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callsign-dexter · 3 months

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Unraveling Desires

Request: Ohhhh those are great! ❤️

39. "Another kiss like that and I won't be held responsible for my actions." with Tim Bradford pleeeease 😊

Prompt: Another kiss like that and I won't be held responsible for my actions.

Pairings: Tim Bradford x Police K-9 Officer!Wife!Reader

Warnings:

Kiss Prompts

Masterlist

You and Tim had known each other for a while now and awhile means that you both are married and have been for 5 years. You two truly loved each other and wouldn’t trade each other for other people. You two were happy with each other and you wouldn’t change that for anything. The both of you sometimes had the same shift and while he was with a trainee you were out on your own and loving it you were also a K-9 handler, you absolutely adored Lucy Chen and she was a good friend you also have her dirt on Tim that she could use against him. When he found out you were doing this you usually got it when he saw you next but you weren’t complaining.

It just happened that you both had the same shift this time and you loved it because you could tease your husband and he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it. You had just woken up to the sound of your alarm going off. You laid there in a bed for a few minutes watching your husband sleep and then smirked when a brilliant idea came to your mind. You leaned over and snuggled into him and then you slowly started to kiss him. First you started at the shell of his ear and then slowly made your way down his neck. He started to stir but had yet to wake up. You smirked and continued your attack and you slowly started to kiss his shirtless chest and trailing your hand up and down his stomach getting close to where you knew he needed you the most but you didn’t. You started to kiss down his sternum and then to his stomach and right before you got to his underwear started you looked up and noticed him looking at you and you smiled “Good morning.” You said and then got up and strutted to the bathroom and you could just see the look on his face.

“Hey, get over here and finish what you started.” He said sitting up on his elbows and you turned around with your toothbrush in your hand.

“What if I don’t?” You asked after you spit out the toothpaste and rinsed out your mouth. Then crawled into bed and startled him. He smirked and then flipped you over where he was now straddling you and he started kissing you.

“You’ll find out.” He said and then kissed you and trailed down until he got to your pajama pants and then stopped and then looked up and smirked then got off and started to get ready for the day.

“Fucking tease.” You said and he smirked.

“You started it, wife.” He said

“Oh, it’s on, husband.” You said and the both of you got ready. Where he changes at the station you don’t since you have your K-9 partner, Rocky. Once changed you walked out of the bedroom to where Rocky was kenneled and let him out. You let him out and then fed him. When you got done Tim had walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, Rocky greeted him and then you were handing him his coffee cup.

“Wanna try and meet up for lunch?” You asked him and he nodded.

“You know I do; everyone loves seeing you and Rocky.” He said and at the sound of his name the Mahogany colored Belgian Malinois perked up and barked at his name and you and Tim laughed. You walked over to where you kept his stuff and got his collar that said ‘POLICE K-9 DO NOT TOUCH’ you called him over and spoke the command to sit in German and he did so and you clipped the collar on. You then slipped his bullet proof vest on. Tim looked at you in awe. He loved it when you spoke a different language. “You two have a good day. Rocky, you protect our girl.” He said and he barked as if saying ‘You got it!’ and then walked over and kissed you and you kissed back and off you went with your loyal partner out the door and into the K-9 police cruiser. Normally all police cars had to stay at the station but K-9 handlers were allowed to take theirs home because they have to transport their animal.

You drove to the station to check in and start your day. The drive was pretty quick and you made it there in no time just about the time your husband pulled in at the same time and you rolled your eyes. You parked your cruiser in the designated parking spot and got out letting Rocky out at the same time. Tim walked over and waited for you. “Were you tailing us?” You asked with a hint of playfulness in your voice.

“Now why would I do that?” He asked and then pecked you on the lips and you pushed him away.

“We’re at work.” You said but smirked because you and he knew that you didn’t care.

“Your point is?” He asked and you shook your head and the both of you started your walk in. You had different bosses since you were in different departments but it was on the same floor. You once again parted ways while he got dressed and you went to check in with your boss. Once you were done you walked by the briefing room and smirked seeing your husband sitting there and when he caught sight of Rocky, he looked at you and smiled and then you were on your way. Wade Grey caught this but didn’t say anything. Both you and Tim were well respected in both of your departments and they knew not to mess with you.

By the time they were out on the road you had been out for at least 30 minutes and when you heard them check in you smirked “Time to have some fun.” You said and got on the radio. “About time you guys got to work.” You said and waited for a response and Tim was the first.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” Tim asked

“I am. Been working for about 30 minutes now.” You said with a smirk and you could just see him roll his eyes. It was silent for about 10 minutes then Lucy came over the radio. The over the radio banter went back and forth. You all answered some calls and some you ended up together on. Nolan, Jackson, Angela, and Talia loved you and when they saw you and Rocky in action they were always in awe. After the call Tim met you at your cruiser leaning up on it.

“You’re so sexy when you’re in action.” He said and you rolled your eyes but smiled as you put Rocky into his built-in kennel and you left the door open.

“So are you.” You replied and he smirked just then another call came in for a K-9 unit and you responded and then turned to your husband “Duty calls.” You said and closed Rocky’s door and hopped into the driver's side and headed off to the call. The call involved some tracking but, in the end, you got the suspect.

Lunch time rolled around and you met Tim and the others at the usual place and went and sat with them while taking Rocky with you so he could stretch his legs. “Y/N how do you keep this man in line?” Angela asked with a smirk and Tim rolled his eyes and you laughed.

“It's easy. I just withhold sex. Works like a charm every time.” You said and they laughed with you while he rolled his eyes but he knew it was true.

“Do you like working in the K-9 department?” Nolan asked and you smiled and nodded.

“I love it. Rocky here is my companion and he listens and doesn’t talk back.” You said and they laughed.

“Hey, I listen.” Tim said

“Yes, but you also talk back sometimes.” You said and he rolled his eyes “Love you.” You spoke

“I love you too.” He replied

“How did you meet?” Lucy asked

“I actually met Tim on a call and he was so impressed by Rocky and I that he asked me out and the rest is history.” You said and before they could respond your radio went off requesting K-9 back-up and you responded and off you and Rocky went.

You didn’t see any of them again for the rest of the day and night. The next time you saw Tim was when he had gotten home and you were already home. You had already changed and had dinner going when he walked through the door. “There’s my sexy wife.” He said and you smiled and walked over and wrapped his arms around your hips.

“And there is my handsome husband.” You said turning your head to kiss him. “How was your day?” You asked him when you released each other from the kiss.

“Long. Had a lot more calls this time.” He said “Yours?” He asked going to fridge and opening it to grab two beers and petting Rocky’s head.

“It was good. We had a lot of calls too and some traffic stops.” You said and he nodded and took the beer when he offered it.

“Nobody got hurt?” He asked and you shook your head.

“Nope, just the suspects that decided to hide or run.” You said chuckling and so did he. You turned off the stove “Supper is ready.” You said and he grabbed two plates and handed you one. You both got your plates and went and sat down and began to eat.

Supper was eaten in a comfortable setting with some talking about anything and everything. It was done you went over and startled his lap and kissed him with passion and fire and he responded. When you pulled away his pupils were blown and you had no doubt yours was too. “Another kiss like that and I won't be held responsible for my actions.” He said and a smirk grew on your face and you kissed him again with the same ferocity as the first kiss and he knew what you wanted. He got up quickly knocking the chair over and then started for the bedroom planning on finishing what you both started that morning. You were in for a long night and you were so ready for it and so was he.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

@grandstrangerphantom

@angenu01-blog

@talesofreading

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captain-hen · 5 months

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Tumblr Fandom: A Year in Review 2023

i was tagged by @mistmarauder, thank you!!

Top Five Blorbos:

Eddie Diaz (9-1-1)

Nancy Wheeler (Stranger Things)

Nancy Drew (Nancy Drew)

Alex Claremont-Diaz (Red, White & Royal Blue)

Lucy Preston (Timeless)

Top Five Fandoms:

9-1-1

Red, White & Royal Blue

Stranger Things

The Haunting Anthology

Nancy Drew

Top Five OTPs:

Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1)

Lucy Chen/Tim Bradford (The Rookie)

Nancy Drew/Ace (Nancy Drew)

Lucy Preston/Garcia Flynn (Timeless)

Dani Clayton/Jamie Taylor (The Haunting of Bly Manor)

Shoutout to Some New Friends:

@eddiediaaz we've been mutuals since last year but i feel like we talked a lot more this year, so i'm very grateful for that ❤ @poughkeepsies is one of my dearest mutuals on here and i love you and all your takes <33 and also @ice-sculptures i've adored following you over this year!

Shoutout to Some Old Friends:

all of my love to the one and only @tawaifeddiediaz, i don't know where i'd be without her to rant and get emotional over our blorbos with and she's just such a wholesome soul!! and of course, @bieddiediaz and @oneawkwardcookie, the besties, i love you guys so so much ❤❤

Favorite Creation You Posted This Year:

i'm very proud of my fic, but i can see all along, love (it was you all the way down) <3

Favorite Creation Posted by Someone Else This Year:

oh gosh this is SUCH a difficult question because there are so many amazing creations from this insanely talented fandom—but i'd have to go with @eddiediaaz's speak now gifset it was so incredible!

People Who Brightened Your Year:

too many people to count—@buck2eddie @lover-of-mine @jeeyuns @diazass @kitkatpancakestack @bieddiediaz @tawaifeddiediaz and so many others i'm probably forgetting!

Anyone Else You'd Like to Mention:

there are just too many people to mention—every single one of my mutuals on here, and all the kind people who've sent me lovely messages (anonymous or not) and all the people who continue to follow me!!

Five of Your Favorite Authors This Year:

elless continues to be an all-time favourite, they have some of the most beautiful fics in the fandom ❤❤

@tawaifeddiediaz is the most talented person ever ily 😘

@letmetellyouaboutmyfeels is another favourite!! your halloween fics were SUCH a treat and i'm sitll working my way through them!!

@cal-daisies-and-briars has fics with some of the most intriguing concept and is honestly a powerhouse—it seems like you're posting fic all the time!

@bvckandeddie i recently discovered your fics and they're just *chefs kiss* so delightful!!

Five of Your Favorite Artists/Gifmakers/Podficcers/Etc. This Year:

no list about gifmakers is complete without @eddiediaaz who is so talented and creative it makes me wanna cry (with joy!)

@padme-amidala while i don't follow most of the media you post gifs for, your work is so stunning and i'm so obsessed!!

@stationoneeighteen i love love all of your gifs especially the ones that focus on the firefam, they're so good ❤❤

@buckleys-diaz alie you haven't been around for a while (and i hope you're doing well!) but you've always been one of the most talented gifmakers in this fandom and i've always looked up to you <3

@roseapothecary your gifs are so so gorgeous and i've adored all of your rwrb sets!! they're so pretty and creative!!

Three Things You're Looking Forward to in 2024:

the new season of 9-1-1 and also the PJO tv series!!

Tagging:

tagging everyone who's already been mentioned in this post <33

#neethu speaks #tag games

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looby1302 · 30 days

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CHENFORD RANT ALERT 🚨

Ok now I’ve had some time to calm down from the chenford break up… I’ve re-examined everything and these are my opinions… feel free to message if you wanna discuss - judgement free.

Lucy deserves the freaking world at this point with the amount of shit she has been through lately… however I am looking forward to see a “villain”/ dark Lucy Chen…

I don’t necessarily want sad scenes for her (maybe one or two to start off with) I want angry badass scenes! I just want her to go through this breakup acting like she’s not giving a flying F…

Tim I’m so conflicted on… like I absolutely adore him and I understand his mental health struggles/ breaking up with her to protect her and feeling worthless… (never mind hers- needs to be addressed) but with the way this show has left me I just need him to be hurt by her a little…. Like make him jealous or angry… HELL FLIRT WITH SOMEONE ELSE AT THIS POINT.

What I really want is Jenny or Angela to talk some sense into him… and when he comes grovelling I want her to kick him to the curb.

Obviously I want them back together because they are/were literally my favourite ship… but I need him to pay for a bit… like yes work on yourself go to therapy. But at the same time like F you.

I have so much going through my head… what if the actors are trolling us/giving us disappointment with there interviews ect so we think there is no chance for them back this season then boom a big surprise in the finale… I just want a reunion… and more I LOVE YOU’S! Like one in 6 seasons…

#chenford #tim bradford #tim and lucy #lucy chen #the rookie #tucy #SoundCloud

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wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos · 11 months

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The Rookie and allowing women to fuck up

So what I genuinely love about The Rookie, is that in a show where you’d expect the opposite our female characters are diverse, complex, and extremely human. Each one of our main three have their different strengths, weaknesses, triumphs and honestly what is the most important to me, their fuck ups.

Starting with Lucy Chen (the character I relate to the most): Lucy is such a good character to me because her strength has always been presented as her empathy, her ability to put herself in anyone’s shoes is what makes so good. Her traditionally feminine trait is seen as a strength by everyone who knows her. BUT Lucy also fucks up, she makes mistakes. She’ll overthink things to the point of paralysis. She was fully prepared to, and was willing to cheat on Chris with Tim, and then stayed with him for months out of guilt and fear. Lucy fucks up! She makes huge mistakes. Which is what makes her such a good character. Lucy will make impulsive choices, she’ll try and solve things without consulting others (Metro), and she’ll think she was right. Lucy will read things incorrectly and she’ll react badly, but she’s the most empathetic, kind, adorable person. She’s human as hell. Next: the one, the only Nyla Harper: Nyla is such a good flawed character, because she also thrives at some of the same things Lucy does. Nyla is a rockstar UC detective, Lucy also thrives at UC, but holy shit these two women are not the same. Nyla’s skills and strength do not come from her sense of empathy. Nyla’s skill at UC come with her ruthlessness. Her ability to create a shell around her so impenetrable that people just don’t know the real her. Nyla is so professional, and so competent, and her personal life is a goddamn mess, for a while. She’s bad at opening up. She did choose UC over her family and had to fight tooth and nail to get her daughter back. When she finally did, and her life calmed down, she dated two guys cause she wanted the attention! She was cruel to Aaron because it was for his own good (she thought she knew best). She used Penelope’s past against her, which was an objectively fucked up thing to do, but it was human and it was a *mother’s* move. Next: Angelaaaaaa Loooopeezzzz Angela is such a good character y’all. She’s someone we’ve seen put on so many different hats. Her TO’ing was different than Tim’s, Talia’s, or Nyla’s, she was Jackson’s older sister. She taught him, she didn’t wash Jackson out on his first day. She looked out for this kid. But also Angela wanted desperately to make detective, her failed tip trading scheme was her going too big. She was overconfident, and it cost her. But she was a badass, she just kept trying. But also we’ve seen Angela be insecure, in her relationship with Wesley, with her mother, and as a mother. Angela Lopez is a badass, but she is so so so soft sometimes. And she’s not perfect, her single minded devotion to catching Elijah, her need to *the* person protecting her family. So many fuck ups there. So many better ways to handle it. But she didn’t, and that’s what makes her Angela. and OH a woman on television being allowed to have realistic views on having another kid. Angela was allowed to be hesistant and not excited about being pregnant again, and no one thought she was being a villain or being terrible. She was scared about her life changing *again* and that was okay. She’s So Human.

#the rookie #lucy chen #nyla harper #angela lopez #i just love when women fuck up #tim bradford #wesley evers #james murray #Chenford #wopez #jayla #women #elijah stone

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augustvandyne · 1 month

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can we get a lucy chen x reader? r is talking to nyla or someone abt the crush they have on lucy but she overhears and assumes its abt someone else? she ignores r until r gets fed up and corners her one day and tells her that lucy is her crush? thank u !!

okay i’m back to writing now 💗💗

idiots

“I’m over it,” Nyla complains to you and Angela in the break room one day.

Your eyebrows furrow at your two best friends when Angela starts nodding along with Nyla.

“What?” You frown. “Did something happen?”

“We’re over you,” Angela purses her lips. “You and your little girl crush.”

“We wish you’d just tell her already,” Nyla stirs her coffee. “You know she likes you back. So why don’t you just ask her out?”

You huff, “I really like her, and I don’t want to mess things up. And—“

“We aren’t a hundred percent sure she likes you,” Angela and Nyla roll their eyes as they mock your words in unison.

“Yeah,” You nod.

“You could always just.. ask her,” Angela says sassily, hiding her face behind her coffee cup.

You glare at both of them, “That’s scary. What if she doesn’t want me like that? I mean— then when we rode together it would be so awkward..”

“I’m sure she has at least a small crush on you.”

“How can you be so sure?” You’re bouncing on your toes. “Would you guys ask her for me? Please? Pleaseeeeee?”

“You’re more than capable,” Nyla says, squinting at you.

“So you guys don’t love me?” You cross your arms jokingly.

“Yep, that’s exactly it,” Angela nods sarcastically. “That’s just why I took you out and bought you at least ten books for your birthday last week.”

“And that’s why I took us all out to dinner for your birthday,” Nyla tilted her head.

“Hey guys—“ Lucy stumbles into the room, and your head is immediately turning towards her.

“Hey Luce,” You beam, a wide smile on your face, along with an indescribable light in your eyes that not even Nyla or Angela could explain.

But Lucy’s expression doesn’t match yours — not in the slightest bit. Her cheeks are flushed and she looks she just witnessed someone running over a cat and not stopping to check on it.

Lucy’s body slouches the slightest bit, and her eyes flutter sadly as she says, “Roll Call.”

“You okay, Lucy?” Your eyes soften as you reach for her, but she takes a step backwards.

“I’m not feeling too well,” The lie came out easily, like it wasn’t hard at all and she didn’t need a second thought.

“Oh, well—“

“I’ll see you,” Lucy looks away from you with a sad look, walking backwards and almost running into the door frame on her way out.

You turn back to the detectives with a frown on your face.

“What?”

Angela and Nyla share a look, shake their heads, and walk around you to make it towards the roll call room.

“Hey!” You lean against the counter as Lucy signs out for a war bag. “Who you with today?”

“No one,” Lucy shrugs nonchalantly, signing the last few letters of her name sloppily so she can get out of there. She slams the pen down extra hard and hurries towards the garage.

“Me either,” You follow her into the room, and wait as she opens the trunk and loads her bag. “Wanna ride with me?”

“Well.. I’m ready to go. So, if you want to ride with me you better get a bag fast,” Lucy says as she slams the trunk shut and sits in the driver seat, still not meeting your eyes.

Something in you said she was upset with you, especially after your encounter with her and the two detectives a few days earlier, but you didn’t want her riding alone. And you didn’t really like riding alone, either. You frown, but go and get a bag for yourself, nonetheless.

You load the bag and shotgun into the trunk and hurry over to the passenger seat to ride with Lucy.

“Hey..” You put your seatbelt on quickly before Lucy pulls out of the garage. “You okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Lucy just barely meets your eyes as she puts her hand on the back of your seat, turning to pull out of the garage.

“I don’t know.. I just—“

“I’m good,” Lucy shrugs again — something she only does a lot when she’s upset — but you don’t press any more. “Let’s just work.”

You open your mouth to speak again, because normally Lucy enjoys talking or sitting in a comfortable silence, but today she just turns the radio on to drown out the unusual and uncomfortable silence.

“There’s a fight breaking out at a gas station near Chen and L/n—“ A voice comes over the radio, but you’re too distracted to decipher who it is.

“Show us responding,” Lucy grabs at the radio quickly, desperately trying to get out of this awkward situation with you.

As Lucy pulls up to the scene, you say, “You get one, I get one?”

Lucy doesn’t answer, she just gets out of the car and starts detaining one of the men.

You go for the one on the ground, as you thinking Lucy might need to take her anger out a little, so you give her the more aggressive one.

As you’re cuffing your guy, Lucy’s guy elbows her in the face when she tries cuffing him.

You push your guy against the shop, not even caring if he gets away or not, and you hurry over towards Lucy who is holding her face in one hand and the cuff in the other.

“Are you okay?” You force her hand away from her face, checking the forming bruise.

She leans into your touch for only a second, but then you see a flash of some sort of recognition in her eyes, and she’s pulling away from you.

“I’m fine,” Lucy pushes you away, and finishes cuffing her guy. “Let’s take these guys back to the station.”

“Um.. okay,” You nod and awkwardly follow behind her.

“Maybe try talking to her?” Angela shrugs as you, her, and Nyla all grab lunch from your favorite burrito truck.

“I’ve tried. What do you think I’ve been doing for weeks?” You threw your hands up in a frustrated voice.

“She seems fine when I’m around her,” Nyla throws out there. “What? I’m just saying.. maybe it’s you?”

“That’s not funny!” You try to playfully hit Nyla, but she moves at the last second.

“I’m not laughing,” Nyla shook her head, a small smile on her face as she takes a bite out of her burrito.

“It’s annoying,” You put your head back as you wrap your arms around yourself.

“We know,” Angela says, being the reassuring and helpful friend while Nyla was being the annoying and joyous one. “But I’m just saying, maybe try and have an honest conversation.”

“I mean.. I could try. She might be going through something at home,” You bite on your nail anxiously, not sure if you’re trying to tell yourself that or them.

“Mhm,” Nyla agrees, mouth full. “Totally.”

“Okay, you’re not helping,” Angela rolls her eyes, pushing Nyla in the direction of your regular table. “Go sit.”

“Whatever,” Nyla rolls her eyes and goes to sit at your table.

“Do you really think it’s me?” You look up at her with a sad expression — eyebrows furrowed, eyes full of sadness. “I mean— what have I done to make her angry with me?”

“Nothing. I don’t think it’s you, sweetie,” Angela puts her arm around you until her food comes. “I just think.. maybe something is going on at home, you know how her parents are.”

“Yeah..” You nod, staring down at the gravel.

“Why don’t you try eating with her?” Angela nods over to where she’s sitting alone, enjoying her veggie burger and fries.

“Okay,” You nod and grab your food, which came out just now.

You take your burrito and water over to the smaller table Lucy sat at, and sat across from her, not asking if you could sit before doing so.

“Veggie burger?” You ask even though you know her order by heart.

“Yep,” Lucy says before taking another bite of her lunch. “You?”

“Burrito,” You hold it up before taking a bite yourself, seeing as that’s the only way to keep things from being awkward.

“Hm,” She hums, taking her time to chew.

“How are you?” You ask after swallowing your bite of food.

“Good,” She shrugs. “Nothing new since you asked me two days ago.”

You swallow back the lump forming in your throat.

Lucy had never been this dry and she’s never not talked to you for this many days in a row.

“Are you mad at me?” You frown at her as she obviously tries to finish her food faster than she ever had before. “Slow down there, don’t choke..”

“I’m not mad,” Lucy shakes her head and stands to dispose of her trash. “I’ll see you later.”

“Oh— okay,” You slouch in your chair, still trying to figure out what you did to make her so distant towards you.

After a few more days of walking on eggshells around Lucy, you’ve had enough and came up with a plan to corner Lucy.

You’d just try and corner her somewhere around the station and try and coax it out of her.

And your plan was going to work because you made sure to inform Nyla and Angela of this plan so they could watch out for her.

They inform you that she just came through to process a criminal, just as you were in to talk to Grey about an upcoming leave you had to take for a family event.

She’s passing the break room as you’re coming towards her, and you take this as the perfect opportunity to push her into the break room to talk with her.

“Hey, Y/n— Hey!” Lucy tumbles back a little as you push her into the room and shut the door for privacy. “What’s your issue?”

“No, what is your issue?” You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I don’t have an issue,” Lucy shakes her head, her demeanor changing from angry to calm.

“Please just stop lying to me,” You take a step forward, and Lucy tries to take a step back, but her butt is met with the table.

“I’m not,” Lucy’s eyebrows furrow as she lies straight to your face.

“You are,” You’re voice breaks just the slightest bit. “You won’t talk to me, you won’t ride with me, you won’t eat lunch with me.. god, you can’t even look me in the eye.”

Lucy’s breath shudders as she tries to look anywhere but at you.

“Luce,” The hurt in your eyes is evident. “Look at me.”

Lucy manages to look up at you, and hurt flashes through her own eyes. She bites on her cheek to either keep herself from crying or from talking, you aren’t sure which.

“What’s wrong Lucy?” You take a few steps closer to her, and you place a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Let me help you.”

“You can’t,” Lucy’s eyes flutter sadly, and you see that she’s about to cry.

You lift your hand up to wipe a tear from her face, but she flinches away from your touch.

“Why can’t I touch you?” You ask. “You let me touch you before— what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything,” Lucy’s tears fall faster as she gets more upset over what she overheard a few weeks earlier. “I’m just giving you space.”

“Why?” You bite out.

“Because.. you like someone,” Lucy says sadly, and that’s when it hit you. “And that someone isn’t me.”

“Lucy—“

“I heard you,” Lucy bites her lip to stop her tears, but it doesn’t work. “When you were talking to Harper and Lopez about your.. crush. And it hurt to listen to that knowing..”

“Knowing what?”

“Let me talk, please. Just let me finish,” Lucy holds a hand out between the two of you. After a pause she continues, “It hurt listening to that conversation when I’ve had feelings for you since we were rookies, and that you didn’t reciprocate them like I thought you did. So I am stepping back for whoever this mystery girl is. She must be pretty great if you’re after her.”

Your head shakes sadly and your lips turn down in a frown.

“Lucy..”

“You didn’t know?” Lucy finished for you. “I know. And I didn’t plan on telling you, but if this was what it takes for you to understand, so be it.”

“You really didn’t know?” Your question causes Lucy to tilt her head in confusion. “You’re my crush, Lucy.”

“What?”

“I like you,” You point your finger to her chest. “I literally have your long Starbucks coffee order memorized, I know what you like from every fast food place so I can bring you something to surprise you. I know your favorite movies, songs— does that scream just friends to you?”

“I mean.. no. No, I didn’t think so, but when I heard you I thought..”

“You thought wrong, Luce,” You cup her cheek, removing a stray tear with the pad of your thumb.

“Good,” Lucy breathes out and pulls your face to hers by your collar. “So, so good.”

“For the record, I’ve liked you since we were rookies, too,” You pull away to tell Lucy, and she chuckles, pulling you back in.

“We’re such idiots..”

“Yes, yes we are,” You laugh.

#the rookie #the rookie x reader #the rookie imagine #wlw post #lucy chen #lucy chen x reader #lucy chen is adorable and i love her #lucy chen ask #lucy chen x you #lucy chen x y/n #lucy chen imagine #she’s so cute

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centralperkchenford · 9 months

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Idk if we’ve done this yet but

Chenford + Lucy’s first day as detective and Tim sends flowers to her new desk. Perhaps it ignites some station gossip

This turned out softer than I thought but I hope you like it!

Chenford + Lucy’s first day as detective and Tim sends flowers to her new desk. Perhaps it ignites some station gossip

You two are dancing in a snow globe, 'round and 'round; And he keeps the picture of you in his office downtown

“Do I look okay?” Lucy asks Tim and he turns from where he is brushing his teeth to look at her. His eyes moving up and down her body. He grins at her and places a soft kiss on her lips, his breath minty fresh.

“You look beautiful baby.” He says. Lucy rolls her eyes at him and then pulls off her shirt and tosses it in the corner ignoring Tim’s bewildered look.

“I can’t look beautiful. I have to look professional. Angela told me about her first day as a detective…” She says frantically pulling her pants off. She hears Tim sigh behind her but ignores it as she digs through her closet flinging stuff out.

“I have nothing.” She cries as she pulls out the dress she wore when she went on her first date with Tim.

She feels Tim’s hands on her waist as he pulls her towards him so her back is against his chest. “Babe, freaking out about what to wear is not going to help you—” He starts but she doesn’t hear him as she pulls away. She pulls a blouse from the hanger and slips it on. She yanks some pants from her closet and slips them on.

She turns to face Tim who is staring at her with an amused expression. “I’m just going to say you look great in anything.” He says and she rolls her eyes at him again. She wasn’t worried about being a detective but it was her first day and she fought tooth and nail to get to this point and she just wanted to prove she could do it. She wants to make a good first impression.

She pulls the shirt off and puts on another one, and then looks in the mirror. Tim is still standing behind her a fond smile on his face. He pulls her back to him but this time so she can look at him.

“You are already a great cop Lucy.” He says sincerely. “And you are going to be an even better detective. I just know it.” Lucy smiles at his words and reaches up to kiss him.

“I’m a great cop because I had a great teacher.” She says fondly. “I cracked the top five for you remember?” Tim laughs and kisses her again and then tucks a stray hair behind her ear.

“You are great on your own Luce.” He says. “You don’t need me to make you great.” Lucy licks her lips and stares up at him and seeing nothing but love and adoration in his eyes.

“Yeah but we are pretty great together.” She says. “So I am glad I have you.” Tim kisses her softly on the nose.

“I love you and you are going to do great today.” He says and he holds out his hand for her to take. She takes it and wonders how she got so lucky to call Tim all hers. She’s so glad they took the risk of being together because it was better than Lucy could have ever imagined.

“I love you too.” She says placing a hand on his chest. “I’m so lucky to have you.” Tim smiles softly at her and leans down to kiss her gently on the top of her head.

“Always Lucy. Always.” He says softly.

***

Lucy gets to work and reports to Carradine. She stands up straight when he comes over to her. She can feel Nyla and Angela’s eyes on her back but she ignores it.

“Relax Chen. You don’t need to be so tense, you made detective.” Says Carradine gruffly. Lucy tries to relax her shoulders but she still feels tense. “You will be shadowing Harper and Lopez today.” Lucy glances over her shoulder at the other women and they grin.

“Yes sir.” She says. Carradine nods and then walks off without another word. Lucy lets out a relived breath.

She sits down at her desk, and sees Angela grinning at her. “He’s right Lucy.” Angela says coming over to her desk and sitting on it. “You are going to do great.” Lucy smiles up at her remembering Tim’s words from this morning. You are going to be an even better detective. God she hopes he is right.

***

The day starts out slow, nothing really happens until Nyla has to interview the suspect to a crime. She tells Lucy to sit in on the interview to see how she does it. Lucy sits outside of the interview room and watches as Nyla interrogates him. He apparently robbed a jewelry store and knocked the guy out and then ran away from the scene of the crime. It seemed simple enough but the guy wasn’t giving anything up. Lucy watches as Nyla stands up from the table and leaves the room with a frustrated expression on her face. She stands next to Lucy, and watches the man through the window.

“Do you want to give it a go?” She asks Lucy. Lucy bites her lip and looks over at Nyla.

“Really?” She asks. “Do you really think I can get him to talk?” Nyla shrugs her shoulders and pushes Lucy towards the interrogation room.

“It never hurts to try.” She says. Lucy nods and takes a deep breath before opening the door. She walks in and ignores the confused look on the suspect’s face.

“I’m off- Detective Chen.” She says sitting up in her seat. She looks down at the file on the table and then back at the man. “And you are Max?” He doesn’t say anything so she continues.

“So you robbed a jewelry store?” She asks him. He remains silent his eyes searching her face. So Lucy continues. “And then you knocked the owner out? And tan way?” She says shaking her head. “You had quite a busy day that day huh?”

He didn’t say anything just stared at her, his eyes darting to her cleavage and then back to her face.

Lucy studied the paper some more and then glances to the window behind her where she is sure Nyla is watching.

She is about to say something but Max spoke first, his voice sugary sweet. “You are a hot piece of ass.” He says licking his lips. Lucy raises her eyebrows at him.

“Okay. So why exactly did you—” She starts but Max cuts her off.

“If I were your man I would—” He starts but Lucy cuts him off immediately.

“Well lucky for me you aren’t my man.” She snaps at him. “Because only an idiot would hit on the detective interviewing him. Now why did you rob the jewelry store?” Max leans back in his chair and smirks at her.

“You are still a not piece of ass I would love to..” He wiggles his eyebrows at her and she glares at him in disgust. “And I robbed the jewelry store so I could propose to my girlfriend.” Lucy’s eyes widen as she started to write what he said down.

“Okay but why didn’t you just buy the ring?” She asks. “Why rob a store and get in trouble?”

Max rolls his eyes at her. “You are a dumb bitch huh?” He says. “I couldn’t afford the ring.”

Lucy clenches her jaw tightly. “And why did you knock the owner out?” She asks tersely.

But Max shakes his head. “I think I have said enough.” He says. Lucy sighs and gets up and walks out of the room without another word. Nyla is on the other side with raised eyebrows. “Good job.” She says. “You got him to say more in five minutes than I did in twenty.” But Lucy shakes her head. “I think he’s lying. There’s no way he just robbed the store because he couldn’t afford a ring. I don’t know something is off.” She says glancing back in the room to where Max is sitting.

Nyla laughs a little but it’s not unkind. “Not everything is as complicated as it seems Lucy. Max is an idiot and he’s not that bright. You got him to confess something.” She says. “So good job.” Lucy smiles at her grateful she has someone like Nyla in her corner. “Thanks.” She says gratefully. Maybe Nyla is right and Max is an idiot who doesn’t think before he does something. Like rob a jewelry store in broad daylight.

Lucy and Nyla walk back to the bullpen where Angela is waiting for the them. She is grinning and Lucy doesn’t like the look on her face at all.

“What’s up with you?” Nyla asks her. Angela grins at her and then turns to Lucy.

“It looks like you have a secret admirer.” She says. Lucy frowns and looks over at her desk to see a vase of flowers on her desk. She tilts her head at it and then goes over to see them up close. There is a note on the front and she peels it off and opens it up.

Luce,

I know this is cheesy and you are probably going to kill me for doing this but I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you. You worked so hard to make detective and you deserve it so much. You WILL do great today, no matter what. I love you.

Tim.

She grins and presses the note to her chest and buries her nose in the flowers. Roses. Sunflowers. Daffodils.

She looks up to see Angela and Nyla smiling at her. She rolls her eyes at them fondly and then sits down at her desk and tucks the note into her desk drawer. She could do this.

***

Later Smitty comes over to her desk and glances at the flowers, a sly smile on his face. “Nice flowers Chen.” He says. “Secret admirer?” Lucy opens her mouth to tell him he knows who they are from but he is already walking away. Lucy rolls her eyes and goes back to the files Carradine had given her.

Aaron and Celina stop by her desk. “Smitty says you got flowers from a secret admirer.” Aaron says a grin on his face as Celina admires them.

“And when do you believe anything Smitty has to say?” Lucy asks him. “I don’t have a secret admirer. I do have Tim though.”

Aaron laughs a little and glances at the flowers on her desk. “I didn’t know he had it in him. But he did a good job.” Aaron says and Celina nods in agreement.

Nolan stops by her desk a few minutes after Aaron and Celina walk away. “Nice flowers Lucy.” Nolan says smiling at her softly. “And good job on making detective, you are going to be great.” He says and Lucy smiles at him grateful she has a friend like him.

“Thanks Nolan.” She says sincerely. He smiles at her before walking away. Tim is the last one to stop by and Lucy jumps to her feet to greet him. He smiles at her softly and then looks at the flowers on her desk.

“Nice flowers.” He says teasingly. She rolls her eyes at him and scoots closer to him. “Everyone is saying I have a secret admirer.” She says grinning up at him. “But I know they are from my incredibly romantic boyfriend.”

Tim grumbles something under his breath and then reaches out to tap her arm once and then twice.

“You did say I have great taste.” He says and her hand goes to her neck where her necklace lies. She smiles at him. “You do have great taste.” She says and she knows they are still at work but she can’t help but reach up and give him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you.” She says sincerely. “For always believing in me and just being amazing.” Tim smiles at her.

“You are amazing too.” He says smiling. “And when we are off we are going to celebrate.” Lucy licks her lips in anticipation and nods at him.

“That sounds perfect.” She says and he smiles at her as he walks away. She sits back down and leans back in her chair. A few years ago, she couldn’t even imagine this being her life but she is so glad because she is exactly where she is meant to be.

#chenford #the rookie #love #chenford fanfic #tim bradford #tim x lucy #lucy chen #chenford fic #anon answered

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bronx-bomber87 · 9 months

Text

Saturday afternoon review. Another glorious episode. The intro of their fur child. Kojo-Chen-Bradford baha A pup we all know and love. Also that we hope to get to see in S6. This is a very solid Tim backstory ep I’m excited. I’ll delve little more into the actual ep than normal. Just because it’s so tied into everything in this ep. Especially Tim’s past. I always love delving into his past. As I always tell my friend D, When I get into Tim's past I go off a lot haha I can't help it I relate so much to him. So bear with me while I rant off about him in this one. He is a subject I am very passionate about. But let’s get this ep started.

2x14 Casualties

We start our episode with our fav canine. Destroyer of chew toys Mr. Kojo. He really is a beautiful dog. The dog lover in me adores him so much. Jackson is awoken by this sweet boy and honestly handles it better than expected haha Lucy clearly has gotten him for post DOD reasons. Smart on her end. I know my dog has helped me a ton emotionally. I totally understand why she did this.

I think Jackson is very aware of reasoning and doesn’t push it. Look how cute this dog is I can not. Also how happy Lucy is to have him. She’s literally beaming and so adorable with him. Another reason I don’t think Jackson says anything to Lucy. He isn’t happy about it but won’t fight her on it either. Such a good friend putting her ahead of his discomfort about this. He knows how much she has been through so he's not going to tell her no...Oh the power Lucy Chen holds over the men her life ha

Lucy tells Tim about Kojo and he instantly thinks it’s a mistake. Discouraging her owning him. (Of course he does). Lucy is her sassy self and tells him she didn’t remember asking him. LOL Tim tells her tough. He’s there to teach her how to succeed. That adding a dog into the mix is only going to distract her. Lucy shows him a picture of Kojo. Says what if he is cute and snuggly?

You can see Tim also thinks he’s cute and snuggly when she shows him the pic haha but says that’s not the point he’s trying to make. Can tell he loves Kojo but isn’t going to give her that satisfaction right now. Lucy is too damn happy about her new pup to let Tim ruin it. He continues his interrogation and asks who’s watching him while she’s at work? Lucy replies she paid a neighbor let him out. Then asks if Jackson is ok with it? Lucy being clueless (which is a rarity for her as we all know) replies 'Why wouldn’t he be?'

First off I always love when we get tall and smol shots. They make my soul so very happy. Their height difference always gets me in the feels in a way I can not describe. This whole scene cracks me up though. Both trying so hard to top the other with who's right. It’s what they do and they do it so damn well.

It’s so cute how Tim defends himself about dogs when Lucy says he doesn't like them. ‘Wrong. I love dogs.’ LOL He is definitely not wrong about the responsibility part. They are a lot especially for a rookie trying to survive her training. Lucy mocks him and says he’s about to go off on a ‘But you were when you were my age?’ rant. Tim then does just that haha Our marriage moment of the episode.

Telling her all he’s done at her age. How he already did 2 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, Second in charge of his squad of ten soldiers. Lucy is not indulging him this time, scoffs loudly and calls him a show off haha You know he heard her but says ‘What was that?‘ Her face in those two last gifs. Be more married you two please.

They knock on the door of their call. Someone has reported a peeping Tom. They head back with the husband to their pool area. He says his wife likes to tan in the morning. A drone has been watching her the last few mornings. Tim says they can put out an alert but they’re tricky to track down.

The wife comes in and and is instantly checking Tim out. I can’t say I blame her. The man is sinfully delicious especially in uniform. She shamelessly flirty with him. He could not be cuter being embarrassed about it. That smile of his as his reaction. He’s always so caught off guard when women hit on him. Lucy’s face during the whole thing is hilarious. She’s so awkward and uncomfortable as this goes down. His polite ‘ma’am ‘ and shyness we rarely see in him. *fans self* Can’t blame a girl for trying LMAO

Lucy gets a call from her apt about Kojo shortly after they return to the station. Tim says they’re not going unless it’s a crime scene. It kinda is...One of her apt. Lucy opens the door and we see the destruction the poor boy has caused. Lucy clearly has no control over this sweet angel. He just jumps up on her when she arrives. Clearly so stressed being alone. He wants her attention. Kojo won’t get down until Tim shouts a firm command at him to sit and he does…Oh my...

Tim barking out orders like that shouldn’t be so hot and yet here we are. I am a puddle. This man does things to me I can't properly put into words haha Also his sexy and confident ‘Come on.’ afterwards. Lucy girl, it’s a miracle you get any work done around this man LOL Kojo you just met your dad and you have no idea. They go through the destruction that is her apt. Tim basically beaming with an ‘I told you so.’ energy as they explore the wreckage.

He is so pleased with himself. They enter Jackson's room and it is trashed. He is at the height of his smugness at this point. He starts taking pics of her and the damage to Jackson's room. These two and their pics of one another I love it so much. Tim says ‘I don’t have to say anything do I?’ Poor Lucy.. ‘I rather you didn’t…’ Already feeling the massive guilt for Kojo destroying Jackson's room the most.

After they leave their fur baby, Lucy and Tim join in on a suspect Nolan is chasing. He was sharing a shady SRO with the man who was found killed earlier. He took off and they end up catching him in an ally. It’s here we find out he and Tim have a history. The shock on Tim’s face gets me. There’s so much going on in that look that we don’t understand right now. Eric is conveying so much in just this small window.

We rejoin them at the station booking him. Tim looks like he's in a state of shock. Thought Mitch's life was going well post-service. Definitely wasn't expecting him to be living on the streets. Knowing he's not in a good place is bringing back all his guilt in waves. There is so much Tim is carrying in these interactions with Mitch. He asks what he's even being charged with? Lucy tells him resisting arrest to begin with. The DA will sort out the rest.

Mitch is all over Tim about what’s going on. He tells him he can’t violate the victims privacy. Mitch then pieces together his friend Joe is dead. Tim refuses to give him anymore info. Says detectives will be by shortly to talk to him. He looks so damn distraught walking away from the holding cell. Lucy points out the obvious tension between them. Tim lets her know exactly what their history is. I’m so proud of him for not brushing her off or being angry with her for asking. He’s just defeated and tells her why.

Like he wants to share this emotional burden with her instead of holding onto it solo. How far we've come. Truly. When just Isabel's name would set him off for most of their shift. Now he just tells her when she asks him. Telling Lucy things is a safe place for him at this point in their relationship. It’s a beautiful thing to watch him not even fight that. To let her know with no pretense. Allowing her to know something from his military past is huge. Something he keeps quite guarded. Watching him feeling comfortable enough to share with her. My heart. I'm not crying. You are.

Tim watches Armstrong and Nolan interrogate Mitch. The emotions in his eyes as he does is killing me. You can feel his guilt through the screen. There seems to be more than just Mitch's guilt there to me. But we will touch on that later....Nolan lets him know Joe had his neck snapped. It seemed like a professional. Mitch tells them he didn’t kill him. That Joe came to him about finding a lot of money. Pallets of cash in the millions. Found it in a building with a bunch of weaponry. Being guarded by heavy duty guys. Lots of machinery too.

Mitch says he and Joe were tight cause they were both vets. That’s why he shared the cash. But he begged him not to go back there for any more. Mitch says he feel guilty. Wishing he would’ve gone with him, because Joe would’ve gone with him. We go back to Tim and see more guilt flitting across his handsome face. The weight of what he is carrying is so evident. Kills me to watch it him bearing it alone. Harper comes in and tells them all that money is counterfeit. Really good but fake none the less. They figure out the machinery could’ve been printers from Mitch. Armstrong decides to get a search warrant and go to the building Joe found.

Naturally when they make it to the warehouse it’s empty. They ask Tim if he still believes his army buddies story? He says yes. That they must’ve cleared out of here after they killed Joe. Nolan finds some evidence. It’s linking them back to a security guy who was “fixing” a camera at their crime scene. They were about to run his face off his body cam when Grey calls them back to the station. Says they are to leave that area immediately.

Once they’re back Grey says their search warrant sent an alarm all the way up the food chain. Telling them to stop. That the path they’re on isn’t allowed for their investigation any longer. Tim asks what if it’s the path that leads them to his killer? Grey looks conflicted. Harper asks what they’re really into? He says he doesn’t know and tried to push to find out. All he knows is it’s non-negotiable. They all look very frustrated especially Tim. Grey tells them to take the night to reset. Tim goes off saying this isn't right. Armstrong says no it's not but it's a direct order.

Harper looks at Tim and he knows what he needs to do. Earlier in the episode we learned about LA Clear. Used to prevent blue on blue situations. It’s the best way for them to find out who is behind all this. What higher up agency is preventing them from investigating further. Only higher up officers can use it. i.e. Tim. They were told at the beginning of the ep the feds were in town for something. Sounds like this could be it. Harper asks what Tim thinks. He says this is clearly a federal operation and they don’t have enough information to proceed.

Tim asks Lucy how they get more clarity on a federal operation? She proudly produces the right answer and says LA Clear. He tries to get them all to step outside while he calls. Lucy being her sassy self says not a chance. Her wifey look is so cute I can not. You know he loves it when she’s fresh with him. Tim having to answer his personal security questions is too damn funny. Lucy is enjoying the hell out of this. His answers are so sporadic and funny. 'Lady Marmalade' and 'Xanadu' LOL He gets off the phone says they’ll get back to them within an hour.

Tim goes to see Mitch. Tells him he’s free to go. Naturally he wants more info on the case. Tim tells him they haven’t found anything yet. The money is gone. They’re working late on it though. Lets him know he just needs to go home. Then realizes how insensitive that is. Mitch tells him just to find his killer. That he served his country with honor. He deserves as much. You know that's hitting Tim right in the gut.

The ever present guilt on his face with Mitch hurts to watch. There’s an undercurrent of something else going on with this whole thing for Tim. More than just what happened with Mitch coming to the surface. It’s coloring everything he’s doing and saying in this episode since Mitch showed up. He gets the call from LA Clear and tells Mitch to take care of himself.

They find out it’s a defense intelligence agency OP. Harper says that’s national security. Nolan asks if they told him anything else? Tim says just a contact name. Colonel Norman Jangus. Nolan asks what a National security agency is doing printing counterfeit money for? Harper chimes in and says this is bigger than they thought. That they should take the night like Grey said. Tim says an off the books op isn’t great on a good day and today definitely isn't that.

Nolan gets a visitor. It’s Colonel Jangus. Tells him he is DIA, but his team works in the shadows. Does things people don’t want to admit to. John asks why he came to him? This is a great part and accurate. Says he’s the weak link. Lists why above. He’s not wrong those three are certified bad asses and John is well John LOL sorry dude. I'm so mean to Nolan I know ha I do like him but he is the weak link out of the four of them.

Tells him you always push on the weak link. Wants him to relay something to the other three. That it was a mistake to call LA Clear, to leave it alone. Nolan tells him they just want Joe’s murderer that’s it. He leaves with telling him every war has its casualties. That if they don’t stop he’ll end up being their next one.

Harper, Tim and Lucy show up lurking in the shadows. They were expecting him to show at Nolan’s. Do love them all in black street clothes. Looking ever bit the bad asses they were just explained as earlier. Tim was able to get a tracker on his car while Jangus rambled on. Tim says now they can follow him wherever he goes. Lucy is ready to go when Tim tries to stop her. (Why he think's he'll win this fight I do not know) No way in hell she was going to let him do this alone. She’s his partner through and through.

Harper telling them they’re more likely to survive the storm if this goes wrong than her and Nolan. She has a golden ticket and Tim has unblemished record. Says they don’t even need a reason to fire them as rookies. Lucy replies like the BAMF she is ‘ I’ve been buried alive by a serial killer. This rabbit hole doesn’t scare me.’ God I love her. Her resolve is rock solid. Nolan’s reply pales in comparison tbh LOL That unshakeable drive is one of the reasons why Tim falls for her. He doesn’t fight her any further. He's just hopes Jangus leads them to the money.

Now comes one of my favorite parts of the entire episode. Also another iconic OTP line stemming from it. They pull up together in Tim’s truck (LOVE them riding together) Lucy wastes zero time asking about Mitch’s leg. Just like earlier he doesn’t fight her on it. Doesn’t shut her out like he used to. Not even a little. I can not emphasize enough how huge this is for him. The beautiful place he has gotten to with her. This is confession time right now for him. He'd been letting it build up all day. Now he was letting the damn loose with her. Makes me so happy to watch his growth. I never tire of watching her chip at his wall one section at a time. It’s about to have another piece break off and shatter to the ground.

There is so much to love about this scene. I love her challenging him to open about this. It’s been so obviously eating at him all day. I'm just like him where I need my anxiety off loaded by someone I trust or I'll self destruct. It's clear he needs it off his chest. Lucy knows this. Knows him and it's why it's the first thing she asks when they're parked. They have a moment alone. She is going to take advantage of that. Lucy reads Tim like a book and knows he needs to talk about it. I've said this a lot but I am a lot like Tim. The more I analyze him the more that fact becomes true. I get his mentality towards things.

Where you think everything is your responsibility or your fault when things go wrong. Because when you grow up in a volatile household like he did (As did I) it was. A mistake was the worst thing you could do. So it's beaten into you that its your fault and you're given no grace by those around you. It's almost like a reflexive shame you feel when you make a mistake. It's how it is for me. I know it is for him too. So why would you give yourself any grace even when its warranted? When you are like this you need that 'Lucy' to unburden you. To have that safe space to off load that burden. To let you know not everything is your fault.

Lucy is that person for Tim and has been for quite some time. He confesses his sin to her. Like it’s a dark part of his soul he’s expecting to repel her. News flash it does not. She loves every part of this man especially the damaged parts. What he finds as absolutely shameful Lucy sees as something redeeming and wonderful. You can see above how much he is beating himself up over it. Even as he speaks the words he's chiding himself. The way his eyes dart around and how can't face her. He'a so ashamed of himself for not being by the book. To him he slipped up and it cost Mitch his leg. That's unforgivable in his book. He's so hard on himself. I relate so much it makes me wanna cry for him. Because I know that moral pressure.

I love her little smile before she tells him 'It's the most Tim Bradford thing she’s ever heard.' Because it really is. She just knows him so well. Lucy wants desperately for him to cut himself a break. To lower his high standards of himself just a bit. He won't but damn if she won't try to to change his POV on this. The reason she says that line is she KNOWS the depth of which he beats himself up for things. This is the type of situation where he is going to fault himself and flog himself mentally over it until someone stops him. i.e. Lucy.

I empathize with this on a deep level. I know that guilt driven anxiety you get when you feel you’ve wronged someone. It consumes you and feels like that feeling is bottomless. Lucy is very aware he will destroy himself over this. The reaction on his face below when she tells him it wasn't his fault. That he showed humility. Gets me right in the gut. Telling him that it’s nothing to feel guilty about is everything to him. Tim can't believe she's absolving him for this. Not only doing that but commending him for what he did. By praising him for that humility he showed Mitch.

I want to delve into his reaction above a little more for a couple reasons. One. Once again what Tim sees as weakness Lucy views as a strength. Knowing he is wracked with guilt over this. Trying to give him absolution for it. His sunshine human is striving to let him know not EVERYTHING is his fault. As much as he would like to think so. Beautiful thing is Lucy being in his life has lightened that emotional load he carries. Whether he realizes it or not she's shouldering part of it now.

Two. I said earlier there was an undercurrent of something else coloring Tim’s guilt in this episode. Something unspoken in the way he was carrying that guilt. Like it was more than just Mitch's guilt he was lugging around. I know he’s comparing what happened to Mitch to what happened with Lucy. By not being by the book he put Lucy in danger. The guilt about Mitch has also brought up the burden he still inflicts upon himself. Which is what happened to her in 2x11. There is some deep subtext in this scene. The way he looks at her when she says he doesn’t need to feel guilty. It's very telling to me.

In a way she is absolving him of what happened with Caleb. Because the situations are similar, in the fact that Tim wasn't by the book and something bad came of it. Lucy does this without even knowing she is doing so. Because in her mind she never blamed him. Doesn't even know he's added that to his emotional load. For Tim her acceptance of what happened with Mitch is hitting close to home with him. It feels like she is also absolving him of his immense amount of guilt he still feels about Caleb. It’s not something they’ve talked about yet. It’s coming but I felt this scene was a good precursor to that. Lucy reminding him not everything is on him like he thinks it is.

Even though it seems to him he's been absolved of both things he still defaults to being a stickler. That is his default mode. He just can't help himself. Letting her know ‘Rules matter boot. ‘ You can see the glimmer of tears in his eyes when he says this. Still feeling unworthy of her kindness and understanding of what he thinks he’s done not only to Mitch but to her. Lucy once again having that sassy smile asking him ‘Then what the hell are you doing out here? Sweetly calling him out for being a living and breathing contradiction.

The way he looks at her and says ‘Some things matter more.’ *heart clutch* Eric and his wonderfully expressive face. We are lucky to have him everyone. He is a blessing to have as our Tim Bradford. By saying this he is saying she matters more. That what they're currently doing matters more. Tim showing Lucy his moral compass for Mitch and Joe means more. I’ve said this before but I feel Lucy is never more attracted to Tim than when his moral compass is on fire.

It’s a raging inferno in this episode to find Joe’s killer. That bending the rules a bit to do the right thing means more. to him. That doing the right thing and the easy thing are rarely the same. Her respect and honestly love for him grows for him in this scene. As his does for hers with the previous moment. It's a slow climb to the top with them but what a view it is when we get there. It's so worth the wait.

I friggin love this shot of them. Forever adore how in sync they are in the field. All dressed in their black ops gear. Sexy Af watching them be poetry in motion together. The aesthetic is very pleasing to the eye. Watching them doing an off the book ops together. It ticks a box for me I love. They decide they need to make sure those pallets are actually the money first. Once they do that they can get Joe’s killer during the arrest. Harper asks how they’re gonna do this? Tim says no idea. LOL

Tim goes off to check it by himself. He’s so tall and you can see that as he ducks under a semi to check the container. Sexy af how tall he is to me. I would say I’m sorry but let’s not lie shall we? Ha Tim gets caught confirming the pallet has the money and sees the rest have been caught too .You can see the panic on his face when he sees Lucy has been caught. Jangus rants that he warned them and they didn’t listen. Harper then signals Angela with her sniper rifle. Trained right on Norman.

They’re at a stalemate with this. Tim wants to negotiate a settlement. I love how Tim takes control of this whole situation. Sexy af. Saying all they want is Joe’s Killer. If they give him up they walk away. Norman considers this. Then asks about the money. Tim says 'Not our problem.' Lucy pipes up and Tim looks right at her and repeats himself. Now that she’s in danger he’s not taking any more risks. That game is over. He’s gonna break one more rule tonight to keep her safe. Letting the money go.

I love him so much. If bailing on the money keeps her safe and gets them their killer it’s a win win for him. The way he stares the Colonel down as he decides. *Oh my lord* Causing me repeated ovary explosion in this one. Protective Tim is one of my fav Tim flavors haha He’s got me going more in this episode than normal. I would say I’m sorry but I’m very much not. LOL

It works and they give up one of their men as the killer. The plan worked for the most part...They didn't get everything they wanted but getting Joe's killer was the most important. It gets back to Grey and he does some rule breaking of his own. Just accepting their wild unrealistic story of how they found Joe’s killer just walking the docks. Says the paper work better be spotless on this. Harper smiles and says yes sir. This is an excellent episode all around.

Next morning Jackson wakes up and notices Kojo is gone. Lucy says she’s really not ready for a dog yet. (Or his new owner heh) That he is gone. Lucy continues on to apologize for getting him without asking his input. That she was going to pay to replace all his things. How sorry she was about all his stuff. Jackson quickly breaks and is sweet and says he did like Kojo but hopes he went to a good home. Lucy smiles and says he did.

I want to talk a little bit about Tim taking Kojo. The amount this man cares about not only Lucy but animals is prominent in this moment. He knew how much this dog meant to Lucy therefore he was important to Tim. Also taking him so she could come visit him and have access whenever she wanted. The depth of caring this man shows for her in his actions are unreal. They legit became co-parents to this dog in this episode and we all loved it. They own a dog together long before they were together. Makes me so happy I can not.

We then get this GLORIOUS shot of Tim walking Kojo. Tim looking fine as hell walking his new fur baby. Basically a model walking down the street. That sweet smile on his face as he looks down at him. He loves this dog so much already. Tim meets up with Mitch and does something I know Lucy would be beaming over. He put in a good word to get him a live in guard job. Tells him it’s not a handout. That it’s a job and a roof over his head. Mitch thanks him and he hugs Tim. He looks like he’s gonna cry. My boy. Mitch can still see the lingering guilt in his eyes.

Tells Tim ‘It’s not your fault you know?’ That what happened to him is nobodies fault. Tim is grateful for his words. Getting forgiveness for a weight he’s been carrying around for far too long. Such a good way to end the episode. Tim wipes a tear from his eye and looks down at Kojo. Tells him ‘Not a word’ LOL I love this man so much and how much he’s grown. Makes me want to cry. Damn good episode holy moly.

As always thank you to everyone who like/comment/reblog. You all make my whole day with them. I enjoy doing these so much and you make it all worth while :)

No non chenford notes this ep was pretty intertwined. See you all in 2x15 :)

#Caitlin rewatches the Rookie #chenford #chenford hiatus #summer rewatch #s2 #2x14 Casualties #The rookie 2x14 #tim bradford #lucy chen #tim x lucy #lucy x tim #eric winter #melissa o'neil #otp: doing my job #otp: you know me so well. too well #otp: some things matter more #waiting on s6 #the rookie

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dylanconrique · 6 months

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no blooper of the rookie will ever be as funny as when eric's stomach growled when him and melissa were sitting inside the shop.

#*and this is icarly!#it was so. LOUD. too!! lmaooooo #melissa's reaction is so stinkin' cute and funny too she was like 😳😂😂😂#i also love that melissa's laugh turns into wheezing anytime you make her laugh really hard it's so hilariously adorable #the rookie #eric winter #melissa o'neil #tim bradford #lucy chen #chenford

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starseneyes · 1 year

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Chenford - Lucy Chen / Tim Bradford - The Rookie - Season 5 - Ep 14

Death Sentence AKA "To Key Or Not to Key..."

SPOILER ALERT: It's about to get real, y'all. So, if you're the kind of person who finds spoilers disturbing, disgusting, or disinteresting (yes, I made up a word), run. This is a Spoiler Zone, and I'll be spoiling the entire episode and possibly everything that came before.

Everyone briefed on the way this works? Fantastic! Let's dive in.

Tim the Boot

Tim's standing in his cargo pants (but not shorts. Sorry first date restaurant) in Lucy's kitchen trying to make coffee in the dark.

And... Oh, I can't go any further. Tim is all domestic at Lucy's! Like, they're not just sleeping together there. I mean, we all knew this relationship was all in from the jump, but here he is making his coffee, getting dressed, and I'm struggling to keep it together because holy shit.

Tim and Lucy have been together maybe two months. They only started sleeping together about three weeks into that.

Back with N*cy was a thing, Lucy didn't want to leave anything at Nolan's. She'd rather go home every morning to keep things casual. Here she is with the love of her life, Tim Bradford... And everything is completely natural.

They have seamlessly made this transition. Yes, Tim does have a go-bag, which we could argue might have clothes in there. But I get the feeling Lucy Chen has cleared out a drawer or two for her man since he shows up later sans-bag. It's conjecture, sure, but it's sexy conjecture, damnit!

And that tumbler looks like the exact one Lucy had when they were brainstorming how to save a kidnapped Angela (after their "almost" night together at Tim's). So... was it Lucy's that she brought home from work to his place that night? Is it Tim's and it's just never gone back to his place? It looks like the same one Lucy had when talking to him at his Desk Job last episode.

Either way, I don't care, because they are sharing a tumbler and it's adorable.

Tim opens a cabinet, maybe looking for a mug for Lucy (it's unclear what his motivation is beyond the gag because he never pulls anything out) but out fall baby Boots. Classic callback to when he moved up to Sergeant.

Tim has been trying so hard to be quiet and not wake anyone. And Lucy planted a noise-maker. There's something so Tim and Lucy about that.

"Did I miss it?" "It's cute."

Awww. This is like them talking about their baby rolling over for the first time and one of them missed it. Also, I love that Lucy likely let him fall asleep, then crept out of bed to set that gag up knowing he needed something out of that cabinet, just so she could prank him.

The Prank energy of Chenford remains! Look, I've seen shows butcher the characters when they get together. For some reason, it's like the ship becomes all that they are and the characters we loved so much disappear into an angry mesh of angst and confusing, unnecessary drama.

Lucy and Tim are still Lucy and Tim. More than any kiss, shirtless scene, or domestic crumb, that is the Writers' greatest gift to us. They haven't sacrificed the two characters we love to serve a story-line that makes little to no sense.

Instead, Tim and Lucy are given the opportunity to thrive separate of one another, but still lean into the relationship they've been developing since Season 1. And we see shades of their phases of relationship throughout their journey in this new one, and that's bloody beautiful.

Seriously, folks. These Writers are crushing it, and I'm so thankful.

"Why are you up so early? I was gonna get a photo of your reaction."

See what I mean!? Think Lucy might've gotten them printed on T-shirts? Or made them her lock screen? Who knows what she would've done, but I love all of it because this is so them!

Photos of her at Midnight. Photos of him with his award. Photos of all the stuff Kojo destroyed. Photos of Tim with his retro radio.

I've heard of photos being a love language, before, but not quite like this. And I love that. This has always been Tim and Lucy's thing. And it still is.

Their wedding slideshow is gonna just be one cringe photo after another, and I low key love that for them.

"The newbie. The Boot." "I'm a sergeant." "Mmm-mmm. You're still a Boot in my book."

I gotta be honest with you, I was never a big fan of the thought of "Boot" being an affectionate name for Tim to call Lucy. Simply because we knew he'd say it to others (like he did with Celina last episode) and it just felt off to me.

But Lucy using it as her pet name for Tim? Love it. There's something so sexy and powerful with her turning that name on him, and us knowing that nobody else could ever get away with that.

She reaches for his jacket (we can barely see it, but that's totally what's happening) to pull her man down to her. And can I say, I love that this is a Lucy thing.

"Did I interrupt something?"

Yes. Yes, you did. AGAIN. Tamara, I swear, we need to put bells on you so we can hear you coming down the hall. Like I know you live here, but can't you see we were about to get new kissage to GIF?

And, Lucy, a sock on the doorknob is not that hard to remember. Gee wiz, people! We need affection, damnit!

Of course, I'm being ridiculous (we don't need physical affection each episode, and it'd be super weird, to me, after whole seasons of them barely touching for it to become the "Chenford Kiss Cam Show"), but it's fun to poke fun at Tamara.

Until it isn't... keep reading to see why.

And I've rewatched this a few times (because I'm psychotic, but also because I'm obsessed with accuracy) and while there's a kissy sound, there's no lip touch from what I can tell. Gosh, that is the weirdest sentence I've ever written.

So, I'm not entirely sure what happened there. I even checked the subtitles to see if I'd missed a "smooches" the first time through watching it live, and it's not. "Door Opens" is, but not "smooches".

So, based on what I can see, I'm going to go with Tamara interrupting them pre-kiss, again, with both of them looking to the door in surprise... again. (They're even turning their heads the same way despite being in a different location in the room).

"You're gonna be great today. Knock 'em dead."

You're knocking me dead with that encouragement! Ahhhh. Tim Bradford is finally with a woman who supports his profession, understands his talent, and encourages him with every ounce of her energy.

And Lucy Chen is finally with someone who supports her profession, understands her talent, and appreciates her with every ounce of his energy.

Finally, Tim and Lucy have their person. My husband is that person for me. When I worked full time at a brick-and-mortar, had toddler twins, and we were trying for another kid, I told him I wanted to go to grad school. His response? "Go."

After 13 months of coursework, one complicated delivery of a brilliant baby girl, and the thesis professor from hell... I graduated with a 4.0 and no debt thanks to a host of scholarships and grants. But none of it would have been possible without my person.

And I can't tell you how stoked I am that Tim and Lucy have found theirs.

Tim says goodbye, but as he's pulling the door closed, he's looking back at Lucy with a small smile that's just for her. Lucy giggles in response. I love her giggle.

And Tamara is giving her a look that Tim can't see as he closes the door that is cracking me up.

"Good morning." "Whatever." "He is!"

This cracked me up so much because it definitely has "Family" energy. Tamara knows how absolutely over-the-top Lucy is being compared to anyone else in her life—but Tamara doesn't know how much Tim truly needs someone to believe in him.

He still has doubts about himself. Not when he's in motion as a cop, but as a man. He's still trying hard not to become the only example he ever had of manhood—an alcoholic father with a wicked right hook and no remorse.

Lucy is the only person besides his sister, perhaps, who truly understands all these facets of Tim. But Tamara has to poke fun a little, because from an outside perspective, it really does feel like a Mom giving her kid that little bit of extra encouragement before the first day at a new school.

"Bradford, this isn't Patrol. This is Metro. Major crimes, terrorism, barricades, hostages. We are an elite unit. Your form's gotta be perfect, man."

The Lieutenant seems solid on him, but the team is definitely giving him crap.

"Don't worry. Happens to everyone. Metro takes some getting used to. You'll get it."

I really like Lieutenant Pine. She's a hard-ass, but she's a smart hard-ass. And I truly believe she means it.

Tim hasn't been on the outside in a very long time, if ever.

Think about it. When you join the Military, you typically have to go through Boot Camp with other new recruits, right? If you Enlist, I mean. So, Tim was at the bottom of the food chain, but he wasn't alone there. He had others on the same level.

Same with being a Rookie in the Police Force. You go to the Training Academy with others who become Rookies, and then you move up. For all we know, Tim's never left his first Station.

This is the first time he's coming into an established team of folks that he's expected to lead and build an instant bond with. This is intimidating shit.

And now he can't even do one simple thing that he's done a million times? He's on edge. Because, work has been the one place he's always been secure in life. And now that he's finally secure in love and friendship, that's the thing that feels unsteady. It's a new feeling, and it's tough for Tim to swallow.

"Lucy Chen, fist of justice." "What are you doing?" "Hi!"

Watch Eric Winter's face in the background of this scene as he approaches. Yes, I'm aware he's Tim Bradford when the camera's rolling, but this is a master actor reacting.

Look, I know the phrase "acting is reacting" can seem cliché, but it's absolutely accurate. I used to call it "listening".

In 2003, I had to go see a play as part of my theater appreciation course at University. The first Act was fine, but the second was so dull I was aching for something to break through. Then, I saw this man out of the corner of my eye. There were 20 people on that stage, but he was the only one listening. Then, he stood and opened his mouth. I remember thinking, "Finally, there's an actor on this stage."

When I went home that night, my Dad asked for my review. I gave it and told him there was one actor who really blew me away. Someone I didn't know I'd nearly met several times in the year before... who I'd nearly meet a few more times before the next month when I would finally meet him... the man I married.

So, Matthew, if you ever read these bloody things, remember that I spotted you as a tremendous actor before we even knew one another. You're just that bloody good, loveyby.

*ahem* Back to Tim. Lucy. Aaron... and an imaginary action figure.

Because Aaron saw her boyfriend coming and instead of warning her he just thought, "Nah, I'm gonna let this play out". Sunshine met Grumpy as she turned around to face Tim, his sole box of work possessions in-hand.

And special shout-out to The Rookie's socials for posting a nice shot of EW carrying the box. We can clearly see his scissors (I love that style. Yes, I'm office-supply obsessed, why do you ask?), a framed certificate, pencils (look like Ticonderoga from here), a baseball glove/baseball (hell, yeah, Little League Co-Coach), and a few other framed items.

That's it. Years and Years at the Station, and he's such a minimalist. I mean, it matches his house. Tim is not a hoarder. Meanwhile, it took four trips to empty me out of my last brick-and-mortar because I had to bring in every bulletin board from home, every clipboard, every lamp, and every post-it-note. The fun of working for a humanitarian nonprofit! Loved what I did. Hated the office supply budget.

"I'm working on my side hustle. Oh, what's on your head?"

She is trying so hard not to touch it. She really just wants to affectionately wipe it off of his head. But he really doesn't want that.

This is his first day and he's annoyed that he's died over and over and over (like poor Judy Hopps in Zootopia—"You're dead fluffy bunny!"). He's been at the top of his game for so long, and now he really is the "Boot" at the bottom of the chain.

And he doesn't want her to know. It reminds me of 5x05 when he was in the hospital and didn't want her to know he was paralyzed. Then, he didn't want her to worry. Same thing, now, just a different angle.

She has so much faith and belief in him, and he doesn't want to let her down.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing" is never "nothing" with Tim. It wasn't nothing when he told Lucy nothing was going on with him. It wasn't nothing when he told Nolan he wasn't doing anything the night before.

And Lucy knows it. Watch her face as he breezes by. She can see that something's up with him, but she's not going to call him out on it in front of Aaron.

"Metro-Police Liaison, best of both worlds."

I love how Lucy leans right alongside the wall at his door, like a high school girl who isn't ready to watch her boyfriend walk into his next class when hers is down the hall.

Tim pushes in, first, but Lucy is quick behind him to get a look at their new hook up space his new office. The generic motivational posters are killing me.

"Well, at least it won't take too long to move in." "No." *giggle*

Tim kicks her out, but she sidles up to the window to get a good view.

Tim in Metro gear is objectively a good view. Like, I'm a demisexual, so I might not feel sexual attraction like some of y'all, but I do feel like Michelangelo might have picked a different model for David if Eric Winter had been around back then.

Aaron and Lucy give the most awkward thumbs up—perhaps their personal call back to Tim's ridiculous habit of doing that in awkward situations—and he gives a patented fake smile before closing the blinds. He looks right at Lucy as they go down.

And Lucy's indignation is sending me. Tim and Lucy are still Tim and Lucy.

Lucy playing Mom to Aaron, then Tamara Calls

Lucy is a bit of a Mother Hen. She can't help it. Caring is built into her personality, and if she sees someone flailing, she's going to throw out the life preserver to help. Some of them take it. Some of them don't, but it's in her personality to want to help.

And Tamara calling makes me so happy. Because, back in the day, Tamara wasn't sure she could count on Lucy. But, now, Lucy is her first call when something is off. That trust is beautiful, and earned, and it's been a really special relationship to watch throughout the series.

"I'm taking a poll. How old were you when you did your first load of laundry?"

This makes me laugh so much. In the early seasons, Jackson, Lucy and Nolan were the OT3. They were Rookies banding together. But by the time they all moved up to P2 and then Jackson died, they didn't have as much reason to be together all the time. They moved on.

But Lucy doesn't let connections go with people she cares about. They are still friends. And I bet she bloody radio'd everyone to ask their ages, which has me screaming because they had to be so awkward for Aaron, and I am here for it.

"Yeah, Bradford, nice!" *Applause* "

You can see Tim sigh with relief as the bell sounds off.

"Well, clearly you've got the goods to be here. And now that you're one of us, you get the company ink."

Look, I was a little confused at the top of this scene with the call for ink. That seems a little... cult-ish. Forcing people to get the same tattoo (and Tim totally called it out). But I can totally roll with the unicorn stickers. My kids all put stickers all over me as kids, so Tim might as well get used to this before he and Lucy extend their family.

Why do I say "extend"? Well, Tim and Lucy already have a family. Their Found Family. And Tamara is a part of it. This little family will grow... someday.

"They're testing you, seeing how far you'll bend. " Yeah, I saw the same kind of thing when I was in the military." "Not about how many stripes on your sleeves with this crew." "It's all good. Team building." "If you're gonna lead this team, they need to know who you are. Show them the Tim Bradford that was tapped to join Metro in the first place."

I really love Lt. Pine. She's letting her Team be who they are, but she's coming in to give Tim the translations after. So, they don't have to break the rhythm they have, but she's giving him the beat so he can find his way into the music.

But Tim's pensive. Being on the outside sucks. And we already talked about how long it's been since Tim's truly been on the outside, if ever. He needs the opportunity to show them who he is, but sometimes even Tim is unsure.

Even during the exercise, they were talking about personal lives. Well, Tim keeps personal out of professional. He has boxes that he keeps everything in, and personal life is checked at the door. But these folks are so tightly woven together that all those crisp, hard lines to which Tim clings start to blur within this team.

It's not going to be easy for Tim. He was so excited about coming over, and I think he still is. But the realities of being on the outside can be tough, even for someone as closed off as Tim Bradford.

"I'm, like, really good friends with the cops here... You can call me, whenever you want, even if it's just to talk, got it?"

Tamara is a really great person. Look, she has made some interesting choices in the past (selling Lucy's car), but she is an incredible person, and I feel like she's passing on the compassion she learned from Lucy.

Lucy's gonna be such a great Mom someday.

And I'm not trying to rush a Chenford baby. But, if we look at Tamara as Lucy's older, first child... we know those younger kids will be just fine whenever they come along.

Lucy and Angela working together

One thing I'm loving about what they're doing this season is changing up who works with whom, so we get a different dynamic with the same characters we love. I adore that it's three powerful women in this scene.

Angela is my #3 of the show behind Tim and Lucy (and Lucy's a strong second). She's showing (again) that an expectant Mom can still be a badass at work.

And as someone who sucks at Stay-at-home-Momming (briefly tried it during maternity leave... I'm not built for it), I'm grateful. I love working. And I'm capable, whether or not I'm pregnant.

"And you're working the night shift somewhere... this morning you were not coming home from a party, not dressed like that. You were coming home from a job. What's going on with you? You need money or something?" "I gotta get that first month, last month and security deposit."

The shock on Lucy's face. She put together that something was up, but I know she didn't expect this.

And the music saying, "Now you're leaving"?! Oh, someone planted that to break my heart a little.

"It's not like I can stay here forever." "Why would you say that? Of course you can." "How's that gonna work? You, me, and Tim?"

How little was Chris spending the night? Like, seriously. Because they were together a lot longer than Tim and Lucy have been, thus far, and Chenford have only been making the two-headed beast for a few weeks, now.

Just a few weeks ago Tamara was offering to blare her music and clear out. But now she's ready to move?! How loud are Tim and Lucy!? Like, I'm sure Lucy can invest in a pair of noise-canceling headphones for you that are higher quality.

I also wonder if the end of the Chris era plays into this. Chris wanted Lucy to move, but he was willing to take Tamara with them.

Maybe the thought of being that third wheel was really unsettling to her, and she was secretly glad when Chris was out of the picture, and she got back to her status quo with her bitchin' cop roommate....

Only for Lucy and Tim to get serious fast. Yes, they took it slow physically (because everyone's definition of "slow" varies), but they dove headfirst into the emotional commitment to one another.

There was never any doubt in either of their minds that this is it for both of them.

So, settling in has been easy for them. They've gotten to skip a lot of the "early dating" tropes because they know one another so well, they know that this is forever, and they know a lot of each other's likes and dislikes.

And I've seen folks complaining that they're not climbing all over each other. If Tamara hadn't walked in, we certainly would've seen some deep kissing from our kimono-clad-queen. Sure. But this isn't the Tim and Lucy show.

I can't remember seeing Wopez climbing all over each other all the time, or Jayla, or even Nolan and Bailey. Like, this isn't that kind of show. That's why we have the beauty of fan-fiction.

Tim and Lucy are in a mature relationship, so they're not going to make out under a blanket on the couch while watching a movie with friends (yes, teenage Rachel did this... do not recommend.). They will be sexy on their own time, and temper it down when around others. They don't need to kiss every time they see one another, and they are secure in their relationship.

Look, I have a lot of Ship Trauma, but I think what we're being given in near-perfect, folks. It's beautiful. It's layered. It's steamy sometimes. Sweet sometimes. Supportive sometimes. To borrow a line from the Musical Quilt, "there are many different kinds of love."

Matthew and I have been together almost 20 years (come August). There are times we are mad passionate, times we are sweet as sugar, times we're frustrated with one another, times we're united in grief, times we cuddle cutely...

Love looks different in every situation, but it's no less love. And what Tim and Lucy have is love.

EDIT: A lot of y'all are convinced there's a Key and one of you might've convinced me in the comments (@noblog2023 pointed out Tim would never leave the door unlocked when he left early in the morning... SOLD!).

So, here's the significance of the key:

First off, I don't believe Lucy's ever given anyone else a key to her apartment. Chris was only in there once without Tamara or Lucy, and that was when Rosalind dropped him off. And we know that psycho bitch knew how to pick a damn lock.

Lucy and Tim haven't been dating that long, and she's given him a key to get into her and Tamara's home.

Because the last person who got a key here was Tamara... and it's been a long time since anyone else had access like that. This was "their" place with the occasional bed-guest. But Tim is not a guest. He's quickly becoming family.

He has even put in the effort to have movie night with his girls.

But from Tamara's side, this is the first person Lucy's let into her world to this degree. This is serious and Tamara can see that. And she's a little spooked that with Lucy's new family, she's not going to want her weirdo roommate hanging around.

Tim and Lucy can build a nuclear family together. The kind of family Tamara once had. And that damn key is a big reminder to Tamara of that truth.

She remembers the security and love of a mother and father and child. So, once Lucy and Tim go that route, where does Tamara fit in?

So of course as she tells Lucy there's no room for her, Tim walks in using his damn key. It's almost like, "see? I told you."

For Tim and Lucy, this level of trust is easy. It's simple. It's second-nature. They are all in, so keys are only necessary to keep the monsters out—not each other.

Tim carrying around a key to her place also means that wherever he goes, he has a piece of her with him. No, it's not the same as when he carried around her ring, but it's still a symbol of connection between them. They now hold twin keys, like twin pieces of their hearts.

And who ever heart of triplet pieces of a heart? No, Tamara's key starts to feel heavy and unfamiliar, because she's missed that she is a part of Lucy's heart.

Tim does know that. If Curried Chris was able to spot that, we know That Tim knows. For goodness sake, he was there when Tamara and Lucy met. He's been there for many of the big moments between them by fate's design.

And there's no way in hell Tim's going to separate the love of his life from her best girl.

"Hi. Sorry I'm late..." "I think I'm gonna crash."

I have been so conflicted with this one, because I voted the kissy sounds out because there was no visual confirmation, but can I do that with the key!?

Just like with the kiss, there's no "keys jangle" on the subtitles. Just "Door Opens".

Like, no, Lucy and Tamara wouldn't just leave the place unlocked. So, it totally tracks that they'd have it locked, and if Tim needed a way in, it'd be because he has his own keys.

And after embiggening on my laptop and staring at Hulu in slow-motion like a madwoman—there's no key. It's an invisible key. Because when Tamara came in, she had a key in her hand. Tim opens the door with his right and closes with his left—no key.

So, a foley artist somewhere is playing with my emotions. I want to get so excited about the prospect of Tim having a key. Before I could see it on Hulu (after watching it live and it going so fast), I did a whole write-up on the significance of Tim having a key.

But there's no key. Remember, I try to write these based on what I can see. Yes, there are time I pick up on things that aren't subtitled ("you're so strong" in DOD, for example), but I don't see a key.

And, look, the creators and showrunner can come in and say, "Yes, there is a key" and then my eyes don't matter. My ears don't matter. Because, it has been declared by TPTB as canon.

I want there to be a key. But if I discarded the kiss at the top because it was heard but not seen, I feel like I need to be consistent. *braces to be murdered in the comment section this week*

"Hey. Sorry. I'm late. Ready for the movie?"

I love how he directs that to his step-daughter. Like, right away, he wants to make sure that she knows she's included, and that this is all of heir thing. He's committed to that, and Tamra just isn't in the headspace to see it.

And Tim liking classic movies is just so on-brand. I love that about him (and I realized this movie is missing in my personal viewing, so I need to fix that ASAP because it sounds amazing).

"Well, I guess it's just us. Popcorn?" "Yeah, sure."

Tim didn't hear the conversation before he came in, so he doesn't know how that "just us" cuts into Lucy a little. Tim isn't good at reading everyone. It reminds me of his line in 5x08 to Nyla, "You're the detective". He lacks Lucy's perception and sensitivity, too.

These aren't character flaws. Simply aspects of his personality that lead to him missing the tension in his girlfriend's roommate.

Also, Tim is making the popcorn.

This is Lucy's place, but Tim knows where enough things are that he can navigate his way around the kitchen, and that's so bloody domestic it makes my heart sing.

Lucy and Tamara

Lucy is making breakfast for the two of them, setting it out and trying to show Tamara that they are a family. Tamara starts asking Lucy questions that normally she would easily answer. But since Tamara has a connection with the family, she's trying to keep it close to the vest.

"Tamara? I'll be parked outside, okay?"

Tamara's not a puppy anymore. She's a grown woman and she's making her own calls. When a kid grows up, that's all you can do. So, Lucy lets her know that she's going to have her back. It's another demonstration of love. Lucy's there for her.

"Thank you. I know I volunteered us for the most boring detail ever." "Of course. You're worried about Tamara. I get it."

I like that Aaron's wordlessly riding along with Lucy. Like, we didn't have to have a conversation or assignment. It's just great to see these two hanging and working together. Aaron has had a nice front-seat to Chenford via riding with Tim, and now he gets to keep up with the gossip by riding with Lucy.

And Tamara learned a lot from Lucy. Now, we're lucky that Deon wasn't violent with Tamara. That could have gone very badly.

Tim Running the Op

He's got a good mix of our folks. Detectives. Officers. Metro. It's great to do this for us as an audience—we're seeing Tim in his new role, getting to know the new folks a bit better, and them getting to see how badass he is, plus keeping our favorites in the action.

It's a really well thought-out scene and episode to get us to this point. We've seen Tim on the outside with the new team. We've seen his unease. We've seen Lucy, Aaron, and Angela covering this from the other side. Now everyone's coming together to save an Innocent. F'ing gorgeous.

"Detective Lopez will be our spotter. She'll provide overwatch." "Why not let Metro provide overwatch?"

It's the first time Tim's being challenged in the field, and that's where Tim's completely secure in who he is and what needs to be done.

"Because we need all our boots on the ground, and there's no one I'd rather have on my six than La Adelita."

Fuck, yeah! Now, from what I understand, there was a real life Adelita during the Mexican Revolution, but the term was used to honor all the women who took up arms to help protect and defend their homes. True Warrior Goddesses. And Angela definitely is one.

That's all it takes for Metro division to stand at attention. Angela's a damn legend. So, maybe Tim does know what he's talking about, eh? Let's take this new team out to see how we do.

Metro Style Camera Work

I love the way this was shot. The way it was directed. The way it was edited. This whole sequence is just gorgeous.

While I was watching the first time, my mind immediately when to how clean-cut the sequence was a few weeks ago with Tim and Lucy rescuing that family. Nothing against how that was shot. It fit the need.

And this sequence is fitting the need of introducing us fully to Metro as its own entity. Yes, Metro has been a part of ops on the show before, but this is the first time we're riding shotgun with Metro, and it's amazing.

Through a combination of tight shots, wide shots, steady-cam that's not-so-steady and drone shots, we're dropped into the action. It reminds me of active combat films and television shows I've watched over the years. Yes, I have eclectic tastes.

Yes, I know this is a Chenford Meta... but this is a part of Tim's story. His first time out with Metro and he gets to do it with his girl? That's what I'm talking about.

Tim just CONKING out the Guy

That made me laugh. I was having Princess Bride flashbacks. Like, yes, it's badass. But I also watch too many shows/movies.

But Tim Bradford is finally getting to show them who he is. On-the-job, he is locked in. It's going to take him a little longer to develop relationship bonds with this group. He's spent a long time surviving in isolation and convincing himself it was enough.

Now he has a family off-the-job and he needs to find a way to connect with his new team on the job. He'll get there, but it's going to be a process.

"Come on. Just take one step."

I love this. Yes, the bad guy could've overheard Tim and it could've been bad for all. But, in the safety of television, I loved that little insight to his head. He's calculating. He's making decisions in real-time. He's protecting their innocent. He's the real fucking deal.

"It's okay. You're safe, now."

And that is who he is, too.

Starting out this episode, Tim was a little unsteady. We've never seen him that way. But by the end he was completely confident in himself, in his team, and in the chain of command.

Tim is getting to excel in a new arena that takes the best of all his training and experience. It's really a culmination of everything that's come before. This is the job he's been training for all his life. And he's the right person for the job.

There's just a learning curve. There's an on-ramp. And that's gonna be tough for Tim for a bit. The tension and angst isn't coming because he's not good enough. It's because naturally connecting with people isn't his thing. He keeps things in nice boxes, but these folks have to form a camaraderie to help them get through the worst of it day-in and day-out.

Tim's days of pulling over drunk tricyclists are long over. It's going to be great, but first he has to get through the bits that are not-so-simple.

Lucy Spreadsheets Poverty

So, you and I know that it's not poverty, but Aaron's got a warped view of life, God bless his heart. But I loved Lucy pulling an Ames from Brooklyn 99 and getting that spreadsheet whipped out.

Amy was my fictional bestie on that show, and Lucy is on this one, so it makes me unreasonably happy to see both armed with spreadsheets. I warned ya I was into office supplies!

"Hey, Bradford. Good job out there today." "Thanks." "They're a good bunch once you get to know 'em." "Yeah, I'll take your word for it." "Nothing against Patrol, but Metro is a different beast. We get called in situations that are already at a boiling point. That kind of stress creates a special bond."

He really looked at them and tried to shimmy away before they noticed him. But Lt. Pine is being a good leader. She's reaching out to the newbie. She knows the skills he has and the potential he has to be a real strong member of this team. But, he has to reach back. And that's not Tim's specialty.

"And I'm on the outside of that" And every single one of them was, too, at some point. Give it a little time." "Okay."

Golly, I feel this. How many times I was on the outside. I mean, I'm a weirdo, so I was never on the "inside." I thought after high school, it would be different, but in every brick-and-mortar job I've had... I was always the oddball who didn't quite fit in.

Right until the end, that is. My humanitarian nonprofit team was really solid, there, and we watched out for each other. But the first few weeks there were an absolute nightmare.

So, Tim, I totally get it. This group reminds me of the PAs at the newsroom I worked at right out of college as a Web Producer. They had so many in-jokes, and connections, and even though I tried to go to the parties and hang out... it just never clicked. Hopefully, Tim has an easier time with Metro, if he gives it the chance.

"You wanna grab a beer with us?" "Do I have a choice? It's tradition. New guy buys a round."

And that was a genuine Tim smile. Gives me hope for the kid.

"Yes, I'm happy to send over my references. And I can start whenever you need me"

How much do I love we switched from Tim to his wife and kid? There've been a lot of episodes ending with Tim and Lucy lately, so we knew that brief trend had to end (it's not the Tim and Lucy show), but I really loved that.

"I just don't want to be a burden." "You're not. Tamara, look, I get it. Your whole life you've been displaced from one home to another, but that's over now. Girl, we're family. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

Tamara needs to hear this. Since her parents died, there's been nobody she could really count on. From Swiping to couch surfing to unreliable family members... Tamara's always been the one cast out, the one that didn't belong, that one that was told she was a burden.

Tamara, my dear, you are no burden. You are a beautiful, talented, strong, bad-ass young woman who somehow didn't give up on herself even when the world gave up on you.

In Lucy, you found something you thought you'd lost forever when your parents died—family. And if you ever doubted Lucy saw it that way, too, well, time to stop doubting. You are loved, my dear.

"Thanks. But I will get my own place, eventually. I don't plan to be the weirdo roommate when you and Tim start having babies."

Did you hear Lucy suck in that breath? Because I sure did. *phew* She is not ready to talk about the immediacy of babies.

Let's be clear, Lucy Chen wants Tim Bradford's babies. But she still has a lot to do in her career before starting her family, and then more to do after she does. She and Tim can try to plan out what works for them, and there's no rush on that, yet (especially if she did take up Mama Chen's offer to freeze her eggs).

But can I point out that I love that the Moonstone Ring makes an appearance for this scene where we're talking about Chenford babies?

It can't be in every scene (that'd get super weird and kinda kill its magic), so I wasn't even looking for it, but the light caught it at one point, so I had to rewind. A welcome little Easter egg.

"That's a long way off, but I don't know, maybe it could work out. I hear you're a really good babysitter." "You can't afford my rate." "It's like that." "It is."

I get it. Family doesn't always want to take your kids, and that's perfectly fine, too. I had twins, and most people just couldn't deal with the "multiple babies at once" thing.

But can we talk about the fact that both Lucy and Tamara now have certainty that Tim and Lucy are going to have kids? Like, a few weeks ago, Tamara was asking if they were going to break up because of their work situation, and now she's talking about their babies.

Lucy has never been this serious about any of her on-camera love interests. We don't know what came before, but this is the first time she's used the "g-word" and they were both ready to switch jobs, and they are upending their lives because it's worth it!?

They are worth it. And, golly, I love being along for the ride.

As ever, thanks for reading. I have a few requests in, and one I'm working on. But, as I'm doing much better on the back and life's picking up a lot IRL, I might be a bit slower getting to them.

Have a beautiful rest of your week.

#Chenford #Lucy Chen #Tim Bradford #Melissa O'Neil #Eric Winter #Meta #The Rookie #Lucy x Tim #Tim x Lucy

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escapismqueen · 1 year

Note

Chenford + drunk confession

Hey, here’s a little fic for your prompt. Thank you for requesting it, I really needed the inspiration 😂💕hope you like it 🥰

A Chenford pre-relationship fic- How do you know ?

Lucy is having a rough day, so with the help of Tim, Nyla and Angela take her out for the night. But what happens when Lucy drunkenly confesses something to not only Angela, but to Tim as well ?

Inc: Fluff, hurt/comfort, protective Tim, Angela, Nyla and Lucy being adorable

Warnings: alcohol consumption and talk of a difficult parental relationship

Tim looked over at Lucy in the shop, eyebrows scrunched in concern at her lack of conversation. Usually, she’ll have told him 3 different stories by now, wether they be from childhood, police academy or just last night; she always had something to tell him. And as much as Tim would complain and exclaim that there was to be ‘no personal talk’ in the shop, he secretly loved it and felt excited every time Lucy opened her mouth.

“You okay ?” He stares at her every few seconds, his focus on the road suddenly seeming unimportant and dull. Lucy’s head swings towards Tim’s, his words snapping her out of the trance she’s been in for the past half an hour. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, I’m fine” she answers in a tone of voice that is fooling nobody; especially not Tim Bradford.

Tim breathes out, hands clenching around the steering wheel, knuckles turning white as his agitation and anxiety rises. Lucy always tells him what’s wrong, she even gave him a 20 minute speech once about how ‘it’s important to acknowledge your own feelings so you don’t get lost in them’. She’d told him this when they got called out to a Domestic- the couple had been arguing every night for a week and had several calls made about them to the police; turns out that they were just missing each other because they’d both been working late. Lucy had a lot to say on the matter.

Thinking about a way to approach the subject without pushing her too hard, Tim keeps glancing at Lucy, eyes darting back and forth between her and the road. Her silence doesn’t diminish, so Tim makes a decision that even has him questioning his professionalism. He pulls the shop over to the curb, feeling confident that today is a quieter day, and there’s been no calls to them as of yet.

Lucy casts her gaze towards Tim hesitantly; did he just pull over ? It’s not their lunch break yet and they haven’t had a call, what’s gotten into him ? “Tim, wha-“

“Tell me what’s going on” he looks at her with an impatient expression, jaw slightly hardened and his whole body turned towards her. He may be trying to seem annoyed, but Lucy doesn’t miss the worry that floats in his eyes; she’s seen it enough times to know when it’s there. “It’s nothing important, honestly I’m fine.” Tim sighs, the look of disbelief that crosses his face is almost humorous, and Lucy wound have laughed if she didn’t feel so crappy.

“You’re fine ? So that’s why you’ve not said a word all day and why you’ve been moping about looking outside your window ? That’s fine is it ?” She looks at him with exasperation, though she’s privately flattered that he cares this much. “It’s my Mom” he nods in understanding; this explains her mood. Tim knows Lucy Chen like the back of his hand, and he knows how complicated her relationship with her Mother is, so whatever problem she is currently harbouring, it can’t be a good one.

“It’s just, we haven’t really spoken properly for a while, since she said all that stuff about my job. But it was her birthday yesterday so I called her up last night, and she just- she just completely tore me down in any way she could ! It was either ‘you’re stupid for staying at this job’ or ‘you’re not being a very good daughter’ or ‘have I had any dates recently, because a man ‘won’t wait forever’” she rolls her eyes in frustration, her hands flying up to emphasise every word she utters. Tim can’t help but focus on the last one ‘a man won’t wait forever’, he may not know everything when it comes to love, but he knows that a man in love would wait, and he would wait until the end of time for a woman like Lucy; he knows he would, but he’s not about to tell her that.

“I’m just so sick of feeling small around her. I’m sick of never feeling good enough in anything I do!” Her anger is clear from any angle, wether she could be heard or not, her body language screamed rage, hurt, exhaustion. Tim can feel his heart tighten at the sound of torment in her voice. Lucy is the epitome of sunshine, and so seeing her any different feels wrong. He thinks for a moment, unsure if he can say what he wants to, he doesn’t want to overstep and upset her even more, but they’ve been through so much together, and each of them trusts the other with their life, so he convinces himself to open up.

“Listen Chen, I don’t know if this is my place to say, but I’m going to anyway” he takes a breath and looks deeply into her eyes with sincerity. “Nobody, and especially not your Mom, should be speaking to you like that. You’re feeling angry and upset because the way she treats you is wrong and just because she gave you life, doesn’t mean she gets to decide what you do with it. And for the record, any man stupid enough not to wait for you, doesn’t deserve you in the first place.” Tim’s eyes widen slightly in surprise at himself; sure, they’ve had heart to hearts before, many times in fact, but has he ever said anything that personal regarding her love life ?

Before Lucy can give her response, Tim cuts in, anxious to sway her mind from the last thing he said. “I’m just saying, it’s okay if you need to cut her out completely, at least for a while. You may be her daughter, but she’s your mother, and mothers aren’t supposed to cause their daughters pain.”

Lucy is silent, her mind digesting every word that she’s just heard. She needed this. Other than Jackson, everyone else had told her that her mother only had her ‘best Interest at heart’ but it’s easy to say that when you haven’t lived with it your whole life. And here Tim is, saying easing her worry and guilt by completely validating her feelings, and telling her that it’s her Mom that’s in the wrong. She didn’t realise how much she needed to hear it from somebody else, and now that Jackson is gone, she thought she’d never hear it again. Lucy knew that Tim understood that she felt a certain way towards her Mother, but she hadn’t realised he knew just how much he understood. In a way, she supposes she should have considering what she knows about Tim’s dad, but when her Mom signed her up to have her eggs frozen, Tim’s response had been “or, she’s just looking out for you knowing how busy you are” so it’s safe to say his response to this did surprise her slightly.

Lucys continued silence starts to ring alarm bells in Tim’s head “Lucy, I’m sorry, I-“

“No, no, don’t be. You don’t know how much that meant to me, so Thankyou.” She gives him a reassuring smile and a grateful stare that she hopes he doesn’t miss. “And you’re right, I think I’m going to tell her we can’t speak for a while, even on holidays.” Tim nods in agreement, happy that she’s realising she deserves to be treated better. The look between them doesn’t falter for a second, a depth to their stare that says more than words ever could. Both of them gulp in anticipation, not quite knowing what feeling is lingering in the air.

“Assault Suspect heading on foot towards Brook street, white male, black suit, suspect is armed” Lucy and Tim are brought out of their haze by the sound of the radio. Tim knows immediately that they’re close to Brook street, he saw it just before he parked the shop. And he now knows that whatever moment he and Lucy were just having, is very much over. “7 Adam 19, pursuing suspect on Brook street”

Later on at the station

Angela walks up to Tim, a determined stride in her step, and a mischievous glance on her face. Oh no, the last time Angela had this look on her face, she’d told him to fire her maid of honour, what could she possibly have in mind now ? “What’s happening?” Tim asks warily, failing to hide the humour in his words. Angela smirks at him and wiggles her eyebrows “Timothy, I have a task for you” Tim’s eyes narrow, the teasing tone and full name that she uses, causing him uneasiness; and Angela knows it. “Spit it out”

“I need you to be the chauffeur for a girls night tonight.”

“What ?! No! The game is on tonight, why can’t Wesley ?” He looks away in exasperation, hands thrown up either side of him. Angela sighs impatiently, she hasn’t got time to lay all the groundwork out for him, and tell him all about Wesley’s new case that’s been keeping him late at work; she’s supposed to be in a meeting right now, so she uses the only card that she knows will undoubtedly work “it’s for Lucy”. Tim’s head snaps her way with force, an intrigued expression now replacing his previous exasperated one.

“What is it ?” Angela smiles in victory “wellll, I noticed Lucys been a bit down today, so Nyla and I decided that we’re taking her out tonight. And you are going to happily take us and pick us up so we can all have a nice drink.” Her eyebrows begin to raise again, arms crossing in defiance, there’s no way Tim is getting away with a ‘no’ on this one. He sighs in defeat, puffs of air releasing through his lips “Fine, what time ?”

At the bar

Angela, Nyla and Lucy sit close around the table at the bar. They arrived almost two hours ago and Lucy has had the absolute pleasure of ranting all about her problems, with Angela and Nyla backing her up and listening intently to everything she said. They were right- she needed this. Nyla raises her glass of water, a smile on her face and a relaxed, peppy air about her. “Here’s to living our lives by our own choices, and not giving a fuck about what anyone thinks of it.” “Damn right” Lucy and Angela comment in unison. A look of recognition crosses Nyla’s features and she re raises her glass, both Angela and Lucy looking on confused. “And here’s to Tim Bradford for forgetting that I’m pregnant, so could have easily been the designated driver tonight.” Laughter erupts from the table in a ferocious parade, onlookers smiling at the joy of the clearly close friends.

“Okay, I’m gonna have to run to the bathroom because this baby is jumping on my bladder like nobody’s business” Nyla gets up from the table , a quick skip In her step, and Angela takes the private moment to ask Lucy something that has been on her mind. “So, how’s things with you and Chris?” Lucy looks up, eyes particularly bugged out for the casual nature of the question, which doesn’t go unseen by Angela. “Oh? Erm, yeah, things are fine-great, yeah, we’re good” Angela’s left eyebrow arches at the fumbling of Lucy’s words. She asked this question for a reason; she knows Lucy isn’t happy with Chris, she’s aware she’s settling because she thinks she can’t have what she really wants- Tim. But she knows Tim Bradford, and Tim Bradford wants Lucy Chen. She’s so desperate for those two idiots to figure it out, so she prods her more.

“You don’t seem too confident in that answer” By now, Lucy’s had a few drinks, and her usual barrier she puts up of hiding feelings for Tim, was getting weaker by the second. “Mmmm, I mean, Chris is a nice boyfriend, but I’m just not sure he’s great for me” Lucy winces and drops her head into her hands, instantly regretting revealing such things when she hasn’t even said them out loud to herself yet. Angela rests a comforting hand upon Lucy’s forearm, and pulls her hands away from her eyes, getting her to look at her own. “Look, I know it’s not exactly my business, but nobody in the history of time has ever referred to their boyfriend as ‘nice’ when things were going great. It’s easy to settle when you think you don’t have a chance at what you really want, but If I were you, I wouldn’t give up so quick.”

Lucy’s brows scrunch in bewilderment. Angela hit the nail on the head with everything she said; maybe a little too much- what does she know ? Have a chance at what she really wants? What would make her say that with the little information she gave her about Chris?. Her mind begins to turn foggy, and before either of them can think through the question anymore, the alcohol hits them and the only thing they want to do is dance.

“Nyla !! Come over here ! We’re dancingggg” Nyla lifts her head on the way back from the bathroom, chuckling at the state of her two friends. “I can see that” Lucy’s smile is bright and she appears to be much more carefree than she was this morning. Nyla can’t help but give in to temptation and join them both on the floor, each of them being spun around by the other, drunken and sober giggles flying through the air. This is definitely what was needed, Angela and Nyla included. Angela has been feeling the stress of being detective pretty hard lately, and Nyla has been dwelling constantly on the baby and if either of them will be safe; a night with their girls is just what the doctor ordered.

3 hours later, Nyla calls Tim and asks him to come and pick Lucy up. Already getting in his car, he puts his phone on speaker and tells her he’ll be there soon. “I thought you and Angela needed a ride too.”

“Yeah, we did, but Wesley’s just got out of work and said he’d pick Angela up, and I’m going too because my place is closest to theirs” she peers to her side at Angela, face questioning wether she had sufficiently excelled in the task. Angela bobs her head rapidly, eyes scanning the room to see if Lucy had returned from the bar yet, cautious of getting caught. The thing is, Wesley wasn’t working late tonight, and she had known that from the beginning, but Angela had plans of her own, and that included getting Tim and Lucy to open up about their feelings; she just decided to give them a little nudge.

“Okay, if you’re sure. I’ll be about 5 minutes” “okay cool, bye.” Nyla turned to Angela, a humorous smirk etched upon her lips “you’re a menace” Angela laughs and pushes Nyla’s arm with a playful shove “a super smart menace”.

“Who’s a super smart menace?” Lucy questions, clearly her trip to the bar had been a short lived one. But In Angela and Nyla’s luck, she was much too inebriated to notice the deer in headlights expression that was notched into their faces. “Oh, nothing, just someone in a case we worked on last week” Angela sends a promising smile to Nyla, eyes seeking the appraisal for her lie that her drunk self wanted. Nyla nods towards her with an over exaggerated smile and thumbs up, her demeanour taking that of a Mother who’s child had just gone potty for the first time.

Nyla’s phone buzzes, gaze averting from Angela and Lucy, who are currently wobbling, leaning on each other for support- yeah, it was time to head home. Thankfully, Tim and Wesley had arrived at pretty much the same time, so the women parted ways safely and made their way home.

Tim grabbed into Lucy’s waist and reached his hand out for hers when she stumbled on her own feet. “How much did you have to drink?” Lucy giggled troublesomely, her hiccups giving away that the number of drinks she had was worryingly high. Tim sends her an amused smile, mind feeling slightly more at ease to know that he’s with her whilst she’s like this. “Okay, let’s get you in the truck” he utters it so adoringly that drunk Lucy can’t help but tear up. “Thank you for picking me up Tim, I know the game was on *hiccup* tonight”.

As Tim puts Lucy’s seatbelt over her and clips it into the holder, his mind runs wild with how she knows that the game was on tonight. He didn’t tell her, and she doesn’t follow football, so how could she have possibly known that ? Curiosity usually doesn’t get the best of him, he’s usually one to not care why people say what they say, but this- he must know. “How did you know the game was on tonight?” His voice has heightened in curiosity, hands still rested safely on the seatbelt, but as he looks to Lucy for an answer, he is met with her angelic-like state of sleep. In theory, you’d think that tussled hair, open mouth and slight snoring wouldn’t be that cute, but to Tim, she looked perfect.

Shaking his head of the thoughts a man in a relationship shouldn’t be having, he gently closes Lucy’s side of the truck and hops into the drivers seat, making his way to Lucy’s apartment, his eyes glancing over to her every once in a while to check she’s okay.

As Tim parks outside of Lucy’s building, he softly whispers her name and rubs her arm up and down to wake her. No response. “Lucy” this time, he gets a reaction; she begins to mumble and curls herself up to the window of the truck. It’s clear to Tim that she’s not going to wake up, which leaves only one option- he’s going to have to carry her.

Opening Lucy’s door, he carefully unfastens her seatbelt so he doesn’t wake her in the process, and places an arm underneath her thighs, other arm wrapping around her waist. Tim lifts her with no struggle out of the car, and repositions her over his shoulder so that he has a hand free to open the door to the building and her apartment. The elevator was luckily empty due to the time, and Tim was able to comfortably stand in the middle with Lucy sprawled over his shoulder.

As he unlocks the keys to her door, he begins to notice her stirring in her sleep, alerting him that she’s probably going to wake up sooner rather than later. He closes the door and paces his way slowly over to her colourful sofa, laying her down lightly upon the pillows. He crouches down and watches as her eyes stir, leisurely blinking to adjust to the brightness in the room. “Hmmm” Lucy’s gaze sets upon Tim, her drunken state smiling at him, rather than questioning how she got upstairs.

“Hey sleeping beauty” he teases with a smirk, laughing at the irritated glare she’s directing towards her table lamp. “Guessing you had a good night” Lucy breathes out slowly, moving her body so that she’s sat up facing him. “Can I have please water some ?” Tim raises his eyebrows in amusement; he’s never seen drunk Lucy before, he’s seen her slightly tipsy but this is another level, and he’s not going to deny that it’s the best thing he’s seen all week. “I’ll go and get you some water now”. Tim stands from his position and strides towards Lucy’s cupboards, reaching for a glass and filling it up with some cold water.

“Tim?” He hums in response, eyes still watching the water filling the glass. Lucy is looking over at him, her chin placed comfortably on the back of the sofa, eyes inquisitive. “How do you know if you’re settling for someone ?” Tim freezes to his spot, turning off the tap quickly as the glass overfills due to his surprise. “Erm, I don’t know” he thinks for a second of how to answer her question, but once he realised she probably won’t remember tomorrow, he begins to answer her. “I suppose you’re never really at your full happiness with the person, because there’s a part of you that doesn’t actually want them. I guess you just feel a little empty at times when you’re around them” as Tim unload his thoughts, he realises that he may have just said something that he needed to hear himself, but it’s 1:30 in the morning and he’s not about to delve down that hole.

“Why do you ask?” He walks towards her and hands her the glass of water, their fingers grazing across each other and sending sparks of electric through their bodies.

Lucy looks at Tim with a thoughtful leer, head spinning trying to come up with the words her brain wants her to say. “Mhnnnm, I’m not sure I like him- Chris, I’m not sure if I have proper feelings for *hiccup* him.” Tim opens his mouth in shock, eyes bulged and heart rate increasing with hope; he thought she was happy with Chris, but knowing that that might not be the case, he feels himself feeling lighter for the first time in weeks. “I bet you’re a great boyfriend, Ashley’s veryyyy lucky” Tim smiles in disbelief, worrying he’s imagining this in his head, so he says the only thing that he can think to say “thank you, Chris is very lucky too.”

“What do you think of him ?” Lucy questions, eyes scanning Tim’s face for any tells. “I uh- he’s nice” Lucy chuckles and recalls earlier on that day “Angela said that saying that is usually not a good thing” he’s stuck for words now, because Angela’s right, he didn’t mean “nice” in a good way, what he meant to say was ‘he’s definitely not good enough for you’, but now was not the time nor the place for it. “Yeah, well Angela says a lot of things” he brushes off Lucy’s question and tries to divert her attention elsewhere “drink your water”. As she takes a sip, her eyes become heavy with sleep, her bed calling her loudly. “I’m going to sleep”

Tim catches her as her head lulls to one side glass caught in his other before it can shatter to the floor. “Okay, just drink this and then you can go to sleep”

“Ughhh, Tim, I just wanna sleeeeep” he chuckles once again, debating wether or not he should film this so he can tease her about it at work; the look on her face would be a sight to see, but he decides against it as she begins to cry. “ I just- I just wish love was easier. Like- I wish I just felt at one with Chris, I wish it was easy and I wish I *hiccup* could just be myself- like it is with me and you.” Tim’s eyes glaze over and he can’t help but brush a tear from Lucy’s cheek, the need to envelop her growing stronger by the second. His brain short circuits at the declaration of her words. ‘Like it is with me and you?’ Is she saying she has feelings for him, or is she just stating that it’s easy with him, no romantic implication behind it ? It’s safe to say that she’s caused his mind to race wildly tonight.

“Lucy-“ “I’m tired, can I sleep now?” Tim halts in the middle of his sentence, coming to the conclusion that he probably shouldn’t read too much into anything she’s said, because she’s not in the right state of mind. He peers over to her glass of water, satisfied that she’s drank enough and nods softly, helping her into her room. The question of how to get her into more comfortable clothes becomes intelligible, he can’t get her dressed himself so the only option is to turn around whilst she dresses herself and hope that she doesn’t tumble and injure herself.

As if Lucy had read his thoughts, she tilts her head up at Tim and states that she’s too tired to get changed, and is just going to sleep in the clothes she already has on. Tim nods and follows her to the bed, laying her down gently and putting her in the recovery position. His head may be swirling, but nothing could ever stop him from making sure she’s safe. As she gets comfortable, he brings the remaining water and some Advil and tells her to take two so that her hangover isn’t too bad in the morning. Lucy’s heart warms at the sight of him taking care of her; this is what it’s supposed to feel like, she thinks to herself. She swallows the Advil down and puts herself back into the position that Tim had previously put her in.

With a tired yawn and sniffle, she cracks an eye open to gain Tim’s attention and sends him an adoring smile. “Thank you again, for bringing me home, and for taking care of me”

“No problem Lucy, I’m here whenever you need me” the sincerity in his voice sets a calm over the room, and Lucy nuzzles her head into her pillow, nose scrunching when the material tickles her. “I’ll see you at work” he places a friendly hand upon her shoulder, but as he looks at her, cuddled up in bed, hair falling into the pillows, he can’t help but to brush a strand behind her ear. He turns towards the door and tiptoes gently so he doesn’t wake her up; then he remembers ‘I know the game was on tonight’- he never did find out how she knew, so he took a chance, whispering out the question once again, expecting no response from the half asleep woman in bed. “How did you know the game was on tonight ?” When he gets no reply after 5 seconds, he continues to walk out of the room, preparing himself to take his trip back home. But then it comes.

“Because…it’s you”

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