Libraries and Museums Need Your Support Now More Than Ever
If you have ever visited, attended a program, checked out books and resources from a library or visited a museum please take a moment to read this and support your local library and museum.
On March 14, 2025 an executive order was released to effectively eliminate the Institute of Museums and Libraries (IMLS). IMLS is an independent federal agency that provides funding and supports over 100,000 libraries across the U.S. Without IMLS many programs that are essential to the various communities, especially rural communities, that libraries across the country serve will be forced to end. There have already been news reports from various states and news outlets stating that several programs at different libraries around the country have had to end due to lack of key funding.
In the past the IMLS funding has supported workforce training programs, librarian training programs, Native American Library Services, digitization of fossils and historical records that help to increase access to these resources for researchers, as well as thousands of other programs.
Here are a few things we all can do to help the Institute of Museums and Libraries as well as our local libraries and museums
Sign the EveryLibrary petition to support IMLS. I am linking the website here: https://action.everylibrary.org/eoimls2025
Visit your local library. Check out books and attend various programs at your local library. Also, if you can donate. Even just a dollar can go a long way to support your local library.
Call and email your state and local representatives. Tell them to stop the attack on libraries and museums. Inform them about how much you love your local library and museum and that you want your library system be well funded. After all most funding for libraries comes from county and state taxes. Your local representatives have a lot of power over how well your library system is funded.
If there is an election coming up and library funding is on the ballot, vote to support your local library.
Once again VISIT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY! Seriously, many libraries have to report their circulation numbers and program attendance numbers. The higher the number the more likely the local government will be willing support your library system.
If you made it this far, thank you for reading. Please comment and reblog this as many times as you can. Libraries have done so much to support us and their local communities. Let's show our appreciation and support our libraries back.
Please let me know if you're interested in more content about libraries. Leave a comment about what you love about your local library and museum.
Once again thank you for reading. Have a great day!
Everything I Hold Dear Resides in Those Eyes Chapter 2
Link to the second chapter of Everything I Hold Dear Resides in Those Eyes-
Chapter 2: Days Like This of Just You and Me
Here's an excerpt:
The next morning Tim barely makes it over to Lucy’s apartment before he’s supposed to pick her up due to having to corral Kojo into the car after the dog had a bout of morning zoomies. Tim made the mistake of mentioning Lucy and going on a walk which had sent Kojo into an excited frenzy that had caused Tim to spend an extra thirty minutes to get ready as he tried to get Kojo to calm down enough to put on his leash and get him inside the car along with making sure he had everything that him, Kojo, or Lucy might need for the hike. On his way over he also stopped at one of Lucy’s favorite breakfast spots and picked up some coffee and some breakfast for him and Lucy.
Once he’s parked outside of Lucy’s apartment Tim calls her and decides to put her on speaker phone. Tim is barely able to say hello to Lucy before Kojo starts barking after he hears Lucy’s voice. After a few minutes Tim manages to get Kojo to quiet down again. Tim grabs one of Kojo’s chew toys and gives it to the dog in hopes of keeping Kojo entertained long enough to finish his conversation with Lucy.
When Lucy answers the phone Tim can hear a slight waver in her voice when she first greets him but steadies out quickly.
“Hey, did you eat yet?” Tim asks.
“Does one of Tamara’s cereal bars count?”
Tim snorts and shakes his head. “No, I’m pretty sure that those things hold less nutritional value than just regular cereal. I guess it’s a good thing I picked up some food.”
“Where did you get it from?”
“That is a surprise, but you might want to get out here as soon as you can cause I think Kojo is looking to steal your food.”
Here's another link to the whole chapter over on AO3
Hey, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have made an AO3. You can find me over there going by the same username: Wafflesinthe504. Any fics that I've uploaded over here on Tumblr will be uploaded to AO3 as well. The first few uploads will be from fanfics that I have already uploaded and then new content will be uploaded later.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x22 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
^ Me during this entire episode.
This was easily one of the best finales that I've seen. The only other shows that I've watched have managed to make feel this worried and anxious for the characters during a finale were Agents of Shield and Criminal Minds.
I've been excited for this episode ever since last week when they showed the promo and they exceeded my expectations for this episode. I was on the edge my seat the entire time.
Can I just say how heartbreaking the cold open was. Seeing Celina and Aaron just bonding and talking about DnD was cute and wholesome. Even though I sort of knew what was going to happen I wasn't prepared for how much it would hurt to actually see it. Seeing Celina cover Aaron's body with her own in an attempt to stop the bleeding was so emotional. Lisseth honestly did a great job in the scenes she was in and just portraying the grief and the guilt over what happened.
Everything from Celina fighting to give Nolan the riddle and then staying by Aaron's side as soon as he got out of surgery and trying to encourage him to wake by using DnD metaphors was extremely compelling to watch. Celina was desperate to help in any way possible and I felt like I was just right there next to her during those scenes.
Aaron flatlining at the end leaving him in limbo until the next season will probably be something that just continuously reruns in my head for the next few months until I know he's okay.
When Leah was taken from Nyla and James my heart dropped. I couldn't breathe for a moment, when they found Leah by the tree I was so relieved. For a moment I thought that the Rookie was about go down a really dark path, but I'm glad that they didn't. I don't think my heart would have been able to take it.
I really enjoyed seeing the Luna, Wesley, and Angela team up tonight. It was a lot of fun and interesting to see the three characters together. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that we've ever seen three of them interact with each other at the same time and it was really great to see them all working with each other.
Angela really doesn't know what a break or vacation is does she? She's really over here trying to postpone giving birth in order to solve a case. Can't blame her though considering she managed to succeed with some help. Once everything calms down I would really like to see a chill episode where Angela, Nyla, and Luna all hang out together, enjoy some wine, (and maybe end up solving a case together.)
The fights in this episode were amazing. John and Bailey's fight at their house was so freaking good. At first I was worried that they would make it so that they would just breeze right through the fight and not take any damage, but man I was wrong. I actually felt like John and Bailey were in real danger and that for once they might not make it out alright. It was a really solid fight scene.
And then of course Tim and Lucy's fight scene. Yeah, I will absolutely be going back to watch that over and over again. I for sure thought one of them was going to end being out for the count. They really fought like a dozen people and managed to make it out alive without getting any major injuries. There are just so many things that I can talk about in this scene. Lucy grabbing the shield and pushing the man down the stairs. Tim with the two batons and beating the crap out of people. Lucy throwing someone over the stairs. Tim ushering Lucy to safety.
Everything was just so good, I can't wait to see season 6 and how everything ends up playing out.
Side notes: The Rookie writers are really good with call backs and there were quite a few of them tonight. Aaron getting shot in the back just like Jackson. And us being able to see Wade's reaction to Aaron being shot and how Jackson's death and Aaron's life hanging in the balance are effecting him.
Tim and Lucy's hug was probably a call back to the first time they hugged at Tim's place after Jackson's death. And then Tim saying 'you know me so well.'
(Also can we talk about that hug and the little kiss that Tim placed on Lucy's head. It was so cute and short reprieve from the rest of the insanity going on.)
Overall, I really enjoyed the more thriller/horror vibes of this episode. I wonder if the Rookie will end up doing more episodes like this in the future or if this is just a one-off. With how dark and serious this episode was I wouldn't be surprised that if the storyline ends up being one that lasts for a significant portion of the next season that The Rookie will end up leaning more towards its drama side than its comedy side for next season. At least for a couple of episodes where this storyline is at the forefront. But we'll just have to wait and see.
This was easily one of the craziest and most intense finale episodes I've watched in a while. I was tense the whole episode. It was amazing I don't rewatch things often but I think I might have to watch it again.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x20 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
It's a great day to be back from hiatus.
This episode had a lot of things going on and I enjoyed most of them. Bailey going around town with an old college friend. Aaron acting as Angela's personal assistant. Nolan and Nyla being dragged into helping Skip Tracer Randy. Tim, Lucy, and Isobel teaming up to help someone from Isobel's UC days.
I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I don't think we needed to see Bailey at all this episode. She's not a main character we don't need to see her gallivanting around town with an old college friend. Adding this storyline took away time from the other two cases/ storylines that were going on that were much more interesting and providing actual character development.
Even the fact that her storyline was supposed to act as a sort of comic relief didn't work and wasn't needed because we had Skip Tracer Randy who is more than enough comic relief for an episode not to mention Angela and Aaron also acted as a bit comic relief for the episode.
Short of Bailey actually developing a dependency on alcohol and that causing real tension between her relationship with Nolan and having real effects on them both individually and as a couple Bailey's participation in this episode wasn't needed.
I wish that they treated Bailey as the side character that she is and should be and we only saw when it is actually needed so that her appearance would add something to the show rather than unnecessarily take away time from the other characters/storylines on the show.
Aaron and Angela this episode was a great duo. It was really fun to watch Aaron assist Angela throughout the day and technically get another day of learning what its like to be a detective since he ended up having to attend the meetings for Angela and follow her around everywhere,
The interrogation scene with Angela was so funny. The guy admitting to the crime just to get out of the room.
With Grey telling Angela to go on and take her maternity leave I'm guessing that Angela sadly won't be in the last few episodes or if she is it probably won't be in a major way. Either way can't wait to see her and everyone else in season 6.
The Return of Skip Tracer Randy! Randy may be an idiot, but he's a hilarious idiot. I mean how do you mess up so bad that end up falling on the guy that stabbed and get the blood all over you. I know some people might find his character a bit too ridiculous or annoying, but I love how comical his character is.
I really enjoyed seeing Nolan and Nyla team up again and seeing them have to both solve the case and trying to deal with the agent of chaos that Randy is. Seeing Monica as Randy's lawyer was surprising. Of course Randy ended up getting Monica as his lawyer because other cases he's worked. I loved seeing Monica suffer at having to represent Randy and trying to wrangle him in with no success.
Hopefully, next time we see Randy him and Smitty will end getting a scene together and maybe end up solving a case in the most chaotic way possible.
I do wish that Celina was there to meet Randy and all of his ridiculous antics to see her reaction to him.
Can't wait to see what next week holds for Nolan and Nyla as they work the case that they traded to get Randy transferred over to them.
Tim and Lucy were just the epitome of domestic. Tim cooking pancakes for everyone, Chenford alluding having morning shower sex, and Lucy interrupting Tim's cooking for more kisses was just incredible, love to see it.
Tamara immediately deciding to dig into what Isobel has been doing these past few years and then her showing up at the police station to tell Nyla and Lucy what she found was just iconic behavior.
I would love to Tamara, Aaron, and Celina all just teaming up for some reason to solve a crime or maybe we just see Tamara joining Celina and Aaron's DnD game nights. It could be a cold open where Tim and Lucy have either moved into a new place together and Lucy is visiting and sees the three of them all passed out on the couch with the game board on the coffee table or Tim and Lucy went out for a short vacation and they come back early and come to see the three of them playing a game with them all dressed up as their characters.
Anyways, I digress.
Overall, I actually enjoyed seeing Isobel again and hearing the conversations that Lucy and Tim had with her. I'm glad that Tim was able to get some final closure on Isobel and how she's doing and that he's solidly able to continue moving forward in life with Lucy. And for Lucy I'm glad that she was able to get a real talk about UC work and get a more full perspective about how it can affect her relationships with others and even her relationship with herself.
I think that even though we will see Lucy continue UC work for a while ultimately she'll end up doing something else because she sees just how negatively UC work can impact her relationships with others, but especially Tim. We know that Lucy is a very open and honest person and I just can't see her doing UC long term and being able to maintain healthy relationships with the people she holds dear.
Its going to be really interesting to see how the rest of the season plays out for Lucy and how Lucy's professional storyline plays out in season 6 and how it affects her relationship with Tim.
Most times when Tim and Lucy’s shifts don’t match up Tim finds himself disappointed at the fact they won’t get to spend their down time with each other for the next few days, but today is an exception. So, unless the jewelry store that him and Angela are at get robbed and Lucy is needed on scene as a supervising officer the probability of him running into Lucy today is pretty low.
Tim and Lucy have been dating for just over three years now with a lot changing over those few years, professionally and personally.
Lucy had been a UC detective for two years before deciding that she didn’t want to continue down that path and decided to go back to patrol while she figured her next move. It was only a few months before she decided to take the sergeant’s exam. As soon as she passed the exam Grey, now a captain, tapped her to become Watch Commander for patrol. Tim on the other hand was comfortable with staying as a sergeant despite multiple attempts from higher ups that he was being looked at for becoming the lieutenant over the metro division.
When it came to their personal lives, they both agreed to move in together to a new house since they knew they would need the extra space for expanding their family one day. Tamara decided to stay at the apartment even though they offered to let her move in with them since the apartment ended being closer to her job that she has now that she’s moved on from babysitting. When Lucy and Tim announced that Lucy was moving in with Tim, Celina asked if she thought Tamara would be open to having another roommate. Tamara ended up agreeing and now she and Celina are sharing the apartment.
Tim is snapped out of his thoughts when he hears Angela call him over to the display she’s at.
“Hey, what do you think of these?” Angela says pointing to a silver tension ring with a cushion cut diamond.
“Uh, its fine but its not really the style that I’m looking for. I think that Lucy would appreciate something a little more unique.”
“Alright, so what do you have in mind?”
“Well, I’m actually having me and Lucy’s bands custom made. Hers is going to be a rose gold band that looks like an actual rose and well I know a guy so it seemed easier than trying to come here to-“
“Wait, you’re having you and Lucy’s ring custom made?” Angela says cutting off Tim in surprise.
“Yeah, why? Wait do you think that’s too much?” Tim says worry etched all over his face.
“No, no.” She says quickly waving off Tim’s worry. “I think that’s incredibly thoughtful and amazing, but Tim if you’re having you’re rings custom made why are we here?”
“Well, I do still need a diamond to go in Lucy’s band and I need to figure what type of cut I want so I can give it to my guy so he can create the right shape on the band and inlay the diamond. I was thinking of a cushion or round cut but I’m open to other cuts.”
“When did you learn so much about diamond cuts and shapes?”
“Ang, I think you’ve forgotten that I was married before and I helped you and my sister during your weddings. A process that included a lot of looking at and talking about wedding bands and diamonds and everything else in- between.”
“Good point.” Angela spots a display showcasing the different types of diamond cuts and what they look like on different ring designs. “Hey what do you think of these?” She asks leading Tim over to display.
In the display there are a variety of diamonds in different cuts and colors. Tim scans the case until his eyes fall onto a one and a half carat green round cut diamond. Originally, he hadn’t considered getting anything but a regular clear diamond the Lucy’s ring but now that he’s seen this diamond he knows it’s the right one for Lucy.
“So, that’s the one huh?” Angela says over Tim’s shoulder. “It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it is. You think Lucy will like it?”
“Tim you could probably propose to Lucy with a ring pop and she would like it, but to answer your question I think she would love this Tim. 100% percent without a doubt. Now the real question is how much does it cost?”
“I’ve been saving up for a ring for over a year now. As long as it doesn’t cost as much as my truck I should be able to afford it.”
“Okay, then. I’ll go get one of the sales guys let’s get your girl a proper diamond.”
After Angela brings the sales representative over to where Tim is still standing at the display it only takes a few minutes for Tim to finalize the sale of the diamond. On their way out of the jewelry store Tim thanks Angela for coming with him.
“No problem as much as I love my boys I needed a break from them. I’m really happy Wesley has weekends off and was able to watch the boys today. What do you think about picking up some lunch before you drop me off?”
“Okay, as long as you don’t interrogate me about my plans for the proposal.”
Angela laughs. “No promises there, but I’ll pay for lunch.”
“Deal.”
_______________________________
Nearly a month after Tim ordered the rings he’s finally ready to propose to Lucy. The rings had come in a week ago and have been sitting in a secret drawer in his desk at home for the time being. Since then with the help of Angela, Tamara, and Wade he’s been preparing for the proposal. Most of the help came in the form of hiding away certain decorations at their houses and asking them for help with refining any ideas that he had.
Now him and Tamara are setting up the backyard with string lights, rose petals, and candles as quickly as they can before Lucy arrives back home from her girl’s day out with Angela, Nyla, and a couple of friends from UC school. Tim decides to add a couple of blankets on the lounge chairs just in case him and Lucy end up enjoying the night spring weather cuddled in each other’s arms. As Tim is putting on some of the finishing touches on the backyard he sees Tamara putting Kojo in a grey hoodie and placing a green bow tie around Kojo’s neck.
“Now that is one handsome dog.” Tamara says as she pets Kojo.
“Yes, he is. Let’s just hope that he doesn’t try to eat his bow tie before Lucy gets here.”
Tim and Tamara’s phones both ding. Tamara takes her phone out first and looks at the text message.
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s something we’re going to have to worry about Angela just texted. They’re only fifteen minutes away. Which means you need to hurry up and go change.” Tamara says as she gestures toward the t-shirt and sweatpants that Tim is wearing.
“Sh*t, you’re right. Okay, so how does the backyard look? Do you think Lucy is going to like?” Tim asks, the words practically flying out of his mouth as he the fact that he’s about to propose to Lucy Chen sinks in.
“Tim the backyard looks great and Lucy is going to love everything about this okay. I’m pretty sure she’s shown me the same Pinterest idea boards as you so trust me when I say she is going to be amazed so take a deep breath and relax. Remember all of this was technically the hard part, now all you have to do is ask Lucy to marry you.”
“Right, all I have to do is ask her to marry me. Four simple words. I’m going to change what are you going to do?”
“Probably sit down for a few minutes, order some food, and watch TV. Now go before you’re stuck proposing in sweats.” Tamara says, shooing Tim away.
Tim rushes to his room and quickly changes into a green dress shirt, a black bow tie and black pants. He gives himself a quick look over in his mirror, running a hand through his hair in a vain attempt to calm his nerves.
He’s excited and nervous at the same time and he can feel a serious bout of butterflies fluttering in his stomach and chest. He can’t believe that he’s about to ask Lucy to marry him, to finally start the rest of their lives together.
Tim looks at Lucy’s favorite green dress that’s laying on their bed with a note next to it telling her to put it on before coming outside to the back yard. He takes one last look at himself before going to his office to pick up the rings. He goes over to Kojo and places the silicone rings in the pocket of Kojo’s hoodie before he heads back out to the back yard to wait for Lucy.
Tim unconsciously flips the ring box open and close as he waits for Lucy to arrive back with Angela and Nyla. It’s only a few minutes later when he hears Angela’s car pull up to the driveway. Even though he can’t make out what the three women are saying as they say their goodbyes to each other he feels his body relax as listens to Lucy’s voice. The nerves he felt earlier begin to melt away because even though taking this step again is terrifying, he knows without a shadow of doubt that him and Lucy are made for each other. There are butterflies still in his stomach but this time it’s only due to the anticipation of seeing Lucy being able to hold her in his arms again because she’s been his home for a while now and he can’t see his life without her in it.
When Tim sees Lucy start to walk outside, he shoves the ring in his back pocket before standing up from his seat and meeting her at the doorway.
“Wow, you look amazing.” Tim says breathlessly as he takes in Lucy’s simple beauty in the green dress.
Lucy blushes and brushes a
how as your day out?” Tim asks as he takes Lucy hand in his leading her over to the middle of the back yard.
“It was great. Angela, Nyla, and I had a great time today. I think we all needed some time out together away from work. By the way everything looks amazing when did you have time do all of this?” Lucy says excitedly as she looks around at all of the decorations in the backyard.
“Uh, Tamara and I decorated everything while you were out. I really wanted to surprise you for tonight.”
“Well consider me surprised. So, what’s the special occasion?”
“We are actually.” Tim takes Lucy’s hand and kneels down on one knee. He hears Lucy’s gasp of surprise and sees tears spring to her eyes when he meets her gaze. Tim takes a deep breath to steady his nerves before he speaks. “Lucy Chen, every day that I’ve known you, you have helped to make become a better man. I know that this is where you usually say that I put in the work, but it was you that gave me the continuous push I needed to start making real changes in my life. You became someone that I knew I could lean on and trust with even my deepest fears and worries and every day you accepted me for who I was and helped me become the man I am today. Soon you became the person I love more than anyone in the world and my home. Every single day I fall more in love with you, and I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. Lucy Chen, will you marry me?” Tim pulls the box from his pocket and opens it showcasing the emerald ring that lay inside.
By the time Tim finishes his speech Lucy is smiling despite the tears running down her face.
“Yes.”
“Yeah?” Tim says in slight disbelief.
“Yes, Tim I’ll marry you.”
Tim stands and wraps Lucy in his arms kissing her passionately. Tim reluctantly breaks the kiss to place the ring on Lucy’s finger. He gently wipes away Lucy’s happy tears and places a kiss on her cheek.
Tim hears clapping coming from the backyard door. When he looks up he sees Tamara, holding her phone with the recording light on, along with Kojo standing on the patio.
“That was the most beautiful proposal I’ve seen.”
“Isn’t this the only proposal you’ve seen?” Lucy asks, turning in Tim’s arms to look at Tamara.
“I would like to think the proposals I’ve seen in Tv shows and movies count as well.”
Tim snorts. “Yeah, okay fair enough. I’m guessing you captured everything on your phone?”
“Oh, yeah. I can’t wait to show everyone.”
“Well, do you think you can hold off on sending it to everyone for a few days. I think Tim and I would like a few days of being engaged without everyone calling and asking about details about our engagement and plans for our wedding.” Lucy says.
“Yeah, no problem. But hey if you want to use the video for your wedding I know just the guy to ask about editing it for you.”
“Thanks, T.”
The doorbell rings and Tim gets an alert on his phone. When he looks at his phone he sees a young delivery man standing outside with a few bags of food.
“It looks like your food arrived Tamara.”
“Yes, let me go it. And don’t worry I got enough tacos for all of us.” Tamara says as she rushes inside to pay for the food.
“Mmm, tacos do sound good right about now. Come on, let’s go inside before Tam eats everything.” Lucy says as she grabs Tim’s hand and begins to lead him inside.
“Oh, wait. There’s one more thing.” Tim says stopping Lucy from continuing. He calls Kojo over and stoops down to pet Kojo before reaching inside the dog’s hoodie and grabbing another ring box and hands it to Lucy. “Here, I know that we can’t exactly wear our normal engagement rings on the job so I thought this might be a good substitute for when we’re out in the field.”
When Lucy opens the box it reveals a rose gold silicone ring with a green stripe going around the middle.
“Tim this is perfect I love it. Also Kojo looks so cute dressed up in his little bow tie and hoodie. Whose idea was it to dress him up for tonight?”
“I was originally only going to have him in the bow tie, but Tamara suggested we give him his own hoodie.”
Lucy laughs. “Of course she did. It was a really cute idea. Remind me to take some pictures of him before the night is over.”
“Okay, Luce.” Tim presses a gentle kiss to the top of Lucy’s head before letting her lead him inside with Kojo following behind them.
When they enter the kitchen Tamara already has all of the food and drinks laid out. Once Tamara notices them she starts to explain everything she got for everyone before they all settle in to eat. They end up eating in the living room and watching a movie together. After they finish eating and watching the movie together the three of them work together to clean up and put everything up. It’s only when Tamara takes Kojo out for his last walk of the night that Tim and Lucy are alone again.
Tim places his hands on Lucy’s waist as she wraps her arms around his shoulders as they stand in the kitchen.
“You know today is easily one of the best days I’ve ever had and I think its time we celebrate.” Lucy says.
“Yeah, and what did you have in mind?”
“Something that’s going to put all that fuel to good use and maybe make a mess of that suit while we’re at it.” Lucy says, pulling on Tim’s tie.
Their celebrations starts off slow and sensual before turning hot and passionate. Lucy makes good on her promise to make a mess of Tim’s suit and well Tim makes a mess of Lucy in return.
It’s not until the late afternoon the next day that they leave the room. After a long hot shower to wash off the night Tim and Lucy get dressed in lounge clothes. Tim tackles breakfast while Lucy handles the morning laundry. Later on when they’re sitting down eating Tim’s breath is knocked out of him when he sees Lucy wearing her engagement ring. Even though he saw her wearing it yesterday after his accepted proposal seeing her wear it everyday solidifies that they really are going to spend forever with each other. He can’t wait to do forever with her.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x19 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
Alright let's get into the episode. First and foremost can we talk about this.
Tim and Lucy were so freaking cute at the beginning of the episode. They are just out here living their lives being all domestic with each other. Tim just looked so soft as he stepped out of Lucy's room.
Lucy studying for the detective's exam has me cautiously excited for what's to come next for her. First Lucy will finally be promoted! Something that we've been waiting to see for some time now. When Lucy mentioned that she wanted to still work in UC she mentioned two divisions narcotics and intelligence. I'm hopeful that Lucy will end up in intelligence instead of narcotics. I do wonder how her exam storyline is going to play out since there is someone who doesn't want her to pass. I can see it going one of two ways. One Lucy manages to pass the exam and get into the top twelve despite the proctor not wanting her to pass or she actually doesn't get into the top twelve and it forces her to reconsider her options moving forward in her career. Additionally, with Isabel coming back in the next episode we could see her and Lucy have a chat about UC and maybe that chat between them could cause her to reconsider doing UC as a whole and find a different path to continue moving forward in her career.
Either way I can't wait to see where Lucy's career is headed and how it will affect her relationships, especially with Tamara and Tim.
I don't think I can accurately describe just how much I actually enjoyed seeing Celina front and center this episode. I'll be honest when she was first introduced I wasn't sure how much I was going to end up liking Celina but over the episodes and with more of her background being revealed and helping to explain some of things that she believes I have really come to appreciate and love Celina as a character. I'm still holding out for her and Angela to have some time together because I think could be a really great duo together.
I really liked how Celina's search for her sister's killer was resolved. I also appreciated that Celina was allowed to actually be at the forefront of the episode instead being sidelined in her own storyline.
I really enjoyed watching how everything played out with how they solved Celina's sister's murder case. The twist that the killer was a police officer that had originally worked Celina's sister's case was really good. This case was probably one of my favorites that I've seen on The Rookie, but I think the reason why this case hits so hard is because of how close Celina was to it and how emotional it was not just for her but for everyone involved.
I loved that Celina was the one to get through to the officer and convince him to let the girl go. When Celina brought the young girl to safety it really felt as if some part of her managed to heal in that moment because even though she couldn't prevent the death of her sister she was able to save this young girl and reunite her with her mother.
Finally, I loved the ending scene with Celina and her mom. To see them both finally get closure to the murder of their sister/ daughter respectively was amazing. Even better was when Celina managed to find it in herself to forgive her mom.
All in all this was a great episode that I think was only elevated by the fact that it was allowed to stay serious throughout instead of falling back on comedy to try to lighten the mood of the episode. I'm just really grateful that the main case actually remained the main case instead having a completely different case going on along side it as we've seen in the past sometimes when dealing with heavy episodes.
Side notes: Even though this episode clearly focused on Celina I appreciate how we got to see the reactions to the case from other members of the Mid-Wilshire group. Such as Angela going on a mom blog and looking up ways to keep her kids safe from ever being taken and seeing Wesley come to her side and reassure her. I can only imagine how this case effected her since she has almost had her kids taken from her twice already and how Angela must be thinking about how close she was to losing them in the past.
Then with Tim dealing with the emotional repercussions of having to kill the officer in self-defense and sort through that on his own in a way. I know that we're not going to see this but I would love to see Tim talk to someone about it even if its just a phone call that we hear. While he could talk to Angela or Grey I wouldn't mind seeing him talk to someone from his military past.
Lastly, John actually felt like a T.O. in these last few episodes, but especially in this one.
Don't know if anyone else has done this already but.....
If I had a nickel for every time Melissa O'Neil played a doppelganger version of herself in a show she starred in I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but its weird that it happened twice.
It could also be noted that both of her characters have been kidnapped and ended up semi- adopting a kid. I think both characters have also gone undercover as their respective doppelgangers. So yeah, for two shows and characters that are pretty drastically different there are quite a few similarities between her two characters which I find absolutely delightful.
The other show she's in is called Dark Matter which is a sci-fi show. If you want, you can watch it on the CW's website for free.
Anyways Melissa O'Neil is a great actress I hope to see her in more stuff in the future.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x18 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
Lights! Camera! Action! Its documentary time with Dim and Juicy back for one final time.
This episode had me cracking up the entire time. It was such a fun and chaotic episode. The only thing that could have possibly made this episode funnier was Smitty being included somehow.
I always love the one on ones with Grey and how it allows him to be so funny. We really got to see peak comedic Grey this time around I loved it. Everything from him taking a picture with the painting to him tackling the guy who ripped the painting to him grieving the loss of the painting and then reacting to the new painting that the team got for him was just comedic gold.
I actually enjoyed seeing a little bit of what Sava and Jake's relationship looked like while they were together since the first time that we saw them was pretty much only while they were in a holding room. I'm a little bit sad that we won't be able to see them continue to be their chaotic selves together since Dim is dead. Maybe we'll get to see Sava again since she's out there still living life. It could be really fun to see an episode where Lucy and Sava end up having to go undercover together if Sava gets into any really big trouble. Or maybe Lucy ends up going undercover as Nova again and she ends running into Sava and they have to quickly come up with a reason for explaining their similarities and they go with being twins.
Just because Jake is dead doesn't mean that this has to be the last time we see Sava. I guess we'll see how everything pans out.
I will say that as much as I enjoyed the episode I do wish that they didn't go with the whole jealous side chick decides to kill Jake. They had setup what I would consider a more interesting storyline for Jake and a plausible reason for him being murdered and I wish that they had gone with him being involved with the weapons dealers and that being the reason he was killed instead of a jealous ex.
The Chenford content that we got was pretty good even though they were interviewed separately for most of the episode this time around. I do think that the fact that they were interviewed separately this time around helped to show/ remind of us of who they independent of one another.
As we saw Tim was much more of his gruff and grumpy self. His edge returning as soon as he's alone in a room filled by strangers that he can barely stand. While Lucy is her regular sunshine self but sometimes became a little bit unsure of herself. But when they are brought back together Tim's edge is softened by Lucy from a simple touch or look because he's comfortable with her and Lucy is more of her confident self when she's around Tim.
Their ending scene was great. A place of honesty, respect, and love is where their relationship is at I am so excited to continue to get the chance to continue to explore their relationship and how they grow as independent characters and as a couple. When Lucy said 'if you don't know by now then you haven't been watching' felt more like a nod to us as the audience acknowledging that anyone who has been watching for a substantial amount of time knows where Lucy and Tim are at in the relationship.
I'm hoping that we'll get a love confession in this season's finale.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x17 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
A lot of things were going on with this episode and I enjoyed all of it. Tim and Lucy mentor a kid for Make a Dream. Celina (and the audience) begin to get answers about what really happened to her sister. And of course, the end of the beginning has officially begun with the Elijah Stone arc.
Tim, Lucy, and the disappearing kid. I love how Tim just automatically dragged Lucy into mentoring the kid with him. He was like if I have to do this so do you. I enjoyed watching Tim and Lucy try to entertain and subsequently find the kid. The two of them just casually talking about their future kid as if its just set in stone and they both know that this is it for them was just so much fun to watch.
I really hope that we actually get to see them with their own kid. I know it would probably be a at least a season or two down the road, but I think being able to see them step into the role of parents would just be so amazing to see how they grow together in the journey of parenthood together.
Lastly, I really enjoyed seeing just how in tune they are with each other in the scene when they confronted the dad for making his son choose a Make A Dream that he didn't actually so he could try to delete the parking tickets. They managed to have a silent conversation that spoke volumes about who they and how they've impacted each other. Even though Tim wanted to arrest the guy after hearing the guy's story Lucy convinced him with just a look to give him an alternative to jail time. I think this scene really does a good job of showing that even though they have quite a few differences they still complement each other so well both on the job and in their relationship.
Celina begins to officially investigate her sister's death with the help of Nolan and I'm really digging her storyline right now. I really enjoyed seeing how more details of what really happened to her sister and how her it happened being unveiled. I can actually say that I enjoyed the interactions and the dynamic between Celina and John this episode and I feel like we really saw a good strike between John being Celina's T.O and him helping her out with the case.
Seeing Celina let the weight of her sister's kidnapping and murder be lifted off of her shoulders when John told her the truth about where her mom was that day made feel some relief of my own. At no point should Celina have felt that type of weight and guilt. Like John said she was only a kid when it happened but seeing her finally believe that was a great moment to watch.
Seeing Celina's relationship with her mom become so strained really broke my heart. That shared trust that they had between each other has now been broken because of the lie that Celina's mom told. It was really heartbreaking to see them both end up in tears after the truth is finally revealed. I do hope that somehow they're able to mend they're relationship even if it can't go back to the way it was.
Overall, I really enjoyed seeing this storyline progress this episode and I can't wait to see more of it down the road and hopefully see Celina get justice for her sister after all of these years.
And now for the main event of the episode and the reason for the 'crossover' the Elijah Stone and Abril storyline.
So for the main storyline of the crossover pretty much everything dealing with Elijah was handled over on The Rookie while everything with Abril was pretty much handled over on The Rookie: Feds.
At this point I almost wish they would stop calling these things crossovers because rarely if ever do the main casts from either show end up showing up on each other's program. Like I know that its technically a crossover because of the overlapping plot points but, honestly, I feel like each of these episodes really could have been watched separately and no one would have any issue with understanding what's happening which sort of ruins the point of a crossover for me since the whole point of a crossover is to intertwine the shows as much as possible and make one really big event starring characters from both shows.
Anyways, moving on. We got to see Chris again! Glad to see he's doing well and not working for drug lord and that he has the same disdain towards Monica as the rest of us. Now that Chris isn't dating Lucy I wouldn't mind seeing him as a recurring character hanging out with Wesley or him even being introduced to James somehow and helping at the center.
When I saw Monica get kidnapped by Elijah's men I clapped. I was so done with her. I was really hoping that she got the axe. C'est la vie she managed to talk her way out. At least she still got punched by Elijah, I guess. (Props to Bridget Regan though. She always plays a good bad guy that I just love to hate. She really is just so fun to watch on the screen. Other shows I've seen her on are White Collar, The Company You Keep, Agent Carter, and Batgirl. She's really got a knack for playing the antagonist.) I really want to know what happened that made her hate the LAPD though. Like why does she have such a vendetta against them?
The way Monica really thought she could get one over on everyone especially Nyla was really bold of her.
I just love how no one trusted her. I mean to go so far as to create fake phone number and buy a whole bunch of burners is truly another level of non-trust.
That fight scene at the end with Nyla, Angela, and Elijah was easily the best fight scene on the show to date. I'm probably going to rewatch that scene an unreasonable amount of times. The way Angela was really ready to go pound for pound with Elijah despite the fact that she's pregnant was wild. Elijah had to have lost his mind to just out right threaten her unborn child like that. He was lucky that Nyla ended up joining that fight cause there's no way that Angela would have torn him apart one way or another. Angela gets to arrest Elijah again this time with much more proof that he's a criminal. Maybe this time the charges will stick.
And then we cut over to Wesley at the house with the bodyguard. And they both start fighting the hitman. That scene was great to watch. I see Wesley finally learned some self- defense. When the bodyguard went to open the door for a split second I thought that she was secretly one of Elijah's people, but was greatly relieved when she started fighting the hitman and protecting Wesley and Jack.
Angela, Wesley, Jack, and the new baby are all officially in the clear (for now at least).
I suspect that we are far from done with Elijah Stone, especially since we saw him interact with Oscar Hutchinson oh the plans those two can come up with. We'll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.
Bonus: Quickly covering The Rookie: Feds portion of the main plot with Abril for those who didn't watch it. We find out that Abril has her own goal of killing the people responsible for her dad's death. We don't find out why she's decided to do this after 25 years, but she has. The audience also gets a hint of her having some humanity since it is implied that she had a close relationship with her mother and ended up staying at her side until she passed. I suspect that she was probably not a baby but maybe a young kid when her dad was murdered since she has such a high level of love for him, enough to go on a murder spree anyways. Either that or her mom told her lots and lots of stories about him when she was a kid.
It then turns out that the DEA had old taskforce that was behind her dad's death. She ends up being killed after she refuses to surrender but not before killing the man who killed her dad. Dalen her girlfriend/ right hand does end up getting away so I suspect that we'll end up seeing her again. She'll probably end up targeting Carter since he was the one who killed Abril but we'll see.
I am a little disappointed that they ended up killing Abril before we could really learn about her and how she became who was today. I feel like she really had the potential to be a really cool longstanding antagonist.
As much as I absolutely loved and adored seeing Lucy and Tim basically babysit a kid and talk about having kids of their own one day, the Angela and Nyla team up to takedown Elijah was the best scene of the night hands down. Loved it, can't wait to see more of it!
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x16 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
The official Valentine's Day episode has finally arrived!! I loved that each and every couple was given their own time to shine and small storylines throughout the episode. From Chenford to Wopez, to NyJa, and of course Jailey everyone had their own arguments/disagreements that were of course finished by the end of the episode and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Everyone having to deal with the craziest and most dangerous Valentine's Day yet.
Sidenote to all of the couples I also really enjoyed finally seeing Celina start develop her own arc separate from her training as a cop. I was happy to finally understand why her mother hadn't left the house in so long and I just really appreciate how much we've seen Celina's character grow so far. I'm really interested to see how her story plays out and can't wait to learn more about what really happened to her sister and if Celina (and her mom) are able to get the closure that they need.
Also I wish that this episode wasn't a body cam episode. While I think that using the bodycams can be a cool technique I don't think that this technique goes well for episodes that are supposed to be very character centric. This is because the shots that can be used are more limited since where the cameras are placed technically have to make since and because the cameras themselves are static. It doesn't help that due to the cameras field of view it sometimes makes it hard to figure out where in the scene I'm supposed to be focused on. The bodycam as the cameras should really only be used like once a season.
The Chenford cold open was so much fun. From Lucy and Tim sleeping together and Tim just cuddled into Lucy (so cute and soft), to seeing Lucy immediately jumping into action when she realizes that something is wrong with her one of her old UC pals and Tim jumping in with her to back her up just in case (they're just so in sync and I love it). I really enjoyed getting that glimpse of seeing Lucy back in UC. I really hope we see more of her doing UC operations even if they're just short-term ones. My guess is that we probably won't see Lucy go full UC until Celina is done with her Rookie period so that they have someone to pair Aaron up with for patrol.
Noah and Lucy's banter was so fun to watch along with Tim's reaction to it. I really want to know where the HotPants joke came from. Like what happened that Lucy got the nickname HotPants. Here's hoping we get some insight into Lucy's time at UC school. Also, how much does Noah know about Tim for him to be like 'oh that Bradford.' Our girl loves this mac so much she probably couldn't stop talking about him to her UC friends.
I wonder how Tim felt when he saw/ heard Lucy act as a UC for that short period of time and then later on when Noah brought up the idea of becoming full time UC because of how good she is at it. The audience and Tim know just how good of a UC Lucy is and I think its going to be interesting to see if Lucy does end up becoming a full-time UC and if she does how that would affect their relationship.
Continuing on into the show I was really excited to see Lucy and Tim riding together again. I thought that once Tim moved divisions that we wouldn't see them riding together again, but I'm happy to be proven wrong.
Angela teasing Tim about finally having a date for Valentine's Day.
Of course everyone could see from a mile away that Tim and Lucy's argument would be about Lucy going behind Tim's back to help him get the metro position. I appreciate that the writers didn't feel the need to try to blow the whole argument out of proportion in an attempt to raise the stakes of their relationship. I'm satisfied with how the argument was handled and how they made up at the end.
The introductory Wopez scene in this episode was so good. Both of them being out sync with each other showing just how much everything that's happening is weighing on them. I enjoyed the gag of the extra security being a woman instead of a man and seeing Angela's reaction. I loved when Wesley called Angela and she accidentally tells him about the gas and then she sees the bodyguard in the background holding Jack and she just hangs up the phone.
Wesley really was out here just trying to make the best of Valentine's Day and it just wasn't in the cards for them.
That ending though with them receiving that messed up gift from Elijah Stone was a good cliffhanger and a good lead into next week's crossover.
I really hope for next week's crossover that it actually acts as a true crossover and not just one character from each show just showing up for like a minute before disappearing.
Bonus: Everyone's reaction to the bodyguard. Both Celina and Grey telling Angela to get that woman out of her house and away from Wesley while Aaron is just over here trying to find a date for Valentine's Day was just so funny. Moments like this where the whole crew is interacting with each other are always great to watch.
I always love and appreciate when we get to see Nyla and James together they are such a great couple. I was surprised that we got to see as much of them together as we did this episode. Their argument about the creepy bear cam that James' mom had gotten for Leah was probably the most realistic argument that we saw. I could see both parties sides but, I really like the moment with Nyla and Aaron where Aaron helped Nyla see why James' mom wanted access to the link and how that realization helped Nyla at the end helped her James come to a compromise that worked in the favor of everyone.
I hope we get to see an arc for them in the future where they sort of get to be the put at the forefront of the story for a little while. I just really want to see more of them and their family.
Wopez has been getting a lot of attention so, I hope that NyJa get their time to shine as well.
And finally, Jailey. Of course, their first official fight is on Valentine's Day. I was quite relieved that they weren't left out of the couples who were having issues and we got to see them not being some amazing perfect couple.
As soon as John took that phone from Bailey I already knew that that was going to be the start of their argument. One might think for someone who has been married before that doing that is like an instant argument starter.
Even though I enjoyed their argument and seeing how it was resolved it would have been nice to see some other indications of Bailey not being able to ask for help and why John felt it was necessary to take matters in his own hands. We know that John is absolutely the type of person to constantly want to fix a person's problem, but it would have been nice to see Bailey's inability to ask for help. As I've probably said before even though these two are supposed to be the main couple of the show they generally get little meaningful character and relationship development that makes us as the audience really care about them.
Bonus: Little addition about the plot itself I think that the character and relationships this episode were truly the standout feature and since it was such a character driven episode I think that it would have benefitted from choosing one case to focus on. I think if just one of the cases were chosen for this episode it would have only helped to create different character dynamics and we would have been able to continue to focus on the issues that the characters were facing in their relationship.
With everything that happened in the previous episode and what's going to be happening in the next episodes it was quite easy to tell that this was more a filler episode than anything and it wouldn't have hurt to just lean into that and let the characters shine even more.
With everything going on with Elijah Stone Angela didn’t feel much like celebrating Valentine’s Day this year knowing that anywhere she and Wesley might go out to enjoy the day it was likely that Elijah had one of his men watching their every move, that is if he didn’t decide to make an appearance himself just to screw with them. She just wanted to put everything with Elijah behind them. Angela was relieved when Wesley agreed with her plan to just stay in for the night.
Since her and Wesley agreed to a night in this year Angela expects that Valentine’s is just going to be a pizza and movie, when she arrives at the house on Valentine’s Day she’s surprised to see Wesley’s mom in living room playing with Jack. When she asks for an explanation Wesley’s mom only tells her that Wesley is waiting in their room for her. Upon entering her and Wesley’s bedroom she sees that it has been lightly decorated and there are two bed trays full of food sitting on the bed. Wesley’s sitting at the foot of the bed in a plain t-shirt and sweats.
Wesley greets Angela and tells her that even though they’re not going out Valentine’s Day can still be a special day for them so he asked his mom to over to babysit Jack while they have a few hours to themselves to relax. Angela kisses Wesley and thanks him. She goes to change into her own pajamas before joining her husband on the bed to eat their Valentine’s day dinner together while watching an action comedy together.
NyJa
Nyla and James end up opting for a day out for Valentine’s Day. Both of them have been swamped with work recently James with the community center and Nyla with the various cases that she’s currently apart of. They’re both excited to have a day out to themselves. After securing Tamara as a babysitter for their day out Nyla and James make a reservation for a high-end Italian restaurant. They set the reservation for earlier in the day in hopes of avoiding the dinner crowd. Nyla and James treat themselves to multiple main orders along with dessert. They decide to buy Tamara her choice of an item off the menu as an extra thank you for babysitting for them today.
By the time they finish dining at the restaurant they decide to go for a short walk in a park close by before stopping at a park bench and relaxing in each other’s arms. Nearly an hour or so passes of them talking about anything and everything before they decide to make their way back home.
When they make it back home they are greeted to the sight of Tamara cradling Leah in her while she’s sitting on the couch as a Disney movie plays in the background. They end up joining in on watching the rest of the movie before thanking Tamara for babysitting for them and handing her the food from the restaurant on the way out. After Tamara leaves Nyla and James double checks that Leah is ready for bed and has a clean diaper. Once they make sure that Leah is settled into her bassinet, they get ready for bed themselves and settle in for the rest of the night.
Wade/Luna
Wade and Luna typically celebrate Valentine’s Day over the course of two days. For their evening out they usually go out the day before to avoid the insane crowds. This year they try out an Asian fusion restaurant that Luna had been dying to try out for a while. They order multiple courses deciding to share multiple dishes rather than just ordering one main meal for each of them. After eating dinner Wade surprises Luna with a pair of tickets to a concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall where they spend the rest of the night before making their way back home. The next day on Valentine’s Day Wade and Luna spend a romantic evening with each other in the comfort of their home. They cook dinner together as they listen to some old vinyls that they have and sing and dance the night away.
Spoilers for The Rookie 5x15 below. If you've watched the episode or don't care about spoilers, please enjoy!
I'll be honest this was probably one of my favorite episodes as of recently. It felt like a truly ensemble show with everyone having some screen time and different people playing different but important roles in the overall story. Also, this felt more like a proper crossover episode with between The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds than some of the other official crossovers.
The FBI and the LAPD are playing an extremely dangerous game by trying to con Elijah and Abril and its going to be really interesting how the rest of this story line ends up playing out.
As we know Angela, Wesley, and probably the rest of the Mid-Wilshire crew are far from safe. Abril and Elijah now know that they were being conned and are now teaming up to take down Wesley and Angela. I think that the way that this storyline is being written has effectively raised the stakes for everyone involved.
The build up throughout the episode of seeing Angela and Wesley doing their parts to begin the con on Elijah and Abril respectively and then seeing how the FBI and the LAPD came together to setup an operation to try to take on both of these guys at the same had me on the edge of my seat. At the end when the operation fell apart, I could feel the pain and disappointment of everyone especially Angela. Alyssa Diaz really knocked it out of the park this episode.
I loved seeing Angela and Wesley in the spotlight. I can't wait to see how the rest of this storyline plays out. I wouldn't be surprised if the last episodes of the season end up being full blown crossovers because its going to have to be one serious team effort to take down Elijah and Abril.
Wade was right about Garza's plan to try to take down these two basically being something that could blow up in their faces with just smallest hiccup and as we have seen there has been a hiccup and it's a pretty large one. I wouldn't be surprised if the consequences of this case are going to eventually catch up to him and his own team.
Alright, over to Nolan's portion of the episode. Even though I enjoyed John's storyline enough on its own I felt like the choice to pull him away from the Mid-Wilshire crew during such an important storyline felt off. I get the John's mom died last episode and they were addressing that but it just felt like a completely different episode whenever they transitioned over to him.
I feel like this entire storyline could have waited just one more episode. Or if they have to incorporate Nolan's mom passing storyline make it match the tone of the rest of the episode. I know and love that The Rookie is technically a drama/comedy but its not like we've never seen completely serious episode before. They did it with 2x11 and 3x01 along probably a few others that I'm forgetting right now and I think that making it so that this episode was completely serious would have been appropriate for everything that was going on in the rest of the episode.
Nolan's parts of the episode almost felt like one of those Hallmark mystery shows. I feel like this would have been a great time to show Nolan struggling with the fact that his mom died and they weren't able to fix the relationship before she passed. Or him struggling with the fact that the one time that his mom actually needed his help he wasn't there to answer. We know that Nolan is an extremely empathetic person and we just didn't see it this episode. Seeing that side of him would have really helped to create a deeper and more complex character.
For someone who is supposed to be the main character I feel like he is the character who gets the least amount of development in the show because some way, somehow everything ends up working out for him and rarely is there ever any long-term consequences for him. Nolan not being in the action of what I would consider to be the main story this episode only ends up furthering this idea.
I really want to like Nolan more than I currently do, but for that to happen he's needs to actually be treated like a main character in other ways than just him having a lot of screen time. For me if anything this episode really just proved that nearly anybody else has the potential to be the main character other than Nolan thanks to the continuous development and rising stakes that nearly every other character gets.
Bonus: Since we saw a few of The Rookie Feds characters tonight I will say on their show I don't have this complaint with any of the characters. For me every character has just enough depth and complexity that it doesn't feel like one is outshining the other. Obviously, it's not perfect but it does feel a bit more balanced.
It’s late and Tyrone and Tandy are lying in bed, both exhausted from the past two days of investigating a list of employees who might have a link to the deaths and the bodies that continue to show up at the beach. Tyrone was already half asleep by the time his head hit the pillows on their bed, but Tandy found herself unable to sleep. Even though her body was tired her mind was wired with one single thought that had been in her brain for a few months; Tandy was falling in love with Ty and it terrified her. When she first realized her feelings for her boyfriend were developing into something more she had to fight every instinct that told her to run before she ruined the only truly good thing in her life. For what felt like the first times in her life Tandy decided to stay and confront her feelings, but of course that’s easier said than done. Tandy had planned on telling Tyrone that she was in love with him after they officially moved into their apartment, but then they had gotten their first lead on their investigation on the bodies at the beach. She decided that her proclamation of love could wait until they solved who and what was responsible for the dead bodies at the beach, but it was taking longer than predicted to find out who was responsible for the deaths so Tandy continued to put off telling Ty her true feelings for him.
“Tandy is everything ok?” Tyrone asked his voice slightly muffled by the pillow. He had managed to open his eyes to look at Tandy who was laying on her back with one hand laying over her stomach and the other behind her head.
“Yeah, of course. Why?” Tandy responds.
“ ‘Cause I can practically hear the gears in your head turning T. We’re linked remember,” And of course he’s right ever since the night when they met at the party they’ve been able to tell when the other is distressed or in some kind of trouble. “Something’s obviously bothering you. What’s going on?” Tyrone props his head up with one arm to get a better look at his girlfriend’s face.
Tandy looks into Tyrone’s dark brown eyes that are full of love and concern. It’s then that Tandy makes up her mind to finally admit her feelings.
“I’m falling in love with you, Ty,” Tandy says it in one breath and feels like a weight has been taken off her chest. That is until she’s met with stunned silence and the air feels about ten times thicker than before. Tandy starts to ramble on her nerves getting the better of her. “I mean you don’t have to say it back or anything. I just wanted to let you know you asked me wh-“
Tyrone cuts her off by kissing her slowly and passionately. Tandy eagerly returns the kiss. When they pull apart for air Ty tucks a stray piece of hair behind Tandy’s ear. When Tyrone breaks the silence his voice is barely above a whisper. “Tandy, do you know what you are to me?”
Tandy, for once, doesn’t trust her voice and shakes her head. Tyrone gently cups the apple of her cheek and runs his thumb in a circle. “You are the person that I am madly in love with.”
“Madly?”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine my life without you.” Tyrone kisses Tandy on her nose. Tandy closes her eyes enjoying the sensation of loving and being loved. She curls into Tyrone’s side and places her head on his chest, her arm wrapping around his waist. Tyrone wraps both of his arms around her. This is how they finally fall asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms and the warm sensation and comfort of knowing that they are loved.
