Firstly, I just want to thank everyone for the support for this fic. Some of the comments have really made my week and I appreciate all of them so much!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that the wait after the cliffhanger wasnât too painful!
PS The middle pic could be a shot from a scene in this chapter!
After a hiatus that got a bit out of hand, I am finally posting again! Uni deadlines got the better of me but I am officially finished! I am now determined to post all of this fic before the adult world steals me away! This chapter is a bit longer, and also one of my favorites! Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments, they really encouraged me to return to posting again!
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
This is very random but do we have any idea how old Tim is??? Or like any more on his backstory??
Dear anon, the timeline is a mess, it is better not to think about it or your brain could explode. As for his back story I do hope we learn more about it.
An earlier chapter this week to help us through the rest of the hiatus. In this chapter, Lucy meets an old friend and ends up stumbling across something she will soon wish she had never seen.
Huge apologies for the delay but Chapter 2 is finally uploaded! I have changed my mind about the Sunday schedule due to having many deadlines and work commitments this week and not wanting to let people down. Instead, I will do my best to post weekly, although the day might not be consistent, just until life settles down into some sort of normal routine again. I hope you understand and thank you very much to everyone for your kudos, comments and reblogs!
On the bright-side... I hope you like this version of Tim!
Iâm back with a new fic! Uni is still a stress but this has been fun to write. First chapter is up already and more will be posted every Sunday evening between 10pm and 12 am GMT. I hope it helps people get through this mini hiatus!
also Iâve been missing Pitch so much again that I think I made Angela and Timâs friend Mike Lawson đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸
Letâs leave
We canât! We just got here.
So? They wonât miss us, itâs packed.
I think our FRIENDS would miss us. Iâm very miss-able, ty. đ Another 20 minutes ok?
Fine
đđđđđđđťđĽ°đĽ°đĽ°
Lucy slips her phone into her pocket, looks up to catch Timâs gaze a few tables away. His face gives away nothing but she swears she can see a twinkle in his eye, maybe notices him eye her outfit appreciatively, gaze passing over her long hair that sheâs left down in waves, before he turns back to Angela, Harper, and another TO from the neighboring division.
Because theyâre not supposed to be eyeing each other. Theyâre a secret.
Which is hot in its own way. The stolen looks and sly glances, the torturous countdown until they can finally be together and touch and kiss and get their hands all over each other. Staying perfectly professional all day at work and then ripping each otherâs clothes off the second she gets to his place. Â
She was the one who mentioned they should keep it between them while their relationship was still new, and Tim had readily agreed. But itâs been more than a month now and he hasnât said anything about telling anyone, not Angela, not Harper, or going public at their usual cop bar after work so everyone is clued in. Lucy tries not to take it personally, knows he might need some time before declaring to the station heâs seeing his former rookie in a romantic sense. And sheâs sure she is thankful for the reprieve from any sly comments or knowing looks, whatever assumptions people will draw written all over their faces when they look at her. But the thing is, sheâs prepared for them, even steeled herself against them the second she decided to be with him, when she finally let those butterflies in her stomach fly free the moment he kissed her.
Only Jackson knows because of course, if sheâs spending nights away from her bed, her roommate is going to notice. It was only logical to clue him in and make the secret keeping a lot easier on herself, and to enjoy his reaction since he said heâs shipped it for like, eight months now. Not to mention the knowing glances he can toss Timâs way which annoy the hell out of the senior officer. (âI just donât like a rookie knowing my business.â âFormer rookie. And would you rather I leave every night?â â⌠Fine. He can know.â)
But maybe Timâs not ready to officially go public yet.
Which, is fine, she can wait as long as he wants. Thatâs not whatâs important, whatâs important is them and this thing theyâve embarked on, and spending time together and being with each other, crystal clarity dawning on them more and more that this is who they want to be with for a long, long time. But she sure wishes she could just walk over and sit by him, lean against him, maybe hold hands under the table because she knows heâs not a PDA kinda guy. Maybe flirt a little and slip out early with a lame excuse with all their friends knowing exactly what theyâre up to.
Sheâll just have to wait a little longer for that.
She sits squeezed into a booth with Nolan and Bailey, with Jackson at her side so she doesnât feel like a third wheel. Thankfully going through Henry and Abigailâs wedding decor choices makes for great entertainment and she barely even notices by the time their first drinks are empty.
âI gotta get going, but Iâll get refills,â she offers.
âWhat, already?â Nolan says. âCome on, weâre off tomorrow.â
âI know, but Iâm meeting a friend,â she says vaguely, ignoring Jacksonâs sly smile and moving towards the bar when she sees an opening in the crowd. âBRB!â
~~~
âWhoâs that guy flirting with Chen?â
Tim tells himself he turns to the bar at a normal and totally reasonable speed, but maybe heâs kidding himself because he swears his neck hurts from turning at the speed of light. Sure enough, Lucyâs at the bar waiting for refills talking to some tall brown haired guy who is looking a little too animated to just be exchanging pleasantries or directions to the bathroom. He knows Lucyâs chatty, but what the hell could they be talking about for so long, two strangers at the same bar.
Thereâs no need for so much unnecessary chatter.
âOh, thatâs Palomaâs cousin,â Angela says, craning her neck around Tim to look at the man in question. âShe said heâs bunking with her a few weeks until he finds a place. Heâs hot. Chen should go for it. Girl needs to get some.â
Their friend Michael just snorts into his drink, used to Angelaâs comments from them all being rookies together. Tim just shakes his head at her, frowning for a reason that Angela doesnât know yet. Angela rolls her eyes, assuming itâs because sheâs commenting on peopleâs sex lives again, or lack thereof.
âWhat?â She shrugs. âDonât be such a prude, theyâre not our rookies anymore. Plus, I know you guys are friends. If no one else is going to ask her out,â she gives Tim a pointed look, âthen he should.â
âYeah, Bradford, you guys are friends,â Harper echoes from across the table, amusement dancing in her eyes, a knowing smile on her lips as if sheâs daring Tim to challenge that statement. Harper was Timâs point of contact when Lucy was UC on that op when sheâd missed her check-in, he knows she probably read too much into his panic and protection for his former rookie.
Well, she read into it absolutely right but heâs not gonna tell her that.
âI- letâs- this is why I need you around more, Mike, so we can talk about the Rams instead of peopleâs private lives,â Tim emphasizes, knowing heâs deflecting and hoping it works.
Thankfully, Michael isnât at the same station as them to have a stake in team chenford and falls for the bait. âHey, youâre welcome to come drink at our bar, buddy, the best chili fries in the state.â
Angela points at him. âThey are good. But our beerâs better.â
âItâs not better, Ange,â Michael says, offended.
âItâs so better, isnât it, Tim?â
Tim just nods, staring at the television installed on the opposite wall and pretending to be very interested in the local weather report, mostly so he can keep Lucy in the corner of his vision. Sheâs got her platter of drinks from the bartender by now but Palomaâs cousin, whoever he is, just keeps chatting and Lucy keeps smiling and nodding.
âOoh, heâs gonna check out her ass as she walks away, look!â Angela says with a laugh. And sure enough, they all watch as the stranger smiles one last time at Lucy, watching appreciatively as she turns and walks back to her table.
Michael shakes his head in mock disappointment. âWhat can I say, we menfolk are a simple people.â
âAinât that the truth,â Angela laughs, pushing aside her empty drink and reaching for her phone to text Wes.
âHeâs wearing a necklace,â Tim comments, shaking his head in disgust, remembering the derogatory comments his former drill sergeant would bark about men and jewelry and it absolutely not allowed in boot camp.
âSurfer,â Michael snorts, and he and Tim share an amused look.
âSo? Thatâs cool, maybe sheâs into laid back beach dudes,â Angela says, coming to Palomaâs cousinâs defense for no good reason other than to annoy him. âYou army guys wear dog tags.â
Tim glares at her, offended and annoyed at the comparison. âThatâs completely different.â
âSure it is, Bradford, whatever you wanna tell yourself.â
Harper still has her gaze on Tim, her wise eyes thoughtful as if she can read right through him. âChenâs great, she deserves a great guy, surfer or not. Been a few months since she and her boyfriend broke up, right?â
Angela nods, filled in on all the precinct gossip like usual. âYeah, the professor. Jackson said it just fizzled after she got shot.â
âProbably not man enough to handle being with a cop,â Nyla says harshly, her opinion of said ex-boyfriend very clear by the tone of her voice.
âYou know thatâs right,â Angela agrees with a look of solidarity at Nyla. âOkay, Wes is out front. Be responsible, guys, make good choices. Nice seeing you, Mike.â
~~~
Timâs not sure how he and Michael make it over to the former rookiesâ table but somehow they have. Itâs the last place he wants to be considering he wants to get the hell out of here and be in bed with Lucy (or on the couch, or against the wall, heâs not specific about the first round once they step foot inside the house), but at least this puts him in her vicinity even if theyâre resolutely avoiding eye contact. Nolan had stopped Michael to introduce himself, saying he looked familiar, remembering that theyâd run into each other once at a crime scene. Of course, who hasnât this guy met in the area considering how damn old he is? But sure enough, with the former rookies is where heâs standing when brown haired surfer guy with a necklace makes his way over to the table, his eyes locked on Lucy.
âHey, Lucy,â he says warmly, a little too warmly for a complete stranger if Tim has anything to say about it, âPaloma and I are headed out, but uh, call me sometime. Iâd love to make dinner for you at the restaurant.â He holds out a business card with a number scrawled on the back, waits until she has no choice but to take it. âGânight.â With a passing nod to everyone else at the table, he takes two steps back, eyes still locked on Lucy, then disappears in the crowd.
âHe wants to make dinner for you?â Bailey repeats, tone excited and overjoyed in that over-the-top way girls are for one another at every little thing.
âI- not for me in particular! Heâs a chef so he makes dinner for the whole restaurant, obviously,â Lucy explains, shaking her head in embarrassment as all eyes at the table are on her. She pointedly ignores Timâs steadfast gaze from where heâs standing behind Jackson, eyes darting between Nolan and Jackson, pleading silently for her friends to save her from the unnecessary attention.
âA man who cooks real food,â Bailey sighs dreamily, âyes, please.
âI cook,â Nolan says quickly to his girlfriend, âeveryone here can cook. Well, wait, can you, Michael? I know Jackson canât.â When he opens his mouth to argue, John says, âSomething made out of real ingredients, Jackson, not out of a box.â
âBoxed food is still real food!â Jackson argues.
âAre you good enough to be a chef at a restaurant in Los Angeles?â Bailey questions, then smiles triumphantly when Nolan falls quiet with no response. âThatâs what I thought. So,â she turns back to Lucy, waggling her eyebrows, rubbing her palms together in animated excitement, âwhen are you going to text him? Definitely not tonight, too soon.â
âWay too soon,â Nolan agrees.
âYeah, Luce, when are you gonna text him?â Jackson joins in on the teasing, having too much fun at his friendâs expense, very aware of Timâs looming presence over his shoulder. And how he can do nothing about it without âfessing up. Â
âI-Iâm not calling him!â Lucy looks around at everyone at the table, her gaze quickly meeting Timâs, catching the way heâs staring at her, expression completely blank. He takes a sip of his beer when she catches his eye, and she quickly looks away in case the others catch her lingering. There are supposed to be no lingering glances, remember?
âAll I did was talk a little about the restaurants Iâve eaten at since heâs new to the area. Thatâs it. Nothing more.â
âNo harm in calling,â Nolan says gently, that overly friendly smile on his face that usually puts the person at the receiving end of it at ease. Lucy is not at ease, though, not right now, not with this conversation, not with Timâs intense stare on her. âI mean, you are single. And heâs not a cop.â
Bailey makes a face and releases a sound of disgust. âUgh, two cops in a relationship. That sounds horrible.â
Seeing the panic on Lucyâs face, Jackson quickly intervenes, âHey, whatâs wrong with two cops being together, huh? It can work.â
âReally? Do share which cop couple is making it work, Jackson,â Nolan says sarcastically.
âI-um,â Jackson shares a frantic look with Lucy at being cornered, then quickly looks up to the newcomer at the table for help, âhey, Michael, whatâs your wife do?â He gestures toward his ring finger, having seen Michaelâs wedding band.
â¨âSheâs a librarian. Sorry.â Jackson grimaces. âThere is one cop couple at our precinct-â
âSee?!â Jackson says quickly, gesturing towards everyone at the table.
âBut they just got divorced after four years, so.â
âOh.â Jackson exchanges an apologetic glance with Lucy and decides to help by switching gears entirely. He happens to glance at Tim, catching his eye inadvertently and Michael sees the look.
âAnd, well, Timâs another statistic about cop marriages. Sorry, bud, but the rooks asked for examples, good or bad.â
Timâs jaw clenches, his eyes focused on the wooden table in front of them, and Lucy is sure sheâs going to burst into tears of frustration and embarrassment any moment now.
Tim was right. They shouldâve snuck out half an hour ago when heâd told her heâd had enough socializing for the night. He was right, he is always right.
âAnyway,â Jackson says frantically, drawing Lucyâs gaze to his, nodding supportively at his friend, âthatâs one precinct in all the world. Hardly enough evidence for a scientific study, Iâd say. Um, so Lucy and me are definitely invited to Henryâs wedding, right, John? I figured we could split a gift.â
âIâll walk you out,â Tim says to Mike, and the two make their way to the exit. He looks back at Lucy before he opens the door, giving her the subtlest of nods to join him before he steps outside.
She grabs her purse, and fishes out her keys, gets ready to make her excuse to leave.
~~~
When she lets herself into Timâs house, Kojo greets her enthusiastically, directing her to the couch so she has no choice but to slip off her shoes and sit down to cuddle with him. She lets out a sigh of relief at being out of that bar, away from that conversation, and wonders if she and Tim will talk about it tonight, or just brush it aside in that way new couples do when they donât want to get to the ugly stuff just yet. Sheâd just been talking to the guy about restaurants, she had no idea itâd turn into such a thing and turn the whole night sour.
âI have got to stop talking to strange men in bars, Kojo,â she tells the dog, and he makes a sound like he agrees. âI was just trying to welcome him to LA, jeez.â
When she looks up, Timâs making his way out of the bedroom, changed into sweats and a threadbare t-shirt, water bottle in one hand as he eyes her with a soft smile on his face.
âHi. Hey. Um... you left the door unlocked.â
âYeah, figured you were a few minutes behind me.â He makes his way to the couch and sits down next to her, leaving a few inches of space, not touching or reaching for her.
She feels the immense gap in those few inches and tries to blink back the sudden rush of tears, to school her face from showing the spasm of hurt she feels. God, she may have dabbled in undercover but when it comes to him, to this, she feels like sheâs constantly wearing her heart on her sleeve, her emotions written all over her face. The conversation in the bar is literally taking up space between them. So, Lucy does what she does best - she talks her way through it.
âSorry. About earlier, at the bar.â Timâs gaze turns to her, blue eyes solemn as he listens. âI wasnât- I didnât know he was going to ask me out. We were just talking restaurants while I waited for drinks, thatâs all.â
âYou donât owe me an explanation,â Tim says slowly, and her heart falls.
Oh.
But she wants to explain to him, she wants him to know. Theyâre together, arenât they? Of course they are. Sheâd want Tim to explain if some woman at a bar dropped off her number. She knows he wouldnât call, heâs too honorable for that, but sheâd still want to hear it, to feel reassured and confident as they begin this relationship theyâre embarking on. Doesnât he want the same? Doesnât he trust her the same way? Does he think she would call or that itâs okay if she does because heâs not serious about this? Does-
She takes a deep breath, tries to calm the barrage of thoughts running through her mind, tries not to regret coming over to his place. But clearly sheâs not in the best headspace she could be in, and she should probably go mope in the comfort and security of her own bed, wait for Jackson to come home so she has someone to overanalyze and agonize over this with.
âI should go,â she says quietly, avoiding his eyes and giving Kojo a few last cuddles. âIâm more tired than I thought.â
She only manages to take two steps when heâs grabbing her arm and tugging her towards him, both of them standing and facing each other finally after a long day of staying professionally apart. Lucy wants to wrap her arms around him so bad, just hold him tight and snuggle into his soft t-shirt but sheâs not sure exactly what to do, if she should.
âLucy? Hey, did I say something wrong?â
âNo, no,â she says quickly, shaking her head to avoid his eyes.
âYou sure? I just meant-â
âIâm not going to call him!â It blurts out of her before she can stop herself, and she watches as he stops talking instantly to listen closely. âOf course not. Weâre together. I just couldnât say anything in front of everyone since you donât want them to know about us yet. Which is fine! Iâm not rushing you, I just donât want you to think Iâm-â
âWait, wait, hold on.â He does that thing where he physically shakes his head a little as if he can clear it that way, rearrange the neatly organized way he used to store his thoughts before an infuriating and honest rookie came in and jumbled up his bland, boring world. âWhat do you mean, me? Youâre the one who doesnât want everyone to know.â
Lucy stares at him, dumbfounded. âWhat?â
He stares at her like sheâs crazy and not keeping up on purpose, like this is a test and he refuses to fail. âYou said you didnât want people to know about us yet. Remember when-â
âYet,â she emphasizes loudly, underlining the invisible word in the air with her hand just in case heâs missing the importance sheâs giving it. âAs in, not right at the beginning when it was new and we were in a fun, secret bubble about it. But itâs been over a month now, and you-â
âI know how long itâs been,â Tim snaps, crossing his arms over his chest in defiance, âbut you were  the one who said it, so I was waiting for you to tell everyone.â
Lucy stares at him, eyes narrowed like heâs saying all this just to annoy her, like heâs the one making this a Tim Test. But heâs serious and intent as he looks at her, so she finally relaxes, can truly feel the stress escape her body as she releases a little huff of disbelief. âI was waiting for you to tell everyone.â
Tim snorts in amusement, shaking his head at her as if this is all her fault. He reaches out, pulling her into his side, dropping a kiss on her forehead. âYou and your brain,â he says fondly.
âHey, donât blame this all on me!â She smacks his chest playfully, glaring at him when he looks down at her. Finally, like sheâs wanted to all night, she wraps her arms around his broad chest, her hands meeting behind his back, holding tight and vowing not to let go until she has to. She just doesnât want to let him go. âIt takes two to communicate, you know.â
âIâm well aware, but figured since you love to hear yourself talk, youâd do the majority of the communicating.â
Her jaw drops open in offense, a gasp escaping her even as he simply grins. Oh, he thinks just because heâs smiling and his eyes are twinkling, that heâs going to get away with that, nope, no way.
âExcuse you, just because I excel at the fine art of conversation doesnât mean-â
Suddenly sheâs swallowing her words and humming in surprise as his lips meet hers. Then thereâs no need to talk anymore, just a need to kiss, because they havenât kissed all day and thatâs just too damn long. Lucy stretches on her tip toes, squeezing him tight where her arms are looped around him, moaning at the way he kisses just like he does everything else in his life - with skill and precision, with attention to detail, with excellence. His big hands cradle her head gently, his tongue probing against her lips, sweeping the corners of her mouth like heâs trying to find all the secrets she hasnât shared yet.
âTim,â she murmurs, clutching the fabric of his shirt, pulling away when she finally, annoyingly has to breathe. She rests her forehead against his own, thankful heâs leaning down so she doesnât have to stretch up as much anymore. âI missed you.â
âI missed you too,â he whispers, dropping one more fierce kiss on her lips, hands still holding her face like he doesnât want to let go. He smiles at her, fingers tracing the apples of her cheeks, his lips still close enough to brush against hers every time he speaks. âAnd I know youâre not gonna call him. I know weâre dating. I know this is good. And we can tell everyone. Iâve had the relationship declaration form for weeks, just need you to sign.â
âYou have?â Lucy perks up at that, smiling at him in outright giddiness. âOkay, Iâll sign. Sooo, next time someone asks me out,â she runs her fingers up his strong arms, wraps her arms around his neck, leaning all her body weight onto him deliberately so he has to adjust his stance and catch her in his arms, âI can say youâre my boyfriend?â She canât stop smiling, the giddiness radiating through her, giving her more of a buzz than all the beer in the bar couldâve.
Tim scoffs at the term, canât help but feel a little too old for it, what with a divorce under his belt and creeping closer to forty than heâd like, but he wonât say anything to dim the smile on his girlfriendâs face right now.
âGo ahead. And stop being so damn nice to people while youâre at it.â
âYeah, I mean, one of âem could be a serial killer or something,â she jokes, chuckling when Tim glares at her, still not quite amused with her serial killer jokes. Lucy ignores him, continuing to smile and not letting let him dampen her good mood.
âAnd I can tell all my friends?â Tim nods offhandedly. âAnd put your picture up in my locker?â
He snorts. âYou have a picture of me?â
âUh, I have tons,â she declares, sounding offended as if he thinks she hasnât been documenting their whole journey together. âYou and me and our dog.â
âMy dog,â he corrects even as she rolls her eyes at him. âSure. Go ahead, plaster my face all over your bedroom wall.â
âEw, youâre not in a boy band, I said locker,â she corrects as if that makes all the difference. âAnd,â she hesitates, looks up at him shyly, making him pay closer attention, âI can sit next to you at the bar sometimes? Hold your hand?â
Tim fails to hide a smile, marveling at how he got so lucky, thanks Grey once again for pairing him up with the hotshot rookie whose spirit he didnât end up breaking after all, sheâs the one who actually fixed him. He drops another lingering kiss on her mouth, lips moving to her ear to tell her, âIâd be honored. Though my hands might be wandering if you look as good as you look tonight.â He lets his hands run through her long hair, down the back of her blouse, cradling the curves of her ass and pulling her into him, grinding her closer so she can feel exactly how much he likes the casual look. âCan we go to bed now?â He doesnât wait for an answer, just resumes kissing her, turning her body towards the bedroom, shuffling her along the hallway.
âTim,â she moans again, arching her neck back so he can feast on her tattoo, trembling as he backs her up against the wall and his big hands slide under the fabric of her blouse, cupping her heavy breasts. âTim,â she repeats, âcan we still make out in your truck when we have opposite shifts?â
He chuckles at her question even as he appreciates the way she looks, eyes glazed with lust, lips swollen, gaze intent as if the answer might be anything but yes. âHell yeah, I like that part.â
âI like that part too,â she tells him quickly. âI like all the parts so far.â
He bites his lip to try and stop smiling, but he fails at it completely, so he bends close to kiss her softly, capturing the moan that escapes her when his hands slide up and down her waist. âI like all your parts too, babe.â
Tim and Lucy have a heart to heart as they admire a rare sighting of the stars. âYou can almost see the stars from here,â Tim noted, trying to make some sort of conversation. He had enjoyed silence on a shift until a certain boot made that impossible. And that quickly made him expect the noise - look forward to it - and now he now missed her constant chatter.
 Lucy looked up at his words, âYeah you can, there must be less light pollution up here.â
 Tim nodded, âYou know I didnât see the stars properly until I was 16.â
Lucy comes to Tim's rescue when he gets injured during a call and it forces them to face some truths.
Â
The tension between them, a tension which was ever present at this point, seemed to rise around them like a gas cloud, making the air thick and hard to breathe. Tim briefly wondered if it was his knock to the head causing the effect and if that would make more sense.
âYou okay, Tim?â Lucy asked, making her way towards him and reaching out her hand to touch his wrist. He flinched at the touch as though she had burned him.
The last time she had touched him, her hand had brushed his wrist to test the waters. It had risen from there, from the respectable contact, to touch his cheek, and then, hypnotized by the look in her eyes, by the stunning dress she was wearing, the alcohol making him brave, Tim had kissed her.
Tim learns that there are perks to Lucy going undercover every now and then.
âThat a new dress?â
âMight be.â
âDo you get to keep it?â he asked, as his hands traced the bare skin of her back. He let his fingertips run up and down her spine in the way he knew she liked and as he predicted, she almost purred in response.
Tim and Lucy are faced with another emergency alert, but this time their lives are very different. How does Lucy's pregnancy change things this time round?Â
They kept the kiss brief for the station, but Lucy felt one of Timâs hands leave her shoulder and land on her belly instead. She felt tears spring to her eyes.
âI love you,â she told him as they broke apart.
âI love you too.â
With a last smile that didnât meet his eyes, Tim turned and was gone.
Lucy replaced her own hand where his had been on her stomach.
When Tim returns late for work, Lucy knows immediately that something has went wrongÂ
âIâm sorry, I didnât mean to wake you, go back to sleep.â Tim apologized before she could speak.
Lucy shook her head, her hand coming up to rest against his chest, âTim, did something happen?â
Tim closed his eyes, no doubt in an attempt to hide his emotions from her, but Lucy knew him too well and they both knew it was too late for that. âI fucked up,â he confessed instead.
Lucyâs hand trailed up from his chest to cup his cheek, her thumb rubbing the stubble that he had rebelliously been letting grow since his promotion. âHow?â She asked.
Tim sighed and leaned into her touch, âI canât tell you.â
Tim and Lucy are still trying to navigate their new relationship, and keep it a secret from their friends, when Tim earns a promotion that leaves them both unsure of where they stand.
âI donât think Iâve ever seen you this drunk, what happened?â
Tim pulled back slightly and counted excuses on his fingers, âShots. Angela and Nyla decided this was my promotion party. Shots. Iâm not as young as I once was. You.â
He seemed satisfied with the explanation and slumped back into her. Lucy on the other hand was not.
âWhat do you mean, me?â
âYou spent the night looking all sexy and singing and giving me those looks and I couldnât do anything about it.â
So I completely forgot to do this but better late than never. Thank you very much for the tag @literali1110
Name or preferred nickname: Emma/ Em
Pronouns: she/her
What's the story behind your username: Not very exciting but I made my tumblr as a young teen obsessed with Harry Potter and Remus Lupin is my favorite character. 72 is my favorite number.
General location: Scotland
Tell us something cool about you in real life: In order to get my degree I get to write about all my favorite shows.
Favorite Chenford moment: 2x11 will always be the number one spot because it was the moment I gave in and joined the fandom rather than casually shipping. But a close second is the âSave me a danceâ scene. We got Tim checking Lucy out and I could write an essay on that pause before he asked her to dance.
Moment that made you start shipping them: I liked them from the pilot but I didnât let myself really, truly start shipping them until the season 1 finale. You donât do a door scene like that for no reason.
Favorite character who isnât Lucy or Tim: Jackson and then Nyla
Favorite Chenford headcanon: Hmmmm this one is hard. Tim is extra cuddly. We know hes a softie at heart but I think Lucy will be surprised at just how soft he really is.
Do you write fics/make gifs/make vids/do something else cool? Youâre awesome! Share your stuff: I write fic on Ao3 under the name ghostfox11. Hunted is my most popular. I also have some one shots on here!
Fic youâre recâing the most right now: This one is hard because I havenât been reading as much recently. Iâm behind on both, but Inevitable and Under Fire are stories that come to mind.
Tag another Chenford fan to fill this out:Â If you see this and no one has tagged you in it but you want to do it then take this as your invitation! Tag me in it and Iâll edit this post to tag you!
If you watch âSafetyâ again, Lucy wants to be like Harper. She specifically mentions Harperâs work in undercover. And Harper tells her to not be like her because Harper is thinking about all she nearly lost. But after Lucy proves herself with that bomber and even does a tiny bit of undercover work for it, Harper says if Lucy wants to be like her she should go for it. But that Lucy should be better than her.
All of this happens before Lucy is abducted. So I disagree with the idea that Lucy wants to go undercover just to avoid her trauma. There were aspects of her liking undercover work before everything with Caleb. And I canât remember the episode but I know there was a point where Lucy said she couldnât imagine staying on patrol forever. She wanted to do something other than patrol. Whether that was being a detective or something else. So if anything, going head first into undercover work is trying to prove to herself that what she went through with Caleb didnât change her irrevocably, didnât deter her from her dreams, but itâs not necessarily trying to hide from it.
Lucy is different from Harper, Isabel, and Mac. For one thing, she doesnât have a family/marriage that she is committed to while working undercover. Yes, she has friends she really cares about. And she is doing a lot to help Tamara. But she doesnât have that permanent responsibility that she has to take on while doing undercover work. She doesnât have to split her focus. She is single. She hasnât made a commitment to anyone. She doesnât owe anyone anything. This is something she can do for now and decide to move on from it later should she ever want to settle down. Part of undercover work is as much as you have to hide a part of yourself from the people you are trying to bring down, you also have to hide a part of yourself from the people you love. And that is not conducive to a good relationship. That is why we saw all of those examples of people in undercover marriages fail.
Now should something happen where Lucy is ready to decide to commit to Tim (God willing), I think sheâll realize that the best way for their relationship to work is complete honesty and undercover work doesnât help with that. Which by that point, she may have already decided to move or be willing to move on or hell, maybe theyâll even find a way to beat the odds and make it work.
But Iâm not going to treat Lucy like she is somehow betraying Tim by choosing to do this work just because he doesnât like it when it is something she really wants to do. Especially since they havenât made any romantic commitment to each other yet. And I donât buy into the idea that this is out of character for her. She likes the excitement of police work. And undercover work is probably the most exciting and dangerous police work there is. If she wants to do it, then I want to see her succeed at it for as long as she wants. And like I mentioned above, there was a hint of it long before this season so it is not out of nowhere.
And I think the aspect that Lucy wants to do undercover work while Tim has issues with it is the perfect element of tension in their relationship. It proves the writers are putting thought into going somewhere with this ship. They are using something that is organic to the characters for issues to arise and keep the relationship interesting. Not the kind of âwe have to find arbitrary reasons to keep these characters apart or break them up every few episodesâ interesting. Just honestly interesting storylines that they will work through and be stronger than ever because of it. They are setting them up for something. Not just leaving them alone and deciding they might pick it up later if they so choose. Because honestly, if they didnât want to cause tension in the Chenford relationship for future story ideas, they could have literally given Lucy any other career path. But no, they chose the one career path that Tim has issues with. If they didnât do this with this very purpose in mind, then they are the type of people who can shoot wide and still manage to hit the target. And Iâve never known a TV writer to be this random. If youâve ever taken a course in writing television, everything is very precisely planned out. From individual episodes to seasonal story arcs to some creators having a detailed plan of the entire series (though I doubt thatâs the case for The Rookie). Iâve known some storylines to be very badly written, but timeline problems aside, The Rookie writers arenât bad writers. They handle their storylines very well.
Iâve been thinking a lot lately about how much character growth weâve seen from everyone on the Rookie in the last three seasons/one year; everyone but Nolan.
Heâs the exact same now as he was when the show started, the only thing about him that has changed (apart from girlfriends) is that he has pivoted from wanting to be detective to TO. Thatâs it.
Angela Lopez has changed her whole life; sheâs changed jobs, sheâs in a real relationship and sheâs having a baby. Being Jacksonâs TO made her a better cop, and a better teacher. Jackson already told her how much of an impact she made on his life, and heâs signing up to be a part of her babyâs life.
Jackson Westâs whole character was torn down and rebuilt. He questioned himself, his father, his ability to be a cop, and what it means to be a cop and a person of colour. Heâs faced personal struggles, issues with both his parents and heâs answered the question about why heâs there.
Nyla Harper joined at the halfway point and sheâs grappled with what her life looks like when sheâs not the hotshot. Sheâs nearly lost her daughter, and her marriage has collapsed. Nyla had to learn how to be part of a team again.
Lucy Chen showed up her first day as the hotshot who made an arrest on her way into work. She looked death in the face and came back. Her kindness and openness were both tested, but she remembered why she picked this job. Lucy grew in ways that changed her. Sheâs more observant now. More sure of herself. More determined than ever.
Tim Bradford was in the middle of a personal crisis when the show started. So stuck in his own head that he couldnât picture a life not on patrol, or how to let Isobel go. Because of what he lived through, Tim is ready to move on. Heâs ready for more. He believes in himself now, in a way he didnât when the show started. He understands himself better now.
For all the inconsistencies and weird timelines, this show really commits to character growth. Thatâs where it shines.
Disclaimer: I totally understand why some people are hurt or angry and view it as bait. I think I am just very lucky in my fandom experience that these sort of things are more teases in my eyes because Iâve never had the ship not go on to get together.
This may be controversial but I actually love that they did the trailer the way that they did. It created such a great buzz on social media, including with Eric and Melissa too and that in itself was a joy. The ratings are also up this week and Iâm not saying its definitely related but I do think it helped.
It also shows that they are more than aware of the chenford love. I do think that they knew we wouldnât fall for it. It was too out of the blue and chenford arenât there yet. However, they are playing to us and that means more content for us.
Knowing that the scene was coming also changed how I viewed the episode. It was more obvious that it was fake, whereas if we didnât know it was coming, there would have been just that hint of doubt thanks to Melissaâs excellent delivery. This way I could laugh at Ericâs facial expressions and just enjoy the moment.
Itâs a moment that will definitely get called back to when these two finally get together. And that will happen. I am sure of it. As long as ABC keeps picking us up for new seasons that is because this is a slow burn people... thereâs gonna be more lows that will make that final high all the better!