#tim bradford my boy ARE YOU OKAY

[all--and--more]

just finished the rookie's season 3 finale and oh my god I'm gonna eat glass. For several reasons

[fluentmoviequoter]

Mini Me

Requested Here!

Pairing: Tim Bradford x shy!fem!reader

Summary: After giving birth to your twin boys, Tim is upset that they look just like you. He's momentarily distracted by a visit from the godparents, Angela Lopez and one of your best friends, who Tim only refers to as soldier.

Warnings: fluff! soft Tim! a quote from The Godfather, inspired by/based on the Modern Family scene in the request

Word Count: 1.3k+ words

Picture from Pinterest

“It’s not fair, that’s all I’m saying,” Tim insists.

You hum, tilting your forehead toward the baby in your arms.

“They’re half of me,” Tim grumbles.

“Is he still upset they look just like you?” a kind nurse asks as she enters the room.

Tim huffs, and you smile as you give her a nod. She takes the baby from your arms and moves it to the nearby crib. You watch as she looks over your new baby boy.

“You know I’m not really mad, right?” Tim whispers at your side. “To be straight with you, I’m glad they’re mini yous. I mean, I’m not thrilled that they seem to like you more, but they did just spend a lot of quality time with you, I can understand missing that.”

Lifting the shoulder closest to him, you try to hide. Your shyness evaporates when Tim puts the second baby boy in your arms.

“We do good work,” Tim says, one hand on your shoulder while he brushes a finger over the younger twins’ cheek.

“You certainly do,” the nurse answers. “How are you feeling, Mom?”

“I’m okay,” you answer softly.

“Well, let me know if that changes or if this husband of yours gets too big for his britches.”

“I would never,” Tim replies, a dramatic hand raised to his chest. “She loves it when I tease her.”

“Yeah, she seems overjoyed. Press the call button if you need anything, hun.”

You smile as she leaves, purposefully avoiding meeting Tim’s eyes.

“Have my kids and immediately fall out of love with me.”

Tim’s tone lets you see his smile even though you’re looking in the opposite direction. Leaning back, you sigh when your cheek hits his arm. He’s been by your side throughout the pregnancy, but everything shifted when you went into labor. He still teases you constantly, but you’ve never seen him so happy.

“I need to take these beauties out for just a minute,” another nurse says, moving your twins into the cribs and rolling them out. “Just a quick checkup and they’ll be back. You also have some visitors; they’ll be in shortly.”

Tim thanks the nurses, taking your hand in his.

“Who’s coming?” you ask, glancing up at him.

Already looking at you, Tim smiles when he meets your eyes. “Angela and Wesley, Lucy, solider.”

“He has a name,” you point out. “And you were a soldier too.”

“I was better.”

“I, uh, I offered to let you choose both godparents,” you whisper.

“Hey, look at me,” Tim requests, brushing his fingertips over your jaw as you look up again. “I’m just teasing you. I- I’ve never been this happy, and I’m glad that you have someone like soldier to trust as the godfather.”

“Well, you can do anything, but never go against the family.”

“Nerd,” Tim jokes.

Closing your eyes, you hide again. Tim’s used to it, and his kind hand on your arm is an apology. Though you’re not sure he’s ever really been sorry.

“Are we in the right place?” Lucy asks, opening the door to your suite. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m great,” Tim answers.

“I don’t think she was talking to you,” Wesley interjects with a smile.

“Well you know it’s just emotional.”

“I’m also good,” you answer. “We have two little boys.”

“She’s happy ‘cause they look just like her,” Tim grumbles.

“Dodged a bullet,” Wesley jokes, nodding once in your direction.

“What are their names?” Lucy asks excitedly.

“We haven’t decided yet,” Tim explains. “We can’t narrow it down past three.”

“You can’t,” you correct under your breath.

“Tim, this is for you,” Lucy says, pulling a mug from her bag.

“Best dad?” Tim reads.

“Yeah, I bought it for my dad, but Tamara wouldn’t let me give it to him, said it wasn’t true or something.”

“Wow. Uh, thank you... I think.”

“How was your vacation, Wesley?” you ask. “Sorry Angela cut it short when I called.”

“We were happy to come back. I’m pretty sure we’d tried every restaurant in a five-mile radius of the hotel anyway.”

“Hey, everybody,” your first (and favorite) nurse calls.

“Where are the babies? I want to see them!” Lucy exclaims.

“The godparents wanted to do something; they’ll be right in.”

“This is so much worse than I thought.” Tim sighs, running a hand over his jaw.

The nurse turns the light off and presses a button on a phone, 'The Circle of Life' from The Lion King filling the room. Tim sighs again, lightly squeezing your hand.

Angela and your best friend, whom Tim (lovingly) calls soldier, enter in matching robes, each carrying a baby.

“I love this!” Lucy whispers, clapping her hands over her chest.

Stopping at the end of your bed, Angela and soldier wait for the nurse to turn on a flashlight to hold the babies up, imitating the scene when Simba is lifted over the rock.

“Where did they get the matching robes?” Wesley asks.

“They’re so beautiful,” Lucy gushes, rushing to Angela to meet the babies.

Tim’s hand moves to your shoulder when he sees your tears. You never imagined being this happy and lucky to have friends and family who care about you and treat your children as their own. Leaning your cheek on Tim’s hand, you smile as you watch Lucy and Wesley take your sons.

“Your dad is probably gonna buy you dog beds, but I’ll be the best aunt you could dream of,” Lucy tells the older twin.

“I can hear you, boot,” Tim calls, not moving away from you.

“You’re next, huh?” Angela asks Lucy.

“Oh, no, please don’t,” Lucy begs.

“Soldier,” Tim greets, shaking his hand before walking from you to hug Angela.

“Thank you for coming,” you tell him.

“Of course. Nothing I wouldn’t do for my best friend and her babies, and the guy that helped make them.”

You chuckle at him, offering your hand. “Where did you get the robes?”

“Oh, that wasn’t me. Angela had them made when you asked us to be the godparents; been carrying them around since then.”

Glancing at Angela, she doesn’t look away from the baby in her arms to say, “Hey, it pays to be prepared. Lucy’s just lucky I’m not in the same realm as her, she wouldn’t stand a chance if I was an aunt, too.”

“That’s not fair,” Lucy accuses.

“And labeling yourself as an aunt to my kids is?” Tim asks.

“I didn’t label myself, it’s basic relations. You tolerate me, which is practically an acknowledgement that I’m family.”

“I- why do I even bother?” Tim asks himself.

“No one knows,” Angela and Lucy answer together.

“You’re going to let them talk to the father of your children like this?” Tim pouts as he looks at you.

“Man, you’re begging for me to get in on this,” soldier adds, shaking his head. “There’s a reason they’re already mama’s boys.”

“Don’t start with me, soldier.”

“You do know I’m going to be around more because I’m the godfather, right?”

Tim points at you before you can quote the movie again. After Lucy trades babies with Wesley and Angela moves to talk to the one in Wesley’s arms, Tim returns to your side.

“I think you’re right about the names,” Tim admits as he holds your hand between his.

“Yeah, about that…” Wesley begins.

“This is ‘Boot’ because he’s a kicker, and this is ‘Tiny Tim’ because he grumbles like you,” Lucy explains, pointing to the twins as she gives them nicknames.

“You nicknamed my kids after the term for rookies and a sick kid? You’re a terrible aunt,” Tim replies.

“Tim,” you warn quietly.

Everyone silences, looking between you and Tim with wide eyes.

“Sorry,” Tim says (reluctantly and begrudgingly).

“She’s right, though, he acts just like you,” you tell Tim, kissing his knuckles quickly.

“Can you survive two of me?” Tim asks.

“As long as you don’t tease both versions of me.”

Angela, Lucy, Wesley, and soldier talk to your babies, and you look on with a smile. Tim was right: you did good work.

[chiefdirector]

Looking | Tim Bradford | The Rookie

Act One | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21

“Sargent Grey,” Lopez called, trying to catch up with the watch commander, “I had a look at the footage from the main lobby. No I.D. Just seemed like some kid doing an errand, paper boy maybe.”

He stopped in the corridor, brushing his hand over his face in frustration. “Right, okay. Go tell Detective Bradford, liaise with her. See if you can help in any way.”

“Already have. She said that she’s on the phone with a handwriting analysis. Run it through the database and records corresponding to anyone with the initials R.D.”

“That’ll take forever,” 

Angela hummed. “Not exactly. This analysis guy said the writing was female. Already cuts the search in half. It was also in cursive, so we can make the initial assumption that the sender has some form of formal education, if not they are highly intelligent. That’s not too many ‘R.D’’s left to determine. (Y/N)’s also sent it out for prints, see if we can get a hit that way.”

“Good work Lopez,” Grey said, starting to move towards his office again. “Let me know if you find anything. And tell Detective Bradford to stop leaving her damn coffee cups in my office.”

Angela laughed, turning to go back to the detective's bullpen. “Yes, sir.”

----------

Tim and Lucy go back to his house to try to find the location of the picture taker. And any info. Lucy questions tim on their relationship 

Lucy looked intently out of the shop window as Tim drove towards his home. He had been so strict on keeping his personal life out of his professional one, but there was something about this boot in particular that seemed to worm her way in everytime. There was something about Chen that made Tim feel comfortable sharing details, no matter how minute they were. Perhaps it was her forever optimistic nature, or the fact that if it weren’t for her, he probably never would have found (Y/N).

 At one point, he had thought about thanking her but he also knew that Chen was well aware of his gratefulness; and that she would never let him live it down if he did thank her. She was like him in that way, he saw a lot of himself in her. Tim knew that she would go far, she just needed a little guidance to get there.

“So this is where you live, hm?” Chen said, breaking the silence that had resided in the shop for the last ten minutes. “Nice neighbourhood. Seems a little out of a cops price range though…”

“Are you really judging my financial status right now, boot?” Tim snapped, although the sting in his voice was barely there. She was right, it was far too pricey for his, or (Y/N)’s, salary. Even if they were combined they would have no chance of getting a mortgage for this area of L.A. 

“No, no. It’s just that this area is nice. Like nice nice. Not Kardashian nice but like you know.”

“Someone was murdered in our house, three actually.” Tim smiled, deciding to ease up on Chen somewhat, afterall, he knew that Lucy would ask his wife and (Y/N) never spared any detail in this particular story. “We both worked the scene together. Managed to get the price lowered somewhat. Only had to change the floorboards and get a couple drywall boards replaced. Drenched in blood.”

Lucy swallowed at the information, nodding along. She turned to look out at the surroundings again as Tim pulled over to the side of the road. “All these houses have a driveway?” She pointed out.”

“And?” He said, turning the engine off and getting out of the car. Slamming the door behind him, he opened his phone, pulling up the copy of the photo (Y/N) had sent him and moving to the approximate place the photo was taken. 

He ended up halfway into his neighbour’s front lawn. The exact spot would have been covered by shrubbery lining the edge of the grass, it would explain why they didn’t catch a glimpse of their paparazzo this morning. 

“Chen,” Tim moved from his position on his neighbour’s lawn crossing the road towards his home. Calling back towards Chen as he moved, knowing that she would be following him, “Come on, we’re going inside. I need to call Grey, let him know that there’s nothing here.”

“Inside? Like inside your home? I get to see where you live.” Lucy babbled on with excitement. If someone had told her on her first day that she would be invited into Officer Bradford’s home, she would have laughed in their face. “Oh my god. I get to see how you decorate, this is so cool! I need to tell Jackson.”

“I can leave you outside if you carry on.” Tim unlocked the door, letting himself in. He held it from the inside letting Chen make her choice. 

“Shutting up.”

----------

(Y/N) hung the phone up, moving to continue typing up the current additions to the case report. Her fingers practically slammed into the keys as she typed, annoyance flowing through her. Since she left Grey’s office, she had gotten nowhere. No matter who she called, nobody seemed to know anything about who was after her. 

It was infuriating, to be so powerless. Knowing that her life hung in The hands of some mad man that she didn’t even know the name of would cause most anyone to spiral but she knew that she couldn’t afford to lose focus now, not after how far she had come. 

Holding back a sigh, she saved the file and reached for her phone. Quickly, she pressed Tim’s contact and held it up to her ear, listening as it rang and rang and rang until she reached his voicemail. She hung up before she could leave a message and went back to typing. Only stopping when she heard something placed down beside her. 

“Your coffee.” 

(Y/N) looked up, seeing Chen standing beside her. She smiled, picking up the travel mug and taking a sip. 

“Tim asked me to drop it off. He made it when we went to see if there was anything to see back at your place.” Chen leaned against the desk to the right hand side of (Y/N)’s. “He also said to tell you that his phone was nearly dead. He’s charging it now.”

“Ah okay cool.” (Y/N) took another sip, relishing in the warm vanilla taste. Tim always made the coffee in the mornings, recently he had begun making her lattes with flavoured syrups. Vanilla was her favourite, despite how often Tim said it was the most basic option. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“Yeah, actually. There is. I wanted to ask you something…”

“Shoot.” 

“I want to do some UC work after my rookie year. I think that’s where I could really thrive and I wanted to know…”

(Y/N) nodded, finishing Chen’s sentence. “If it would be a good fit. Well as someone who has done it, I think it takes a certain kind of person to be able to do it. Personally, I would never do any more long term assignments. I don’t think I’m that person anymore. I lost everything, and I’m still fighting to get it back.” She sighed, placing her coffee down on the desk. 

(Y/N) gestured for Chen to pull up a chair before she continued. “Obviously you’re still a rookie, and I haven’t seen much of you in action. You have got some way to go. But you have that spark and if it’s what you want, I could see if I could take you one day. Show you the ropes, go through some old cases of mine. Let you get the feel for it.”

“Really? That would be great.” Lucy beamed at Bradford’s words. 

“But you will have to consider if it will be worth it. Look at the mess we’re all in because of me. If I hadn’t gone on that assignment than-”

“Then it would be someone else that Regina would have gotten revenge on.” Tim interrupted, walking over to the two women. He quickly reached for the coffee on the desk, not allowing (Y/N) the time to slap his hand away before he got a sip. “But the theory was right. It definitely wasn’t Regina.”

(Y/N) looked up inquisitively at her husband as he spoke. 

“The handwriting analyst made a match throughout the system. I don’t know who but Lopez is getting the report now. She’ll be here soon. Grey wants us all in the conference room.”

Chapter 21 | Chapter 23

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Tags are open :)

[chenfordspiral]

Little bit of Love - ch. 28 sneak peek

She’s just emerging from the changing room when she realizes that Tim isn’t where he was just a minute ago. Before she can even move another step, though, he’s suddenly in front of her with an almost desperate expression on his face.

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

“Because… look,” he whispers when he presents her with two little onesies — one blue one with little paws on it, and a cream-colored one with a bear and writing on it that says hello, i’m new here — he’d been hiding behind his back. “Look how tiny!”

Lucy purses her lips in amusement, because, well. “Weren’t you the one who said we weren’t going to buy anything for the baby yet?”

He stares at her with a blank expression for a full fifteen seconds before he answers. “Well, people can change their minds, Lucy. We’re buying these.”

“Okay okay, whatever you say. But don’t get mad at me when I start my shopping spree once we find out what we’re having,” she laughs.

“Wait, we- we’re gonna find out what we’re having?”

Lucy blinks at him, dumbfounded but also still amused. “I’m sorry, are you really telling me that mister Tim “control freak” Bradford doesn’t want to know the sex of his baby until they’re born?”

“I… hadn’t really thought about it yet. Besides, it’s probably going to be a boy.”

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” Lucy asks curiously because for some reason, she’d always imagined Tim as a girl dad.

“Well, Genny has two boys, and, I don’t know. Just feels like it’ll be a family with a bunch of boys.”

“Mh-hm. And what do you want our baby to be?”

That is a tougher question to answer. Even though it actually isn’t. Because thinking about having a daughter doesn’t fill him with the same anxiety as having a son does. It’s not like he doesn’t want a son, he just… his father never laid a hand on Genny, it was always directed at him. And he doesn’t ever want to become like his father, no matter how much just the thought of hurting his own child makes him feel sick to his stomach. He doesn’t think he ever could do what his old man did, but what if, for some reason, one day he does?

“Tim?” he hears Lucy quietly call his name, and it snaps him out of whatever daydream, or nightmare, he’d just been lost in.

[centralperkchenford]

I’m gonna become a menace 😂

Chenford + dinner with Genny and the boys and Tyler tells Tim he should marry Lucy

Chenford + dinner with Genny and the boys and Tyler tells Tim he should marry Lucy

This one was so fun to write! God bless pre-teen boys 🤣🫶🏻

Fell in love when I saw you standing there

Tim peeks his head into the bedroom and watches as Lucy pulls on her dress. She catches his eyes and smirks at him.

“Are you spying on me Bradford?” She asks a teasing lilt in her voice. He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her middle and rests his chin on her shoulder.

“So what if I am?” He asks and she turns a bit so she can kiss him.

“I like it.” She tells him. “But why are you doing it?” He laughs at her question and squeezes her a little before letting her go and taking a step back.

“I was just making sure you are almost ready. We have a reservation.” He says pointedly. She grins at him as she turns around and puts her earrings in.

“I know you have mentioned the reservation like ten times.” She says. She breezes by him on her way to the closet. He watches as she bends down searching for her shoes.

And normally he wouldn’t be so uptight about a restaurant reservation but they were having dinner with Genny and his nephews at a nice restaurant. He already knew Genny loves Lucy, he swears they hang out more than he does with Genny. And he knows his nephews like her too although they didn’t know her as well. So this dinner was to test the waters before he proposes. Soon.

Lucy pops out again from the closet with high heeled shoes that look painful to wear. But she slips them on with ease.

She walks over to him and kisses him on his cheek softly. “I love you .” She mutters and he grins back at her, he kisses her gently on the lips knowing if he does anymore they wouldn’t make it to dinner.

“I love you too.” He says and she grabs her purse and then pulls him out of the bedroom.

“Bye Kojo!” She yells at the dog who is resting in the corner. “Be a good boy.” Tim hears the dog grunt but he doesn’t lift his head.

Lucy pulls Tim out the door and to his truck. He takes over now and backs her against the door. She squeals in surprise but laughs as he kisses her again and again. “You look beautiful tonight.” He says softly. Lucy traces her finger across his lips, and then leans forward to kiss him a little harder than before.

Tim still can’t believe this is his life. They have been dating for over a year now, and sometimes he has to step back in awe. He never thought in a million years he would be dating Lucy. All the trials, all the heartbreak and healing that got them here was 100% worth it in his book. He thinks of the small ring box that is hidden in his sock drawer and he knows he’s going to be pulling it out in the near future. He knows because Lucy is the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

“Hey.” Lucy’s voice brings him out of his thoughts. He looks at her and she’s still smiling at him. “Are you okay?” She asks him. He nods and gives her one last kiss before he backs up.

“We should get going.” He says and she pushes of the truck giving him a look before she goes to the other side. He climbs into the truck and she slides in next to him. She immediately reaches for his hand.

“Are you nervous?” She asks him. He raises his eyebrows at her, a little befuddled by her question.

“No. It’s just my sister and my nephews.” He says. “You have met them before.” She nods in agreement.

“Right but we never have had dinner with them before. I mean all together.” She points out and he frowns. That couldn’t be right.

“We have been together for more than a year and we haven’t had dinner with my family?” Tim asks and she shrugs.

“We have busy schedules and lives Tim. But its okay because we are doing it tonight.” She says and he smiles at her. Right.

He starts the truck and backs out of the driveway, the drive down the street is quiet but comfortable.

They get to the restaurant in plenty of time and Tim sees his sister and nephews walk up to the door. Tim gets out of the truck and comes around to Lucy’s side. She slides her hand into his and he brings it up to his mouth to kiss it.

“I love you.” He mutters to her. He doesn’t know what makes him say it for the second time that night. He just needs her to know. She pulls him to a stop, and reaches up to kiss him.

“I love you too baby.” She says. “Now let’s go I’m starving.”

***

Tim smiles as Tyler recounts something that happened in PE class today. Lucy is listening intently and Tim is watching her. She’s beautiful and perfect, and she’s all his. Hopefully forever. Lucy high fives Tyler, effectively bringing Tim out of his thoughts. Genny laughs at her son and Lucy and reaches over to touch Tim’s hand.

“She’s great Tim.” Genny tells him. “With the boys. She’s a natural.” Tim nods in agreement. He always know Lucy had this natural maternal instinct to her.

“Do you have any funny stories about Uncle Tim?” Tyler asks Lucy and she turns to him her eyes sparkling.

“Oh so many.” She says and he rolls his eyes at her. He reaches over to pinch her thigh and she squeals softly. “There was one time he was mistaken as a stripper but I wasn’t there.” Tim bows his head down as he suddenly feels four pairs of eyes on him.

“Tim?” Genny questions and he knows she’s laughing.

“I just didn’t announce myself!” He says and he feels himself flush red. “Not a big deal.” Lucy scoots towards him so their legs are brushing and she kisses him on the cheek softly. “I’ll make it up to you later.” She whispers in his ear.

The conversation goes on and Tim feels lighter than he has in a long time. He tugs Lucy closer so he’s breathing in her scent. Lucy is talking to Genny and the boys, just being her sunshine self and Tim falls even more in love with her. He didn’t even think that was possible, but he does. And he think he will always be falling for her.

The check comes and Lucy snatches it before Genny could, a feeling of pride rising up in him as he snatches it from her.

She gives him a amused look but let’s it go. She slides out of the booth and says she needs to use the restroom. He watches her go and then turns to his nephews.

“So do you like Lucy?” He asks. Tyler grins at him and rolls his eyes a little.

“Yes. But we already liked her.” He says. “She’s different in a good way and she lets us play with Kojo.”

“I let you play with Kojo.” He says pointedly. Tyler laughs and nudges his little brother.

“Lucy says Kojo was her dog first.” Tyler says. Tim rolls his eyes of course she did. Tim sees Lucy making her way back from the bathroom and Tyler turns to him again his face serious this time.

“I think you should marry her Uncle Tim.” He says. Tim looks at Genny who has a sparkle in her eye and then back at Tyler who is still wearing a serious expression.

“Yeah?” He says and he once again thinks about the small box in his sock drawer. And he just knows he’s going to get it out soon.

“Oh for sure.” Says Tyler. “But I demand to be your best man.” Tim laughs as Lucy slides up next to him giving him a curious look.

“What’s so funny?” She asks him. He kisses the top of her head and shoots Tyler a meaningful look.

I think I should marry her too.

***

The next night, Tim pulls the ring box out of his sock drawer and slips it in his pocket. He finds Lucy wrapped in a blanket sitting on the porch stairs. The sun is just about to go down and more importantly it’s just them.

He stands in front of her and she looks up at him curiously. She looks as beautiful as last night and the natural light on her face just brings it out. He knows he’s blocking her view but he won’t be for long.

She turns away for just a minute and he gets down on one knee. When she turns back her mouth hangs open. She doesn’t say anything though, instead she bites her lip.

“Lucy, you are by far the best thing that’s every happened to me and I fall in love with you every single day. And I hope you will let me do that for the rest of your life. Will you marry me?”

Lucy doesn’t answer straight away, and Tim heart pounds as he waits. Finally she reaches out to trace his lips with her finger.

“Yes Tim. Yes I will marry you.” She says her voice hitching a little. “Of course I will marry you.” He laughs as he stands up and pulls her up with him. She kisses him but it’s messy because she’s smiling so big. He slips the ring on her finger and then swings her around. She squeals but wraps her arms around his neck nonetheless.

Later they sit on one of the chairs together and Lucy lays her hand on his heart her ring sparkling even in the dark.

“What made you decide to ask tonight?” She asks him softly. He kisses the side of her head and thinks back to Tyler’s statement.

I think you should marry her Uncle Tim.

“Tyler.” He answers. “He said I should marry you and I was already planning to ask but it just kind of.. got me thinking. I want you for the rest of my life. So why not start now?”

Lucy laughs clearly pleased by his answer and buries her face into his neck.

He laughs as he holds her and he knows Tyler would be very pleased know Tim took his advice.

He couldn’t wait to marry Lucy. And of course have Tyler as his best man.

[bronx-bomber87]

Hello all :) I wanted to post this yesterday but had some technical difficulties. Also thank you to all those that have liked, commented or reblogged my reviews. Very Encouraging so thank you. Glad to have you all along with me. As always will credit all gif usage at the end.

Onward we go to 1x03 'The Good the Bad and the Ugly.'

Tim is back on duty after his gun shot wound. He’s is not ready physically and most definitely not emotionally. Despite that all Lucy is glad to have him back riding with her. Tim replying like early S1 Tim would in regards to her being glad he's back. Reserved and Cocky.

They Get their first call of the day at a bank with a man trapped behind an ATM wall. Tim takes charge like he doesn't have a wound in his side. Keeps going till he's grimacing and in major pain.

Theme of Tim Bradford in the early days. Man doesn’t ask for help. Ever. So when he’s hacking at that wall he’s trying to prove to himself he’s fine. The gunshot wound doesn’t affect him. When his body is telling him otherwise. Instead of asking Lucy to help to him he barks at her asking why he’s doing this and not her. S1 Tim you’re so rough around the edges my love. Don’t you worry Lucy is gonna soften those edges slowly but surely Haha

After Lucy fails a mini Tim test (gif set I just could not seem to find) Of him stealing her duty belt because she didn't secure the bathroom properly. He receives a phone call about Isabel OD'ing. Another set I could not find is Isabel basically ripping into Tim. Telling him to leave her alone to ‘Save your tough love for someone else’ and boy does he ever.... Lucy gets quite the helping in this episode.

We know he is very much no where close to being 'Okay' After his convo with Isabel he is out of control angry. Doesn’t even realize what he’s doing. Too damn blinded by his hurt. It shows in their next call with the biker gang. By putting not only his healing self in danger but Lucy. He’s so desperate for help but refusing to ask again. So instead he implodes. Fights a biker gang prospect. Searching desperately for an outlet for his frustration/anger. Doing it in the worst way imaginable. He’s in so much pain he cannot see straight. Poor Lucy can only stand there and watch him self destruct. Luckily he wins the tussle but it comes at a cost.

In s5 Tim bringing up his past with Isabel to Lucy. This is what he's referring to. How it cost him nearly everything emotionally. Unless you watch s1 recently you forget how badly he was burned. How she utterly wrecked him. Watching her destroy him with a 2 min convo hurts to watch. He was adrift in his emotions and drowning at a fast pace. He needed a life line so badly. He had no idea that life line would show up in the form of Lucy Chen. The Ray of sunshine that challenges his ass and puts him in place like no one has before.

By the time they get back to station she's crawling out of her skin with worry for Tim. She has no idea what she should do if anything. He is her superior officer after all but he's also endangering them both. By the time she gets their "suspect" into booking Tim is still in a bad head space from his convo at the hospital. Checking out NARCAN clearly for Isabel. They pull up to Isabel's apt and Lucy is restless in the car when he tells her to stay put. She can't take it any longer and jumps out to confront him.

She takes a deep breath and starts her fight to save Tim's sanity. To keep him from going completely off the edge and taking her with him. That’s what makes what Lucy does in this scene so incredible. One she's barely 3 weeks at best into her working relationship with him and two It was like fighting the sun with Tim in s1. She not only stood up for herself she put him in his place. He had been encased in his emotions so long he lost clarity completely. He couldn’t see past his pain. So she took a stand and won.

The biggest part of this moment is he concedes, listens and lets her take control of the situation. Has her run the NARCAN up to Isabel. I can’t even begin with how massive this is. This obstinate, grumpy man who would scare most rookies into washing out didn’t stand a chance against Lucy Chen. Its one of the main reasons he falls in love with her. She challenges him and rights him when he’s on the worst path. That look of defeat and resignation on his face. He know's he in the wrong and can't fight her anymore on this. Eric once again crushing it. Killing me softly good sir. His face says it all.

This following scene back in the shop is underrated and beautiful. Something about Lucy draws out his vulnerable side whether he likes it or not. The crack she started in ep 2 continues its growth in this ep. Her standing up to him, laying down boundaries and bringing him back to earth earned her this moment with him. Tim opening up to her. Sharing what I'm sure no one else has heard.

The most beautiful part is she’s doing it for more than the fact he’s her T.O. She cares about him as a person. He's realizing this and its why he's opening up to her right now. He's baring his soul to her and there couldn't be a better person to accept it. Why she follows up the way she does. Lucy is very aware how precious the information that is being shared with her is.

Her telling him about her apt is her olive branch back. It’s not much in the grand scheme of things just looking at this conversation. Telling him this as her reply. But it means the world to him. She knows this which is why she lets him know her apt is decent. It’s what he needs to hear.

Listening to him let out the deep breathe and tell her ‘Thanks’ it’s a loaded thanks. It means so much more than that single word, but once again this is s1 Tim so the fact she’s getting this is big. Its what he needs to hear in order to to be able to drive away from her apt. She's given him peace of mind to be able to do so.

We barrel towards the end of the episode. Tim and Lucy chasing one of the two remaining suspects. They corner him and once again just like at the beginning of the ep Tim can’t ask for help. He physically can’t climb the top of that truck. Lucy knows this and helps him out. Saying it would be ‘good for her training’ for her to do it. Tim goes along with it because his pride can’t handle it otherwise. She conducts herself flawlessly of course.

She’s so proud of herself and he can’t allow her to see he is too. He’s already been too ‘soft’ today for her. He always defaults back to being the hard ass whenever he opens up in the very beginning with her because S1 Tim be S1 Tim.

~~~~

Side Notes non Chenford.

I love Grey taking Tim out for a drink. Poor man needed it so much.

Talia being soft for the train burglar and his son.

Not much side stuff to mention this was a pretty heavy Chenford building ep and I’m happy with that.

Please like/comment if you can I love it when people do either hehe

Gif Credit To

Chenfordsbee

Chenfordsource

Chenfordgifs

[baileys-3]

NEW CHAPTER ONLINE on AO3 - CHAPTER 14

I can't say it enough...and I'll say it again before every chapter...thanks to Cookies93 for beta reading. The chapter is always much better afterwards.

So, we're still in the week-long dating era between episode 5x10 and 5x11. I can reveal one thing. I have completed Chapter 24. And here we are in 5x11. So, you still have a lot to read and I hope you continue to do so and enjoy it.

I don't know if I'll be able to stick to the one-day update schedule until the end of the story. I'll try it. It's quite a lot of work and spend hours writing. And sometimes things go more smoothly and the chapter almost writes itself. And sometimes you hang. I'm a little stuck right now. Maybe because I have to incorporate 5x11. I always find it easier when I can write freely. But it will be okay. And then I popped up another story in my brain and it almost wrote itself. That's why I simply wrote 13,000 words on this one in the last two days. And that's really a lot. But this will only be available once Secret Datin Era is finished. One after another. All I can say is that it will be tearful. I have to cry while writing this.

______

Sneak Peak after the link

_____

Tim is standing in his bathroom, about to hang up his towel to dry after his shower. He really had forgotten about the basketball match against the LAFD. This was clearly because his only thought was about finally seeing Lucy after spending the last two evenings separately. He had completely forgotten that it was the first Thursday of the month. And as much as he enjoys playing basketball with the boys, he would have loved to meet Lucy instead.

At least they won the game. And Gillespie was right. If the firefighters had won, it would have been a shame for the LAPD team. As usual, they celebrated with some beer alongside the LAFD guys – since it’s tradition.

Throughout the day, he has exchanged several text messages with Lucy. As expected, Lucy had sent the first message right after their lunch break, and she had to hit a nerve, of course.

He goes into his bedroom and puts on a T-shirt and his pajama pants, then lies down on the bed, takes his phone and starts reading through all the messages again with a huge grin on his face.

Lucy: You forgot your 🏀 -match? 🤣

Tim: I was confused when the garbage bins were collected one day later than usual. Basketball day is always two days after paper waste collection day.

Lucy: Of course 🤥

Tim: What are implying?

Lucy: Nothing. What are you implying???

Tim: You're driving me crazy!

Lucy: I know 😉

Tim: That's not what I meant.

Lucy: Oh yes it was! It was!

Tim: Texting with you is no fun.

Lucy: Miss you 😘 Better?

Tim: For a start. Still a bit skimpy.

Lucy: Miss you a lot ❤️

Tim: Better, but still room for improvement

Lucy: Uh oh Bradford. Slow down.

[starseneyes]

Chenford REWIND- Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 2 Ep 10, 11, & 12

This feels like a lot to put into one Meta. But, since I'm chunking these out and taking requests, it makes sense to me. Yes, "Day of Death" is a defining Chenford episode. But I feel like you need the context of what lead up to it and the fallout on the other side to fully understand its impact and discuss it.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don't want to be spoiled, you don't want to read this. While I do write these as though I'm watching the episodes for the first time and try not to let fore-knowledge come into play, I will be spoiling these episodes in their entirety and everything that came before.

All squared away? Alright, lets dive in.

The Dark Side

"The single men in LA suck. Every time I go out on a date, and they find out that I'm a cop, they just get scared off." ... "Look, those aren't men. Those are boys, okay? Real men are not afraid of strong women."

Heck, yeah, they aren't! Lucy, honey, I get that it's tough out there for you, right now. But someday there will be a single man in LA who doesn't suck and isn't afraid of strong women. You'll see.

But right now, you're looking for anyone who isn't a total dud, and I get that.

"...dating a civilian is a bad idea." "I was told dating cops was a mistake. What am I supposed to do, join a nunnery? Sister Office Lucy Chen?"

I'm so glad I wasn't drinking anything the first time I heard this line because there would have been soda everywhere. My husband heard the line over my shoulder and cracked up, too.

And you might be thinking, "Why is she going into all this? Tim and Lucy are nowhere near ready for romance". Welp, I want to show Lucy's mentality in this episode and will explain once we get to 2x11 how it feeds into the situation and the mis-read from Tim.

"Look, no, I'm saying that right now end of shift means leaving the job behind when you go home. But in success, each one of you is gonna catch cases that kick your ass, that consume your every waking thought. And non-cops won't be able to identify. Worse, they're gonna resent you for caring more about the dead than the living."

It's an interesting thought, and for those of us in Season 5, there's a lot to consider, here. I mean, Lucy was cautioned against dating cops, but Isabel and Tim were Rookies and nobody gave him crap about it, from what we know.

Look, I'm not sorry Lucy and Nolan broke up. But, I do think Lucy should consider dating another cop down the line. *cough* Tim *cough*

"Caleb." "Lucy."

It's a chance meeting at the right time. Lucy is on the hunt for a non-mutant man in Los Angeles, and she ends up at the bar with someone who seems semi-safe.

After the conversation she just had with her friends, we can see she really wants to be with someone.

"I was in college when they found the first victims. It was all anyone talked about. That, and how could a woman be so barbaric." "I worked one of the scenes, fourth victim, Lisa Cruz. Homicide detectives warned me not to look at the body. Should've listened."

I love how they're speaking to one another so openly about the whole thing. There's an ease to how they're walking side-by-side that feels lived-in. Yes, he's still her TO, but this is a glimpse at the other side of him—the one that knows how to have a conversation without screaming or scheming.

"Caleb, from the bar last night... I hope this isn't weird, but you left with your perp before I had a chance to ask for your number."

Tim is giving this guy the side-eye. Look, we are nowhere near romance for this pair, but Tim has come to care about Lucy. He wouldn't call her a friend, yet, but they're definitely on their way.

And Lucy's picking up on Tim's hovering, but I don't think either of them could pick up on the why. My husband swooped in to offer his opinion that Tim picked up bad vibes, but wrote it off because it made him look jealous. I don't think he's far off.

I think Tim was being a little protective. Not necessarily because of romance (everything with Isabelle is very fresh at this point). But, while Lucy is still his "Boot", she is crossing that line more and more towards "friend". Tim cares about what happens with Lucy.

He's trying to watch out for her, but she doesn't want a chaperone. For goodness sake, she's a grown woman, right?

"We don't call them perps." "Right, sorry. Anyway, this is my number. If you ever feel like waiting in vain for a drink, give me a call."

Tim Bradford with the save!! He snatches that tiny piece of paper so fast the camera barely catches it. That's a super hero, my friends.

"You got a last name, Caleb?" "Yes sir. Wright with a W." "What do you do? If you say screenwriter, you're going in a cell."

Lucy's horrified. This might be the worst thing Tim has ever done, in her mind.

Remember, at this point everything with Tim is a test. Everything could be used as subterfuge, and she can't trust what's he's going to do with the information he's gathering.

"I manage a medical supply company downtown." "I'm sorry about him. Things are a little crazy right now." "No problem. It was nice meeting you. Officer."

Tim gives her a "can you believe that guy" look, but she has that same energy directed at him. Tim's surprised by that. He really thought she'd appreciate him looking out for her.

She holds out her hand for her piece of paper, and Tim hands it over as she mouths, "Oh my god".

"Ten bucks that isn't even his dog." "It's been an awful day. Can't I just enjoy a cute puppy?"

Tim's getting a look into how Lucy unwinds and relaxes. All day, she's been sneaking glimpses at Caleb's socials to get a feel for him, and it's helping distract her from the no-good day.

Tim of this era hasn't yet learned how to help Lucy talk through things. But he has learned that Lucy and distractions work well for moderating her panic.

Think of the episode with the nuclear bomb and how they spent the whole episode talking about how to sabotage her ex's wedding. Distraction helps her.

"If I can be wheels up in the next 10 minutes, I might beat the afternoon traffic which means I will be in bed in the next hour."

I love how conversational they're being here. You can already tell the lines of TO and friend are starting to blur.

"That's a mistake." "What? Why?" "Look, after working a hardcore assignment like this, you need to go blow off some steam after shift. You know, give your brain a different focus. It's the only way you have a fighting chance of actually sleeping."

This isn't a Tim Test. He's trying to give her advice. Keep this in mind, my friends. It'll come back.

"As my Training Officer, are you saying that I should go get a drink?" "A strong one. Maybe even with another human."

Tim is really trying to do the right thing, here. He snatched away Caleb's phone number earlier, but Lucy's been cyber-stalking him all day and she looks interested.

"Well, I am here to distract you."

I swear I didn't remember that line when I wrote the part above about Lucy needing a distraction.

And we all know that what started as a distracting night led to a nightmare for Lucy.

Before we move on, I want to talk a little bit about Season 2 Tim and Lucy. I know a lot of people love what DOD does for Chenford in terms of progression. But I argue it doesn't cause the shift, but only expedites it.

Look at Tim in this episode, for example. He's downright conversational and friendly with Lucy. Yes, he tells her to get her head in the game instead of looking at Caleb. Yes, he teases her about her first Decomp, but that's the extent of it.

He talks with her openly and honestly about Rosalind. He tries to protect her from Caleb when he thinks the guy's just an unworthy suitor. He tries to give her advice at the end that isn't attached to any "lesson" but simply sharing what he's learned.

Frankly, I think that's what Lucy expected in a TO—someone to talk her through and give her sage advice. And then she got Tim.

Tim doesn't hand out advice willy-nilly. He's a "show" guy, right? Same thing with how he teaches. He's not much of a "talker" with Lucy when it comes to her training. He's trying to get her to think for herself by putting her through her paces.

But this whole episode, he's talking to her. Heck, he's talking with her. Tim doesn't make friends with his Boots, but Lucy is becoming the exception. They aren't there, yet, but they're on their way.

If we look at this episode separated from DOD (if we can), you can see that Tim and Lucy are already moving towards friends. The events of DOD expedites it, I argue, but they would have eventually gotten there on their own. Tim and Lucy are inevitable.

Day of Death

"My day of death."

The pain of a tattoo. The hangover of whatever drugs he gave her. The inability to move her limbs or fight back. Trying to take note of her surroundings, of anything that might be helpful if she can get away.

And that horrible fear that she won't.

"Sergeant."

It takes Harper two seconds to clock the conversation between the men, and she's the first to jump on it. Why? We'll get to that next episode.

"Lucy did not come home last night. She's not responding to texts or calls." "Did she go out with that guy? The one she met at the bar. Caleb Wright with a W."

He remembers it clearly, but he's trying not to panic. After all, his first date with Rachel was *ahem* memorable. Maybe Lucy moves at that same pace?

"Lucy doesn't do one-night stands." "And she's never late."

Her friends know her well, and Grey's smart enough to run with it. Let's be real, there are scenarios where a Sergeant might not listen, might not take it seriously, might not actually do anything.

This is television, and we're not going to let Lucy Chen go quietly into that good night. But it hits me so hard that there are so many cases where alarm bells are rung and left unanswered.

"Why are you doing this?"

Lucy's trying to keep her head in the game. That's what Tim told her to do last episode, right? Keep your head in the game.

"It's for you. To force you to face the truth of your death. It's the gift of something we rarely get in life—clarity."

Fuck you. I'm sorry. Lucy's thinking it and it needed to be said.

"... we believe Caleb is Rosalind's protege, and he took Officer Chen."

The news slams into Tim. And nobody else in the room sees it or knows why. He doesn't even wait to be dismissed. He rushes out of the room, phone dialing before he makes it through the door.

Because this is too much for him to handle. Tim has tried to handle a lot of things on his own. He's famous for isolating himself and trying to pretend he's fine. But this time he calls his best friend. Because he can't do this alone.

"Lucy's been taken. I need you." "On my way."

"Lucy". Not "Chen". Because in his mind, Lucy is already becoming more than a Boot. No, we're not talking romance, here. We're talking friendship. Kinship. Someone he cares about.

Tim Bradford has a very short list, so the fact that his Rookie is close to making the list is significant. But I'm not one who thinks Tim's romantically interested in her all the way back in Season 2. This thing's grown organically over time, though I'd argue DOD gave it a push, as did certain other episodes covered in Future Metas.

"Look, I know I haven't known Lucy as long as the rest of you, but I do know that she's a fighter."

Hell, yeah, our queen is!

"She's gonna do everything she can to stay alive until we save her."

And she does. She fights like hell and does everything she can to survive. But she's weak. She's lethargic. She's drugged. And she's isolated. Utterly alone.

Imagine that moment of fighting your way out, hoping that there'll be someone to hear your voice, to come to your aid, to get the help you so desperately need... and there's no one.

How much of the fight can you keep alive when you realize how little chance you have of surviving?

"... I can't just sit here."

Here's more of a "show" guy. And there's nobody to show.

"I'm fine. Just blowing off steam."

What he told Lucy to do. What he thought would be safe. What he thought would be relaxing. What he thought would be distracting. What he thought would be fun.

He's not blowing off steam. He's a pressurized gasket ready to explode.

"I get it, but you gotta get your head in the game." "I don't need a pep talk." "Then why'd you call me? Clearly you need to get something off your chest."

Tim forgets the power of words, sometimes. We see it a lot through the season. Maybe it's because he never learned how to use them growing up.

FAST FORWARD: We're a ways away from Season 4 and Tim's backstory episodes that help illuminate just how bad it was for him. Tim's father didn't use words. He used his fists. His mother likely didn't use words, either. They didn't talk about what he went through. He never learned to express himself that way. It takes someone coaxing it out of him, and right now that's his best friend.

"She wanted to go home. Okay? Go to bed. I told her that she should focus on something else. She went out with Caleb because I told her to."

And he's carrying the weight of that guilt. It's too heavy for him to bear. Tim Bradford has carried too many weights, and this one is too much. Did he doom his Rookie to die?

"You couldn't have known."

Angela's whole attitude shifts (how could it not?) because Tim Bradford is expressing emotions with his best friend. And that is huge and this whole thing is horrible.

"But I should have. I'm a cop. I was standing this close to the guy, okay? Right across from him and I never saw him coming. But she did, though. She... Some part of her didn't feel right about this whole thing. She hesitated. And I pushed her right at him."

He's wrong. It has to be said that Lucy might not have gone out with Caleb that night, but it could have been another night. Tim only thinks this because of his own guilt, his own pain, his own frustrations with himself for not being Super Cop.

Lucy wanted to go out with this guy. Maybe she wouldn't have gone out that night without the push. But Caleb was a serial killer, and would've put her on his list sooner or later... and more women would have died in the meantime. It's not Tim's fault any more than it's Lucy's.

He thinks he failed Lucy, but this isn't a situation where you can predict every move. We're not going to victim-blame here. We're not going to point fingers.

Because minus the serial killer plot, this shit happens every day. Around the world, there are people whose drinks are spiked, people who are abducted, people who have their choice and consent ripped from them.

And it's not the victim's fault in any way. And it's not the fault of a friend who suggested they have a fun night out. It's no one's fault but the asshole who perpetrated the crime.

Getting off my soap box, here, now, to get back to the Meta. But watching Tim go through this reminds me of how I still struggle with blaming myself for a friend of mine OD'ing because I didn't reach out to them that night.

What if I'd reached out? What if I hadn't ignored their vague Facebook post thinking that I'd only be adding to their frustrations and that they needed the night to cool off? Would they still be here if I'd commented? Or sent them a message? I'm a state away, so I couldn't reasonably drive... but could I have done something that would have meant they'd still be here?

I know I can't blame myself. But there are some days I still struggle with it. Because she's gone. And I'll never ever know if I could have helped. Cognitively, I know it's not my fault. I couldn't have done anything, but there's that part of you that still thinks... you made the wrong call, and if you'd called it the other way, it might be different, now.

"If I get that away from you, it's going right in your brain."

She kept her head in the game. She's up against life and death, here, and she's at the disadvantage. But she's a fucking fighter. Look, we know that Lucy is tough. This is something else entirely. She's staring down the murderer who wants to hear her scream, who wants to soak up her agony, who wants to get her to crumble.

And Lucy Chen's standing up to that asshole with the ultimate, "Fuck You" by not giving in.

She must want to cry. She must want to scream. But Lucy Chen is a fighter, and she's not going down easy.

Lucy Leaves a Clue

It's a long shot. It's such a bloody long shot. But she has to try. Lucy truly believes that she will be found, long shot as it is.

And that hope can be a powerful thing. Caleb tried to wield it against her, but he's no match for her.

"Any last words?" "Yeah. You're gonna be dead long before I am."

Damn right, Lucy Chen. Damn right.

"Now, I am responsible for a life that is in jeopardy, and I will do whatever I have to to save her."

And he means it. Watch Jackson's surprise to see Tim Bradford slam a guy's head against the horn. Because Tim's unhinged, here. Someone he cares about has been taken, and he doesn't give a damn what happens to him or his career.

He'll let it all fall if it means Lucy survives.

FAST FORWARD: We talk a lot about how Tim makes sacrifices for Lucy where his career is concerned. And while in later seasons it becomes their thing, I think in this case he'd have done it for any of his few friends. We later see him risk it all for Angela when she's kidnapped, too. Tim has a separate code for his friends. And Lucy's falling more under it over time. Again not romantic... yet.

"There can be charges in here that lead us to Caleb."

Did you clock that brief smile? Before Jackson walks up, Tim thinks they're at a dead end. Lucy's lost. She's gone. And he'll never get to atone for his mistake.

Jackson brings a sliver of light and hope, and it's enough that Tim actually briefly grins. It's not over, yet.

"Stars shining bright above you..."

The song. Lucy's song to keep herself calm and regulate her breathing. Yes, not talking would have been better, but she needs this. She needs light and life and love. Something bright to pierce the darkness.

Her oxygen is running low, and she's having more trouble breathing, more trouble seeing a way out. The last thing she's going to give that bastard is the satisfaction of watching her scream.

And Melissa O'Neil is breaking my heart. Acting-wise, she is literally in a barrel. There's no one to react off of. There's no one feeding her lines.

It's just Lucy in a barrel, and it's up to the actress to make us feel. No cool camera angles. No sweeping score. Melissa O'Neil had to carry us through this and she did it masterfully.

Yes, the Writers decided to have her singing this song. The script, or a Director or Editor decided to strip the rest of the sound from the overlapping visuals (there's a lot of playing with sound and its impact in this episode that's jaw-droppingly beautiful).

But Melissa O'Neil is the one who has to make us believe it. And we do.

A Glint of Light

Tim's eyes scan the miles of land, looking for some sign of disturbance to clue him in on Lucy's location. But it's something that doesn't belong that grabs his attention—something that literally catches the light of the sun and draws Tim in. Her ring.

He picks it up, still uncertain, but following the clue. A few kicks and... a thunk.

"I've got her! I've got her!"

Tim starts digging in the ground with his bare hands, the grit getting under his fingernails, the dust getting into his lungs. He registers the others, but only barely. He has to get to Lucy.

The ground gives way enough to reach the lid. Tim's hands are all over it, Nyla on one side and Jackson on the other. When they can finally see her, Tim asks for help as they pull her out. But he hovers, staying close, being certain he is the one to make sure she's alive.

Because if she's dead, it's on him.

Look, we know Tim didn't do anything wrong. But Tim Bradford carries a lot of scars and blames himself for a lot of things he shouldn't. And if he can't get to her in time, if he pulls her out and she's truly gone... he can never atone for this.

She's not breathing. Tim blows into her mouth and starts pumping on her chest. The sound drains from the world... just the discordant notes sounding off and echoing like the dying hope of Lucy surviving.

Lucy gasps, and the sound returns to the world. Each person takes a breath of relief. But then the sound zeroes in only on two people—Lucy and Tim.

"You're so strong," he murmurs, soft enough for her to hear, but no one else. But she doesn't hear anything. It's too much. It's all too fucking much. The sobs she'd held in before finally spill out as Tim pulls her close, holding her tight.

He thought he'd lost her. And, again, there's no romance here. But she matters, damnit. She matters to Tim more than he thought she would when they first met. He presses a hand to her hair, pushing his face next to hers.

It screams "I'm here. I'm here." Because in his mind, he is the one who failed her and it had to be him to save her. He owed it to her. He was responsible for her. He fucked up.

And it almost cost her her life.

Again, I don't think that. But Tim does. He truly believes he's the one who failed her. And when you have very few people in your life who care about you (and Lucy has demonstrated many times that she does care about Tim), you don't want to do anything to lose that.

But Tim believes he almost lost Lucy because he wasn't good enough. It plays so much into his childhood trauma, his trauma with his ex-wife, and everything else. Tim thinks he failed.

She doesn't cling to him, no. Her hands shake and her body convulses from the pain. But she lets him hold her there, back in the air, out of her barrel.

Tim isn't her person, yet. But she cares about him, and she knows deep down that he cares about her. She even told Rachel about his good heart.

But her not holding him is completely appropriate to the moment. It's not about him. This is about her. Her trauma. Her survival. Lucy's breaking in this moment. She spent so much time keeping her head in the game, and now she's finally releasing all the anguish she refused to show Caleb.

And she is safe in Tim's arms to fall apart.

I knew from the Pilot that Eric Winter was a tour-de-force. But in this episode we see so many damn layers. And Tim's relief at holding her in his arms at the end instead of cradling her corpse is palpable.

The way this scene is shot and performed and the sound... it all puts us in the moment. We are right there with them, and it's one of my favorite scenes of the entire series.

Here in the barren waste of sand and silence... there's life.

"Hmm. What are you reading, Teen Rebel?"

She wakes up to see Tim there, waiting. He hasn't slept. He hasn't left. We know that. He's spent the past 24 hours feeling completely responsible for Lucy, and it's not easy to leave the side of the person who you pushed yourself to save.

And the first thing she says to him isn't about what she's survived, or even about him finding her. It's about the damn magazine. And it's perfect.

After what she's survived, Lucy needs something familiar. And Tim is pretty damn familiar in her life.

Before we get too much further... I want to call out the lengths Tim went to save Lucy.

FAST FORWARD: We haven't yet reached, "Some things matter more". But Tim's already showing that in action. He's a "show" guy, remember?

Tim was willing to do whatever it took to save her. He would put it all on the line, and that's because he cares about her. No, they're not ripping one another's clothes off. It's Season 2, she's his Boot, and he doesn't even acknowledge friendship with her, yet.

But she is becoming his friend. She's becoming one of the very few people that Tim Bradford will upend the world for.

"They actually have some really insightful political articles."

Watch how fast that man wheeled his little chair over to her side. It makes me giggle with glee.

"Oh, which BTS member is your soulmate. Gotta be Suga, right?" "Totally. What's a BTS?"

Lucy laughs. Probably her first good laugh in days. And it's with Tim. Hardass, Tim Test, never-lets-up Tim.

"Have you been here all night?" "No. Mmhm. No." "Mmhmm."

Because TO Tim can't show that he cares. Not yet. I mean, he's never felt this friendly toward a Boot, and he can't go soft on her when she still has so far to go before crossing the finish line.

Remember, Tim likes rules and staying within them—whether they're the rules set out for him by a superior or the ones he's created for himself. Counting Lucy a friend is outside the lines. But much as he might try to deny it, he's showing it.

He's used to giving his Rookies what he thinks they need, and with Lucy, it's most often tough love and some manipulative tests. For him to break through his own wall of separating personal life from professional life is too much. So, he lies.

But Lucy can see right through him. Strangely, she's always had that power.

"How did you find me?"

Nolan interrupts the moment. Damnit, Nolan! But we'll all get to that later... next episode.

There's a reason I wanted to do these three together. Look, this show is still basically a Procedural at its heart with some continuous story lines. But these three episodes feel more serial than a lot of the show, and because of that, I think the whole picture is required to ascertain its meaning.

"He is a she and she is going to sleep in my bed since I am clearly never going on a date, again."

We started this whole trilogy with Lucy considering a nunnery. And, again, I think this calls attention to what it's like to be a single woman in the world. Yes, assaults can happen to anyone.

But as a woman, I can tell you I never get anything to drink but water when I'm out with my friends. I never leave my drink unattended. And a male friend always walks me to my car. Theater kids go out a lot to bars (like, after every rehearsal), so there was a season in my life where this was a nightly ritual. Trying to stay safe out there.

So, if Lucy doesn't want to ever date again after her ordeal, I don't bloody blame her, and neither do her best friend, past fling, and future husband.

"You hungry?"

Sometimes I swear this man is part Jewish mother. If you Fast Forward in the series, you see he's always trying to feed this woman.

And, yes, I'm saying this from experience. There was an old saying that if you wanted a lot more food from my Great-Aunt Mary, you said you wanted a little. If you wanted a little, you said you wanted none. And if you wanted none, you hid your plate.

"Yeah. I'm starving. You know what I really wanna eat right now?" "Veggie burger and fries. Extra pickles."

Awwwww! Remember in 2x01 when she sent him food? "You shouldn't have done that." "Well, I wanted to. And eating well is crucial to a fast recovery."

He's using the lessons he learned from her as an act of love. Again, not romantic love. But love, nonetheless.

"You know me so well." "Too well."

Look at those smiles. Alright, y'all, I'll admit those smiles put butterflies in my stomach, too.

And the fact that the director chose to take us off of the wide shot so we only saw Tim and Lucy for these last few lines. Because this is about them.

Tim is caring about Lucy far more than he should. And he's growing aware of that. But the nature of this episode makes it impossible for him to shove it down entirely. He writes it off as concern and guilt, and doesn't realize he's been slowly letting Lucy into his circle of friends.

But if we talk about who really knows Lucy in this scene? It's Tim.

Jackson brought pretty flowers, which are nice, but will die. Nolan brought the most giant, pink bear. She's cute, but eventually she'll disappear from Lucy's life because her next boyfriend's not going to want to share the bed with a pink stuffy (unless he's into that... no judgment).

Tim. Brought. Her. Food. Yes, it'll be gone pretty quickly. But I can tell you after not being allowed to eat for both my deliveries of my three kids, I was famished. Lucy hasn't eaten in days, and she wants something filling and comforting. Tim brought her the exact order she wanted without her having to ask.

As much as he tries to separate professional and personal, Lucy's blurring those lines. To me, the Season 1 finale was really the start of that. And Tim bites back against that as much as he can in Season 2 (even treating Lucy like shit because she didn't report him for suicidal ideation).

But this trilogy of episodes breaks down that wall further. Yes, he's still her TO and he's still not going to think of her as a friend. But S2-3 is where that really comes together. They were already on their way, but with these events, he softens towards her in a way he never anticipated.

We get to see him soft throughout the series with "his people". But at this point, he's not yet ready to admit Lucy is one of them. It's outside his standard operating procedure for Rookies.

But, despite his protests, he's making a friend. The kind of friend that sticks. The kind of friend that doesn't leave. The kind of friend that loves with abandon.

And someday, someday, she might become more than that. But right now, he's not even ready to admit she's a friend... but, damn, our "show" guy really showed it.

I really want to call out the coloration and choices of this episode. When Lucy first wakes up on the table (with no establishing shot, so we're as clueless to how isolated she is, just as she is), everything i s tripped back. Melissa O'Neil's makeup is stripped down and we can see her pores.

The first time I watched that scene I thought, "Wow, they really stripped out all the color". There's something about the harshness of yellows, beiges, and browns on their own that evoke old Westerns. That sense of isolation, famine, and drought.

Lucy's world is often so vibrant that the stark shift helps us feel the anxiety with her. There's nothing bright or beautiful about this world. Only de-saturated hopelessness.

Now and Then

Lucy In The Mirror

Lucy's wounds have healed. Her wrists are free of the tie marks. Her face is free of the cuts and bruises. But the tattoo remains. She can hear the sound of the tattoo gun in her mind.

Yes, Lucy has many tattoos, but those were of her choosing. This was another violation—something inflicted upon her. Lucy tries covering up, but the foundation sticks to her shirt.

And, yes, there are makeups out there that can cover up tattoos. Being the daughter of a makeup artist, I know way too much about it and have seen mother in action covering an entire chest full of tattoos for a shoot. That's not the point.

The point of this scene is to remind us (and Lucy) that this can't be covered up. It's on her. It's permanent unless she has it burned off.

"When can she have it removed?" "Four weeks. Two days. Nine hours."

Her mind is on it all the time. She knows it down to the hour. Doesn't sound like someone who's healed to me. But, duh. That's the whole point of the episode.

"Hey, so what's your plan?" "For what?" "Officer Chen. I'm sure you've got some Alpha strategy to get her back on the horse, so, what is it?"

Let's be real. Tim would be Tim, but he wasn't going to be his harshest self on her first day back. He wouldn't be capable of it. But Nyla doesn't know that.

"So basically get her into as many fights as possible." "I'm gonna remind her that she's a cop, not a victim." "She knows that she's not a victim. Look, Chen doesn't need to fight. She needs to make peace with the voice inside of her head telling her she's never gonna be safe again."

I wish someone had asked Lucy. Looking at this situation, they're both coming at it from the wrong angle for Lucy. Tim's going for how he processes and Nyla's going for how she does. Neither of them asks Lucy what she needs.

Look, these are characters who are going to do what's in-character. For the scene and the arc, this has to go this way. But as a person who has had a lifetime of people thinking they know what I need and making it a thousand times worse, I have a personal response to this.

But in character? Both Tim and Nyla want what's best for Lucy and think they're the one to give it to her.

"Okay, I've been training Rookies a lot longer than you. I know what she needs." "That's ego talking. What happened to Chen is every woman's worst fear." "I'm aware of that." But you have never lived that fear."

That stops Tim. Because she's right. Part of Tim's arc in Season 1 and 2 with Lucy by his side is discovering his subconscious biases. She forces him to think beyond what he thinks he knows.

And here, he's facing that even without Lucy present. Because she's opening up his mind to seeing past his own limited perspective.

"It's clear that you have her best interests at heart. I am just asking you to consider whether she might be better served by someone who has been through what she has been through."

This is a lot for Nyla to offer. A woman's experiences are not owed to anyone. But she chooses to give him this insight into why she really believes she's the best person to help Lucy through.

And Tim's listening. He's really listening to what she's saying.

"And that someone's you." *nods* "Okay. I'll tell Grey to make the switch."

I love Eric Winter's choices on this. He's reacting not only to the information that Nyla just shared, knowing that she doesn't want apologies or empty words from him. He didn't do it. But he's sorry it happened. He's face to face with someone in uniform who, like Lucy, thought they were safe with someone when they weren't.

And he's thinking of Lucy. The last thing he wants to do is hurt her, to make this harder, to set her back.

Lucy At Roll Call

She pauses outside the room. Much as she wants to get back at it, this is a point-of-no-return morning. She doesn't want special treatment. She doesn't want weird glances. She doesn't want whispered words.

She doesn't want the damn applause.

"Congratulations you survived but you're branded by a serial killer and still processing the emotional trauma and we want you know that we are all talking about you, and looking at you, and thinking about you."

Damn it.

"Welcome back, Officer Chen. How're you feeling? Can't wait to get on the streets, sir, just get back to normal." "We're going to mix things up a bit. You're going to be riding with Harper this week."

What. The. Fuck!? Lucy just said that she wants to go back to normal. Riding with Nyla is not normal.

Lucy looks back to Tim for confirmation and he nods. But she's still confused. She's on-edge. She didn't expect to come back to work straight into a Tim Test, and that's what this feels like.

Everything that she wanted for transitioning back to work is going wrong.

"I'm not interested in chasing tame calls today."

Because Tim needs to process his way. Look, he in no way went through what Lucy did. Not at all. But he's still carrying his guilt and frustrating, and he needs to channel that into something he can do.

Tim is a man of action, and since he can't take action to help Lucy through her re-acclimation, he's going to do what he needs to do to distract him from worrying about her—his job.

"So why the switch?" "Tim felt you'd be better served riding with me." "Yeah, right. This has to be some kind of elaborate Tim Test that he roped you into." "Do I strike you as someone who could get roped into anything? Especially by Bradford?"

Note the switch from "Tim" to "Bradford". Nyla was trying to keep it conversational at the beginning, but the second Lucy calls out perceived pliability, Nyla snaps back to put Lucy in her place.

"Fair enough. So, I'll ask you again, why the switch?" "I convinced him that I would have more insight into what you were going through and could therefore be more helpful to your re-integration onto the streets."

Look how Lucy recoils. Much as Lucy loves talking things out, she doesn't want to talk about this. She doesn't want to have to think about what she's been through while she's out here. She wants normal.

"Did you go on a date with a serial killer, too?" "Uh, no." "Well, then I'm not sure how much help you'd be. But it's fine, 'cause I don't need any help. I've already worked through the trauma using both cognitive and exposure therapy combined with mindful breathing and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. So, it's, it's fine."

Of course, we know Lucy's far from fine. But this isn't what she wanted. She didn't want to have special treatment. She didn't want to be pulled from working with Tim. Frustrating as he is, he's familiar. That's normal.

And Lucy's gone through all the Psychological steps she thinks will help her be fine. It's her blind spot, truly. Because she seems to think there's a point where you're just "fine" and don't need to process anymore.

No, that trauma will come up, again, we know. But right now she doesn't want to face it. She's trying to pretend her way to being fine.

"Need backup for a felony car stop." "You sure?" "Hell, yeah."

Everyone's surprised to hear her voice. But she wants to get back at it. She doesn't want to feel different. It's bad enough what she has to deal with in her head. At the Station, she's a Rookie, yeah, but she's a cop.

And the more I look at this episode the more it feels like Lucy and Tim have traded spots for a day. Normally, Tim's the one who doesn't want to talk and would rather bury himself in the job. And Lucy's usually the one second-guessing.

But Tim second-guessed himself this morning and let Nyla have Lucy. And everyone wants Lucy to talk, but she'd rather get in the action.

"You want me to do the paperwork?" "Oh, nope."

Tim always has Lucy do the paperwork. She wants to do what's familiar, what's natural, what's practiced. "Please let me be normal".

"That was a nice job out there." "Thanks." "So you're just not gonna let me help you at all." "I don't need any help."

Look, we all know that she does, but not like this. Nyla wants so badly to help Lucy, but if Lucy isn't ready, trying to push her like this isn't going to change anything. It's going to push her further inward.

"Did you get the flowers we sent?" "And the basket. Thank you."

Lucy really has some lovely people in her life. And look at her genuine appreciation for Abigail, here. Baskets are one of Lucy's love languages, and she nailed it.

"What the hell is this? I let you run around with Harper for half the day and you start hugging people on duty?" "Don't listen to him. He's all bark."

Tim is being his grumpy-ass self and Lucy's smiling like the sunshine that she is. This is what she thought she'd have today. This rhythm to which she's already grown accustomed.

Yes, Tim gets under her skin and pisses her off. But she knows him. She's used to him. The Tim Tests come when she least expects it, but she knows to expect that.

While there are many mysteries left to this man, he's been her biggest constant during her Rookie year. And it's nice to get to talk to him.

"All bark? She is not buying what you're selling." "Because I don't hold her fate in my hands."

They're teasing. We're to the point in their relationship where they can tease one another, and you can see how comfortable Lucy is in this.

Apart from the action, this is the most comfortable we've seen her all episode.

"Heard you dodged some bullets." "Yeah, a few. What, are you keeping tabs on me?"

The discomfort is back. Because even Tim Fucking Bradford is acting different around her. There's a softness to him that she's never seen before directed at her. Yes, she's seen it... but not with those eyes directed her way.

"Look, if you need anything, you let me know."

Finally, someone asks what she needs. All day, people (including Tim) have been making assumptions about what she needs. But here Tim is truly putting her first and trying to see if there's anything he can really do.

"You got a time machine?" "I wish I did."

Because he'd go back and take back the decision that fed her to the lion. Yes, we all know it's not Tim's fault. But he still feels like it is. And this is what Lucy really wishes she had—not some remedy or quick fix... that it never happened.

"You're not gonna shower?" "Uh, I'm gonna do it a home."

Because she doesn't want the stares. She doesn't want the questions. She doesn't want the reminder.

She's wearing concealer under her shirt because she doesn't want to see the thing. And she's tired of the comments and special treatment. Lucy wants to go back to normal.

Now, we can already see from this episode that "normal" isn't really possible. Relationships have shifted. Lucy is not the same woman she was before. Yes, she'll open up parts of her that shut down over time, but she'll never be who she was before that night of carefree drinks gone wrong.

But that's what Lucy wants in this moment. Normalcy.

"Oh, but you're not going home."

The hell?! She was just abducted and now you won't let her go home? Sorry, but that was my gut reaction watching this.

"We have plans. Girls' Night." "Oh, I get it. You've seen that I'm find on the job, but you're still not convinced." "We just thought it would be fun." ... "It's... you guys have just never asked me out before."

Think of how happy Lucy was that she was getting invited to something normal!? And with these two bad-ass women!

Lucy spends so much of her time in the first two seasons with Jackson and Nolan that we rarely get to see her with the other women of the Station.

She was going to get to have a night out with two women she trusts—something safe. And she had just relaxed into that when they pulled this shit.

Look, I'm salty at these two. I love Nyla and Angela's my number three on the show. But this was a terrible idea. Nyla was critical of Tim throwing her into work, but she's throwing her into the dating pool.

And it's no wonder Lucy was triggered. She isn't ready to date, again. And that's fine. She should be able to get out there when she is ready.

But we all experience the world through out unique lenses and experiences. And a very real mistake we make is assuming because I need it this way, you do, too.

I have twin sons. When they were 9 months old, a friend handed down a toy to us. You throw a ball into the toy and it makes a noise. Ta-da! One child giggled uncontrollable. They other screamed and broke down in sobs.

Different people react differently. They need different coping mechanisms. They need different healing paths. When we try too hard to homogenize treatment, we miss the opportunity for true healing.

And part of the problem here is the utter lack of communication. Nyla has hinted to Tim what she went through, but she hasn't given Lucy any indication.

Now, Nyla doesn't owe Lucy her story. But she has chosen to help Lucy, and it would be a helluva lot easier to get through to Lucy if she communicated with her.

"Hey, Lucy had a bit of a moment last night when we were out."

Tim. Is. Pissed. Angela can tell that's all it took for him to be ready to go into Tim-Mode on someone's ass.

"It's not a big deal. She's fine." "What the hell is Harper doing?" "Helping. Don't get all 'Tim' on me. I just thought you should know." "Lucy's okay?" "She will be." "Alright. Thanks for letting me know."

Angela is the only one who knows about Tim's guilt. She's the only one who knows the weight he's been carrying, blaming himself for what happened to Lucy. She's the only one to know he has a growing soft spot for her.

So she does the right thing and gives him a heads-up.

And note how it's always "Lucy" when he's talking with Angela in these episodes. With Nolan, it's "Chen" because Nolan is not Tim's friend. But Angela's his best friend, and he can let his guard down a little when it comes to her.

Nyla Shares Her Tale

We already said that Nyla doesn't owe anyone her story. But by keeping it from Lucy, Lucy was pushing her away. She truly thought it was another outsider with outside opinions trying to force her to be okay.

Hearing Nyla's story, she is finally able to see her differently. There's a beat right after Lucy says, "I'm so sorry," where Melissa O'Neil shifts her gaze from cynical to sisterly—Lucy sees herself in Nyla.

For the first time since she's gotten out of that barrel, there's someone who isn't an outsider who truly wants to help.

"I shut down. I didn't even tell my husband. I kept telling myself that I would deal with it when I was ready." "But with every passing week it just got worse." "Maybe I pushed you too hard last night. But I know what it is like when you do not face things head-on."

Look how Lucy has shifted. Because Nyla can relate. Lucy was pushing so hard against her from the get-go that she missed the signs on this.

She was so focused on pushing everyone away and keeping everyone out that she missed that Nyla wasn't another outsider looking in with "expert" opinions on something they know nothing about. Nyla really does know.

"You and Chen are close, right?"

"I used to be inside her on the regular, so, yeah." I'm sorry. I had to. It was the first thing that popped into my head when I watched the scene.

"How's she doing? I mean, really doing?"

Because Tim is in his phase of needing to know how Lucy is, but not being the one "in the know". He's still her TO, and going directly to her for information is outside his code. But he can't help worrying. Lucy matters to him.

"She's good. Really. I think she'll be better once she gets that tattoo removed. Can you imagine that? Walking around every day branding by the worst thing that's ever happened to you? " "You think because it's physical, it's worse? Tragedies always leave scars. Only some of them you can see."

Again, this is about perspective. Some people are visual learners. Some are auditory. Some learn by doing.

I have a weird quirk of my brain that a memory is stronger for me if I can see a photo of it. Yes, I have other memories, but I can almost transport back to the moments in my photo albums since I've had decent memory. Visuals are important for me.

To Tim, it doesn't matter if it's visual or not. But Lucy might be different. Seeing that every day might mean more to her than it does to him. He's not considering that.

Seriously, as a former Communications student (two degrees in it), this episode is a masterclass in personal bias and intrapersonal vs interpersonal communication. In the moments of actual connection there's communication that's clear and concise.

Throughout the episode, everyone is making choices that are complicating matters. They're trying to do what's right, but they're doing it without clarity.

Nyla gets through to Lucy best when she talks to the woman in an open and honest manner. Same with Tim, later.

But, I'm skipping ahead...

A Punching Bag

Remember how I said Tim and Lucy have switched places this episode? In the same place where Lucy once offered Tim perspective (on his learning disability) and a gift (the book on tape), Tim will have his moment.

Lucy wipes her face without thinking, and Tim gets a glimpse of the tattoo. It flusters Lucy as she turns. She doesn't want to talk about it.

He's come down here for a reason. After spending all day asking others about her, he needs to see her for himself.

He wants to say something, too, but he's second-guessing. Ever since he pushed her toward a serial killer, he's been second-guessing where she's concerned.

"You got no quit in you, do you, Boot?" "No, sir. I get that from you." "I don't think so. You walked in the door this way. It's what makes you so aggravating."

He's teasing her. This is their rhythm. They've found it and they've earned it, and she's been stripped from it when she really wanted something familiar.

"I'm taking that as a compliment." "It was meant to be. You have a good night." "Yeah, you, too."

Tim turns to go, shoving his hands in his pockets. As he does, his fingers graze the ring... her ring. The ring he's been carrying around because it's tangible. It's something he can hold onto and remind himself that it's true—Lucy lived.

He turns around, no longer second-guessing. He has something to say, and he can only hope she hears him.

"You know, I got half a dozen scars. Bullet wounds, knife wounds, broken bottle. Then there's the ones you can't see, Isabel's addiction, a dad who would tune me up on the regular. And whether I like it or not, they're a part of me."

I can't remember him talking this openly about the trauma of Isabel's addiction before. But, he's in the Lucy role, today. He's talking things out while she's taking it out on a punching bag.

"I know what you're trying to do. And I appreciate it, but this is different. I was tattooed by a sadist who etched my day of death into my skin." "Okay, but you didn't die. Okay? You lived. And now he's the one in the ground."

Lucy sighs, because here's another outsider telling her what to do and how to feel.

"I'm not trying to tell you what to do with it. Okay? Burn it off, keep it, whatever gives you peace."

That's a little better. Lucy starts listening at that. Because, everyone's trying to push her in a direction, and he makes it clear that that's not his intention. He's not trying to push her to do or be anything.

"All I'm trying to do is give you some hard-won perspective."

If this was Pee Wee's Playhouse, we'd all have to scream because "Perspective" is the word of the day. Because each person's perspective has been an obstacle, today. Each person's perspective has been a roadblock.

But Tim's being very clear that he's offering only that—his Perspective. And, remember, Lucy cares very much what Tim thinks of her. She cares how he sees her. She doesn't want to let him down.

"You can choose to see that tattoo as your greatest failure. But I see it as proof that you're a survivor."

"You're so strong," he'd whispered when she started breathing, again. She might have been too overwhelmed at the moment to ever remember that, but we do. He recognized her strength and ability to survive right then.

This isn't lip-service. This is Tim Bradford being completely honest about how he sees Lucy.

"It wasn't your day of death, Officer Chen. It was the first day of the rest of your life. And no one can take that away from you."

There it is. No, this isn't going to "fix" the pain that Lucy's feeling. It's not going to make the trauma disappear. It's not going to erase the memories. But this mind-flip of that tattoo is powerful.

Because Caleb made her say aloud what that tattoo meant. He told her that it was for her, for her perspective, for her to own up to what he said it meant.

And here's Tim Bradford, a man who Lucy respects and trusts, helping her look at it from a different angle.

And isn't that what Tim does so well? Lucy even calls him out on it later in the show... He's the king at coming at things sideways and seeing another angle.

What he's saying is, "YOU, Lucy, get to decide how you look at that tattoo." She's spent so much time looking at it from Caleb's perspective that she didn't consider there was an alternative.

"Thanks." "Yeah. You're welcome."

Tim shoves his hands back in his pocket, and they both let the moment pass, easily. He said what he needed to say, and she heard him. Now, they can move forward.

"You riding with me tomorrow?" "Yes sir." "Good. Get in early. War bags need restocking." "Okay."

Tim pulls the ring from his pocket and tosses it to Lucy before she can register what it is. As she opens her hands, she sees it—her ring.

The ring she tossed off her hand in hopes that someone would find it. And Tim did. He found it. He found her.

"How did you find me?" Lucy asked from her hospital bed. Now, she has the answer.

Lucy looks up at Tim in awe and surprise. He smiles at the ring at her hand, and then back at her. He'd been carrying it around for a while because he didn't yet have Lucy back. Yes, she was at work, but not riding with him.

Tim once talked to Lucy about finding something tangible to focus on instead of the intangibility of nuclear disaster. Yes, he was being figurative, but I don't put it past him to take it literal. Lucy is back, but not back with him, yet.

Tomorrow, she'll be in his Shop. And now he doesn't need something tangible to hold onto to remind him that she is coming back, because she'll be there. By his side.

This is theirs. Tim told no one how he found her. She told no one that she'd dropped the ring. Only Tim and Lucy know this part of her story... of their story.

*phew* this one was emotionally exhausting. It took a week of work. But, I hope you enjoy it. It's heavier than most, but I think it's earned.

I would argue that Tim and Lucy are already on their way to friendship at the beginning of this trilogy, but the events that happen expedite it, and also solidify their trust of one another.

Tim respects the hell out of her. He knows what she's capable of, and now he's seen it for himself. Yes, he's going to be tough on her, again, when he's ready. And, yes, she's going to be pissed at him, when she's ready.

But only Tim and Lucy know who they are in the in-betweens. When the cameras aren't rolling on their chests and nobody else is listening in—like this ending scene. This is theirs.

And as they move forward in their relationship, there are all these touchstones, these pillars that shifted things that they can look back on as guide posts or stepping stones that at the time seemed small, but proved essential to their journey.

And, oh, I can't wait to see where it takes them next.

As always, thanks for reading.

[queseraone]

Alright, positive, silly, happy fluff incoming...

-Pick a song you think would be Chenford's wedding song

-Assuming The Rookie is on the same timeline, how does Tim Bradford feel about Taylor Swift being at Football games?

-Where would Tim and Lucy go for their honeymoon?

-Knowing we were robbed of getting everyone's reactions to the secret dating era, who do you think would have had the best reaction? My money is on Angela, but you may have a different opinion.

-Do you think Tim picks out a ring for Lucy by himself, or enlists help?

-Do you think Lucy will move into Tim's place, or will they get a new place of their own?

-In the future, Lucy goes into labor with their first child. Who is Tim's first call to?

-We know Lucy has called Tim 'babe' a few times. What do you think Tim's pet name for Lucy would be?

-And, lastly...the most important question here!! Does Tim go with Lucy to see Barbie, or do the boys go see Oppenheimer and the girls see Barbie?

Sorry, this got way longer than I expected it to😅

Whoa um, okay, was not expecting this! These are so random and fun hahahaha

I'm terrible with songs, especially on the fly. Can I be corny and say my wedding song? Because, frankly, it fits and it's wonderful and classic ("Ain't No Mountain High Enough" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell). Oh! Maybe "You Are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne? Such a gorgeous song, I'm obsessed. Yes, that. (But truthfully I picture them having a super small simple wedding - like for them it's about the marriage and making it official more than a wedding. So may not even have things like a first dance or anything. Just a "let's get married" moment at lunchtime on a Thursday.)

I feel like Tim probably doesn't know who Taylor Swift is? 😂

I see them doing a fairly low-key honeymoon. Something cozy, like a cabin in the woods, and/or something with an element of adventure.

Oh man, Angela knew (jk, everybody knew, those fools were terrible at hiding it). Hers is certainly the reaction I wanted most because I love her relationship with Tim, and, again, a bookend to their early conversations would have been so nice. I think there's a great element of playfulness to their friendship, so she'd probably tease him a little, but they're alike in a lot of ways. When they feel, they feel BIG and they care deeply for their people. I also think Nolan would have been hilarious, because he seemed entirely oblivious to the entire thing.

By himself. After all, he knows her so well. Plus I don't think he'd tell anyone - the only exception would be if Angela somehow guessed and forced his hand.

In terms of logistics, I won't be surprised if he moves into her place, even though it makes no sense in reality - why squeeze into an apartment when you have a whole ass house, plus KOJO. Tim's house and Lucy's apartment have such different vibes, so I think if we actually see them moving in together, it would have to be a new place - they'd need a legit set!

Genny so she can let Kojo out? I've honestly never thought about this one!

Maybe "baby," but that's tricky because we heard him call Isabel that, so idk. I'd say either that or "babe"? (I want him to call her "Luce" but I wholeheartedly refuse to use that in a fic until it's canon)

Barbenheimer for the win! (Also Tim would go anywhere with Lucy)

These were cute 😊

[deeg9]

CH.2: There's something that tells me (that life has changed)

Thank you everyone for the feedback on Chapter One! Chapter Two is up - I may add an epilogue set in the future in the next few days. Comments and engagement on AO3 is always appreciated - Enjoy!

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply Category: F/M Fandom: The Rookie (TV 2018) Relationship: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen, Nyla Harper/James Murray, Wesley Evers/Angela LopezCharacter:Tim Bradford, Lucy Chen (The Rookie), Nyla Harper, James Murray (The Rookie), Wesley Evers, Angela Lopez, Wade Grey, Celina JuarezAdditional Tags:Chenford Canon, anon request, Post 5x10 by 3 Months, Pregnancy Scare, see notes for TW, Drama & Comedy & Heartfelt Goodness, Secret Relationship, Medical Inaccuracies Language: English Published: 2023-01-07 Updated: 2023-01-08 Chapters: 2 Words: 6025

[If you missed Ch 1, it's posted on Tumblr and AO3]

LUCY

“I’ll go pick up another pack of tests,” Lucy offered as they stared down at the one test in question, but nobody tore their gaze away from the faint pink line on the test. 

“No, I’ll call my doctor,” Angela said, breaking the spell. “I know she’ll fit us in for a blood test. If we get this over by the lunch hour, then we might even have results by tonight.” 

Lucy continued to stare at the test while she absentmindedly followed Angela’s phone call. 

When she woke up that morning, it had been just another day. She and Tim took Kojo for an early run in which halfway through, Kojo plunged belly first into a muddy puddle and rolled around.  While Tim hosed him off in the backyard, Lucy made breakfast: Salmon for Kojo and an omelet for the two of them. 

She loved the pace they’d been taking their relationship. They had found their rhythm. Nothing felt forced and they organically began to spend more and more time together. 

Part of that meant spending time with Tim’s sister and her kids. Both Tim and Lucy had gotten involved in the boy’s baseball team earlier in the year and it had been more fun than she could have imagined. These days, Genny and Lucy didn’t need an excuse to hang out.

Tim pretended to be annoyed by the two of them colluding, especially when Genny told embarrassing stories from Tim’s past in painstakingly clear detail, but she knew he secretly loved the friendship they were developing. 

And on the flip side … Tim now (unwillingly) knew everything about Sabrina Carpenter after spending many nights and mornings at their apartment listening to Tamara prattle on about her favorite female artist. Tim would tease Tamara and ask if there was a friend she could call to discuss the latest Sabrina celebrity news with instead, to which she’d reply that she preferred the challenge of converting Tim to her way of thinking much more. Tamara even set a New Year’s Resolution of dragging Lucy and Tim to a Sabrina Carpenter concert, not having the slightest clue that they’d already purchased a set of VIP passes to an upcoming show for Tamara’s birthday. 

It all felt natural. It felt right. 

Would this fracture that feeling? 

“Thank you so much, Dr. Stone,” Angela gushed into the phone. “Yes, we will head over right now. See you soon.”

“Do you want to ride with us?” Nyla asked. 

“Yeah,” Lucy swallowed. “Let me just tell Tim I’m taking an early lunch and then I’ll meet you in the parking lot.” 

“Okay,” Angela nodded. “Be quick.”

Lucy should have anticipated that Tim would be waiting in the hall outside of the locker room. It wasn’t lost on him that Nyla and Angela rushed out from behind her and she was sure he noticed their flustered expressions. 

He waited until the other two women were out of earshot before bringing it up. 

“So?” Tim asked, drawing out the end of the word into a question. 

“The result was … inconclusive,” Lucy said. “I’m going to take an early lunch and pop over to the doctor’s office for a blood test. Can you manage for an hour without me?” 

“Of course,” Tim said. He looked around the room. “How is it inconclusive? Isn’t it just like an aim and pee thing with a yes or no answer?”

“Yes, usually,” Lucy whispered, “but something went wrong.”

“What went wrong?” Tim asked, confusion sewn into his expression. 

“I can’t go into the details right now,” Lucy said, blushing. It wasn’t like she could tell him what happened without revealing that Angela and Nyla were in the same boat and she wanted to respect their privacy. “Just trust me on this. If I don’t get the results by tonight, we can try taking another test at home after shift.”

“Okay,” Tim conceded. “Let me just get Grey to cover for me and I can come with you.”

“No, he’ll be too suspicious,” Lucy pointed out and Tim’s face dropped. “But I think after today we should make a plan to tell Grey and to tell our friends. It’s time.” 

“Alright, if you’re sure?” Tim prodded, his eyes full of concern. He could always tell when she was putting on a front.

“Yeah,” Lucy said with a soft smile. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

She stopped herself from reaching out to him. She really wanted to hug him, but she couldn’t. Not here, not when they were at work and near so many prying eyes. Not when she knew she’d break as soon as his arms slipped around her. 

She knew the honeymoon phase of their relationship wouldn’t last forever but to have it potentially shift so abruptly because of this new, incredibly big thing was too much for her to absorb. 

She loved Tim and his reaction in the shop earlier had made her love him even more. She wanted to start a family with him eventually but she’d give almost anything to be able to do it their way and on their timeline.

Angela spotted her as she walked through the parking lot and waved her over to the unmarked vehicle. Lucy took a steadying breath and tried to push away the sinking feeling in her gut. 

Angela 

As they were wrapping up at the doctor’s office, Angela got a call about a homicide scene that they were needed on. After they arrived, Lucy immediately jumped into the action to help Officer Jan set the perimeter and begin canvassing for witnesses while Nyla began to interview the person who’d called in the DB to 9-1-1. 

Tim gave Angela the official readout of the scene and she diligently took notes, but she couldn’t help checking her watch every few minutes. The doctor promised to put a rush on the bloodwork and said she’d call each of them with the results as soon as possible. 

Angela wanted to know those results so badly. She needed to know.

“Are you okay?” Tim asked after repeating the answer to a question she already asked. “You seem off.”

She sighed despondently.

“You can’t say anything to Wes until I know for sure,” she warned and he nodded apprehensively. “I might be pregnant again.”

Tim blinked. 

”For fuck’s sake, is there something in the water? ” He muttered it quietly under his breath and if she didn’t have freakishly good hearing, she would have missed it entirely. 

“What?” Angela whispered irritably. “Oh my god, did Lucy tell you?”

“What? No,” Tim stammered. “Unless … What did she tell you?”

“Timothy,” Angela warned, “what did Lucy say?”

“She told me she’s late,” Tim whispered defensively. “That’s it. I had no idea you were going through the same thing.”

“Oh.” Angela shook her head, surprised that Lucy would share something so sensitive with Tim. “Forget about that. We’ll circle back to me in a second.

She knew they were close, but Lucy had to know on some level that Tim had feelings for her. 

“I’m just so sorry, Tim,” Angela said with a sigh and gave his arm a light squeeze. “I didn’t even know Lucy was seeing someone.” 

Tim’s jaw hung open temporarily as she watched him find his words again. Poor guy. He must be reeling.

“I’m fine,” Tim said slowly. “Really, I am. You don’t need to worry about me. Are you ok with this? You were just telling me you were pretty sure Jackson was going to be an only child.”

“No, I’m not ok,” Angela admitted. “And I feel like a terrible person saying that out loud.”

Tim slung his arm over her shoulder. 

“How can I help?” 

“Just moral support,” Angela said. “And let me vent and complain if this test is positive about how hard my life is, even when it might seem unreasonable.”

“Of course,” Tim said. He gave her shoulder a quick squeeze and then let her go. “What are friends for?” 

“And Tim?” Angela turned so she was facing him. “I am sorry about Lucy. I really thought you two were heading in the same direction.”

She watched Tim’s expression change. She expected him to look sad, maybe a little lost, but instead she found a mixture of guilt and … something else on his face.

What was going on?

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. “I really should talk to Lucy before I tell you anything.” 

“Tell me what?” Angela’s pulse kicked up a beat. 

Tim glanced at Lucy in the distance and she saw it in his eyes. This wasn’t a man yearning, this man was adoring someone he already had. 

Oh my god, how had she missed the signs? 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Tim rushed to say as Angela’s eyes widened. “Lucy and I really just wanted to keep something for ourselves for a while and then I blinked and three months had gone by. Honestly, there were a number of times I was sure you’d already figured it out–”

“Oh my god,” Angela grabbed his arm and pulled him down to her level. He almost tripped over his own foot. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“If Lucy’s pregnant,” Tim whispered with a smile on his face, “that’s my kid.” 

Angela felt the shout of glee build in her chest before she could contain it. 

“Shhhh,” Tim looked around nervously. She could see several officers looking over at them from the corner of her eye. “You have to keep it a secret. We’re still figuring out the work side of things.” 

“I am going to hug the shit out of both of you later,” Angela said with the biggest smile on her face. Then she punched Tim in the arm. Hard. 

“Ow,” Tim said, rubbing the spot. 

“I have been feeling sorry for you ALL day. You could have told me,” Angela scolded. 

“I know,” Tim assured her. “And I trust you. We just wanted to make sure this thing was real first.”

“Is it?” She asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“Yeah,” Tim said with a deliriously happy smile. “As real as it gets.” 

Angela was gearing up to tell Tim how happy she was for him when Nyla walked up and narrowed her eyes at the two of them. 

“There is literally a dead body twenty feet from you,” she scolded. “Could you stop smiling so much? The other cops are starting to think you’re both sociopaths.” 

“Tim was just cheering me up,” Angela explained. “What do we have?” 

Angela worked to switch her brain back into work mode, but only managed to quell her excitement down to a half smile on her face as she walked the crime scene with Nyla. 

Her best friend was finally happy and she knew it was the forever-kind-of-happy. She had a second-hand happy high that she just couldn’t shake. 

NYLA

Nyla reached for her phone after the ding indicated she had a text message. They were getting close to wrapping up their day and had a few more solid leads to run down but it was nothing that couldn’t wait until morning. 

From: Lucy | To: Angela & Nyla  

Just got the call. Mine was negative! Phew! Good luck <;3 

Angela sighed audibly from across the desk. She saw her shoot off a reply and then did the same. Nyla’s pulse kicked up as she realized her chances were now fifty-fifty. 

When Angela’s phone rang next, their eyes met and Angela nodded before stepping away to answer. Around the same time, Tim and Lucy went into Grey’s office. It wasn’t something she would typically notice, but their body language was … strange. 

Grey hung his head in his hands for a moment before looking up at both of them with a huge smile on his face. He rounded his desk and hugged them both. Lucy hugged him back enthusiastically but Bradford looked stiff and awkward. 

Nyla smirked. 

It looked like ‘Chenford’ (as Smitty called them) was finally coming clean. 

“Nolan,” Grey opened his office door and called out. “Could you join us?” 

Nyla leaned back in her chair to enjoy the show. Moments later, Nolan’s jaw dropped in complete disbelief and Nyla chuckled in her seat. She wasn’t surprised that Nolan hadn’t suspected a thing. She’d noticed Lucy and Nolan slowly drift apart after Jackson’s death. Whether that was due to their respective lives getting busier, or a subconscious decision to distance themselves from painful memories, she wasn’t sure. 

Regardless, Nolan seemed genuinely happy for them. 

“Nyla,” Angela said from behind her. She spun around in her chair.

“What’s the word?” Nyla asked, trying to hide the hope in her voice. 

“My test was negative,” Angela said slowly. “Which means–”

Nyla’s heart pounded in her ears as her phone rang. She answered it right away. 

“I’m calling for Nyla Harper.” Nyla recognized Dr. Stone’s voice from earlier. 

“Hi, Dr. Stone,” Nyla said. “Thank you for rushing the test results. Lay it on me.”

“They were negative for pregnancy,” Dr. Stone cut to the chase. “But I did see something interesting in your bloodwork that makes me think you could have gotten the false positive on the take home test.”

“I didn’t know that was possible,” Nyla responded, letting the news wash over her. So she wouldn’t be a mom again. At least, not yet.

“It’s very rare, but sometimes a UTI can trigger a false positive. You do have minimal hCG levels present for detection but if you were pregnant, those levels would continue to climb throughout your first trimester and then level off,” Dr. Stone explained. “For at home test to be positive, the levels would have had to be much higher earlier today since those tests are far less sensitive than blood tests.”

“Okay,” Nyla said. “What does that mean for me?”

“I see an elevated white blood cell count in your CBC panel, which indicates an infection is probably present,” Dr. Stone said. “If you can come back in tomorrow or later this week, I can run a urinalysis to confirm it. Then we can send you home with antibiotics to treat it.” 

“Other than that, I’m fine?” Nyla asked. 

“Yes, as far as I can tell, you’re very healthy,” Dr. Stone confirmed. 

Nyla stayed on the phone long enough to schedule an appointment and then hung up. She jerked in her seat when she realized Angela was standing right behind her. 

“Jesus, wear a bell,” Nyla chided. 

“So you’re–”

“Not pregnant,” Nyla finished the sentence. “Doc says I might have triggered a false positive. I probably have a UTI and I’m going back tomorrow to confirm.”

“So none of us are pregnant?” Angela asked.

“Not a one,” Nyla confirmed.

“Then maybe we should all go grab celebratory drinks?” Angela suggested. 

“Rain check,” Nyla smiled politely, wishing she could match Angela’s level of relief. “I am wiped.” 

“Okay,” Angela said and gathered her things. “Have a good night. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“See ya.” 

Nyla sighed and let the disappointment sit with her for a minute. It’s not the right time , she told herself, and she could be okay with that. 

There was a silver lining to all of this. Now she knew how she really felt about adding to her family. She made her way home to James to see if he felt the same way. 

LUCY 

Lucy walked across the parking lot with Tim by her side, grinning from ear to ear about finally having their relationship out and in the open. 

“How are you feeling?” Tim nudged her softly with his elbow.  

“About telling Grey?” Lucy asked.

“That too,” Tim nodded, “but more so about the negative pregnancy test.”

“Honestly?” Lucy bit her lip nervously. “I’m relieved. You?” 

“Me too,” Tim said with a sigh. 

“Really?” Lucy prodded. “I know you’re ready to start a family but–” 

“Eventually,” Tim corrected her. “But right now? I’m so happy with exactly where we are.”

“Me too.” Lucy smiled up at him and grabbed his hand. 

“Wow,” Tim brought her hand to his lips and pressed a quick kiss to her knuckles. “I can’t believe we can actually do this now.”

“It’s almost like we’re a normal couple,” Lucy agreed with a laugh and swung his arm playfully as they walked. 

Once they at his truck, Tim twisted her in his arms. 

“What are you doing?” Her voice was husky as his face neared her own. 

“What normal couples do.” He slid his hand behind her neck and brushed his fingers into her hair before closing the distance between their lips. His kiss felt like a vow, holding the promise of all the amazing milestones yet to come. 

“I could get used to this,” Lucy mumbled against his lips.

“You better because I’m planning to keep doing it.” 

“Fine by me,” Lucy said with a smirk. “Because I’m planning on keeping you forever.”

“Forever, huh?” Tim smiled teasingly and leaned back a hair. “I’m going to need to check my schedule first.”

“Oh, do I need to call your gofer so he can pencil me into your calendar?” Lucy said with a snort. 

“That would be great,” Tim tossed back but she could see the corner of his lip creeping up. 

“Don’t make me hurt you,” she warned lightheartedly, swatting his chest. 

He captured her wrist swiftly and pulled her in close until her arm was wrapped around his neck. She rested her other palm on his chest, inhaling sharply in anticipation. 

“You know what I think?” He teased, the grumble of his voice vibrating against her wrist. 

“Hmm?” Lucy hummed, her gaze dropping from his eyes to his lips. 

“Forever is a really good place to start.” 

When his lips crashed down on hers this time, she felt giddy butterflies take flight in her belly. Their future played like a movie on the back of her eyelids but she blinked them away. The future could wait. She was focused on the here and now with the most important person in her life.

[thisnightissparkling089]

(A not so) Cruel Summer

Thank you for those who checked in and continue to send prompts. I'm still here! Just hit some major writers block. Hope you enjoy this fluffy one shot, and thank you again for all your support!

---

“S’Alright, alright, settle down. Gotta couple of announcements to make this morning before we set you free.” Grey announced as he made his way into roll call and approached the podium.

It was a sunny Monday morning in August, and as his vacation was starting on Saturday, and he and Luna had an All-Inclusive trip booked to Jamaica, he was eager to get through his week. Quickly, the officers fell in line and quieted down as they turned in their seats and gave the man their full attention.

“As I’m sure everyone already knows, it’s the last week of the LA County Fair. Things have thankfully been quite low key so far, so let’s hope that trend continues as it winds down. But while we’re on the topic…”

He paused for a moment and turned his gaze to Smitty. “A friendly reminder that policing does not include going on the rides while on duty if you happen to be working the fair.”

Smitty let out a huff as he threw his hands up. “Sarge, the kid was dodging me. It’s not my fault he decided to hop on the bumper cars while I was chasing him. Clearly it was an invitation!”

Grey rolled his eyes and reminded him of the rules just the same before continuing right along with his agenda, ticking a few more things off his list.

“Alright, last order of business. The queen of pop herself, Miss. Taylor Swift, is in town this weekend. And y’all, SoFi Stadium seats 70,000 people, and every seat will be filled each and every night. Do not underestimate the power of the Swifties. In any event, in trying to stay ahead of things, we’re looking to add two more officers to assist backstage for Friday evening’s show. The shift will be 2pm-midnight. If you—"

Slowly, Smitty’s hand began to raise. Grey looked over at him and folded his arms.

“Smitty, in the most respectful way I can put this, you are the last person I am trusting to keep Taylor Swift safe.”

“Okay, well that’s just rude.” He lamented. “Not that I was even offering, but rude none the less, sarge. What I was going to say is I’m out.”

He leaned back in his seat as a smug smile crept across his face and he looked around the room at his fellow officers.

“I don’t mean to brag or anything, but your boy here scored tickets for Friday night’s show for the low low price of $7,200.”

The shift in the room was palpable at his admission. Nolan, picking the wrong time to take a sip, practically choked on his coffee, and half the officers whipped around in their seats to gawk at Smitty. After several seconds of dead silence, Officer Jan finally spoke up.

“I’m out too sarge, got my daughters and I tickets. And—” He glanced over at Smitty. “We didn’t even pay close to seven grand for three tickets total.”

In the end, it was Lucy who raised her hand and volunteered, figuring she had nothing better to do on a Friday night. After being unable to secure herself a ticket to any of the California dates, she figured this was the closest she’d get to the experience and figured Tim could enjoy some overtime with Metro while she ran her security detail.

She was halfway out of the room when Grey stopped her and asked her back to the podium.

“Sir?”

“Lucy, thanks again for volunteering for Friday night, much appreciated.” He replied as he finished gathering his papers.

“Oh, yeah, happy to help.”

“Listen, we’re still one officer short. Any chance you think Tim might wanna help you out? In a way, it’d almost be like a date night for you guys.”

Lucy snorted in response, but quickly collected herself. “Sir, with all due respect, a stadium filled with 70,000 screaming fans is likely the last place Tim Bradford would want to be, but I’ll check with him just the same.”

Grey chuckled in agreement and wished her luck before sending her on her way to fulfill her latest mission.

Lucy left roll call and headed into the bullpen. She was on her way to find Tim in his office when she practically flew into him walking down the hall. Pulling herself back, she took a breath and recollected herself.

“Hey, sorry. I was just coming to find you, actually.”

Tim took a step closer to her and raised his hand up to brush against her cheek. Realizing quickly where they were, he pulled it back; instead running it through his hair and trying to play it cool.

“Oh, no problem. What’s up? What do you need?”

He looked down to see Lucy flashing her thousand watt smile and beginning to sway from side to side. Her telltale signs that she was about to ask him for a huge favor.

He sighed. “I already know I’m going to regret this.”

“No! It’s nothing bad, I promise!” She assured him. “Taylor Swift is in town and—”

“There it is…”

“Oh, come on! It could be fun! Grey needs extra security detail. You and me, backstage…it’s like a free show! And this is the closest I’m going to get to actually seeing her live for the Era’s tour.”

“You told me you were going to take Tamara if you got tickets.” He reminded her.

“Well, yeah, I was. But Tamara’s not a cop, so she can’t exactly be my partner here. Also, she was tagging along mostly out of pity for me, so…”

Tim stood in front of her thinking over the offer in his head. SoFi Stadium on a Friday night in August surrounded by seventy some thousand screaming people was truly one of his nightmares come to life. But he saw the way Lucy was looking up at him begging him to do this with her. And while there were many things Tim Bradford was capable of saying no to, Lucy Chen was not one of them.

He folded his arms and rolled his eyes. “Fine. But only because it’s you.”

Her eyes instantly lit up with excitement.

“Eeee! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Now we just have to find out your era.” She squealed delightfully. Tim caught her arm gently as she began to walk away from him.

“I’m sorry, my era?”

“Yeah. Each album is an Era. Everyone has a favorite. There’s Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Reputation, Lover, Red, 1989…”

Tim knew if he didn’t cut her off Lucy was just going to continue to ramble off Taylor Swift albums.

“Alright, yeah, I get it now, girls got a lot of albums. What’s your favorite? And also, everyone cannot possibly have a favorite era. Half the people in here probably don’t even like Taylor Swift.”

Lucy eyed him up and down. “Uh huh, well, mine is Lover. And I assure you, everyone has a favorite.”

She looked throughout the office and spotted Aaron not far from them. “Oh! Thorsen! What is your favorite Taylor Swift era?”

Tim stood off to the side, skeptical of the whole thing.

“Oh, okay Lucy, asking the hard hitting questions first thing this morning.” He laughed. Bringing a fist to his lips, he stood, deep in thought.

“This has got to be a joke…” Tim huffed under his breath. Aaron glanced in his direction.

“Sir, this requires thought, okay? Like Rep? A whole ass mood. But Speak Now? Girl was in her feelings…and I felt that. But Red (Taylor’s Version) brought us the ten minute version of All Too Well.”

“God, such a good one!” Lucy sighed.

“Ten minutes?!” Tim whispered to himself. “Who the fuck crafts a ten minute song?!”

“I guess I’d have to say Red but Taylor’s Version for sure.” He finally decided. “Damn, good question, Luce. Now I know what to play on patrol today, thanks. Y’all be safe out there, have a good shift.”

“Yeah, you too.” Lucy replied, sending him off before turning back to Tim with a smug smile across her face. She batted her eyes and looked up at him expectedly. Tim, ever competitive, rolled his eyes and stared back at her with a mocking expression.

“Please, what do you want, a cookie? It’s Thorsen. The kid lives and breathes pop culture.” He sneered.

“Alright, fair point. Well listen, I have to head out on patrol. But if you’re so skeptical, why not ask around? In fact, I’ll make it worth your while. Winner chooses the lunch spot, and the loser pays.”  She raised her eyebrows and left him with a smile as she headed to grab her gear.

Tim found himself suddenly alone and frowned. He was always up for a challenge, especially when he won. A competitive man by nature, he loved nothing more than making bets with Lucy. Afterall, even when he lost to her, he still won in some fashion. Looking around the bullpen, he spotted Angela over at her desk.

“I got this in the bag.” He muttered to himself as he walked over to her.

“Lopez!”

“Hello, Timothy.” Angela settled back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee as he approached her and smiled. “To what do I owe this early morning visit?”

“I need your help. You see, Lucy and I have this bet going at the moment. So just go with me on this.”

Angela stopped everything she was doing in the moment, her eyes fixated on him.

“Look, Tim, we’ve been friends for years now. You and I both know you’re my longest friendship, and I love you dearly. I’d take a bullet for you. But what you and Lucy do behind—”

“Oh, seriously?! It’s nothing like that, so you can get your head out of the gutter now!” He pushed himself away from her cubicle, putting more space between them. “Look, do you have a favorite Taylor Swift era or album or whatever? Lucy’s convinced everyone does.

“Reputation.” Angela replied without missing a beat. Tim was left dumbfounded; certain if at least one person didn’t buy into this stuff, it would have been Angela. And his plan had just backfired.

“Morning guys!” He and Angela turned at the sound of Wesley coming up from behind them.

“Even Wesley has a soft spot for Taylor Swift.” She raised her coffee cup, gesturing toward him.

“I mean, yeah, who doesn’t? That girl can sing!” Wesley agreed. “Though Angela and I have differing opinions on what the best era is. Now, don’t get me wrong, Reputation is solid, for sure. But Lover just has so much feeling. I mean, it gave us Cruel Summer, Lover, and False God.”

“For sure, but Rep gave us Ready for it, I did something bad, Look what you made me do, and End Game. And I could keep going!”  

“Agreed, but did you see that SNL version of False God live? Flawless!”

Tim stood, lips pursed, and stared while his best friend and her husband argued over the best Taylor Swift album at 8 in the morning.  

“Alright, I’m ending this now,” He mumbled. “Harper!”

Nyla made her way over to her desk and dropped the file she was holding as she pulled her chair out.

“What?”

Tim sighed, unable to believe this was the morning’s topic of discussion. But she was his last chance. Certainly, if he couldn’t count on Angela, he could at the very least count on Nyla. Nyla would be the out he needed.

“Do you have a favorite Taylor Swift era?”

She flipped open the file she needed and began to sift through the papers, not even bothering to glance in Tim’s direction.

“Yes, it’s Reputation and if anyone tells you there’s a better option, they’re wrong.”

“That’s my girl right there.” Angela smirked before rolling her chair over and clinking her coffee cup to Nyla’s.

Tim walked away in a huff, shaking his head as he tried to ignore the laughter floating through the back of him.

“Utterly ridiculous.” He muttered.

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, he scrawled out a text to Lucy.

“Where are we meeting for lunch today?”

----

“Identification please?”

Tim pulled out his license and took Lucy’s from her hand to be scanned.

“Alright, you guys are good to go. Thanks for your service today, we appreciate you. Just head on back, they’ll be expecting you.” The attendant handed them security lanyards to be scanned when they arrived backstage and waved them through.

Tim glanced back a few times as Lucy caught up to him.

“What’s up with that line back there? Are people waiting to get in already?” He asked her.

“Merch.”

Tim stopped and looked over at her.

“Excuse me?”

“The line back there, it’s for merchandise. You know, shirts, blankets, sweatshirts…”

“Lucy.” Tim deadpanned. “That line was like five hundred people deep.”

“Oh, I’m aware. Merch is no joke. A lot of people are even showing up in the day before or after their show just to wait in line.”

Tim shook his head and laughed it off. Certainly this wasn’t his first rodeo. He had been to many concerts in his lifetime and thought back fondly to seeing several bands live. The Foo Fighters being his favorite, but there was also the time he and Isabel had seen Fleetwood Mac, and the half dozen concerts he attended as a teen. And he never remembered seeing any kind of line like the one he had just passed by moments ago.

“Oh, hey.” Lucy stopped him briefly, gently taking his wrist in her hand. Reaching into her back pocket, she pulled out a small, beaded bracelet. “I made you a friendship bracelet.”

Tim looked down at the bracelet now attached to his wrist and frowned.

“This just says Lover.”

“Yeah,” Lucy smiled. “It’s my favorite Taylor Swift song. And after all, you are my lover…”

“Okay, that’s—I don’t—let’s just—”

“Aww, is my lover nervous?” She whispered next to him.

Tim knew Lucy took great pleasure in embarrassing him every chance she got, especially in public. He laughed it off as they walked back to the stage and Tim looked around the now empty stadium, shuddering. In just a few hours, every square inch of this place was going to be filled to the brim with people. And they would be screaming.

Making their way onto the stage, Tim and Lucy scanned their security passes and met with Taylor’s manager.

“What do you mean they’re out? Check another store, we’ve got time.” She spoke into her headset. Taking a deep breath, she shook her head before diverting her attention to Lucy and Tim.

“Hey guys! Sorry about that. Day of chaos as usual!” She beamed. “I’m Andrea Sweeny, Taylor’s manager. You must be Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen.”

“At your service, ma’am.” Tim replied, reaching his hand out to shake hers.

Lucy, barely able to speak, merely nodded and shook her hand.

“Luce,” Tim leaned over to her, whispering in her ear. “Take a breath. It’s just her manager. It’s not like you’re meeting Taylor herself.”

“Right, yeah, I can do this, it’s fine.” She reassured herself.

“Hey, the first set of officers arrived, is she ready?” Andrea spoke into her headset. Lucy’s head jerked up and she froze at the sound of those words.

“Great! Guys if you will follow me, Taylor will see you now.”

Tim’s eyes widened as Lucy began to stammer unintelligibly.

“Sorry, what??” Tim asked, vying for clarification.

Andrea stopped and laughed. “My apologies, I should have explained sooner. Taylor always likes to meet her security detail before the show. She just wants to be familiar with the team and take the time to thank them personally. You guys okay with that?”

“Y—yeah, not, uh, yeah, not a problem.” Lucy stammered.

“Yup all good.” Tim agreed.

Andrea laughed. “Relax guys, Taylor’s nice, I promise.”

The trio walked back to a trailer stationed near the stage and Lucy swore she could hear her heartbeat in her ears as she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other. She glanced over at Tim, and he shrugged, unsure of how this was going to go himself. 

Andrea walked up to the steps while Tim and Lucy stood back behind her. After a brief conversation with the gentleman who opened the door, they found themselves walking inside. With Tim behind Lucy, he rubbed her shoulders and whispered in her ear to take a breath and that she would be fine.

Lucy had been listening to Taylor Swift since she was roughly 13 years old. She had collected all of her albums, both CD and Vinyl, and used to have her walls covered in her posters as a teenager. She had even seen her in concert ten times. But nothing compared to the feeling she got seeing Taylor Swift in person, mere feet from her. Lucy swore her heart was in her stomach at that point.

“Taylor,” Andrea announced. “Meet officers Tim Bradford and Lucy Chen with the LAPD. They’re part of your security detail this evening and will be stationed backstage in case you need anything.”

“Ma’am, it’s a pleasure to protect you this evening.” Tim stated as he extended his hand to hers.

Lucy meanwhile stood in a panic, trying not to stare, and begging herself to say something, anything at this point.

“Holy crap you’re even taller than I expected.” She finally blurted out. Instantly a blush crept up her face, mortified that of all the things she could have said, that was the line that won.

Taylor laughed a full bellied laugh and smiled sweetly.

“Guys, thank you both so much for being here, it’s really appreciated. I like to take the time to get to know my staff, all of them, and thank them for being a part of this. This tour is bigger than anything I’ve put together up to this point and can’t go on without a whole host of people. Everyone truly plays a part, big or small. So, thank you both for contributing.”

“Of course, it’s our pleasure. And as Tim said, we’ll be happy to help if you need anything. I tried forever to get tickets but lost the great Ticketmaster war, so I’m just happy to be here.”

“Wait…you haven’t been able to see the concert yet?” Taylor asked.

Lucy shook her head. "Well, no. But it's fine, really. TikTok really helps fill the gap." 

“Well, that’s changing…Andrea!”

Taylor’s manager popped her head back in. “Yes, my dear?”

“Please make sure that officer Lucy here gets two—no, make that four tickets to tomorrow night's show, I would love for her to get to experience it in front of the scenes instead of behind.” She smiled.

After a few more moments of talking, Tim and Lucy left Taylor’s trailer with pictures, memories, and front row seats to tomorrow night’s show, much to Lucy’s surprise.

Lucy, floating on a cloud, grabbed her phone and quickly began texting Angela, Nyla, and Bailey.

“This night is—”

“Enchanting?” Tim answered, cutting her off. He smirked, hoping she would get his reference.

Lucy looked up at him, with a smile that stretched her whole face. “Enchanting indeed.”

----

The midnight clock on the stage appeared and began to count down. The lights dimmed and the crowd absolutely erupted in screams, cheers, and applause. The feeling in the stadium instantly became electric. Lucy watched on, looking out and seeing the thousands upon thousands of people.

“Los Angeles!! It’s your turn tonight!” Taylor announced as she made her way onto the stage. Tim didn’t think it was possible, but somehow, he found the crowd erupting even louder at the sight of her.

He looked over at Lucy, watching the show from backstage, guarded, and ready to jump into action at any time if needed, but still awestruck watching her idol perform in front of 70,000 people. Her hands were clasped together, resting just below her nose, caught up in the excitement of all the feelings the night brought with it.

As the guitar chords began to play a familiar tune and Taylor talked to the crowd, Tim walked over to Lucy from behind.

Wrapping his arms around her, he began to sway with her and sing along with Taylor, singing to her the lyrics to her favorite song softly against her ear.

“Can I go where you go?

Can we always be this close forever and ever?

And ah, take me out, and take me home

You’re my, my, my, my Lover”

He could feel her body stiffen against him and she stopped and turned to face him.

“How did you—”

“Been listening to this song on repeat so much this week I could sing it in my sleep. It is your favorite after all.”

"Yeah, it is."

Tears began to well in her eyes, in awe of the gesture and the effort Tim put forth to connect with her.

“That being said, I gotta side with Harper and Lopez on this one. Reputation is really the best era. But I guess there’s still time to learn that album in time for tomorrow night…”

"Oh, you think you're getting one of my tickets...that's so cute." 

Tim scoffed, breaking out into a smile as he lightly punched Lucy in the shoulder. 

"Punk. You can't not bring your Lover to the Taylor Swift concert."

Turning against him, Lucy lifted up on her tip toes and kissed Tim, wanting something deeper as a way to convey her thanks, but settling for a few quick pecks, knowing they were both on duty.

“Tim, thank you, I love you for this and for so much more.”

“I love you too, Luce. Thanks for dragging me out here." 

Turning back toward the stage and returning their attention to the show, Tim finally understood what Lucy was talking about. 

And maybe, just maybe, everyone did have a favorite Era. 

[rachelbee100]

The Last Ride

In the shop.

Tim: What, no checklist this time?

Lucy: Like you said, it isn’t happy hour. And you know we’ll see each other even after I join the detective squad.

Tim: It is the end of an era, though. [His mouth drops into a small frown]

Lucy: I know, it is… but [she meets his eyes] you and I both know that the next era will be even better. [She cocks her head mischievously.] So just try to think about that when you’re sitting here with your new gofer missing me.

Tim: I would tell you the same, but we both know you’re going to love detective work.

Lucy: [glowing] True… but I’ve loved patrol, too.

Tim: Maybe something to do with the company?

Lucy: “A very handsome boy”?

Tim: [blushes]. Let’s just try to finish this shift without starting any IA reviews, all right?

Lucy: Copy that, Sergeant.

Tim: And then we’re meeting with Grey after shift, yeah? [He anxiously glances sideways at her].

Lucy: Of course. I’ll be there.

After shift. Tim and Lucy have changed out of uniform and are standing in Grey’s office.

Grey: Bradford, Chen, I saw you asked to meet with me. Did anything happen on your last shift together, or…?

Tim: Actually, no, it’s not about that. Well, kind of. We’re actually here to, um, well -

Lucy: [taking his hand] We need to formally disclose a personal relationship.

Grey: Hm, you’ll want to fill out these forms [he makes a show of digging them out of his desk] and then bring them back to me tomorrow.

Tim: [taking the forms] Thanks, Grey.

Tim and Lucy turn to leave.

Grey: And [they look back over their shoulders] congratulations to you both.

They leave. Luna enters. Wade is beaming.

Luna: I just saw Tim and Lucy. Did you take my advice?

Wade: Yes… I’d have loved to give them the forms Jackson filled out for them, but you were right. It probably would have sent the wrong message. 

Luna: They’ve done everything right. They don’t need people thinking otherwise.

Wade: And Lord knows they deserve to be happy. [He breaks into a smile again]

Luna: Okay, Mr. Matchmaker, let’s get home.

Wade: Yes, ma’am.

In the parking garage. Lucy hands Tim an envelope.

Tim: What’s this?

Lucy: Your final evaluation.

Tim: Oh? And I didn’t get you anything. [He rolls his eyes, then opens the envelope, reads the note, and looks at her dumbly].

Lucy: [giggling] Welcome to the new era, Tim!

Tim: [smirking] Much better than a checklist.

The note:

Sergeant Bradford impressed me every shift we worked together. I will miss riding with him… but I am really looking forward to riding him.

😉

[chiefdirector]

Hostage Taking | Tim Bradford | The Rookie

Act One | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19

Content Warning under cut: Episode 3x05. Themes of Racism (Doug Stanton, at the end), bombing and other canon typical plights. Read at own risk.

“So when do you think you’ll be back from court?” (Y/N) asked, walking alongside Harper towards the evidence lockup.

“Eh,” Harper said. There was nothing Harper hated more than court duty, especially when the case was so clear cut that she didn’t need to be there. “Hopefully soon, that way I can enjoy having Nolan on front desk duty for the rest of the day. Let him enjoy the general public”

“Is he really that bad to ride with?” She stopped at the door.

“No, and that's what sucks. He’s too nice, and sometimes I don’t need all that positivity.”

(Y/N) just shook her head as Nyla just winked at her as she entered the evidence room. Turning on her heel, (Y/N) passed Lopez as she wandered back to her desk, trying to figure out what to do with her day. Most of her cases were closed, the Damian Barrett case had all but run dry and Grey had all but forbidden her from working on her own case alone, despite how much she wanted too.

Sitting down, she gathered all of the papers on her desk, stacking them neatly, before organising them alphabetically, and then chronologically. Next on her hit list was the pen pot. Grabbing the container, she tipped them out, testing them one by one on a loose post-it.

She had only just opened the chess on her computer when the radio belonging to the blonde officer who worked opposite her rang out. “Sargent Grey, this is officer Nolan, go to channel nine.”

(Y/N) stifled her laugh as she moved her pawn two spaces, of course it was Nolan she thought. Even in her short time back in the precinct, Nolan’s reputation had been shared with her. Her good humour was cut short as the rest of the conversation rang out through the handset.

Grey replied quickly “Nolan this better be important”

“Sure is buddy” An unknown voice rang out. (Y/N) closed the chess game as she began to listen more intently.

“Who’s this”

The stranger’s voice rang out again. “The guy sitting in your parking lot with an ammonium-nitrate fertiliser bomb.”

Without hesitation, (Y/N) rushed up from her seat and made her was over to where she could see Nyla and Grey looking down at the radio, officers silently surrounding them, all listening to the bomber

As she got closer, she could hear the stranger’s voice again. “I have cameras on every exit. Do you understand me? If anyone leaves, everyone dies”

“I can confirm the cameras, sir.” Nolan’s distant voice chimed in, “Our bomber has a dead man's switch, sir.”

“Okay,” Grey said, voice solemn and serious, “You have my attention. Tell me what i can do for you.”

“Rectify an extreme miscarriage of justice. I demand the immediate release of Donalf Feltt from the Primedale Department of Corrections.”

(Y/N) moved to the computer near her, typing in the given name as Harper moved beside her. His record showed immediately. Donald Feltt, ID no: 4076696, sentenced to life without parole on multiple charges: Possession of an illegal substance, undocumented concealed firearms, animal abuse, drug trafficking, battery, and murder.

Grey tensed his shoulders as he read the screen out loud to the bomber, trying to confirm that they were both on the same page.

“That's him,” The man confirmed, “and it’s not going to be a back-door parole for my boy. Feltt walks out of there today.”

“Back-door parole?” (Y/N) asked, looking up from the screen

“For when you die in prison,” Harper replied. “Our bomber’s done time.”

“Most likely with Feltt,” Grey lifted his radio up again, “All right. That’s a big ask. It’ll take time.” He lowered the radio and looked to Harper, “We need someone on the outside.”

“I’ll call Lopez, she left already.”

Grey nodded his head, raising the radio again, now on the general channel to alert the units, both in and out of the precinct of the tactical lockdown and what to do. Once he was done, he turned to face (Y/N). “You should go down with everyone else to the parking garage, you’ll be safe there.”

“Like Hell I am, now what do you need me to do?”

----------

“It’s morse code.” Grey said, looking at the camera feed pointed towards the brown van, (Y/N) moved to get a dictionary, only to be stopped by the Sargent raising his hand. “S-C-R-L-I”

“He has a scar?”

“On his left eye. Good man, Nolan.”

“So,” (Y/N) said, opening the laptop she had bought over, typing as she spoke. “If we assume he did time with Felt. We know that he is a white male with a scar on his left eye.” Pressing enter, she quickly read the results aloud. “Graham Porter. He did three years at Primedale, a couple of misdemeanours prior. Nothing that screams mad bomber.”

“How does a guy like this get on with a guy like Feltt?”

“Let’s hope Lopez can find out,” Harper said, returning from the parking garage.

----------

“So Graham Porter is in desperate need of money?” Nyla asked as she regrouped with Grey again, this time joined by Chen and both Bradfords.

“So why not demand a ransom?” Grey responded “Why give us a head fake on Feltt”

Chen stepped forward. “Maybe it’s not a head fake. Maybe Feltt’s paying Graham to bust him out of prison.”

“Feltt’s a murderer, not a cash-heavy narcos.” (Y/N) said, looking over to Tim, allowing him to finish her statement off.

“If this Feltt’s gambit is smoke, we’re chasing our tails trying to free him. Meanwhile, an accomplice robs a bank or something.”

Grey considered the next step for a moment. “Contact West and Stanton, have them check out a nearby check cash-in place. I’ll contact the chief to see if we can get more boots on the ground.”

Nyla nodded, going off to make the call, leaving Tim, Lucy and (Y/N). The three stood in silence for a moment before (Y/N) turned to her laptop again.

“What are you doing?” Tim asked, looking over his wife's shoulder.

“Googling him.”

----------

It didn’t take long for Grey and Harper to find their way back to the other three. There wasn’t much luck on either end, apparently everything was “Code Four” with Stanton and West, and the rest of the LAPD was spread thin by having an entire precinct down so that not many more men could be spared.

“We found something.” (Y/N) crossed her arms. “I ran his name through the web. He had a YouFundMe, set up by his girlfriend, Kelsey Adams. I asked Lopez to run her down, there was nobody there, no cell answer either.”

Tim moved to stand near (Y/N), disliking this whole situation. “This whole thing is weird. Kelsey is using an assumed identity. Her social security numbers are fake. No record No picture.”

“According to Lopez, Kelsey and Graham are inseparable. So she is likely involved.”

“But how?” Harer asked, If it's not about money or Feltt…”

They sat in silence, contemplating Nyla’s question. (Y/N) uncrossed her arms, letting her hands fall down and began to play with her ring.

Lucy was the one to break the silence. “What if this is all a distraction meant to pull our focus outside the station, when we should really be looking inside?”

“What kind of woman would be crazy to be inside a building ith her boyfriend parked outside with a truck full of explosives?”

Tim rolled his eyes at Nyla’s question, before sending an incredulous look towards Lucy. The two of them had a silent conversation before taking off towards the parking garage, leaving the three officers with the words “Freegan Frida.”

As the pair left, Grey looked at the two detectives. “What the Hell is a ‘freegan?’”

----------

(Y/N) and Nyla moved through the corridors with their guns raised, silently sweeping each room for Adams. Tim had alerted them of the woman’s presence when she had left the garage, leaving the other’s trapped. Grey had taken one half of the building, whilst the detectives took the other. The two had found nothing until they approached the evidence room, finding the door broken.

On Nyla’s silent command, (Y/N) entered the evidence room, looking around for the suspect whilst she called Grey, alerting him of the situation and that a search was underway. As Harper spoke, (Y/N) moved through the evidence locker, looking down the aisle. It only took moments for her to find Kesey, rummaging through a secure bio-evidence bag.

“Hands up.” she commanded, “Don’t move.”

“Please, I have to find it,” the woman begged.

Harper approached from behind. “Find what?”

“He thinks I’m dead, If they run my prints…”

“Are you trying to destroy evidence?” Harper asked, moving closer to Kelsey.

“No,” Kelsey exclaimed, panic and desperation clear in her voice. “It’s my husband. He’s a loan shark in El Paso. He hurt me. I ran away three years ago, got a new identity, the works. So he would never find me. Then there was a robbery where I work. The cops took a bunch of stuff, things with my prints.”

“So when they run the prints, they will get a hit on the real you.” (Y/N) stated. The tree women stood in silence for a moment before (Y/N) continued speaking. “Look, we will try and help you but you need to get Graham to stand down.”

----------

(Y/N) listened to Grey speak to Graham as he told him to stand-down. That he knew what their plan was, that Kelsey had told him that the bomb was fake. That he was going back to prison for a long time. She also listened in as Graham demanded the S.W.A.T team back off, and when he threatened Nolan’s life if they didn’t.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and that grew at the threat. She hated this whole situation. She hated that it was Nolan that was trapped, she hated how the entire precinct was shut down because of this madman, she hated how there was nothing that she could do to help Nolan. She hated it all.

She only began to feel marginally better when she heard Nolan’s voice ring out on the radio. “Sargent Grey, this is Nolan. One is custody. We’re code four.”

Although, hearing the click ring out afterwards reassured her somewhat.

----------

“Oh God, what happened earlier?” (Y/N) said, curling up on the sofa as Tim grabbed two beers from the fridge before joining her.

“Stanton let Jackson get assaulted. Bastard did nothing.”

“Is Jackson okay?”

“He was taken to the hospital. Bruised and beaten but nothing he can’t recover from. Physically anyway.” Tim moved to wrap his arm around (Y/N)’s shoulders, pulling her into his chest. “Stanton is on administrative leave. Grey took his gun and badge.”

“What happens now?”

“This will be the end of Stanton, I don’t see him coming back from this.”

(Y/N) nodded, processing the information. “We should go see him tomorrow. See how he’s doing, if he needs anything.”

Tim just hummed in agreement, moving to place a kiss on the side of (Y/N)’s head.

Act One | Chapter 19 | Chapter 21

Series Masterlist | Masterlist

Tags: @xceafh @kmc1989 @buba424 @salty0cracker @iamasimpingh0e @malindacath @agentred27 @hufflepuffwhore13 @tessalynni @anaferreira-4

Tags are open :)

[farfarawaygirl]

Hello! For once you've seen the ep : what did you think of THAT development for Tim? What does it all mean??

I've sat with my thoughts a while, and I have a lot to say.

First, there has been some great discourse around this topic already, and I think both @doomedship and @siahana have pointed out some really good and valid things! Be sure to check out their posts.

Second, I just want to say and acknowledge that I really miss Tim Bradford from Season 1 and 2. There has been a shift in writing for him, that takes away so much of what made him a compelling character. His anger has been replaced with some type of flawless all-knowing perfection that diminishes the organic journey he had as Lucy changed him while he was her TO. Present Tim has lost a lot of his grit, and even in how his house has changed and is now more devoid of character than the first iteration, so is he.

Also - quick side note - IS NOLAN EVEN IN SCHOOL ANYMORE?

If you are a seasoned TV show shipper you will recognize the classic cliche being used here of a mysterious side character popping up, and stealing the attention of a character that viewers firmly thought were attached elsewhere. We saw it on Bones, on Chicago Fire, and even previously on The Rookie - which is why this feels like a repeat. Because it either is (RIP Rachel in NYC) or Ashley is here for a safe, off-screen, Isobel look alike girlfriend for Tim. That is icky on a few levels.

It could be a similar situation to Lucy and Tanner - remember the LAFD guy who said he'd be back in her orbit? Apparently neither do the writers. But - we don't know!

Writing like this pisses me off - at best because it usually presses on characters insecurities in a way that is never resolved, or at worst makes characters act OOC, and reminds me that often times viewers love and cherish characters so much more than show runners and writers who actually get to make them move.

It is less clear here if Ashley will even be mentioned again, because Tim asked if the idea of dinner was okay, and did not 'make plans'. That too is OOC for Tim who does not like grey space. Ambiguous plans are the greyest of grey spaces, and you bet he would have time and place planned before he even thought of asking someone out.

I just feel like what was the point of Tim being worried for Lucy on her UC stint, or asking her dance, or hugging her, if he is just going to date a Isobel look alike, and never ever touch base on those big important things again? What was the point of the struggle to get Lucy and Tim to come together as Sergeant and Aide if they never actually ride together, and we never actually see their growth? What was the point of their witty banter about being a boy and a girl, if we don't even know if they see each other off shift? We had more in previous seasons where Lucy was pulling Tim out of his shell, and he was testing her safety.

What was the point of all the marketing? Using the #chenford tag, and making all viewers believe something was happening there? There is a ever widening disconnect here, and it gets more and more uncomfortable as the season moves forward.

Chenford still has potential, and I still want them to happen in a way that is borderline obsessive, but a slow burn involves heat. It involves continual heat, and not this wishy washy focus and then nothing. The writers here keep on turning off the heat, or removing Chenford from the element altogether, which is frustrating as a viewer and has made season 4 choppy.

Starting off this season I allowed some leeway for what had happened with Titus leaving and having to refocus and regroup. We are passing that leeway right about now, and I am left underwhelmed by a ship I adore.

But, there is a lot that is feeling off for me for The Rookie this season. The cast continues to be wonderful, but I am sad that are given this writing...

There are too many characters, sorry Wes! And Bailey is like an onion - you keep on getting layers, and they just make you cry harder. I don't know why they upped Jenna to a regular, and I don't understand her value buy in for the show. I miss the tightly written episodic tv we had in season 1 and 2.

Of course, we have 3 episodes left before the mid season break, and this is an opportunity for the writers to TURN THE BEAT AROUND, and, who knows? We may all see an overarching theme when they do. However, Retconning is not clever, and I am nervous about how they are going to handle Tim's backstory and his family. Especially if Ashley is around.

We do have 22 episodes this season, but that to me is all the more reason not to have filler episodes. We want the story! The Fandom for this show is collectively very smart, and able to see nuance, that should make the writers up their game, not play it safe. Risky choices are very different from dumb writing decision though, and we will absolutely see that. See the response to episodes 1-present; we all appreciate the little things, but are aware of the lack of central focus.

I have more thoughts about Lucy, and Nolan, but that is a whole other post.

please, please interact about this! Send messages and asks, leave comments - keep the tag vibrant, and continue to share how the story is or isn't connecting with you. Understanding more viewpoints makes story so much better!

Just a reminder, you can like a thing and be critical about it! You can watch a show and miss how things used to be. There is a dangerous trend of anonymous people trying to gatekeep the Chenford Tag, and as human beings you always have the ability to scroll past a post, but you do not the ability to tell someone if their comment belongs in the tags (unless, its obviously not related to Chenford in any way! Common Sense isn't so common here sometimes!)

[centralperkchenford]

Chenford as parents gets called by the school cause Ava punched a boy who kissed her + teaching kids the value of consent 🥹

Chenford as parents gets called by the school cause Ava punched a boy who kissed her + teaching kids the value of consent 🥹

This one was fun as always. I LOVE writing Ava 🫶🏻

Ava and the no good kissing boy

Lucy gets the call from Ava’s school on a Friday. The only reason she know it’s a Friday is because twins preschool also called to tell her it was pizza day and she had a packed a lunch and they were very upset. So she’s already stressed out telling the twins teacher to order them both a lunch. And it’s only 11am.

She thinks it’s over with until her phone rings yet again. And it’s Ava’s school this time, she probably packed Ava and Daisy a lunch too.

“Hello?” She answers reading over a file.

“Mrs. Bradford? This is Mrs. Hopkins the principal at Wilshire Crest Elementary.

I’m calling about your daughter Ava.” She says and Lucy sits up straight and drops her pen.

“Is she okay?” Lucy asks and Mrs. Hopkins sighs over the phone. Lucy’s heart is beating fast now, and she’s about to ask if Ava is hurt or sick when the principal speaks again.

“Yes. She’s fine. She’s just in a little bit of trouble. Do you mind coming down to the school? I know you are busy.” Mrs. Hopkins says.

“Yes. I can be there. Does my husband need to come?” She asks and her eyes immediately dart around the bullpen for Tim. She is up out of her seat before the principal has answered, already heading to Tim’s office.

“That would be great if he could come.” Mrs. Hopkins says. “I just want to say, I want to work this out with Ava and you and your husband.”

Lucy barges into Tim’s office without knocking. He looks up from where he is sitting and tilts his head at her.

“We need to go to Ava’s school.” She tells him. And he’s out of his seat and grabbing his keys before she says another word. “She got in trouble.”

They are out of the station in a few minutes. “We are on our way.” Lucy tells the principal.

She hangs up and Tim looks at her. “I’m sure it’s fine.” He says but even he sounds nervous. Ava is eight now and for unfiltered and wild as she still is, she usually reigns it in at school. She’s very focused as her teachers tells them and she is not disruptive. This is the first call they have ever gotten from the school about her.

Tim pulls into the parking lot and Lucy can see he’s tense. “Baby you need to relax. Whatever happened Ava is upset and we don’t need her becoming more upset.” Lucy says. She slides her hand into his and squeezes it. Tim nods and she knows he’s nervous about whatever happened. And how’s he’s going to react.

They make into the office and Ava is sitting on a chair outside the principal’s office, her eyes puffy and red. She sees them and let’s put a cry turning away from them as her shoulders shake with sobs.

Lucy looks at Tim and they both head over to her. “Ava.” Lucy says. “Sweetheart what happened?”

Ava doesn’t answer but she does turn to look at them. “D-don’t ha-te m-me.” She hiccups. “I-I ju-st d-didn’t w-want..” She trails off as her shoulders shake some more. Lucy glances up at Tim in concern, who is looking at Ava intently.

“Oh baby. We could never hate you.” Lucy says running her fingers through her hair. “Whatever happened we are here to work out. Okay?”

Tim kneels down next to Lucy and gathers Ava in his arms she presses her face into his shoulder. “Aves what happened?” Tim asks gently. But before Ava could answer the principal’s door opens and Mrs. Hopkins steps out. She smiles at Ava, and the motions Tim and Lucy in.

“It will be just a minute okay Ava?” She tells their daughter kindly. Ava hiccups and nods and the buries her face into her arms. Lucy’s heart breaks as she walks away from her distressed daughter.

They sit down in front of Mrs. Hopkins’s next. And she smiles at them, “Like I told your wife on the phone. I want to work this out without getting Ava in too much trouble.” She says.

“What exactly did she do?” Tim asks. “She’s really upset.”

Mrs. Hopkins sighs and folds her hands on the desk. “A boy in her class kissed her and she punched him.” She explains. Tim’s mouth falls open and Lucy lays a hand on his arm.

“She punched him?” Lucy asks trying not to sound too proud. She didn’t really know what to say. Ava was never one to back down and she always was defending her siblings. And even Tim and Lucy at times.

“Yes. And we are calling in the boys parents next. He should not be kissing girls on the playground or anywhere. And while it’s great Ava stood up for herself we can’t have her punching anyone.” She says. “When she was brought in. She told the truth and then she saw the boys bloody nose and burst into tears. She’s very empathetic and caring. She didn’t mean to do it that hard.”

Lucy looks over at her husband whose mouth is twitching and she knows he’s feeling the same way she is: proud. Proud that their eight year old stood up for herself, even if someone got hurt. And showing empathy towards the boy and knowing what she did was wrong.

“So what’s going to happen?” Tim asks calmly.

Mrs. Hopkins smiles at them both. “Ava is in second grade and she clearly knows what she did was wrong. Normally this would be a suspension however Ava is a good girl and I don’t want her to think that boys can just do that. I do want her to learn other ways to stop it if it happens again but I never want her to stop standing up for herself.”

“Just in a less violent way?” Tim asks her and the principal nods.

“Exactly. She will have to stay in at recess for a week and help her teacher in the classroom.” She says and Lucy looks at Tim who nods. That was fair, considering Ava could have been suspended.

The principal gets up and opens the door. “Ava you can come in now.” She says gently. Their daughter comes in slowly, her head down and she was still sniffling. Her head was down and stood frozen to the spot.

“Come here Ava.” Says Tim quietly. Ava shuffles over to Tim, her head still down. She finally looks up at him.

“Don’t m-make me m-ove out.” She whimpers. “I’m sorry.”

“Baby, why would we—” Tim starts to say but Ava is sobbing again.

“L-Leo said y-you w-would m-ake m-me move out and yo-you wouldn’t l-ove me anymore.” Ava sobs and Tim looks up at Mrs. Hopkins who is frowning.

“Whose Leo?” Tim asks his voice steady but Lucy knows a damn is about to break.

“He’s the boy that she punched.” The principal says. “Ava, you didn’t tell me he said those things.”

Ava shoulders shake and she falls into Tim who pulls her up on his lap. “He told me when the TA was bringing me here. H-he whispered it.” She says. “I’m sorry. I like my bed. I don’t wanna move out.”

“Ava Rose.” Says Tim. “We would never make you move out. And we will always love you sweetheart. Always. You messed up and that will happen again but don’t ever think we don’t love you.” Lucy reaches over and rubs her back as Ava calms down.

“Okay.” She says. “I’m sorry.” Lucy looks up at Mrs. Hopkins who is back at her desk writing something down.

“I’m going to talk to Leo’s parents about what he said. That’s not okay.” Mrs. Hopkins says.

“Ava. I already told your parents your punishment. You have to stay in from recess and help your teacher.”

“I already said sorry to Leo.” Says Ava quietly. “I just didn’t like that he kissed me.” Lucy doesn’t like that a boy kissed her either without her consent. It actually made her angry that this little boy thought he could just do that.

Lucy looks at Mrs. Hopkins for confirmation and she nods. “She did. Her teacher told me and the TA that brought her in.” She says. Tim kisses the top of Ava’s head.

“Good job on apologizing Ava bear.” He says. “Did Leo apologize to you?”

Ava shakes her head. “No. He was crying too much at first and then he became angry.” She says. Tim nods and Lucy knows Mrs. Hopkins would handle it. Lucy stands up and Tim does too with Ava still attached to him and she didn’t seem to want to let go. But it was only noon.

“Honey. You have to go back to class okay?” Tim says gently peeling Ava off of him but she went right back to him wrapping herself around him. She hadn’t done this since the first day of kindergarten.

“No.” She cries. “I-I don’t want to go back to class where Leo is.”

“Ava, Leo is going to be in the office for the rest of the day. You don’t have to worry about him.” Mrs. Hopkins says gently. “Your friends are waiting for you. And we will deal with Leo in an appropriate manner. I promise.”

Ava still doesn’t let go of Tim but instead buries her face in his chest. “Daddy walk me to class.” She mumbles. “Please.” Lucy laughs as Tim peels her off and sets her down and takes her hand.

“Okay baby. I can do that.” Tim says. Lucy follows them out and watches as Ava pulls Tim and skips along down the hallway. Her bubbly girl slowly coming back to life. They finally make it to her classroom and Tim stops outside and gives her a big hug and kiss. And then Ava runs into Lucy’s arms.

“I love you mommy.” She says. Lucy kisses her and hugs her tightly before letting her go. “See you after school Ava.” Lucy says. Ava chews on her bottom lip and then smiles.

“By mom. Bye dad.” She says as she disappears into the classroom. Lucy peeks through and sees Ava sit by her best friend Peyton who says something that makes Ava giggle. Lucy turns around to Tim who just shakes his head.

They leave the school and slide into the truck. Lucy blows out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and then turns to her husband.

“I don’t know about you but I am fucking proud of Ava.” She says.

Tim let’s put a loud laugh. “Oh me too. I about lost it when she said what that little urchin said and did to her.”

Lucy laughs and puts a hand on his arm. “We need to talk to her though. Teach her about consent and how to say no without hurting someone.” Lucy says.

Tim nods in agreement reaching over for her hand. “We have a good kid.” He says. Lucy grins at him. Hell yea they did.

***

Later that night, Tim and Lucy sit all four kids down. Daisy turns to her sister a big grin on her face.

“Everyone heard about what you did sissy. Even in kindergarten!” Daisy says proudly. And Lucy tries not to laugh. “Good job!”

Lucy winces as Daisy gives her the thumbs up. She looks over at Tim who looks befuddled. “Look Ava.” He begins. “What you did was wrong. You can’t punch someone. But what that boy did was wrong too. He shouldn’t have kissed you without your permission or at all. You can say no and if they don’t stop push them away. And more importantly go tell an adult.” Tim says. “Do you understand that?”

Ava chews on her lips. “But what if no one is around and a boy keeps doing it.” She asks. Lucy blows out a breath. This was a tricky subject, something an 8 year old probably wouldn’t understand.

“Then you scream and yell and push and shove.” Tim says and he turns to Daisy, June and Levi. “No means no.”

Lucy’s watches her kids faces as they take in Tim’s words. “I know you guys may not understand this.” Lucy says. “But if someone tries to kiss you or hug you without your permission especially if you don’t know them. Say no.”

“And it goes the same with adults, if an adult touches you without permission you say no. And tell another adult and tell us. Always tell us.” Lucy says.

Ava chews on her lip some more and Lucy knows something is bothering her. “Ava bear what’s wrong?”

“Leo.. he-he has teased me before. He thinks I like him. But he has cooties.” Ava says. Lucy snorts to herself and then turns to her daughter.

“Baby, if he’s teasing you tell your teacher or the TA on the playground. You shouldn’t have to be teased by someone no matter who it is.” Lucy says.

Ava nods her head and then gets up and hugs Lucy. Her arms wrapping around her neck like she did when she was little.

“I love you mama.” She says. “I’m sorry for punching Leo.” Lucy hugs her tight and exchanges a look with Tim.

“Honey, even if what you did was wrong. Daddy and I are proud of you for standing up for yourself. Okay? I know it’s confusing but you did a good job standing up for yourself.” Lucy says. “You are a beautiful, brave, empathetic girl. Ava you make daddy and I proud every single day. Don’t you ever forget that.”

Ava nods and then moves over to Tim. “Daddy?” Ava asks. Tim tucks some hair behind her ear absentmindedly.

“Can I take karate so I can kick ass?” She asks. Lucy bursts out laughing and Tim groans. Well they still had some things to work on.

[lydias--stiles]

to build a home with you

chenford | drabble | post-canon | written on the commute | title: to build a home // the cinematic orchestra

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"Luce... what are you doing?"

His girlfriend looks away from cleansing their living room, not even fazed by his dubious tone and expression. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"After that guy broke in—"

"Asshole."

"—it disrupted the peace of our space," she explains.

An amused smile quirks up his lips. "You sound like your mom."

"Uh, that's not a compliment, Tim."

"I know," he quips. "Look, babe, it's just sage."

She stands her ground. "What if it makes me feel safe?"

"That's great..." Meeting her in the middle, he gently grabs her shoulders. "But I don't want you to rely on superstition."

Reflexively, her arms curl around his neck with a smirk she adopted from him, one that looked awfully good on her. "I'm sorry, officer Bradford, but... who always wears their 'lucky' socks to a football game?"

His eyes narrow, once stern yet now playful, and pulls her closer. The sage really hits his nose from this proximity, but his focus solely stays on Lucy. The nauseating memory of finding her buried alive, of having to hand over control to Nyla because he wouldn't understand, to then later realise she had terrible nightmares and couldn't date anyone without an otherwise thorough background check. Which, according to her, sucked the romance and intrigue out of a date.

Lucy Chen has many quirks and sometimes he needs to remind himself that a handful of those aren't by choice. Sage it is, then.

"Okay," he utters, kissing her forehead in lieu of surrendering. "You're amazing, if I haven't told you that recently."

She grins. "I know. Why now?"

"Someone broke in two days ago and you're..." Struggling to make sense, forever the half of the relationship that needed to dig for words, he presses his forehead against hers instead. "And you're really brave."

"Tim..."

"I don't know how else to put it, but it's true," he says, matter-of-fact, and cups her cheeks so she won't bashfully look away — though he must admit that's what made his heart start skipping beats in the shop, seeing her face light up like that. "And you know it."

Her smile widens and pecks him on the lips, chaste, and he almost chases after her when she continues cleansing the apartment. Tim moved in soon after they started dating. His house had long lost his luster and joy after everything with Isabelle and his suffocating loneliness, that he needed a change of scenery regardless of Lucy. It was hell of a convenient timing though.

Lucy and him needed to feel what it's like to live together. Staying over for a couple days is one thing, but seeing the dirty laundry, smelling the farts and catching one another in a bad moment? — whole other ballgame.

"Oh, and also—" Her head pops from behind the bathroom door, mischief clear in her shimmering eyes. "—what're you going to do with that ring in your pants drawer? Has it been there a while, or...?"

"Detective exam isn't for another year, Chen," he smoothly replies, hopelessly trying to keep his voice levelled. His girlfriend may be seven years younger, but she sure isn't less observant because of it.

Her brows raise, unimpressed. "You're making me wait a year?"

Tim smirks, "I can make you wait however long I want, babe."

"Not really. I'm thirty-one. But sure, Tim, maybe I'll just cleanse the romance out of the opal then." The humor wipes from her face to show a tender gaze, her body leaning against the threshold as she takes him in.

He stares right back, drinking her in like he's done since the first day, though different circumstances, and quietly wonders how in the hell this amazing woman chose him.

Playing along, he grabs the sage from her grasp and throws it in the sink, wanting her full attention. He knows what she means with thirty-one, a biological clock he'll never fully comprehend but Angela made him quite privy of during her pregnancy of Jackson. He knows she wants to be married first before she gets pregnant. He knows it all.

Placing kisses on her lips, cheek and ear, he whispers, "If I proposed to you tomorrow, would you say yes?"

"Depends," she mumbles, feigning casualty when he can feel her accelarating heart, "if you mean it. If you actually want to propose. If it's not a Tim-test."

"You're a P3," he chuckles. "Is this a Lucy-test?"

She kisses him, long and languid, and he figures that yes, he could propose to her tomorrow. He won't, still needing to buy groceries for her favourite meal and making sure everyone's up for drinks on Saturday, but he could. He could drop on one knee right now and be so sure, more sure than anything in his life.

Whispering against her lips, he goes, "I love you, Luce. I love you." And then, bolder, "And I love whatever we make... together."

Her eyes shine with ardent love, face burrowed in his chest as he presses his nose in her hair.

"I dream of a girl," she quietly admits.

His heart stutters in place, holding her tighter to him. A game of House people their age liked playing, fantasising about children and school districts and book clubs. He normally rolls his eyes at that behaviour, but now he loves participating. Because it's Lucy. Because he wants all of that with her.

"Hm?"

"She has your eyes and my hair and she doesn't like psych or policework at all. She's her own... little person."

"I want her to have your eyes," he counters.

She looks up. "What if it's a boy?"

"Same answer."

"What if it's twins?"

He smirks. "Then we give one away."

Gently swatting his arm, Lucy retracts herself from the embrace and plucks the dwindling sage from the sink, shooting him a look that reads: don't mess with me anymore until I'm done.

So he lets her — but not before he scoops her up and kisses the taste of soon on her lips, breath and bloodstream. Soon, he'll propose. Soon, they'll marry. Soon, a little human will waggle around the place.

They'll have everything they ever dreamed of.

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@alphinias @chenfordsource @tim-lucy @jjskiaras