i’m gonna post it here too but i just gotta do the formatting so anyways new chapter of Chenford in like 10 mins?
bestie oh my gosh hi i don't know if you've listened to taylor's new song for toy story but i just saw a steve and bucky edit to it and it hurt (also it made me think of you immediately!!)
omg bestie i meant to answer this and completely forgot 🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ but omggg i think i saw the same one and thought of you too!!!!
