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bluenet13 · 2 years

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The lightnin' in my heart makes it worth it

Written for @badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: The Rookie

Characters: Tim Bradford, Lucy Chen, Angela Lopez, Nyla Harper, Aaron Thorsen, John Nolan, Wesley Evers

Prompt: Taking you with me

Summary: Tim and Lucy planned to keep their newfound relationship to themselves throughout the holidays then talk to Grey in the new year. It was a perfect plan that should have worked. Really, there was no reason not to. Except for near-death experiences and Sergeants that can’t keep their hands to themselves.

AO3

"There's a hurricane in my head But the lightnin' in my heart makes it worth it." 'Nervous' by John Legend

After an initially awkward but ultimately successful first date, an even better second date and a third where they finally crossed the line at Tim's house (choosing to forsake the continuity of Lucy's apartment because the worst that could happen at the Bradford residence was Kojo crashing their moment, but neither were ready for Tamara to interrupt them again), Tim and Lucy decide to keep their newfound relationship to themselves until they're ready for everyone to know.

The last time someone had tried to keep a secret at Mid-Wilshire every officer at roll call already knew before the briefing had even started, by lunch it had spread to the detective's floor and by the end of shift even Bailey was texting Nolan about it. So, they were more than happy to remain a secret during the holiday season and would talk to Grey in the new year.

Since making the decision they had continued to be their professional selves at work, while making sure Lucy was not assigned to ride with Tim. They had remained friends but nothing more when they went out with their colleagues, sharing glances but not touches, fries but not kisses, while most nights they followed each other home. And they only spent the night when Tamara stayed at a friend's house.

It was a perfect plan that should have worked. Really, there was no reason not to. Except for near-death experiences and Sergeants that can't keep their hands to themselves…

-x-x-x-

Tim arrives on scene and the first thing he notices is Lucy's shop parked on a side alley. And even in the midst of an active shooter situation he can't help but smile when she comes jogging to him.

"Hey, you. What are you doing here?" Lucy asks. Her hand naturally gravitates closer to him, but she shakes her head before making contact and busies herself checking her gun instead.

"Hi," Tim whispers, in that soft tone of his, the one reserved only for Lucy. "I'm responding to a high priority call." He tries for a no-nonsense tone but judging by Lucy's raised eyebrows he doesn't succeed.

"You're a Sergeant at one of the busiest districts in LA, I'm sure there's more than one important call at a time." Seeing the way his face falls, Lucy adds in a softer tone, "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but if you keep showing up at all my calls, we will raise more than a few eyebrows".

"When dispatch calls an active shooter and my girlfriend is the closest responding officer, and she's riding alone, I'm bound to come running," Tim says, not even trying to sound apologetic. Lucy nods and the corner of her mouth ticks slightly upward but she still looks concerned, and Tim wishes he could run his fingers through her forehead and smooth the crease there. Or kiss it away, whatever. Sue him for being in love.

"Your girlfriend, eh?" Lucy can't help but tease, doing her best to still keep a straight face. "I don't remember ever agreeing to that."

"I thought that was established the last few times we made out. Otherwise, what we have been doing is very inappropriate. IA would have a field day with us," Tim throws back as they start to make their way towards the building the shooter was seen running to.

"Ha-ha, very funny," Lucy scolds, even as her eyes shine with mirth at the memories. "I'm serious, Bradford. We agreed we would keep our distance at work until we took care of Grey and the paperwork."

Knowing when he's beat, Tim raises his hands in a placating gesture, even as he adds under his breath, "But I'm not apologizing."

Lucy shakes her head but still reaches for Tim's hand and squeezes once as they enter. The space is deserted except for desks and boxes left behind when life moved indoors during the pandemic and the office building stayed empty after its previous occupants decided to keep working from home.

They search in perfect harmony; arms, legs and minds in sync as they check room after room, floor after floor. Their lingering worry about what they're keeping secret is replaced by complete focus on their surroundings as they strain to hear the lowest sounds and catch the faintest movements. And almost as an afterthought Tim realizes that it will really be a loss to the City of Angels if the LAPD eventually decides they can't ride together anymore. The thought, however, brings a loopy smile to his face, and Lucy obviously notices.

"What got you smiling like that?" Lucy asks, tone soft, and equal parts absentminded and knowing.

Tim blushes from the neck up but his smile still becomes more pronounced. Old Tim would have resented anyone that could read him so well; new Tim is only glad that someone cares enough to want to read him at all. "Nothing, just thinking."

Lucy hums her understanding and is about to respond when it occurs to her that it's weird that Tim showed up alone. "Are you on your own today?"

"Yeah," he answers simply, letting out an affronted huff when Lucy only snickers in response and lifts an eyebrow expectantly. "What? I'm perfectly capable of riding on my own." He glowers at her, but she's never been one to back down when it comes to him, and he can still feel her waiting gaze. "I dropped Thorsen at the back before coming to join you. He was waiting for Nolan and Juarez who were 10 minutes behind."

"That sounds more like Grey," Lucy says with a laugh but quickly sobers up as something crashes on the floor above them.

Tim turns around to make sure Lucy heard it too and finds himself smiling proudly when she's already looking at him, waiting for his lead. He signals for her to take the elevator on the right and he will take the stairs on the left, hoping to come at whoever is upstairs from both sides.

He takes the stairs two at a time and continues his uneventful search for a few more minutes until he hears another crash, closer this time, then a grunt and a shriek that's unmistakably Lucy. He tightens his finger on the trigger and takes quick strides in the direction the sounds came from.

The image he sees when he turns the corner slices through him like the knife the suspected shooter is pressing to Lucy's neck as he holds her in a chokehold. There's a bruise already forming on her temple and her lip is split and Tim instantly sees red, even when he also swells with pride because the man is sporting a black eye and bloody nose, both courtesy of one Lucy Chen.

Tim raises his gun even if he knows he can't actually hit him without shooting Lucy first. "Drop the knife and slowly raise your hands," he directs, taking a step forward.

"I don't think you're in a position to demand anything," the suspect says and proves his point by pressing the knife a little deeper, stopping with the first red droplet.

To her credit, Lucy doesn't make a sound, but Tim still feels the shallow cut tenfold. His hands tighten on his gun but he's still powerless to do anything that won't hurt Lucy first. Before he can make up his mind about what to even say or do, a second offender comes out of nowhere and tackles him against a wall. "Tim!" He hears Lucy shout but even the one syllable is cut short as the man tightens his hold on her throat.

Tim cries out as soon as his back hits concrete. He would be stunned, if not for a fist making contact with his face, forcing his mind back to the present and away from fears of paralysis and the possible dangers of another spinal surgery.

By the time a second punch comes, Tim has regained his senses and he ducks, rising a moment later and pistol whipping the guy on the side of his head. The hit is enough to stun him, and Tim is able to connect two more times, before his divided focus costs him and the man gains the upper hand. Worried about Lucy, he never sees the hit to his ribs coming and only realizes his mistake when he's on the floor with a gun pointed at his chest. He points his back but knows the effort is pointless.

"Now, now, officer, that wasn't a good idea," the man holding Lucy says, smiling wickedly when Tim can only grunt in response. "We just wanted to talk, and you had to go and get violent."

Right, like they weren't the ones to shoot up a nearby strip mall and attack both Lucy and Tim. But he can't say any of that, so Tim nods reluctantly and gets back to his feet, still pointing his gun at the man holding her. He looks at Lucy out of the corner of his eye and feels a small measure of relief because she doesn't seem to have any new injuries. The relief is short-lived as a moment later he sees Lucy's gun on the ground and realizes it must have flown out of her hand during the scuffle.

"So, officer-"

"Sergeant," Tim interrupts, against his better judgment, then spits blood on the ground in front of the guy with the gun.

"Sergeant, whatever. I don't see how your title is relevant when we're the ones in control. You can shoot me, but my friend here will shoot her. Or you can shoot him, and I'll slice her neck. Either way, it's a win-win for us." As if to punish Tim for speaking out of turn, he nods to his friend, who steps forward and punches Lucy in the stomach.

Lucy tries to suppress her grunt, but Tim can still hear, or sense, her discomfort and it only adds to the anguish he's already feeling. He wants to curse the guys for deciding today was a good day to rob a store while Lucy was patrolling nearby, or possibly pray to a God he hasn't believed in since his divorce and bargain for her life.

Apparently, Tim's taken too long to acknowledge his words because Lucy lets out a little shriek and he sees a new crimson line running down her neck. He opens his mouth to reply but hesitates, instead turning to look at her directly.

Like he's come to expect from her, Lucy is in total control. Face schooled to indifference even as her hand holds the man's arm, trying to keep the knife from digging further into her skin. Tim sighs and focuses on her eyes. He asks a silent question and she, almost imperceptibly, shakes her head. Don't give him, she's saying, but his heart disagrees. "What do you want?" he manages to ask through gritted teeth.

"Now we're getting somewhere, I knew you looked like a reasonable man." He smiles widely and Tim knows he won't like whatever comes out of his mouth. "So, you're going to drop your gun and walk downstairs. Once we're in the clear, we will drop off your friend where she can find a payphone so you can go get her. And before you think you can disagree, just remember her life is in my hands."

With that request, Tim's world starts to go slowly out of focus. He can feel Lucy's eyes trying to bore a hole through his head, but he can't turn to look at her. He can barely breathe, and the entire world feels like it's spinning off its axis. Because where Lucy goes, he goes; it should be an easy decision. But this one is out of his hands.

"Tim." Lucy's voice cuts through the fog on his head. "Look at me." But he can't because he knows what she's about to say. Because now she's as scared as he is, and he can hear it in her voice. Not that anyone else would, but years of working together has allowed them to develop a seamless rhythm and unique understanding of each other. It's how he knows what she's about to ask. "Please."

The anguish in her voice does it and Tim reluctantly lifts his head to look at Lucy. This time her face is pinched and full of worry lines, she's looking paler and is biting down on her bottom lip. The sight makes his heartbeat skyrocket because for Lucy to lose her composure then their odds really must be shit.

As if reading his mind, they're interrupted as the universe seems to really want to prove his point. "I don't have all day, Sergeant." The tone is mocking, and Tim really wants to shoot the bastard in the head. "Just remember we're giving you a choice but can just as easily shoot you, and then shoot her, or better yet, take her as insurance, then shoot her."

"Tim, go. I'll be fine." Tim's eyes snap back to Lucy and he almost wants to laugh, or cry, because how dare she ask him that.

Lucy presses her lips together as she seems to make a decision. The intensity in her gaze sends a shudder down his spine because her previous fear is replaced only by determination, and he recognizes that look.

"No." Tim takes in a deep breath and lets it out slowly. His eyes blink rapidly as he tries and fails to stop the tears welling up in his eyes. He looks at Lucy and mentally apologizes because he might have just doomed them both.

Two shots ring out before the expected pain, but it never comes. Tim's on the ground thanks to a combination of pure instinct and adrenaline and there's a hole on the wall near where his head must have been, but he's thankfully still in one piece. Which must mean-

Tim turns quickly, scared out of his mind of what he will find but it's the second man who's on the ground with a gunshot to his head, a gun discarded to his side, alongside a shell casing. Lucy is still alive, but her attacker is now pressing her against the wall with an even more murderous look on his eyes. "Last chance," he says slowly. "You're lucky you didn't just kill a friend, but a man available for a job. But you won't be so lucky if you disobey me again."

The last part is directed to Lucy and Tim only then registers that she must have somehow jumped out of reach of the knife and recovered her gun long enough to shoot the guy that was about to shoot him. He was too busy trying not to question a miracle, but now he can't help but smile when he realizes it wasn't a miracle at all, just Lucy saving him again.

"Tim. Go. Now."

He hesitates. He can't. He can't just leave her. Not when she just saved his life. Not when she's been saving his life ever since they met. But Lucy still has a knife to her neck and her body is blocking the guy he very desperately wants to shoot.

"Tim. It's okay. Go. Whatever happens it's on me," she whispers. Her tone is different now, equal parts anxious and heartbreakingly resigned. But Tim still shakes his head, bull-headed as always. "I've been living on borrowed time; and it's been great, especially the last few weeks. I'm at peace and you should be too." One of her hands is still trying to push the suspect away, but Tim is focused on the other; on the fingers grazing the skin on her side, over her ribs, where he now knows her D.O.D tattoo still is.

At once, Tim remembers that Lucy has been here before. Not too long ago forced to accept the inevitability of her own death. And while all cops have to entertain the notion of their own mortality at some point, most never have that moment of taking what you're sure is your last breath. It had only been a miracle that saved Lucy from Caleb, and Tim fears they're all out of those now.

Tim knows he would be as adamant that she leaves if their positions were reversed, but they're also equally stubborn, and he isn't willing to back down. "No," he says again, trying to channel some of Lucy's stubborn optimism.

"Tim," Lucy says softly, and in just his name, Tim can hear everything they have never said.

Unable to break eye contact, he just stares at her, and she gazes back at him; and as blue meets brown everything around them fades and all that is left is the two of them in this room. It's them at roll call and the shop, at the food trucks and the bar, at Lucy's apartment and Tim's house; it's hikes, dances, dinner dates and shared breakfasts. It's a partnership that became a friendship and relationship. And it's the knowledge that it took them a long time to get to where they are now and the certainty that they're not ready to give it up. "I'm sorry, Luce. But I can't do that. I'm not leaving you behind."

Tim sees the moment Lucy's demeanor changes and knows she's noticed something he missed. Belatedly he sees the shooter loosen his hold on Lucy and grab a gun from the waistband of his jeans and point it at him. "I don't have time for this; she's all the insurance I need," he says, his finger beginning to pull the trigger.

He turns back to Lucy then, expecting to see his own fear reflected on her face but she just looks sad. And more than a little bit pissed. "I'm sorry, Tim." The brokenness in her voice catches him off guard, but Tim has no time to do anything before Lucy is pushing herself off the wall, against the shooter.

"What are you doi-?" Both men begin to ask; Tim in equal parts wonder and terror, while their attacker just sounds surprised and overpowered.

"I'm taking you with me," Lucy croaks, pointing at the shooter, her voice breaking at the last word. "But you're not taking him with us," she adds, turning back to Tim.

She closes her eyes briefly, memorizing every detail that makes Tim him, and then flings herself back against the building's broken window. She uses the sudden movement to lock her hands on the arm holding onto her and uses all her remaining strength to push the man off the window, but her momentum carries her with him over the edge.

Tim didn't think there were many non-catastrophic ways for this situation to end, but Lucy sacrificing herself never even crossed his mind. Beaten and exhausted he falls to his knees as a tear slides down his cheek. But then he hears what's unmistakably Lucy's voice calling his name and he jumps to his feet, not believing his eyes when he gets to the window and sees Lucy hanging onto the windowsill by pure will power.

Tim grabs Lucy's hand and pulls her over until they're both back on solid ground. He hasn't experienced a fear this visceral in years and he feels his legs giving out until he's back on the ground. But then Lucy slides down the wall next to him and her proximity is enough to begin softening the sharp edges of his panic.

He isn't sure who moves first, but suddenly they're both looking each other up and down, making sure there are no life-threatening injuries they missed. And just as suddenly Lucy's arms are around his shoulders, her forehead resting over his chest, and Tim's clinging to her for dear life. And then they're both crying, holding onto each other too tightly for it to be comfortable most days and even less now with their current injuries, but neither one is ready to let go.

When their desperate cries stop, Tim pulls back and wipes her tears away. "I thought-" he chokes out, but the thought is too haunting to say out loud, so he just stops, blinking a few times in quick succession. He's had more than a few close calls between his years in the military and the force, but never before had he been so certain there would be no positive outcome.

"I know," Lucy answers hoarsely and buries her face on Tim's chest, like she does every night they share a bed. The gesture is so simple yet already familiar that it's enough to bring Tim's world back into focus. Because she's hurt and equally exhausted, but alive.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he says instead, smiling through a sigh when he feels her nod against his chest.

Finally getting back to their feet, Tim glances around the space, making sure it's still deserted, and kisses her gently. Lucy fists her hands in the front of his shirt and rises onto her toes to deepen the kiss. Unlike their last frantic hours, the kiss is sweet and tender. Kissing each other feels right; it feels like home and the promise of a future that until just now was looking quite bleak. And it's enough for them to momentarily forget what just happened as they create some distance between them and slowly make their way downstairs towards their friends.

-x-x-x-

The next few hours happen in a blur.

They reach the street and find all their colleagues waiting for them: They hug Angela back as she promises that she was already organizing a SWAT team and snipers to get them out, they accept Thorsen, Nolan and Juarez's apologies for not being able to help as they were kept busy by the other two robbers, and they smile at Nyla's gruff but relieved tone when she berates them for scaring the crap out of them.

Then they have to get checked out by the waiting paramedics, barely avoiding a trip to the hospital as they mostly had bumps and bruises, except for a cut on Lucy's arm she got with the glass of the window which was closed with butterfly bandages.

When they finally get back to Mid-Wilshire, they have to sit through an hour of debriefs and it isn't until after midnight when they finally take a shower to wash the day away.

-x-x-x-

"I'll see you all later today," Tim says, standing at the station's lobby.

"Not so fast, Timothy. We need to talk about what just happened." Tim sighs and closes his eyes to avoid staring at Angela's shit eating grin. He can still feel her expectant gaze, but she couldn't possibly know anything, so he chooses to play dumb.

"Ignoring us won't work," Nyla says, unhelpfully, when his pause draws out too long and becomes awkward. Tim opens his eyes only to level her with a stern glare, but he should have known that never seems to work with the women in his life.

"Start talking, Bradford." Angela doubles down, looking at him expectantly.

He does his best to look puzzled. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Angela only crosses her arms over her chest and pins him with a serious look. "We saw you with Lucy today."

Puzzlement turns to fake annoyance. "So what? I just reacted like I do when any officer under my watch gets hurt," he shoots back, purposely misunderstanding her.

"Man, I hope you're not actually kissing my wife after every case that goes wrong," Wesley says as he comes into the station, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I'm not kissing anyone." Tim lets out a sigh of long-suffering.

"Well, you're kissing Lucy," Wesley says matter of fact.

Tim opens his mouth to deny it, but instead finds himself rolling his eyes as he grumbles, "What are you even doing here, Evers?"

"Angela called. Says it's finally happening," Wesley explains cheerfully.

Tim inhales sharply; this day is not going at all the way he expected. He opens his mouth to deny whatever they think is happening but Angela cuts him short. "Tim, we saw you kiss Lucy today." Nolan gasps, surprised by her bluntness, meanwhile, Thorsen just looks incredibly relieved.

Tim's mind freezes. This can't be happening, he thinks, wondering if there's any way to salvage the situation. He turns to Lucy for support but she's actively not looking at them. He takes a moment to consider Angela's words and concludes that he's beat. "That's none of your business."

Angela simply smiles in response but continues to wait him out. Tim knows his best friend is not above showing up at his house in an hour demanding answers, so, even if he's certain he'll come to regret it, he says, placatingly, "What do you want to know? You get one question."

"You don't make the rules, Timothy." Angela fixes him with a smug look, and he groans. "But okay, I'll take it. For now. Was that your first kiss?"

"You already know we kissed during the uc op," he says too quickly, before Angela's not on the job clarification, followed by Nolan's clueless you kissed while undercover? Tim blushes and tries to look away, but his gaze falls on Lucy and a big, loopy smile spreads across his face. It is the happiest expression they had ever seen on him.

"Holy shit, you have. I'm your bestie and not even I knew you could look so soft!" Angela smirks and Tim narrows his eyes, but he looks far too happy for it to be effective. He tries to tone down his smile but fails spectacularly.

"Damn, who would have thought? Tim Bradford, stoic hardass, fell for his rookie," Nyla snorts, but her smile is laced with amusement.

Tim's face falls and he realizes he's just outed them both as Angela and Harper watch him triumphantly. Panicking and at a loss, he does the only sensible thing he can think of. He draws in a fortifying breath and slowly nods, then turns to Lucy and extends his hand to her. Lucy turns it over and puts her in his, twinning their fingers together. Tim uses the contact to pull her to him and kisses her sweetly before turning back to look at the group.

"There, happy?" Tim says gruffly and rolls his eyes, but the smile on his face betrays him.

"Yes. See, that wasn't so hard," Angela says, pleased. The look on her face is one of fond exasperation but Tim also sees something else there. It's a look he recognizes from Angela when she looks at Jack, and one he's given Genny many times when he's been proud of her. And now more than ever he's sure that life has given him not one, but two annoying, little sisters.

"We're sorry we didn't tell you. We didn't mean to keep it a secret," Lucy whispers apologetically, still holding onto Tim's hand. "We just wanted to keep it to ourselves during the holidays and planned to tell Commander Grey after New Year before sharing with the group."

"Hey, you don't have to explain, alright?" Nyla interrupts, intrigued but also feeling protective of the younger woman. "Besides, I've a more pressing question. Why don't you look surprised?" She asks, looking directly at Thorsen.

"Because I am not," Aaron says, without missing a beat, but the detectives' suspicious looks have him clarifying. "Are you? We all saw it coming before them. We have a group chat about it and I'm sure Grey already pre-filled the paperwork."

That whole sentence catches Tim's interest but he doesn't want to bring the conversation back to himself, so he stays silent.

Angela takes a moment to consider his words carefully but then shakes her head. "No, it's more than that. You already knew?" But it's more of an assertion than a question.

Nyla nods her agreement, getting closer to the P2. "You have been holding out on us."

Aaron had been warned his new sergeant was a real hardass, but it only took him a week to figure out it was the two detectives he needed to fear, so now he takes a couple steps back and nods, doubtfully.

"Since when?" Angela questions, eyes narrowed.

"A week," Aaron admits, voice shaky and small. "But they didn't tell me, I found out on my own!"

Tim takes pity on their P2 and intercedes before the detectives can further gang up on him. "Ang, give him a break. I, we, didn't tell him. We ran across each other outside the station. I promise you would have been the first to know when we were ready to share."

Aaron snorts. "If you call almost having to arrest you two for public indecency while on a "hike" running across each other, then yeah sure, by all means, that's totally what happened." He speaks under his breath, but everyone hears him anyway, and if Tim's look could kill Aaron would have just spontaneously combusted on the spot.

"Whoa, that's my cue to leave, see you all in a few hours!" Nyla waves goodbye and walks out of the station, followed by Nolan who was smart enough to stay silent during the conversation, and Thorsen who wisely makes a quick retreat.

Then it's just Tim and Lucy, and Angela and Wesley. "Satisfied? Can we leave now?" Tim questions, hoping Angela is done with her inquisition.

Angela hums her accent and links her arm with Wesley, heading for the door. She stops short of the exit and her head snaps back to look at her best friend. His expression is one she's never seen before; there's the expected annoyance and some irritation, the usual Bradford staples, but he also looks more at peace than she's ever seen him.

"Bradford," She calls back with a smirk, but then her smile softens. "Happiness is a good look on you. You both deserve it." She walks back to envelop Tim and Lucy in a hug, then turns to follow Wesley to the car.

"Well, that was a lot," Tim says, when they're finally alone.

"Which part?" Lucy questions, tipping her head to the side. "The one where we almost died like three times in just one call or our friends interrogating us for an hour?"

"Us? I seem to recall you being awfully quiet through the whole thing," Tim teases, waving his finger accusingly at her.

Lucy gives him her best innocent-looking smile and tries to look apologetic.

"You're lucky you're cute," he says, smiling back and dipping his head to kiss her blush away. And Tim will never understand how this woman can be so brave and sexy, yet so adorable and easily flustered.

The kiss feels heated in a whole new way but it's not the time or place to deepen it. Tim knows if he allows himself any more Lucy, he won't ever stop. And they at least need to make it to one of their cars.

When they break apart, Lucy turns and steps into him and Tim catches her easily. Her arms slide around his neck, and he buries his face on her hair, smiling at the familiar smell of her lavender shampoo and relishing in the feel of safety and home.

"I'm indeed the lucky one," Lucy says eventually, words against his chest. "Thank you."

"For what?" Tim whispers. "Doing my job?"

Lucy steps back to stare into his eyes and clarifies, "We both know you always do more than that. Thank you for saving my life."

"We save each other," Tim says easily, knowing that in no way has she done more than by giving him her heart. "Ready to go home?"

Lucy nods. And for the first time they walk out of the station hand in hand.

#the rookie #Chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #bad things happen bingo #taking you with me #secret relationship #angela finds out and they all find out

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