#that is after they get over the initial shock that tim and lucy had a baby girl lol

[dylanconrique]

tim's nephews arguing over who gets to hold their new baby cousion first.

[bronx-bomber87]

Happy Friday all. Posting a day early. I'll be gone this weekend wanted to post this before left. I pre-wrote 3x05 as well. I return Monday night So all I'll have to do next day is edit and add gifs to stay on schedule for Tues :) We are onto the next ep of Tim’s growth. I love writing about this man and the psychology behind him. To watch him develop and grow is one of my favorites things to write about and watch really. Lucy being his good influence for that growth is perfection. This is a damn good ep. Let’s keep it rolling.

3x04 Sabotage

Grey has assigned Tim and Lucy to be Jackson’s backup with Stanton. Love this btw and it's a smart play. If Stanton gives him grief they’ll be there as witnesses. Grey has them assigned to the same sector as Jackson/Doug. They hear a pedestrian stop come over the radio by Stanton. Lucy tells Tim let’s go. Her anxiety rising up. Tim calmly replies not yet. If they do Doug will realize they’re following him. I love them getting to do this together. Tim with new clarity and focus on Stanton.

Beautiful thing is he can help keep Lucy even keel. Something he is very good at. He needs to be the level head for them both. Lucy’s emotions are going to get best of her. Because her base need is to protect Jackson first. Doug be damned. Tim wants to protect them both so he’s going to be the calmer more rational one during this. I love it. Exactly what both Lucy and Jackson need. Tim’s calm leadership and cool head on their side during all this.

(I can't believe this scene isn't gif'd btw it's so good. I did my quick ones with my phone/website.)Luckily it’s a clean stop and Jackson calls it in as Code 4 all clear. We pan back to them in their shop. Lucy telling Tim it isn’t fair Jackson has to deal with this. Tim agrees and says he can’t imagine what it’s like for him. To have to ride next to a guy who’s on the edge constantly. Ready to cross the line. Lucy makes a little joke and says she can...

I mean early Tim was exactly that. Not Doug obviously but on the edge of crossing the line a lot. A time bomb ready to explode at the smallest provocation. Very early in her career she had to rein in an emotionally damaged Tim. He was in the midst of his Isabel trauma and radioactive. I know he isn’t proud of those days especially now. That he knows how lucky he was Lucy was there to stand up to him. Right his ship. Knock some sense back into him. So he didn’t end up self destructing and taking her with him.

It’s why they’re so damn solid though. Those early episodes built what they have now. As rough as they were for them both. It bonded them in a way no one can touch or understand other than them really. Lucy proving she had the backbone. Not only that but to stand up to him and make the right call when he wasn’t able to. To be that positive light and good influence that has changed him into the man he is now. What I think really sets Tim off in this scene isn’t that as much. It's part of it but not the main factor. It’s her calling him her potential Doug.

It's triggering something deep down for him. Making him face what he did on day one. I think with the clarity he has now its a tough pill to swallow. The POV and ways he’s changed himself since then he’s embarrassed to think about that now. Ashamed of that moment. That he did that bad stop, used those men in a negative light and said his non PC words. I think looking back on that he is remorseful and feels shame that he did that. He hasn't really had to face that till now.

The feelings are flooding him and he doesn't know how to handle it. When you've changed like Tim has to look back on your darker moments isn't easy. He is having a visceral reaction to it and I don't blame him. Its normal to have that reaction. What's important is what he does after this scene. After the initial shock of having to re-face it.

Lucy telling him her honest thoughts about how she felt during it only makes that worse. As much as it hurts he needed to hear this to complete his growth. I think Lucy telling him it wasn’t a good stop, wasn’t a good experience for her or those men is hitting him hard. He feels exposed and that he’s let her down. Because he has grown so much it pains him to think about how he acted. To think in that moment he disappointed her. That didn't matter back then but it sure as hell does now and that absolutely kills him.

It goes back to his insecurity about how Lucy views him. No matter what this man says her opinion of him matters a great deal to him. So to bring up one of his most shameful moments feels like an attack on that insecurity. So what does he do? Lashes out. Become defensive. Tries to defend it because if he can find a modicum of logic in what he did it’ll lessen the damage. It'll minimize her thinking less of him during that stop. He is grasping as straws during that defense. Defaults a bit back to how he used to be. When he couldn't handle his emotions. When he was a live wire flailing about with no one around to ground him.

It's a deep rooted thing he innately goes back to. Like I said before they are deep groves in his brain. He can't handle the emotions coming at him right now so he shuts down. Lucy can see she has upset him deeply by bringing this up. The way he cuts off the convo, The pre frustrated tears in his eyes, and how stiff his body language has become. Tells her he won’t talk about this further. She has hit a nerve inside him and he needs time to recoup. I think Lucy regrets bringing it up a little. She never likes to be the source of upsetting him. It produces a lovely scene later but she knows she’s hurt him.

We catch our beautiful duo walking up to a call afterwards. Lucy wants to test out the waters with him. Asking if he’s still mad at her? Tim the master of deflection says ‘I’m not mad.’ Ok honey.....Lucy doesn’t buy that for a second. I mean look at his posture he’s as stiff as a board. Tells him as such cause she can’t stand him being mad. Especially if she’s the one who caused it.

Before they can talk any further they reach the woman who made the call. Talking about a porch pirate. Tim says they’re going to do some foot patrol. See if any of the neighbors have a camera they can tap into. As they walk away Lucy looks up at him willing him to talk to her. He breaks pretty easily. Tells her he’s not mad but he is upset. Lucy with a knowing wifey smile says ‘I knew it.’ He continues on with a reply she wasn't expecting. Telling her he's not upset with her but himself. *heart clutch*

Then we see the fruit of his arc the last couple episodes in the gif above. Letting her know she was right. That he had carelessly used those gardeners without thinking of his impact on them. He owns what he did and says he can’t undo what was done. But he can make sure it never happens again. Ugh this man. I’m so proud of him. I could cry. Not only seeing he was wrong but accepting it. Saying he’ll work towards never letting it happen again.

My damn heart. The growth in this man. S1 Tim would've held onto his anger all day. Would've been short with Lucy for most of their shift. Until she forced him to confront his anger. So much progress these two. It makes me so happy. I also need to commend the hell out of Lucy. Always having the backbone to say what needs to be said to him. No one could ever have the impact she has had on him. The positive influence she’s injected into his veins and life. Damn I love them.

Lucy is beaming when he is done speaking. You can see how proud she is of him. Telling him what progress he’s made. Let’s not forget the way she touches his arm. Says she’s proud of him when she does this. You don’t have to touch him Lucy hehe but seriously touch him more LOL Her little taps of love and affection for him. I adore them so much. He tries to down play how much relief this gives him. Sarcastic in his reply. ‘I’m thrilled....’ Lying Liar who Lies.

That man is biting back a smile when he says this. Can’t even keep eye contact with her for long. Because if he does he’ll break. She will see how much it actually means to him. That her opinion of him means so much more to him than she realizes. Lucy closes out the scene with heart eye city. Girl you are working put those away baha Lucy is practically levitating off the ground with how she is looking at him in that last gif. She truly could not be prouder of him and it shows. His moral compass leveling up and she is here for it.

Their moment is broken up by them seeing a dog steal food delivery off a porch. It looks like they have found their porch pirate and he is furry haha This is such a cute and comical moment in the middle of an intense episode. Lucy is baffled by what they’re witnessing. She cracks me up with her reaction. The way they watch the dog take off in-sync is adorable. They decide to follow the dog to see where it leads them. Naturally right back to its owner. He’s all excited and happy till Tim and Lucy show up. LMAO

Tim has a funny opening line when they reach the owner. Their reactions are so funny after the guy says 'Bad dog' HA. It was some much needed levity after their tense morning. The way they look at each other at the end. Be still my heart. They always say so much with just a look. I can not with them haha Seriously look at them could they be any cuter? Mirroring body posture and the precious looks. God I love them. Getting cute aggression over here.

They head to lunch after dealing with their doggy criminal heh. Stanton comes up to Tim while he waits in line. I LOVE Tim in this scene. Getting protective over Jackson and wanting to clock Doug. Mmm gimme. Tim tries to take a pot shot and see if it gets through. Tim thinks it does at first then Doug takes it the wrong way. Blaming Angela and not himself for Jackson's behavior. Classic narcissistic douche. Tim's body language says it all. Looks like he wants wipe the floor with Stanton's face so much. Me too love me too...

After lunch they’re having a little pow wow together. I love this scene. Both of them in alignment talking about Stanton. A united front against him as it should be. Lucy is venting to Tim about how unfair this is. How Stanton is getting away with murder. Just like earlier Tim is the steady eddy one for her. Trying to keep her calm with logic and what they’re faced with.

Lucy desperately wants a Tim Bradford sideways thinking solution to this. To have an out of the box thought from him to save Jackson from Doug. Seeing how flawed the system is driving her nuts. She is desperate to get Jackson out of this situation. Sadly there is no sideways solution to this one as Tim states above. Just like with Nolan in 3x01 they have to play the game. Even when the game feels rigged af.

He’s solid in his reasoning as to why they need to. The same system that protected Nolan in 3x01 sadly also protects people like Stanton. It’s maddening and infuriating to think it could represent both. Tim is right is they don’t play this exactly right he gets away with murder. Becomes even worse than before because he beat the system. A cancer like that spreads and spreads quickly. Lucy is seeing what he is saying even if it annoys the crap out of her.

I just adore him coming to her side of thinking. He is viewing this in a whole light cause of her. Tim is able to keep her steady while they play the long game with Stanton. I love the way he listens to her towards the end of the scene. She has completely changed his outlook towards this and it shows. How intently he’s paying attention to her words and emotions. I love it sfm. Lucy is so defeated and you can tell Tim wants to do so much more than they currently are.

Tim decides they need to be doing more than they are. He grant's Lucy her wish for a sideways solution. He’s decided to take Lucy to meet Doug’s old rookie Owens. His previous rookie was a black man as mentioned by Doug earlier. Tim is hoping he has dirt on Doug. Something actionable they can use to strengthen their case. Tim warns Lucy to play this by the book. Not to tip their hand and get too protective of Jackson. Playing the game to get something solid. No accusations and no demands. Just info.

Tim has it handled at first....Doing code of silence. Having all three of them turning off their body cams. They do it Tim’s way for about two seconds LOL They’re able to get out of him that Doug is a hater. Lucy gets impatient though with the double speak. Says let’s just say what we mean. Do you thing Doug is a racist? Tim’s eyes nearly pop out of his skull. haha His ballsy wife just going for it. He tries to do damage control after that with this guy. Seeing if they can salvage anymore info.

Lucy has spooked him a bit and he’s starting to retract. So she comes at him hard since the politeness is gone. Asking if he’s ever seen him doing anything unlawful against minorities? If he’s ever seen him treat them unfairly. Owens gets defensive and says if he had he would’ve been breaking the rules by not reporting it. Tim says they’re not here for that they just want him to be real with them. He has been creating grief on their end.

Owens spooks more says Doug could make or break his career. He’s weeks away from Metro. Can’t throw it all away now. Lucy tries one more time and ask about all the people he’s hurting? He hesitates then says they’re good people but he doesn’t know them. That he can’t help them and takes off.

Lucy is bummed and says that was a bust… Tim actually sees something positive. Says he saw how conflicted he was. To give it time for him to come around. So proud of him for not jumping all over her for not following his play. That her aggressive tactic led to a result of some kind for them. How far we’ve come ❤️

Sadly their interaction with Owens backfires horribly. He warns Doug about what they’re doing. So he tests Jackson acts like he lost his body cam and is gonna beat the crap of of their suspect. Tells Jackson to watch the drugs and he doesn’t.... Tim and Lucy pull up and that’s when they find out Owens stabbed them in the back. The suspect is fine and Doug leads on he knows what they're doing.. It sucks. The look between Tim and Lucy is everything. He's got them beat at the moment.*sigh*

The final scene for Tim is SO good. I couldn't be prouder. I know Lucy would be as well. Also I'm a little hot under the collar watching him action. The way he goes to the mat for Jackson. It’s sexy af. How he comes at this guy. Get ‘em Tim! The turn around in him is unreal. Went from 'It is what it is. '' The system will never change.' To backing Jackson and standing up for what’s right. This scene reminds me of the story about the starfish on the beach and the little kid trying to save them all.

This little kid sees a beach full of dying starfish washed up on miles of beach. He keeps tossing as many as he can back into the ocean. A grumpy old man comes up tells him there are hundreds of starfish and miles of beach. That he can’t make a difference. He picks another one up chucks it into the ocean and says ‘I made a difference to that one.’

Jackson is Tim’s starfish. He’s going to make a difference for him. Take down Stanton cause it’s the right thing to do. Save future rookies and suspects from his skewed POV of the world. Owens is the old man saying they can't make a difference. So why even bother? He tells them they’re fighting a rigged system. They’ll never win and Doug won’t go down without a fight...How true those words will be in the next ep.

~~~~

Side notes non-chenford

Nice to see Nyla get a little flirting action. I don’t like her with this guy but still good for her to have someone post-Donovan to get the ball rolling.

John’s SL with his mom is rough. But I have to commend him (I know I rarely do that lol) to cut his toxic mother off. His line ‘ I love you I’ll always love you. I just don’t want to see you anymore.’ Damn that’s rough and yet I get it. I wish I could do that with mine. She’s just as narcissistic and manipulative as John’s is so props for doing that for his mental Well being. I actually envy him in this moment.

Wopez’s baby SL was stressful I did love Nyla being there for her through it though. Also watching Lopez destroy her boss about being pregnant then have to walk it back LOL gotta love Angela.

Thank you as always to those who continue to support these reviews. The likes/comments/reblogs are everything to me. So thank you all. See you all in 3x05 :)

[princessamericachavez]

Absolutely unhinged that most of the key developments for Lucy and Tim’s romantic relationships in s4 are centered around each other. The narrative is almost never about their SO. Ashley and Chris were really never anything other than accessories to their development.

I mean, hear me out:

We start the season with the Chenford near-kiss, setting the stage for the next of the season. We know from the last of s3 that they are both starting to feel more for each other. A dance is owed.

Tim meets Ashley, but the whole episode is centered around him and Lucy’s competitive bet.

(A bet Lucy keeps pushing next ep because she has a crush and it’s their way of flirting until he asks her to stop competing)

When Genny comes around, we focus on Lucy’s excitement to meet her (and the curious looks Genny gives them both)

Tim and Ashley are dating and how do we find out? By Lucy’s shocked reaction. (And you can tell she’s slightly hurt, she was getting her hopes up with the flirting earlier). ASHLEY ISNT EVEN IN THE EPISODE AT ALL.

And then that whole episode and the next center around Tim’s past and Lucy finding out about it, being there for him and comforting him. Tim is vulnerable with her. We just found out he’s dating someone else but it’s actually about a step forward for THEM.

Kojo: the whole thing could’ve just been about Tim’s dog. Tbf he’s had it for a good while now and Lucy barely owned Kojo for a couple weeks (at most). But it’s still about “Lucy’s dog”, about her giddy reaction to their fight, about Ashley calling Lucy of all people for advice. First Tim/Ashley fight we see and Lucy is right there in the middle. And it’s no coincidence that Chris is introduced at the end of this episode, because Lucy is letting go.

Chris and Lucy’s initial crash about vulnerable youths is purposefully contrasted with Tim supporting Lucy and Tamara. They both seem hard and morally inflexible but Tim, the narrative tells us, is more compassionate and willing to grow for her.

Also we get an unprompted “are you ok?” from Tim.

“Now you’re all sweet on him?” Wonderful how the apparent Lucy/Chris growth is actually about Tim being jealous.

THE DOUBLE DATE. There’s little I could add here except how obvious the other two “plot accessory” status is. And the show tells us outright.

Not a development for their other relationships but it’s worth noting that Lucy’s conflict about her biodad is a wonderful parallel to Tim’s earlier trauma. He is there for her. While initially callous about it, we also get another completely unprompted check-in “You’ve been quiet.”

(Also incredible how they get paired for the documentary, while the only other pair is a married couple)

There IS one episode that gives Lucy and Chris’s relationship development that is not directly related to Tim, but it is directly related to Rosalind and the barrel (which WAS an extremely important moment for their dynamic). The contrast of how comforting she found Tim After the trauma vs Chris accidentally setting it off again is interesting.

THE WEDDING DANCE. There’s so little I can say about this wonderful scene that hasn’t been said before. Except the heart-eyes and goofy smiles mix is wonderful. Also, they keep looking at each other’s mouths. (Just pointing out how curious it is that neither brought a plus one. Nolan did… but they’ve been in a relationship for a while now and didn’t even think about it?)

INTERESTING that we contrast both of their relationship commitment issues in the same ep. With Lucy not wanting to meet Chris’s mom yet and Tim freaking out over the Hawai trip looking like a proposal.

But what’s more interesting is how the entire proposal misunderstanding is centered around LUCY and her reaction to it. Her uncharacteristic hesitation before she asks. Her hurt face when Tim says he could see himself married to Ashley. Her broken heart when he pretends to propose. (Insane how Chris appears right after, again as an after thought when Lucy is feeling pushed away by Tim)

And finally THE KISS. I mean, Ashley and Chris aren’t even in this episode but I think that’s important. The fact that they both have a SO doesn’t even come up. And when we finally FINALLY get Tim’s ‘oh’ moment, it’s a point where he’s finally realizing (thanks to last ep) that Ashley and him want different things for the future. Whereas Lucy just had her heart pretty brutally broken by him and is feeling dejected and scared to fall for it. It’s the perfect set up for all the s5 pining and misunderstanding.

Anyway, this got way too long but my point stands: everything about Ashley and Chris has been ABOUT CHENFORD and their development.

[m3lzalz-honeybee-noble]

Random 5x05 thoughts (I know I’m Late to the celebration)

- Regarding Ashy and Tim’s Breakup (Good Riddance)

Ashy breaking up with Tim

My first thoughts were against Ashy breaking it off with Tim, but now I have come to accept that it was her, and I’m not mad at it. It’s finally done. I have seen many different perspectives and all are valid. Just thought I’d offer my take.

Ashy was either really oblivious or so narcissistic that she didn’t see Lucy as a threat. I mean, the signs have blatantly been there since the beginning. Not sure how she missed them. To be fair , we didn’t get enough background on her, in order to confirm or deny Lucy factored into her reasoning for breaking up with Tim. Her actual, displayed reasoning for the breakup was out of left field, and I had the same initial thoughts as some others, why date a cop in the first place, if you couldn’t handle being with one long term. After some thought, I came up with something that I haven’t seen discussed here yet. Now, I am not making any excuses for her, and the cold way she ended things, but I am trying to make sense of the breakup on her end. I think that maybe Tim being hurt and going into emergency surgery, may have triggered repressed, childhood trauma, regarding her dad. Our reactions/ responses to trauma/ reliving trauma, can sometimes be irrational and spontaneous. That trigger may have sent her into a tailspin, hence her talking about retirement, and not allowing time to pass before ending their relationship. She didn’t want to relive those feelings she and her mother went through when she was a child.

Tim Not being the one to break up with Ashy

I am curious and forgive me for maybe missing something, because I only rewatch Chenford scenes, but when did Tim ever reference or say that it would be an end all, be all (Dealbreaker), in his relationship, if his significant other did not want to marry or have kids? I only remember him saying that he thought he’d have kids by now, and he and Isabel talked about it. He did express surprise/ a little disappointment when Ashy revealed she didn’t want that, but I thought it was because most people are shocked/ surprised/ a little disappointed when a woman expresses that sentiment, as if it is taboo. I personally don’t think that was a main factor or reasoning to end his relationship with her, unless it is still what he really wants.

The main factor(s) that should have had him end that relationship, is the emotional and almost physical cheating with Lucy. Also, how Ashy was subtly manipulating him to conform to her wants and needs, instead of allowing him to be himself, with a little compromise. It also seems, to me at least, Tim was still very much of the mindset that he was in the early stages of dating, and they weren’t as exclusive to him, as they were to her. She said she loves him 🤮; he didn’t say it back. On screen canon tells me that he doesn’t love her. He also told Angela he’s dating Ashley in 5x01, even though he’s called her his GF, other times. (When is dating no longer dating? How long have they even been together, a year? Aaron finished his FTO program in that time. Isn’t it 18 months altogether?)

Was it fair for Tim to lead Ashy on? No, but he probably looked at their relationship, as a safety net, and because he didn’t follow through with the physical cheating, he most likely thought he could focus all his energy/efforts in his relationship with her, grow to love her, and get over his burgeoning feelings for Lucy. I don’t think him not ending things with Ashy, means he doesn’t have feelings for/ love Lucy. To him, Lucy has already moved on, with Chrispy. Logically, why forfeit any chance at potentially being happy? A lot of people settle, when they can’t be with the one they truly love. Yes, he is a man of honor, and what he was doing is quite the opposite of being honorable, but sometimes honorable people can have lapses in judgement, and make mistakes, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. That’s an internal struggle he could be dealing with/ trying to rationalize, under the surface. We won’t know, until it is said aloud, if ever.

Side note: Just thinking about why Tim was outlandishly considering retirement, and the only reasoning I can come up with, aside from him humoring Ashy, was that he was also factoring in a potential solution to the superior/senior officer roadblock that is preventing him from being with Lucy. 👀

I loved this episode and have many thoughts, about it. I’ll prob make another post solely about Lucy and Tim❤️. This is too long. Thank you for sticking with me til the end if you made it this far.

[myrandomfandomramblings]

Making memories - a Chenford fanfic

For Chenfordficweek2021 - as described by @therookiebook

Instead of a fic a day for chenford fic week I decided to just write one incorporating as many prompts as possible. This is because when I read them a few just connected in my head and then I had way to much fun seeing how many I could kinda incorporate. Some of the quotes aren’t word for word but the lines are inspired by the original prompt.

*Note: my beach fic was also inspired by this prompt list but I got antsy and posted it early so if you haven’t read it, you can check it out.

Main prompt: Road Trip

Other prompts:

July 11th- 

"Is that you...singing? Since when can you sing?" 

"I wish we could stay like this forever." 

Fight 

"You're comfier than a pillow." 

July 12th- 

With Child(ren)- theirs or not

"I fucked up."

"Where have you been?" 

July 13th- 

"You're crushing me." "I can't breathe with you on me." 

"Stay here." 

"What do you want?" 

July 14th- 

"I'm calling the police." "We are the police." 

"Don't move." 

"That a new dress?" 

Sweet tooth

July 15th- 

Locked out (Car/house/station) 

"Stop hogging all the blankets." 

"Why are you bleeding?" 

"Make me." 

July 16th- 

Shopping together or for the other 

Getting lost

"Is that my shirt?" 

Under the stars

July 17th- 

Competition 

Tears 

"Why are you so late?" 

When Lucy arrives in role call and hears she’s partnered with Tim for the day, she’s excited. When she hears they are to wear civvies and take Tim’s truck to surveil a suspect, she’s confused. And when said suspect drives further and further out of LA and they are instructed to keep on his tail, she’s annoyed. If she didn’t know better she’d think some writer designed the assignment purely because it was convenient for their story. Nevertheless, this is her life: crashing at a random hotel nearly nine hours from LA, after finally being relieved of surveillance detail, by the local sheriffs department, at 2:30am. The plus side is she’s being paid overtime, not only for the late night but also for the commute back to the city tomorrow. The down side is despite being exhausted she twists and turns all night unable to get comfortable in the strange environment. So when Tim knocks on the adjoining door between their rooms at 10am she’s already been up for a few hours. She has written a journal entry in her notes, preordered drinks for them to pick up at Starbucks and spent more time than she’d like to admit on google maps and various travel sites researching their trip home. She has also found time to plunder the continental breakfast and is currently demolishing a strawberry danish and a cinnamon bun. This earns criticism from Tim, whose plate carries sausage, eggs and an orange.

By 11am they’re on the open road again, coffees in the console between them. The small talk they had been making since they left the hotel had slowly died out so now they sit in comfortable silence. That is until Lucy reaches over to turn on the radio. 

“You know how I feel about car radios Chen,” Tim warns in his best TO voice. 

“Even off shift?” Lucy scoffs, and continues to press the on button and turn the volume dial up. Nevertheless, nothing happens.

“Looks like it doesn’t work anyway,” Tim states as he continues to hold the volume down button on the steering wheel, unbeknownst to Lucy.

“Fine then I’ll be the radio.” “You like Lady Marmalade, right?” She’s referencing Tim’s LA CLEAR security answer but she doesn’t wait for his reaction or reply before beginning to belt out the opening lyrics.

As she sings his initially surprised expression, morphs to shock and then awe. 

“Since when can you sing?” he asks when she finishes.

She just shrugs, looking down at her hands as they begin to fiddle in her lap.  

“Now I wish the radio really was broken,” Tim states as he turns it on and music starts playing.

Lucy shoots him a quick death glare before turning her attention back out the window.

---

By noon Lucy’s singing quietly along to the music (causing Tim to reevaluate his opinion on car radios) when she suddenly sneezes then freezes as her eyes go wide.

“Ah, can you stop at the next place with a bathroom?” she asks bashfully.

“We haven’t even been driving that long can you hold it?”

“Find me a bathroom or your truck will be covered in blood,” Lucy says, her tone conveying urgency.

“What? Why are you bleeding?” Tim asks, confused.

“If you don’t know why I, a woman, would be bleeding and thus need a bathroom then the public school system failed you.”

 “Oh, ah, right, sorry,” Tim stutters, “I think there’s a small town at the next exit.”

“Thank-you,” Lucy replies clearly relieved.

“Do we need to find a drug store or do you have what you need?’

“Ya, if you could find a drug store.” She’s fiddling again, unable to shake the feeling of embarrassment even though she knows, rationally, she has nothing to be embarrassed about.

Several minutes later Tim’s pulling into the drug store parking lot and Lucy’s unbuckling her seat belt to run in. But as soon as she stands up Tim’s voice stops her.

“Wait Luce.” There’s a tenderness to his voice especially when he uses the new nickname that stops her more than the instruction itself. “I think we’re too late.” 

Lucy looks down at the seat she just vacated to see its center now decorated with a dark red stain. A matching stain is present on the butt of the long yellow dress she’s wearing. 

“Of course,” she spits as she tries to fight back tears that are already running down her cheeks.

“That a new dress?” Tim questions awkwardly, caught off guard by the sudden display of emotion.

Lucy lets out a choked laugh as Tim flounders to find something helpful to say.

“I ruined your truck, I ruined my dress and now I have to walk around the drug store with a giant stain on my ass,” Lucy sniffs.

“Hey Lucy, everything’s going to be okay.” He reaches across the console to put a hand on her shoulder. “Stay here. I’ll go in and get what you need.”

She stares at him surprised and unsure. The idea of him buying her tampons and pads and, she realizes, new underwear seems uncomfortably intimate.

“So, ah, what do you want?”  

Because she has no desire to walk around the store with a giant blood stain on her butt she gives him her order, eyes down, face turning redder by the second.

He just nods and returns a few minutes later with three grocery bags and immediately hands them to her.

Inside she finds much more than she requested. The first bag contains two chocolate bars, two bags of candy, and two bottles of water. The second holds 6 different packages of assorted pads and tampons.

“How much blood do you think someone loses on their period,” Lucy teases.

Tim gives a small shrug. “I didn’t know which kind you wanted.” 

Inside the third bag Lucy finds a bottle of Advil, a package of wet-wipes, a spray bottle of stain remover, a new package of underwear (simple white cotton), a pair of black tights and a box of black garbage bags. 

“What are these for?” she asks holding up the garbage bags.

“They didn’t have any shirts so I thought we could make some head and arm holes and-“ he stops talking when he sees Lucy’s unimpressed expression. “I know it’s not ideal.” 

“Good thing I already have that figured out,” she says holding up a plaid button up. 

“Is that my shirt?” He had taken it off as soon as he got in the car, since like usual he had a henley underneath, and thrown it into the back. Lucy must of retrieved it while he was in the store. 

“Please,” she says fixing him with those puppy dog eyes. “I promise I won’t get blood on it. Well, I’ll do my best. Please don’t make me wear a garbage bag.” 

He laughs. “I forgot I had that. I guess I didn’t need these.” He takes the garbage bags from her and is about to throw them in the back when Lucy speaks up.

“Actually I’ll take one,” she says ripping the cardboard and freeing a single bag. She proceeds to rip a hole in the top of the garbage bag and pulls it over her legs like a skirt. Then she puts Tim’s plaid shirt on overtop. Tim is watching her with raised eyebrows.

“What? It’s just temporary. I promised I wouldn’t get blood on your shirt.” She puts everything she needs in her bag and goes into the bathroom to clean herself up. When she returns Tim is just finishing cleaning the blood off the passenger seat. 

“I would have done that.”

 “It was no trouble.” “Here spray some of this on your dress before the stain sets,” Tim offers as he hands her the stain remover.

Lucy does then drapes her dress over the backseat.

“Ready to go,” Tim asks.

 Lucy nods and by 1pm they’re back on the road.

 ---

By 2pm they’re both hungry and decide to stop for lunch. The place they choose is a fast food joint connected to a gas station. It’s busy. Probably because it’s the only place to eat for miles around. While they wait in line to order, Lucy goes to use the bathroom, only to find another line just as long. She decides to try the gas station bathroom instead, telling Tim that she’ll be right back but if he gets to the front first he knows her order. He goes to argue but she’s already gone, which is probably a good thing since he has no rebuttal, considering it’s the truth. 

A few minutes later Tim has their food: a veggie burger with extra pickles and fries for her and a burger and fries for him, but she still isn’t back. He wanders over to the gas station to find her standing in line at the register. 

“Put the candy back Chen.”

“Make me,” she says shaking the bags as she holds them by her shoulders.

Tim reaches for them but Lucy moves to evade his grasp. “Too slow,” she teases.

“You’ve already had two pastries, one bag of candy, a chocolate bar and a frappa-cappa-crapacciuno or whatever.”

“It was a chai tea latte and you know it.”  

“It was more sugar than anything and we still have more candy in the car. You’re going to give yourself diabetes.” 

She shrugs. “It’s not a road trip without excessive amounts of junk food.” 

“It’s not a road trip. It’s a commute home.” 

“It’s whatever we make it,” she says as she taps her card to pay for the candy. 

They find a state park a few minutes up the road and unpack their lunch at one of the picnic tables. They talk as they eat, familiar banter flying across the table. As they near the end of their food Lucy is animatedly telling a story about a recent arrest. She has a french fry in one hand and as she gestures, a little too aggressively, a glob of ketchup flies off the end of the fry and right into Tim’s face. 

She sinks down a little in her seat and covers her mouth to try to suppress a laugh.

“Did you just throw ketchup at me Chen?” he glares as he slowly removes the offending condiment.

“Not on purpose,” she giggles.

“If you start a fight you better be prepared to finish it,” he says as he rips open a package of mustard and squirts it at her.

Although it has poor projectile power a small amount lands in Lucy’s hair. She looks back at him mouth wide. “That was on purpose. That’s assault. I’m calling the police.”

“We are the police,” Tim deadpans as he rips the top off another mustard package.

“You wouldn’t” Lucy warns as she opens a mayo.

Then words are abandoned as condiments fly. They go through 5 ketchup, 3 mustard, 2 mayo, 1 bbq sauce, 1 ranch dressing, 1 aioli and 1 pepper packet before they both surrender. In fact the only packets left untouched are the hot sauce and salt. Both their faces are covered in assorted condiments. Most that had been scooped off the picnic table and smeared directly onto their target when it became clear the packets could barely project their contents a foot. The only one that was truly an effective weapon was the pepper which successfully gave Tim a sneezing fit. 

As they sit back down to finish the last bit of their lunch Lucy picks up a fry and runs it along Tim’s cheek then throws it in her mouth. 

“Not bad,” she says as Tim makes a face of disgust.

When the last fries are gone they throw out their garbage, wipe down the picnic table, then turn their attention to themselves.

“It’s a good thing I bought these wipes,” Tim says as he passes one to Lucy. 

She laughs as she takes it and begins to wash her face. 

“Did I get it all?” she asks when she thinks she’s done. “Because you didn’t,” she adds as she reaches up to wipe the side of his mouth.

He’s startled at first then his expression morphs into something she can’t quite read but something that makes her linger just a little longer than strictly necessary. Then she steps away and climbs into the drivers seat and by 3pm they’re back on their way.

---  

By 4pm Lucy’s in the middle of a seemingly endless monologue about the bachelor franchise when she looks over to realize that Tim is fast asleep. She would be insulted but instead she sees it as an opportunity. She starts to take every turn she can. Whenever she comes to an intersection she turns on to the smallest street. By the time Tim wakes up, about half an hour later (of course he would have is body trained to nap the ideal more than 20, less than 40 minutes), they are in the middle of nowhere. She waits until he’s fully awake then slams on the brakes.

“I’ve been shot. Where are we, Tim?” she demands in her best Tim Bradford voice. He looks out all the windows to see nothing but ranches then back at her, confusion clear on his face.

“Did you get us lost just so you could prove a point?” His tone an odd combination of annoyance and amusement.

“We’re not lost I’m taking the scenic route.” 

 “I’m pretty sure the scenic route is supposed to run along the ocean not through the desert in the middle of no where.” 

“We’re not in the middle of no where we are North of Martinus Corner at the intersection of Cross Rd and and Lockwood Jolon Rd,” she brags. 

“Great you know where we are. Do you know how to get us back onto the main road?”

“It’s not all about the destination, you know, It’s about the journey,” Lucy offers. “When’s the last time you did something just for the fun of it.”

“We go for a hike or a walk along the beach with Kojo every weekend.”

“I know I’m fun to be around,” she teases, “but that’s an errand, Tim, the dog needs exercise.” 

“I see your point but what are we supposed to do in the middle of ranch land? You want to go cow tipping?”

“We won’t be in ranch land for long,” Lucy replies, but half an hour and at least twenty turns later they’re still surrounded by fields and livestock.

“Will you admit you’re lost now?” Tim asks.

Lucy sighs, “Fine, can you please google map how to get to Route 1”

“We were on 5.”

“5’s the freeway. 1’s the scenic route,” Lucy explains. “the one that runs along the ocean.”

Before Tim can bring up the app they’re emerging into a small city centre. As Lucy continues down the main street she excitedly points ahead. 

“Let’s go bowling,” she says indicating the bowling alley sign.

“I thought you wanted to go to the ocean.”

“We can still take the scenic route home, after we go bowling.”

Tim sighs.

“Come on let’s have some fun, make some memories,” Lucy encourages.

“You’re not going to take no for an answer.”

Lucy shakes her head and happily pulls into the bowling alley parking lot.

Several minutes later they have their bowling shoes on and their names entered in the computer on lane 4. Tim goes first and immediately gets a strike.

“You want to put money on this game Chen?” he asks cockily.

“Lucky shot,” Lucy replies. “I’m not betting money but if you win I’ll let you pick the route home but if I win you can’t complain when we take the scenic route.

“Deal,” he says shaking her hand.

Lucy goes next and gets two gutter balls in a row. “Why didn’t we get the bumpers?”

“The bumpers are for kids.”

On her third throw she throws the bowl with two-hands after swinging it between her legs.

“Speaking of for kids,” Tim teases.

“Don’t argue with results,” she counters as her ball connects with the pins.

They continue going back and forth, Tim using the classic one-handed bowling throw and Lucy trying a different technique each time. She tries sitting down and pushing it down the lane, pulling out the ball slide meant for toddlers, standing backwards and throwing the ball between her legs but eventually settles on the two-handed granny throw. 

By half-way through the game Tim’s score is double Lucy’s and he starts to get cocky. He throws with his eyes closed, on one-foot and after spinning in a circle 10 times. 

3 quarters through the game the black lights come on and they laugh at each others teeth glowing in the dark. The disco lights and music follow. Then Lucy who had been giggling and joking around all game suddenly becomes serious. 

“I have two more turns and I really want a strike,” she states. She has a couple spares on the board but strikes remain elusive. Tim on the other hand has three.

“Can I show you? he questions handing her a ball.

He initially tries to coach her through the throw but she isn’t catching on so he steps behind her, puts his hand over hers and leans into her back as he guides her through the motion. The ball knocks over all but one pin but Lucy almost misses it because she’s looking up at Tim. He lets go and steps back.

“You think you can do that on your own next turn?” he asks shaking the huskiness from his voice.

She nods. Tim bowls, then it’s the moment of truth as Lucy throws her ball imaging Tim’s arm along hers, guiding it. The bowl rolls straight down the alley where it connects with the pins and knocks them all down. STRIKE flashes on the computer screen as Lucy jumps for joy then right into Tim for a celebratory hug. He’s initially surprised but is able to catch her and himself before they fall over. He spins them around as she laughs and he’s suddenly really glad Lucy made him stop.

With that the game is over. Tim’s still ahead but the margin had narrowed. They return their bowling shoes and head out to the truck.

“Fine you win this time, we can go back to the interstate but I want a rematch. I’m thinking mini-golf or the arcade,” Lucy says as she pulls out of the parking lot. 

“Nah, go to the 1,” Tim says as he starts to read the directions off his phone.

Lucy looks at him quizzically but doesn’t push her luck. By 6pm they’re driving along the ocean.

---

By 7pm, although it’s not that late, it’s already dark. That combined with her lack of sleep the night before is making Lucy sleepy. When she yawns for the third time in less than 20 minutes Tim suggests they switch drivers. Lucy happily obliges pulling into the next rest stop. During the day it would have a beautiful view of the ocean but now all one can see is darkness. The only evidence of the ocean’s presence being the rhythmic, crashing of waves against the base of the cliff below.

They pull into the abandoned lot; Lucy takes her time backing into a spot, mostly just to annoy Tim and they both get out, reflexively closing their doors behind them. As they pass each other Tim holds his hand out for the keys. 

“I just left them in the ignition,” Lucy explains. Tim looks over to the truck then back to her a look of defeat on his face.

“Your doors lock automatically, don’t they?” Lucy asks rhetorically, “I fucked up.” 

They try the doors just in case but sure enough they’re locked. 

“Well it could be worse,” Tim offers much to Lucy’s surprise, “at least it’s not running.” “I’ll call Angela and see if I can convince her to grab the extra set of keys from my house and come meet us but its going to be a couple hours.” 

Lucy nods. “Thank-you and I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Tim shrugs, “we’re making memories remember.” Then without another word we walks away from her as he hits a button on his phone and puts it to his ear. The conversation doesn’t last long. Angela obliges but insists that Tim now owes her one. He thinks she still owes him a couple from everything he did as her man of honour but decides now isn’t the time to bring that up. When he hangs up he finds Lucy has lowered the tailgate of his truck, where she now sits. She’s shivering, arms wrapped around herself, but she’s smiling as she looks up at the sky. 

“You can see the stars here,” she explains hearing him approach, “away from the lights and smog of the city.” 

Tim climbs up into the bed of his truck and removes a stack of old moving blankets from the storage box he keeps in the back. 

“Angela’s on her way but in the meantime we should stay warm.” He wraps one around Lucy’s shoulders. Then lays the rest on the floor of the truck bed. 

“Good thing I left these in after helping Tamara move last weekend.” He shimmies his way in-between two layers then taps the spot beside him, inviting Lucy to join. She climbs in beside him eager for more warmth. With the sun gone the temperature had dropped fast. 

Lucy pulls up an app on her phone and hands it to Tim so he can identify constellations for them while her hands and arms stay hidden under the blankets. Then they lay down and look-up at the stars. Tim uses the app to find constellations, points them out to Lucy, then reads the story about them provided by the app. Meanwhile Lucy snuggles deeper and deeper into the blankets. Tim stops in the middle of the story he’s reading about the the swan constellation as the blankets are pulled off his torso. 

"Stop hogging all the blankets,” he complains pulling them back.

“Sorry, I’m freezing,” she confesses. 

He pauses for a second clearly debating something internally before opening his arm out to the side. “Then come closer,” he finally says. 

She hesitates for a second before slowly moving to snuggle against his side. The possibility of warmth far outweighing any awkwardness she’s feeling. She rests her head on his chest. She can feel his heart racing to match her own and can’t help but smile to herself.

“Better?” he asks once she’s finished squirming around trying to maximize her view of the stars and the amount of body heat she’s receiving from him.

”You're comfier than a pillow,” she confirms, nodding. 

Tim doesn’t respond just wraps his arm around her shoulders. He continues to point out constellations and read the stories in Lucy’s app. 

“None of the constellations actually look like their name sakes,” Lucy says after a while.   

“You have to use your imagination.” 

“I could use my imagination to name my own constellations.” 

He shrugs. “Go for it.” 

She finds a cluster of stars that vaguely resembles a duck. She points it out to Tim then makes up a story about a duck that joined the LAPD and saved the city from a gang of geese. When she’s finished she turns to Tim,. “Your turn.”

He gives her his best ‘not happening’ look but he’s met with those pleading brown eyes that hold more power over him than he’ll ever admit and caves almost instantly.

He points out an X made of stars. “That is where the space pirates buried their treasure.” Lucy looks up at him expectantly. “The end,” he finishes.

“That’s your whole story? One sentence.”

“I’m not as creative as you.”

“Then tell a real story,” she says, “here I’ll go first.”

She points to a jumble of stars. “That is Caligula’s toy chest,” she says then proceeds to describe in great detail all the filthy, horrid things she had seen the day he taught her the DEAR method.

“Why would you tell me that?” he asks when she is done.

“Now you share my pain.”

Tim laughs and points at four stars arranged in a rectangle. “That is the phone that was used too much at work.” He spends his entire story essentially mocking her for always being on her phone. Lucy would be annoyed or insulted but the amount of detail he remembers about the completely benign things she has done is kind of sweet and a little exhilarating.

She next finds a ’surf board’ and tells the story of a weekend getaway with some collage friends that ended with a black eye, a broken board and a lot of great memories. 

Tim follows suit finding a ‘football’ and telling the story of a particularly memorable championship game during his high school career. He’s half-way through his story when he interrupts himself. “You're crushing me,” he tells Lucy who is draped over his torso. “What are you even doing?” I can't breathe with you on me."

“I’m tucking in the blanket so our heat doesn’t escape,” she says as she pushes the edge of the blanket under Tim’s side along the length of his body. When she’s done she rolls off of him, cuddles back into his side then tucks the opposite blanket edge under herself. 

When Tim finishes his story they continue to go back and forth, learning more and more about each other each turn. Lucy tells stories from the time she spent travelling and working odd jobs, from her time as a psych major and her time in the academy. Tim talks about his family, his time in the army, and his early years on the force and with Isabel. 

He tells her about a colleague who despite being a great cop made the mistake of using his radio near an explosive and paid for it with his life. He is the reason Tim baby powder bombs every Rookie: so no other good officers will be lost because a critical piece of information was taught so dryly that it couldn’t possibly be recalled under pressure. 

She tells him about her ring as she twirls it around her finger. About how she found it in her grandma’s dress-up chest when she was six and it immediately became her favourite item. How every time she played dress-up the ring was part of the costume, whether she was a princess or a ninja, a cat or a witch, a clown or a police officer. How unlike her parents, who always thought she’d follow their career paths, her grandma always told her she could be anything she wanted. How when her grandma passed away she had found the ring again as she helped her parents pack up her things. How she had started wearing it to feel closer to her. How as she looked at the ring day after day she heard her grandma’s voice in her head:  “You can do anything you put your mind too,”  “the sky’s the limit,” “do what makes you happy.” How that made her realize she was not where she wanted to be and led to her decision to quit her Master’s program.  How her parents had chalked it up to grief and tried to use psychoanalysis to convince her to return. How that had pissed Lucy off and led to her applying to the LAPD. How she had continued to wear the ring as a reminder and motivator during her training. How much it had meant to her to have it returned. How now it not only symbolizes her grandma’s belief in her, but also Tim’s and her own. How it continues to give her strength.

As Lucy talks Tim rubs circles on her back as if connecting the stars that constitute Lucy’s ‘ring’ constellation. 

Just as she finishes she excitedly points up. “Look a shooting star!”

“Make a wish,” Tim advises.

“I wish we could stay like this forever.” She surprises herself by how quick and confident that comes out. She hadn’t even thought about it, but it is true. In this moment everything is perfect. She is no longer cold. She is warm and happy in her little burrito with Tim: wearing his shirt, listening to the ocean, surrounded by stars. 

Lucy half hears Tim name a constellation “the best boot I ever trained” and start to tell a Coles notes version of their story but she’s already falling asleep.

She wakes up some time later to Tim shifting beside her. 

“Don’t move,” she groans still half-asleep.“

“Ange is here Luce. It’s time to go home.” 

“Am home,” she mumbles before falling back asleep.

Tim manages to free himself from Lucy and the blankets. He shuffles out of the back of the truck and walks around it to meet Angela who is just getting out of her car.

“Where have you been,” Tim asks. 

“Driving.” 

“I mean, what took you so long?” 

“I thought you might be enjoying your alone time with Lucy more than you’d admit, so I didn’t rush.” 

He wanted to argue but he couldn’t. “Thank-you for coming.”

She shrugs. “Honestly, when your baby refuses to sleep anywhere but a moving car a 4 hour drive is not as inconvenient as it sounds.”

As if to prove her point the infant starts wailing from inside the vehicle.

Before Angela can move Tim’s opening her car door and removing his god child from the car seat. He holds the baby to his chest and starts rocking him. As the baby continues to scream and Tim continues to rock, sway and bounce, Lucy emerges from behind Tim’s truck seemingly woken by the crying.

“There’s my favourite little guy,” she coos as she approaches. “You’ve gotten so big. Next time I see you you’ll be taller than your Uncle Tim,” she continues as she rubs the baby’s back. Despite all the attention the baby continues to fuss.

“He’s hungry,” Angela explains. “Give him this,” she continues handing him a full bottle, “I pumped on the way here.”

“You pumped while driving?”

“It’s called multitasking.”

Tim takes the bottle and offers it to the baby who immediately begins suckling. While the baby drinks Lucy goes back to Tim’s truck and grabs some blankets. She gives one to Angela, drapes another over Tim and the little boy and wraps herself in the last. 

Over the next half an hour Tim and Lucy work together to feed, burp, and change the baby before putting him back in his carseat, all while his mother watches with a very amused expression. When he’s buckled in they say their goodbyes, thank Angela again, then head back to Tim’s truck, which is now unlocked.

By 10pm they are back on the road. They spend the rest of the drive cooing over baby Evers and talking about their own theoretical future kids. While conveniently avoiding any mention of theoretical future spouses or co-parents.

By midnight Lucy is just getting home. As she walks through the door she sees Jackson on the couch watching TV. 

“Why are you so late?” he asks turning towards her.

“Long story.” 

“Is that Tim’s shirt?” 

“Longer story.” 

“Aha,” Jackson says giving her a knowing look.

She just rolls her eyes and goes to get ready for bed. She falls asleep almost immediately and dreams of sweets and stars, babies and bowling and a life with Tim.

[westwingwolf]

Title: Single Line Chapter 2

Archive: AO3

Summary: Will Sergeant Grey's prepared relationship paperwork for Tim & Lucy finally prove necessary?

Notes: Y'all asked for a sequel; and not long after posting the first part, I did happen to have an idea for a continuation.

"Chen!"

Lucy and Jackson looked up from where they were chatting about their latest arrest to see Tim coming toward them with a scowl on his face.

It had been a few months since Lucy and Tim had had their last shift together. From that time, they had transitioned into more an equal status as coworkers and become even better friends. Hanging out more off duty than they had while she was his rookie. Jackson had even recently pointed out that Lucy spent more off duty time with Tim than she did with Jackson, and they were the ones who lived together. She reminded him that since Jackson and her were now partners, they needed more off duty hours apart or risk ruining their friendship. He had asked her if she felt that way when she was riding with Tim, and she had chosen not to respond. But she definitely thought about it on her own; and realized that if given the choice, she would have spent as many hours with Tim as possible. Though she still refused to think too much about what that really meant.

All the same, she thought Tim had enjoyed the change in their friendship as well. He hadn't called her Chen in months. Not unless he was addressing her professionally with other officers around. And he certainly wouldn't have yelled at her in the middle of the precinct.

When Tim finally reached her and Jackson, he lowered his voice but the rigidness still remained. "You told my rookie we're married?"

"What?" That was not what she was expecting.

"WHAT?!" Beside her Jackson exclaimed more loudly.

Tim was temporarily distracted by Jackson's outburst which gave Lucy more time to think and realize what had happened. "Okay, this is all an honest misunderstanding. Yesterday, when you took that call for the bar fight, got slammed into a wall, and had to go to the hospital for a possible concussion; I heard about it and wanted to know what happened. But Jackson and I were guarding evidence so I couldn't leave the scene. So I radioed your rookie for an update. But your new rookie follows the rules more than you do. He is even more anal about the rules than Jackson was when we first started as rookies."

"Hey!" Tim and Lucy both turned to look at Jackson. Tim was clearly annoyed by his presence while Lucy silently pleaded with him to not make this worse. As much as Jackson wanted to watch this play out, preferably with some popcorn, he decided now was probably a good time to bail. He'd get the rest of the story from Lucy later. "I think I just heard Smitty call for me. So I'm gonna go be anywhere but here."

After Jackson quickly left, Tim turned his attention back to Lucy. "How does my rookie following the rules lead to us being married?"

"He wouldn't give me an update on your condition even after I told him I was your former rookie, and I'm your friend." She looked down as she quietly stated the rest. "So I might have insinuated that we were more than that."

When Tim hadn't said anything yet, Lucy looked back into his eyes. "I'm sorry. I was worried, and I didn't think about the repercussions. But it's going to be fine. He's not going to tell anyone else."

As if right on cue by fate, Tim and Lucy heard the booming voice of Sergeant Grey. "Bradford! Chen! My office! Now!"

Making haste, the pair filed into Grey's office. Both fearful of what he might say, but not wanting to give anything away in case they were wrong.

In almost stark contrast to his demeanor only seconds ago, Grey sat calmly at his desk while Tim and Lucy stood before him. "Officer Chen. Officer Bradford. Or should I say Officers Bradford, is there anything you wish to inform me about?"

Tim remained silent, and Lucy couldn't blame him. This was her fault entirely. "Sir, I'm to blame. Tim..." Tim shot her a quick look as if to say now was not the time to be informal. "Officer Bradford had no knowledge of my conversation with Officer Coleman, and I did not mean for that miscommunication to go as far as it did. I will, of course, inform Officer Coleman of the truth immediately."

To Lucy it felt like forever as Grey studied both her and Tim for some answer he seemed to be looking for in their body language. Finally, he spoke, "So I won't be needing this paperwork." He pointed to a folder sitting squarely in the middle of his desk.

"Paperwork?" She asked. Oh God, had he planned to write up an official reprimand over this? Was she still in trouble? She looked over at Tim who briefly met her eyes. He appeared worried for her as well.

"Paperwork informing the higher ups that two of my officers are in a romantic relationship and requesting that they remain in the same department provided they are capable of maintaining professionalism." Grey informed them with that classic lilt of his voice and a hint of a smile implying that he knew something they didn't.

"That's possible?" Lucy couldn't hide her surprise. She looked at Tim. "Did you know that was possible?"

He only looked at her briefly to shake his head before returning his gaze back to Grey. His stoic manner once again in place, but for a moment she thought she saw something in his eyes. A brief mixture of both hope and regret.

She turned back to Grey who began speaking as if he was waiting calmly for their attention. Not something he would do often. "It's rare, but it is allowed in special circumstances. However, since I won't be needing to file the paperwork today, I'll just put it back in my desk for later." He returned the folder to his bottom desk drawer. Taking notice that both Tim's and Lucy's eyes stayed on that very drawer until they snapped forward upon his sharp "You're both dismissed."

Just as they reached the door, he called back to them. "Tim. Lucy." They both turned to look at him. "The next time I'm informed of your marriage it better be because I was invited to your wedding." He smiled briefly before turning back toward his regular paperwork. Having silently dismissed them again.

Neither sure how to respond to that, they both quickly left his office. They could barely look each other in the eye before silently choosing not address the situation any further. Instead they both returned to their duties to finish out their shift.

By the time shift was over, the awkwardness still remained but walking to their cars together had become an end of shift ritual. Neither was eager to forego it so they walked in silence before reaching Tim's truck. Lucy managed an awkward goodbye and got only a few feet before she turned back around. They had never ended a shift without talking through their problems. Not since those early days. She couldn't leave it this way.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said before she could change her mind.

Tim looked back at her. "You already apologized. I'm not mad. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Lucy moved closer to him. "But there is. I didn't think it through when I let Coleman think we were married. I mean, I knew what I was saying. I knew what I wanted him to think. Because I wanted to know you were okay. But I didn't think about how you would react when he told you. And I realized later that when he spoke about your wife, you must have thought about Isabel. And I'm sorry for any pain that must have caused."

"I didn't," Tim stated. When Lucy looked at him curiously, he continued. "I didn't think about Isabel. In fact, Coleman's exact words to me when he first got in the shop today were 'I'm sorry I didn't tell Officer Chen about your condition immediately when she asked. I didn't know that she's your wife.' So after the initial shock, my only thought was 'I wish she was."

Lucy stood stunned. She watched Tim carefully for any signs that he was teasing her. That this was a trick. Like the one she played on him on their last shift. She regretted her false confession almost immediately. And for months now she had played back those words to him over and over in her head. Wondering just how false any of it really was. But in Tim's eyes she saw absolute sincerity. He meant it completely.

And suddenly that magnetic pull that had always been between them hit them with a full force. Moving toward each other quickly, they met with eager kissing. Lucy wasn't sure how, but at some point Tim had turned them around so her back was pressed against his truck. Only after they broke apart for air did it register to her that they had been standing in the parking garage kissing like they didn't care who might walk by at any moment. And it in truth, it didn't matter. Because Tim was leaning over her with his forehead resting against hers, as if he didn't want any space between them. Neither did she. Not when he was looking at her with so much love in his eyes.

When she finally caught her breath she asked, "Do you think Sergeant Grey will be annoyed with us if we tell him we need the relationship paperwork already?"

She was rewarded with a rare Tim Bradford smile and more kissing.

[sage-nebula]

So as I posted about earlier right after the credits rolled, I watched Detective Pikachu today and I honestly loved it. I’m so, so glad that my initial, knee-jerk, negative reaction when they announced that they were making a live-action Pokémon movie was proven wrong. They did a wonderful job, and I teared up at least twice from the sheer overwhelming feeling of love I have for this universe (once at the start with the shot of the pidgey and pidgeot flying in the sky, and then again at the end when they played the Overture, because I always tear up when I hear that song, it never fails).

That said, I want to post a few more indepth thoughts about it, and said thoughts contain spoilers, so everything else goes beneath the cut:

In no particular order:

I never played the actual game this movie was based on, though I knew the major spoilers going in, so the twist at the end (that Tim’s dad was in the body of the pikachu all along) didn’t surprise me. That said, I don’t think that the twist would have surprised me even if I didn’t know the spoilers, and that’s not a bad thing! The twist made sense given everything else that led up to it. I think that in the days of super shocking plot twists people think that no one should ever be able to see the twists coming, but that’s not true. It’s good if twists are surprising, but a viewer or reader should be able to look back and see the signposts that led to that point. Detective Pikachu’s signposts were pretty huge, flashing, and neon, but when you remember that this is a movie that people of all ages are supposed to be able to see and understand, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Words can’t describe the emotion I had at seeing everything in the PokéWorld brought to life. There were pokémon everywhere, in every scene, and I absolutely loved that. I’ve wanted pokémon to be real since I was eight years old. I’m twenty-nine now. This has been a dream of mine for twenty-one years, and while obviously pokémon still aren’t real, seeing them rendered as if they were just filled my heart with so much joy. So much of the relationship between humans and pokémon was properly portrayed, too. I didn’t like the implication that other regions (such as Kanto) don’t have the same bond between human and pokémon as those in Ryme City do, but I think that was just propaganda spread by Howard the more that I think on it. In order for Howard’s plan to succeed, he needed pokémon to be out in open air, exposed so they could be driven mad by the gas. That wouldn’t happen if the majority of people kept their pokémon in pokéballs. So fostering this idea of, “Trainers don’t actually love their pokémon or live in harmony with them, which is why they use pokéballs” actually fits with his plan and makes it easier for him to carry it out, rather than if he had to encourage everyone to release their pokémon from their ‘balls first. So now that I think on it like that, I’m okay with it. That said, a place like Ryme City where pokémon are just EVERYWHERE would still be amazing and I want more of it.

I do wish we saw a bit more variety in the background pokémon. It seemed like it was consistently the same six or seven pokémon in the background. This was probably done due to limitations on how many models they could render, but at the same time it makes sense if you consider that maybe those are just the pokémon most easily available around Ryme City’s general region. (Also, what region is Ryme City in? It’s not Kanto, we know that for sure, so what is it?)

Speaking of Kanto, I cringed when they pronounced it wrong. It’s “Kahn-toe,” not “Can-toe.” Also, since Ryan Reynolds was playing a pivotal character, it would have been nice if they’d taught him that it was “Po-kay-mon,” or at the very least “Pok-uh-mon,” rather than “Pok-ey-mon.” Your average viewer won’t care, but I, someone who has been training since 1998, do.

There were quite a few growlithe and arcanine around, but not nearly enough focus on them!!! I COULD HAVE USED A VERY LONG SCENE WITH AN ARCANINE, THANK YOU. AND ALSO A VERY LONG SCENE WITH A HAPPY CHARIZARD IN A GOOD MOOD.

Speaking of which, I was worried going into it that this movie was going to be anti-charizard propaganda since I knew that some jerkass had one that he used in the battle arena, but I was happy to see that it wasn’t the case at all. It wasn’t the charizard that was bad, because the charizard was pretty peaceful outside of the arena, and also once the drug wore off. It was the trainer who was abusive and drugging his so-called “baby” in the first place. It upsets me that we never learn what happened to that charizard, but I hope that his trainer was arrested and that the charizard goes to someone much kinder and more gentle in the future. =(

I was a bit annoyed that Pikachu kept referring to Psyduck as a “time bomb” because although headaches are how Psyduck’s powers are triggered, it’s a psychic-type, and it doesn’t explode randomly. (And in any case, that’s more of an anime thing, rather than a game thing. In the games psyduck can use their powers whenever.) Also, on that note, Psyduck’s attack should not have worked against the greninja, because greninja are part dark-type and thus psychic-type attacks have no effect on them.

That said, they were given a proper “ewww!” by either Lucy, Tim, or Pikachu (can’t remember which), which is so beyond valid. Greninja are disgusting.

I guess it’s official now that all ditto are being retconned into never being able to transform their eyes, even though in the anime that was just an issue that Duplica’s specific ditto had to work through (and did by the end of the episode) and in the games ditto are able to transform perfectly in battle (not sure about that sidequest in the Alola games because I never did it). We’ve seen it all over the merchandise, and now it’s a plot point in this movie. Although that said, Robert does mention that Howard’s ditto was experimented on, so that might have been a handwave explanation. (Also could that have been a nod to the “ditto were failed clones of Mew” theory? Hmm . . .)

This goes way back to the beginning of the movie, but the sound of a pokéball opening and closing . . . the most blessed sound . . . also Tim panicking because the cubone didn’t choose him dsjkfldjfdsfds 

All in all, though, I really loved it. I thought all the pokémon looked great, the movie made me feel great, and while I didn’t get any cards and I’m sad about that (apparently it was only for opening night at my theater :/), I’m still really glad I went and I’m planning on getting it on blu-ray once it’s out. It was definitely worth it. ♥

[gyrlversion]

Stephen Hawkings nurse, 61, of 8 years is struck off

Stephen Hawking was one of the world’s most acclaimed cosmologists, a medical miracle, and probably the galaxy’s most unlikely superstar celebrity.

After being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22, he was given just a few years to live.

Yet against all odds Professor Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday nearly half a century later as one of the most brilliant and famous scientists of the modern age.

Despite being wheelchair-bound, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser, he wrote a plethora of scientific papers that earned him comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

At the same time he embraced popular culture with enthusiasm and humour, appearing in TV cartoon The Simpsons, starring in Star Trek and providing the voice-over for a British Telecom commercial that was later sampled on rock band Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell album.

His rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.

He was best known for his work on black holes, the mysterious infinitely dense regions of compressed matter where the normal laws of physics break down, which dominated the whole of his academic life.

Hawking is pictured with his  children Robert, Lucy & Tim and his first wife Jane 

Prof Hawking’s crowning achievement was his prediction in the 1970s that black holes can emit energy, despite the classical view that nothing – not even light – can escape their gravity.

Hawking Radiation, based on mathematical concepts arising from quantum mechanics, the branch of science that deals with the weird world of sub-atomic particles, eventually causes black holes to ‘evaporate’ and vanish, according to the theory.

Had the existence of Hawking Radiation been proved by astronomers or physicists, it would almost certainly have earned Prof Hawking a Nobel Prize. As it turned out, the greatest scientific accolade eluded him until the time of this death.

Born in Oxford on January 8 1942 – 300 years after the death of astronomer Galileo Galilei – Prof Hawking grew up in St Albans.

He had a difficult time at the local public school and was persecuted as a ‘swot’ who was more interested in jazz, classical music and debating than sport and pop.

Although not top of the class, he was good at maths and ‘chaotically enthusiastic in chemistry’.

As an undergraduate at Oxford, the young Hawking was so good at physics that he got through with little effort.

He later calculated that his work there ‘amounted to an average of just an hour a day’ and commented: ‘I’m not proud of this lack of work, I’m just describing my attitude at the time, which I shared with most of my fellow students.

‘You were supposed to be brilliant without effort, or to accept your limitations and get a fourth-class degree.’

Hawking got a first and went to Cambridge to begin work on his PhD, but already he was beginning to experience early symptoms of his illness.

During his last year at Oxford he became clumsy, and twice fell over for no apparent reason. Shortly after his 21st birthday he went for tests, and at 22 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

The news came as an enormous shock that for a time plunged the budding academic into deep despair. But he was rescued by an old friend, Jane Wilde, who went on to become his first wife, giving him a family with three children.

After a painful period coming to terms with his condition, Prof Hawking threw himself into his work.

At one Royal Society meeting, the still-unknown Hawking interrupted a lecture by renowned astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle, then at the pinnacle of his career, to inform him that he had made a mistake.

An irritated Sir Fred asked how Hawking presumed to know that his calculations were wrong. Hawking replied: ‘Because I’ve worked them out in my head.’

Eddie Redmayne won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in 2014 

In the 1980s, Prof Hawking and Professor Jim Hartle, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, proposed a model of the universe which had no boundaries in space or time.

The concept was described in his best-selling popular science book A Brief History Of Time, published in 1988, which sold 25 million copies worldwide.

As well as razor sharp intellect, Prof Hawking also possessed an almost child-like sense of fun, which helped to endear him to members of the public.

He booked a seat on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space plane and rehearsed for the trip by floating inside a steep-diving Nasa aircraft – dubbed the ‘vomit comet’ – used to simulate weightlessness.

On one wall of his office at Cambridge University was a clock depicting Homer Simpson, whose theory of a ‘doughnut-shaped universe’ he threatened to steal in an episode of the cartoon show. He is said to have glared at the clock whenever a visitor was late.

From 1979 to 2009 he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the university – a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. He went on to become director of research in the university’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Upheaval in his personal life also hit the headlines, and in February 1990 he left Jane, his wife of 25 years, to set up home with one of his nurses, Elaine Mason. The couple married in September 1995 but divorced in 2006.

Throughout his career Prof Hawking was showered with honorary degrees, medals, awards and prizes, and in 1982 he was made a CBE.

But he also ruffled a few feathers within the scientific establishment with far-fetched statements about the existence of extraterrestrials, time travel, and the creation of humans through genetic engineering.

He has also predicted the end of humanity, due to global warming, a new killer virus, or the impact of a large comet.

In 2015 he teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner who has launched a series of projects aimed at finding evidence of alien life.

Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding at St. Barnabus Church September 16, 1995

The decade-long Breakthrough Listen initiative aims to step up the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) by listening out for alien signals with more sensitivity than ever before.

The even bolder Starshot Initiative, announced in 2016, envisages sending tiny light-propelled robot space craft on a 20-year voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system.

Meanwhile Prof Hawking’s ‘serious’ work continued, focusing on the thorny question of what happens to all the information that disappears into a black hole. One of the fundamental tenets of physics is that information data can never be completely erased from the universe.

A paper co-authored by Prof Hawking and published online in Physical Review Letters in June 2016 suggests that even after a black hole has evaporated, the information it consumed during its life remains in a fuzzy ‘halo’ – but not necessarily in the proper order.

Prof Hawking outlined his theories about black holes in a series of Reith Lectures broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2016.

 Press Association

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[ukresinboundsurfacing]

Storm Brian didn't stop my coast to coast cycling holiday with my family

Micki Beck is a writer, cyclist, sailor, wife and mum from Cornwall

We could have happily kept going - so roll on next October half term

I found the emotional effort of ensuring everyone else was happy, warm, dry and fed as great a challenge as the physical effort

Micki Beck is a writer, cyclist, sailor, wife and mum from Cornwall.

She and her family love to explore by boat and bicycle. Last October they cycled the Devon Coast to Coast route into the headwinds of Storm Brian with their daughters (Ella, 1, in a trailer and Holly, 4, on a bike with a trail gaiter). 

In this blog, Micki tells us about her experiences pedalling for four fun-packed days from Barnstable to Plymouth.

As time passes the years merge into a pool of memories, some vivid, some distant. The small things fade but it seems the adventures stay vibrant and clear, and the greater the effort the more firmly they’re fixed in the memory.

Life has a sneaky habbit of zipping by in a whirl of daily routine- the school run, food shopping, cleaning, cooking, work, on and on it goes. School also imposes unfortunate restrictions on the freedom to nip off on an adventure.

To stem that flow and mark the years with milestones of fun we’ve pledged to plan a variety of annual family antics, and October half-term is biking week. My husband Tim and I are keen (but to be honest pretty out of practice) mountain bikers. Our aspirations are to someday do some longer off-road camping rides with the girls. 

The potential for cold, wet autumnal days in October steered our planning to look for a gentler introduction to bike touring for the two little ones. Living near Plymouth, the Devon Coast to Coast seemed like a great option, with the added bonus of starting with a train ride and cycling home. 

The kit for a family cycling adventure

We carried all our kit in panniers- rear for me, front and rear for Tim. As the forecast was dire, we double bagged everything in ziplock bags and bin-liners. We packed the panniers so that everything we’d need during the day was in one place and we wouldn’t have to open the other bags in the rain. 

Tim, in a moment of last-minute inspiration, bought a shower cap to cover Holly’s helmet and some clear safety glasses that kept the rain and wind out of her eyes. In combination with wellies, waterproof dungarees, coat, gloves, buff, hood and helmet our little trooper stayed warm and dry. 

Ella had the relative luxury of the trailer. As it was previously untested we coated it in many a layer of waterproofing spray. In another moment of last-minute genius by Tim, we added the buggy rain cover over the whole trailer and Ella stayed perfectly dry, albeit a little steamy at times.

Bad weather beckoned 

Scrolling through a news feed the night before we set-off brought word of an unwelcome addition to our party- Brian, Storm Brian that is! The Dawlish train line was closed due to high winds and it looked unlikely we’d even make it to the start in Barnstaple.

But with a new day brought new hope. The rain continued but the trains were running, and we loaded our three bikes, a trailer and two kids. 

Transferring our load between trains and platforms was a real logistical operation. Thankfully the helping hands of fellow passengers and the wonderful station staff made light work of it.

Travelling’s a wonderful way to prove the generosity of human nature and this trip proved no exception.

The full route of the coast to coast starts in Ilfracombe. Not wanting to bite off more than we could chew we joined the trail heading south where the train line ends in Barnstaple. In short, skipping the first section. 

The first day of our adventure 

As we discharged from the train at Barnstaple, the glimmers of sun lasted long enough to get our rig on the road before the force of Brian hit us.  

The flat open expanse of the Taw estuary left us exposed to the battering headwinds. They slowed us to a snail’s pace and shocked our legs into a burning, turning cycle of effort.

Our smaller crew picked the pit stops along our ride, of which there were many as we all got used to life on the road. The playground at Fremington proved excellent shelter for our first picnic lunch. 

Ella vocally announced another stop was required near Bideford. She shouted full volume to get out of

the trailer until we happened upon a pub serving cream teas in front of a roaring fire.

Spirits revived, the wooded Torridge valley gave a welcome respite from the wind.

It’s a great long traffic-free stretch, in fact it was pretty people free too as most sensible folk appeared to have made a drier plan for the half term. Aside from dodging the odd fallen branch on the path, Storm Brian did little to halt progress.

After a few navigational consultations, we turned off the track a little past Great Torrington. We cursed tired legs and heavy loads, but every puff and push were worth it for our overnight stop. We had reached our first stop-off at the Week Manor, where we were hosted by the lovely Lucy. 

After the initial surprise that we hadn’t cancelled, we were greeted with wonderfully warming hospitality. It was wonderful to see and hear the enthusiasm and support for our silly venture. Praise and respect from people outside the family brings a new level of pride and confidence in little ones and it’s great to see them glow with their achievements. It was the best possible way to end a long and at times challenging day.

The rest of the journey 

Another day, another round of wind and rain. Restored from our comfortable night's rest, we hit the Devon hills, rolling up and down the quiet lanes as we approached the edge of the moor.

The weighty tow behind each bike challenged our untrained legs and put us out of our comfort zone. We kept the distances short enough to be manageable and enjoyable.

The girls settled into life on the road quickly. Ella happily playing, snoozing and watching the world go by from her fug-filled trailer. Holly kept entertained by her electric horn (emitting an eclectic assortment of noises, from sirens to belly dancing music, neighing to buzzing bees). 

By day three, Storm Brian was starting to fade. His feisty forcefulness diminished, leaving just a tail of soggy showers in his wake. The Granite way started our third leg with a refreshingly flat cruise.

There’s nothing like having two ticking time-bombs on the back with fuses of unknown length to keep the legs going. A bit of a balance is needed between pressing on while the going’s good but still making time to stop, explore and enjoy the sights on the way.

After the first day settling into the routine both girls amazed us with their stamina, patience and perseverance. We made sure they were dry, warm and well fed which proved enough to keep spirits up and the wheels rolling.

Sightseeing along the way​

A castle is always excellent entertainment for the little ones, and the Saxon fortifications at Lydford were met with suitable enthusiasm.

The cake at the National Trust café nearby was met with equal enthusiasm on what was the most leisurely day of the trip.

The rolling lanes past the iconic church in South Brent delivered us to Tavistock in time to see the ducks on the canal and rumble on the playground before pub dinner- a winner all round.

The home stretch 

Our last day started with a full English breakfast in the pub that set us up for the home run to Plymouth. Knowing this bit of trail well, we were surprised to find the up-hill to Yelverton easier than we remembered. Those three days on steep Devon lanes had obviously had some beneficial effect. We cruised down the Plym Valley, free-wheels clicking satisfyingly as our legs rested.

Our legs may have arrived in Plymouth rested, but our minds were unprepared for the shock of returning to civilisation. 

After the tranquil beauty of four days of off-road riding, deserted lanes, wooded valleys and open moorland, landing into the urban rush of Plymouth hit our senses for six. 

I love my cycle commute into Plymouth for work, but I can’t say that the last five miles home through the busy streets with tired legs and kids in tow after days of peaceful solitude was a pleasant experience.

We made it home without incident and what a feeling of achievement as we crossed the Tamar Bridge back into Cornwall, our journey complete. We did about 110 miles in total over four days and definitely achieved our aim of an amazing family adventure with memories that will last a lifetime. 

Onto future adventures

I found the emotional effort of ensuring everyone else was happy, warm, dry and fed as great a challenge as the physical effort. But that’s a part of adventuring with a family and brings its own rewards.

The people we met were a total highlight of the trip, cycle touring gives an instant conversation starter and opens a world of kindness. I hope people know the value of their kindness that shapes us and our futures.

We could have happily kept going - so roll on next October half term. Hopefully, the adventures will grow with the years and one day Holly and Ella will be encouraging us to keep up as they set the route over hill and dale.

Find out more about challenge rides on the National Cycle Network 

Cycling

Lifestyle

Young people

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[myrandomfandomramblings]

A Chenford fanfic - in which Lucy and Tim dance at Angela’s wedding

Angela and Wesley’s wedding had gone off without a hitch due in no small part to Tim’s work as ‘Man of Honour’. Now his job was done and all he had to do was “go have some fun. Enjoy the rest of the night.” That had been a direct order from the bride herself. However, Tim had enjoyed having a role, a purpose, making sure his best friend had the special day she deserved. Now he didn’t know what to do with himself, so he sat alone at his table. 

Throughout the rest of the reception the table had been full, occupied by Sergeant Grey and his wife, Jackson, Nyla, Nolan, and Lucy, but they had all quickly taken the dance floor when that part of the evening had begun. Tim on the other hand had insisted he didn’t dance and stubbornly stuck to that every time Lucy returned to the table for a drink and tried to convince him to join her and the rest of their friends. Tim had no desire to do the Macarena, YMCA, cha-cha slide or whatever other weird dance moves they were rocking when the song didn’t provide instructions. He was pretty sure he saw Nolan do the sprinkler, Jackson do the worm, Lucy do the running man and even Nyla get in on the absurdity with some disco moves. And that was all just during the last song. 

When the song changed, so did the vibe and the moves. It was a slower song, ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift, Tim thought. Although he didn’t know how he knew that and definitely would deny it if anyone asked. Everybody on the dance floor had now grabbed a partner. Most of the couples were either closely pressed together simply swaying on the spot or doing the classic square step pattern as they carried casual conversations. The exception was Lucy and Jackson who appeared to be improvising an elaborate dance routine that involved very exaggerated facial expressions and an excessive amount of spinning and dipping each other. Tim rolled his eyes but couldn’t fight the small smile tugging at his lips. The reason for the over-the-top performance became more clear to Tim as the night wore on. 

Every time a slow song came on Lucy would grab a new partner:  one of Angela’s brothers, Nolan, another one of Angela’s brothers, Nyla, and every time she would step on their feet so many times that by the end of the song they were limping and she was beet red, apologizing profusely.  She even managed to give the second brother a bleeding nose when she abruptly looked up from her feet and her head collided with his face. So when the next slow song came on, John Legends’s ‘All of Me,’ Tim found himself standing up from his seat and walking towards the dance floor. He couldn’t handle anymore secondhand embarrassement. 

Tim had taken dance lessons to prepare for his first dance with Isabel. That felt like a lifetime ago but he was confident he still remembered the basics of the Waltz and he was determined to teach Lucy and make her the best dancer there. After all, he had yet to find something she didn’t excel at given the chance to learn especially when he was the one doing the teaching. 

It didn’t take him long to find Lucy. Unsurprising, considering, if he was being honest with himself, he hadn’t taken his eyes off her all night. She was once again dancing with Jackson but this time they were in proper hold and it appeared Jackson was trying to teach her how to not step on her partner’s feet. 

“Mind if I cut in?” Tim asked as he approached the pair. Their shocked expressions suddenly made him self-conscious. What had he been thinking. Before he could really overthink it Jackson was leaving, saying something about having to use the bathroom anyway, and Lucy’s hands were on his shoulders.

“I should warn you,” Lucy said looking up at him, “I appear to have to left feet. I’ve been injuring my dance partners all night.”

Tim placed one hand on the small of her back and took her left hand in his other. “I’ve noticed,” he smirked, “and I’m here to help. Do you trust me?” 

She gave him a questioning look but nodded.

He spent the next couple minutes slowly guiding her both with his body and voice. “Step forward with your left foot. Your other left. Good, now forward and to the right with your right. OK but on a diagonal, you don’t have to go forward then right. Now bring your feet together. Ow! that was my foot. Left to right, not right to left. Now left foot back. And right back and to the right. Now feet together again, right to left. Good and now we are back where we started and we just repeat. Left foot forward…” 

Lucy was just starting to get it when the song ended and ‘Party in the USA’ came on. Tim went to let go of Lucy but she held him where he was.

“I’m just starting to get the hang of it. We can’t stop now,” Lucy stated, “please stay.” She fixed him with those puppy dog eyes he couldn’t say no to so Tim obliged and continued coaching her. 

The only problem was the pump-up pop beats that the DJ was currently favouring were significantly louder than the slow song they were initially dancing to, which meant Tim found himself pulling Lucy closer and leaning down, practically talking right beside her ear so his instructions could be heard over the music. Even when she no longer needed the verbal cues they stayed that close, caught up in their own little world as they moved in unison. When another slow song finally came on, ‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran this time, Tim felt Lucy tense like this was some sort of evaluation. He squeezed her hand and whispered in her ear. 

“You’ve got this, and I’ve got your back.” He felt her relax and they quickly fell back into the now familiar routine. When the song ended she pulled away from him slightly. 

“I did it. An entire slow dance and I didn’t cause a single, even minor, injury,” she beamed, staring up at him clearly proud of herself.

Tim smiled and shook his head. “Only because you had such a great teacher.”

Lucy rolled her eyed and playfully pushed his shoulder. “So what’s next?” she asked.

“Next?”

“Yeah, I got the walk in a box thing down but there’s got to be more to it than that. Show me the cool moves Tim.”

Tim didn’t think twice about fulfilling her request. They spent the rest of the night in each others arms as they slowly mastered more and more steps. When the DJ announced the final song of the night it was 3 am and they had the entire dance floor to themselves. 

Shania Twain’s ‘From This Moment On’ began playing, and they glided around the dance floor like they were dancing on air, perfectly in sync. They stepped and spun and dipped and swayed as Tim tried to memorize every moment. The way Lucy’s eyes shone when they met his and the little smile that played on her lips. The playful laugh that escaped her when he lifted her off the ground. The feeling of her hand in his, of her head on his shoulder and her breath on his neck. The warmth of her body pressed against his and her familiar scent overwhelming his senses. Then the song ended and the beautiful trance was broken. Tim drove Lucy home. She thanked him for a wonderful night and neither of them ever mentioned it again. At least not for another couple years when they finally addressed what had been building between them and started dating. Then dancing became a common part of date night and a few years after that they got to show off their moves at their own wedding.

[gyrlversion]

Stephen Hawkings nurse, 61, of 15 years is struck off

Stephen Hawking was one of the world’s most acclaimed cosmologists, a medical miracle, and probably the galaxy’s most unlikely superstar celebrity.

After being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22, he was given just a few years to live.

Yet against all odds Professor Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday nearly half a century later as one of the most brilliant and famous scientists of the modern age.

Despite being wheelchair-bound, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his trademark voice synthesiser, he wrote a plethora of scientific papers that earned him comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

At the same time he embraced popular culture with enthusiasm and humour, appearing in TV cartoon The Simpsons, starring in Star Trek and providing the voice-over for a British Telecom commercial that was later sampled on rock band Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell album.

His rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.

He was best known for his work on black holes, the mysterious infinitely dense regions of compressed matter where the normal laws of physics break down, which dominated the whole of his academic life.

Hawking is pictured with his  children Robert, Lucy & Tim and his first wife Jane 

Prof Hawking’s crowning achievement was his prediction in the 1970s that black holes can emit energy, despite the classical view that nothing – not even light – can escape their gravity.

Hawking Radiation, based on mathematical concepts arising from quantum mechanics, the branch of science that deals with the weird world of sub-atomic particles, eventually causes black holes to ‘evaporate’ and vanish, according to the theory.

Had the existence of Hawking Radiation been proved by astronomers or physicists, it would almost certainly have earned Prof Hawking a Nobel Prize. As it turned out, the greatest scientific accolade eluded him until the time of this death.

Born in Oxford on January 8 1942 – 300 years after the death of astronomer Galileo Galilei – Prof Hawking grew up in St Albans.

He had a difficult time at the local public school and was persecuted as a ‘swot’ who was more interested in jazz, classical music and debating than sport and pop.

Although not top of the class, he was good at maths and ‘chaotically enthusiastic in chemistry’.

As an undergraduate at Oxford, the young Hawking was so good at physics that he got through with little effort.

He later calculated that his work there ‘amounted to an average of just an hour a day’ and commented: ‘I’m not proud of this lack of work, I’m just describing my attitude at the time, which I shared with most of my fellow students.

‘You were supposed to be brilliant without effort, or to accept your limitations and get a fourth-class degree.’

Hawking got a first and went to Cambridge to begin work on his PhD, but already he was beginning to experience early symptoms of his illness.

During his last year at Oxford he became clumsy, and twice fell over for no apparent reason. Shortly after his 21st birthday he went for tests, and at 22 he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

The news came as an enormous shock that for a time plunged the budding academic into deep despair. But he was rescued by an old friend, Jane Wilde, who went on to become his first wife, giving him a family with three children.

After a painful period coming to terms with his condition, Prof Hawking threw himself into his work.

At one Royal Society meeting, the still-unknown Hawking interrupted a lecture by renowned astrophysicist Sir Fred Hoyle, then at the pinnacle of his career, to inform him that he had made a mistake.

An irritated Sir Fred asked how Hawking presumed to know that his calculations were wrong. Hawking replied: ‘Because I’ve worked them out in my head.’

Eddie Redmayne won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Hawking in 2014 

In the 1980s, Prof Hawking and Professor Jim Hartle, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, proposed a model of the universe which had no boundaries in space or time.

The concept was described in his best-selling popular science book A Brief History Of Time, published in 1988, which sold 25 million copies worldwide.

As well as razor sharp intellect, Prof Hawking also possessed an almost child-like sense of fun, which helped to endear him to members of the public.

He booked a seat on Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space plane and rehearsed for the trip by floating inside a steep-diving Nasa aircraft – dubbed the ‘vomit comet’ – used to simulate weightlessness.

On one wall of his office at Cambridge University was a clock depicting Homer Simpson, whose theory of a ‘doughnut-shaped universe’ he threatened to steal in an episode of the cartoon show. He is said to have glared at the clock whenever a visitor was late.

From 1979 to 2009 he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the university – a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. He went on to become director of research in the university’s Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Upheaval in his personal life also hit the headlines, and in February 1990 he left Jane, his wife of 25 years, to set up home with one of his nurses, Elaine Mason. The couple married in September 1995 but divorced in 2006.

Throughout his career Prof Hawking was showered with honorary degrees, medals, awards and prizes, and in 1982 he was made a CBE.

But he also ruffled a few feathers within the scientific establishment with far-fetched statements about the existence of extraterrestrials, time travel, and the creation of humans through genetic engineering.

He has also predicted the end of humanity, due to global warming, a new killer virus, or the impact of a large comet.

In 2015 he teamed up with Russian billionaire Yuri Milner who has launched a series of projects aimed at finding evidence of alien life.

Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding at St. Barnabus Church September 16, 1995

The decade-long Breakthrough Listen initiative aims to step up the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (Seti) by listening out for alien signals with more sensitivity than ever before.

The even bolder Starshot Initiative, announced in 2016, envisages sending tiny light-propelled robot space craft on a 20-year voyage to the Alpha Centauri star system.

Meanwhile Prof Hawking’s ‘serious’ work continued, focusing on the thorny question of what happens to all the information that disappears into a black hole. One of the fundamental tenets of physics is that information data can never be completely erased from the universe.

A paper co-authored by Prof Hawking and published online in Physical Review Letters in June 2016 suggests that even after a black hole has evaporated, the information it consumed during its life remains in a fuzzy ‘halo’ – but not necessarily in the proper order.

Prof Hawking outlined his theories about black holes in a series of Reith Lectures broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in January and February 2016.

 Press Association

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