Chapter 18: Sweet Lullaby
The one where Tim and Lucy go to a LAPD event.
Tim was having a good day, truthy he was having a fantastic day. He had woken up to find that Cujo had not ruined any more pair of shoes and had managed not to spill water from his bowl all over the floor. He had also managed to catch a glimpse of Lucy arriving at work in a short sundress and hadn't been able to delete it from his brain ever since, fact that he did not mind on bit.
"Bradford." Sergeant Grey called to him, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Sir." Tim acknowledged as he walked towards the sergeant.
"Do you have any plans for Saturday?"
"Not that I'm aware." Tim answered, deducing that Grey was going to ask him to pull an extra shift.
"Good." The older man nodded, fighting to hide a smirk. "In that case you can go to the LA Veterans gala."
"W-What?" Tim asked shocked, he was expecting to be asked to do an extra shift not to go to a black-tie event.
"You heard me. I can't attend this year. I'm going to Cornell with my daughter for a tour." He answered. He didn't know what was best: a trip to New York with his wife and Daughter or a wasted night on eating and chatting.
"The party is for active Sergeants not…"
"It wasn't really a request Bradford." Grey stopped him and Tim mentally slapped himself for thinking he could have a complete day without any sort of bad news. "Besides you attending would look good on your file, a chance to make important contacts."
"I guess I have no other option then." Tim nodded vexed. "Where and when do I need to be present?"
"Vibiana at 7 p.m." Grey informed, pulling the invitations from his pocket and handing it to a reluctant Tim. "Oh, you need to take a plus one… maybe that girlfriend of yours, the social worker."
"We…" Tim tried to explain that he and Rachel were no longer together and that he was single.
"No excuses Bradford. Just do it." Grey patter him on the shoulder and left, leaving Tim to huff. Great, where was he going to a get a date on a Thursday?
"Hey, ready to head out again?"
"No." He answered gruffly, not bothering to look at her, and Lucy turned to look at him confused.
"What happened? You were in such a good mood, like ten minutes ago." Lucy answered looking at Tim, who was simply massaging his forehead. How can someone go from being in a great mood from being hella moody in so little time. She would definitely need counselling after training was over.
"Grey happened." He explained, turning to look at her. As if a bell had rung in his head, Tim had a mental epiphany.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" Lucy asked rubbing her checks with the back of her hand when she noticed Tim's look. It was the one he offered her when he was up to nothing good.
"No." He smirked, and Lucy simply raised an eyebrow. "Do you have plans for Saturday?"
"That depends." Lucy said with caution.
"On?"
"on whether I like your suggestion or not." She explained like it was obvious, it was clear he was up to something.
"I'm not suggesting, I'm telling you." He explained with a smirk.
"It's my free time." She defended.
"And? I'm your T.O." He said cockily, like that was his excuse for doing whatever he wanted to her.
"I'm not going to bother arguing with you." Lucy answered with a tired sigh, she was not going to like whatever he had to say, of that she was sure but knowing Tim that wouldn't really matter. "Just say it."
"You're accompanying me to the LA Veterans Ball." He informed her and Lucy mouth dropped. The LAPD hosted, in collaboration with city hall, countless balls for certain foundations. One of those parties was the LA ball in honour of the Veterans, it was a fancy event that demanded appropriate attire. Lucy never even contemplated attending one so needless to say the fanciest dress she owned was a Bridesmaid light blue dress, she wore to a friend weeding. Totally inappropriate.
"Are you kidding me Tim?" She asked hitting, harshly, on his left arm and he widened his eyes in slight shock and stepped away. "You can't simply invite me to that on such short notice. I have nothing to wear."
"Are you really mad at me because you have nothing to wear more than the fact, I sort of forced you?" He asked, completely confused.
"YES, you idiot." Her voice started higher, but she lowered it to whisper the last part. Hadn't Tim been so glad that she hadn't said no, he would have punished her for the idiot comment.
"You can simply buy a dress." He said, which he immediately regret, when Lucy turned her killer gaze towards him.
"oh, you can simply buy a dress." She mocked, impersonating him and Tim had to hide a smirk at how bad it was. "Says every guy like it's easy. Your suits look all the same but picking up a dress it's much harder because it has to fit every single nook of women's body and believe me there are a lot. Either it is too long or too short, too tight or to loose on the chest or the stomach and clearly making alterations is…"
"Chen, I really don't understand anything you are saying." He admitted, he had one good suit that he wore to every party and wedding and Isabel had never been much of a shopping person. Besides he really didn't want to picture Lucy in a tight dress, he did not need his day to be even worst or more embarrassing. "That means you are coming?"
"Of course, you think I'm losing the chance to go to a gala !?" She asked, like he was completely off the deep end and Tim grinned. "I just wished; you had told me a little sooner."
"I wish I hat known sooner as well." He muttered. To avoid it all together, thought Tim, lately his encounters with Sergeant Grey caused him a raging headache. "I'll be picking you up at around 6 p.m."
"Ok." Lucy nodded and she pulled her phone from her back pocket.
"What are you doing?" He asked. "We still have work to do." He explained pointing at the shop.
"No, you have a job to do." Lucy corrected, throwing him a sweetly fake smile. "I'm gonna spend the rest of shift looking for a dress."
"What..." He started to protest.
"No, you don't get to complain." She stopped him mid-sentence, pointing her finger at him. "I may want to go to this party but I'm doing you a favour, you own me Bradford, so you better cooperate." She threatened with a playful smirk.
"Watch it Boot, or I'll have you run drills with heels on." He threatened as he opened the door to their shop and sat down.
"Damit, I need to buy some nice heels." Lucy sighed as she entered their shop and Tim rubbed his head, what had he gotten himself into?
Tim parked in front of Lucy's apartment building at 6:05 on Saturday night, he smiled when he remembered how much she complained on Friday that she wasn't sure some store would have the dress ready for her today but (not) surprisingly after lunch today, she had texted him informing him that she wouldn't indeed show up naked.
Tim walked up to her apartment, straightening his navy-blue Hugo Boss suit as to make sure it hadn't gotten too wrinkly from seating. It was his better suit, the one he wore, very rarely, and only to very special occasion. It was the same model he had wore to his wedding to Isabel but simply in a different colour. Jackson opened the door a couple of seconds latter and offered him a cocky grin.
"Are those for me?" He asked pointing to the box of expensive swiss chocolate Tim had bought as a thanking to Lucy. The younger officer simply laughed when Tim offered him a slight glare. "Well they should be, because I spent the last 5 hours listening to Lucy ask: Does this look good?"
"I guess, you can eat a couple latter." Tim said, laughing slightly as he laid the box on the kitchen isle. "Is Lucy ready?"
"Almost." Lucy screamed from her room. "I'm just finishing pinning my hair."
"You are going to love the dress."
"What?" Tim asked, swallowing to pretend he didn't listen to what the younger Officer had hinted hat.
"I said the dress is really beautiful, matches your suit really well."
"Lucy wanted it to match." Tim explained and before West could comment on how utterly cute that was, Lucy stepped out of her room. "How do I look?" she asked.
"Queen." Jackson laughed, raising his hands above his head as Tim turned to look at Lucy. He made the utmost effort to prevent his chin from dropping but he was sure he failed miserably. He always considered Lucy to be a beautiful woman, he wasn't blind. He loved the way the uniform fitted her or how gorgeous she looked when she released her hair from her tight bun but in this moment, right here, she was an entirely whole other level of beautiful. She looked almost angelic, ethereal. She wore a simple blue sparkly gown, that had a bateau neckline held up by thin straps and the skirt felt smoothly straight to the floor. Her waist was cinched in but the showstopping moment was when she turned and showed him the criss-cross work of the straps, that left the smooth skin from her neck to her lower back completely exposed.
"So?" She asked shyly when after a few minutes Tim hadn't said a single word. He was looking at her like it was the first time he truly saw her. Had Lucy been more conscious of Tim recent thoughts towards her, she would have known that the look on his face was simply the demonstration of an accumulation of feelings he had for a long time. Lucy, of course, also had to contain herself, not to smile like a fool when she noticed how dashing Tim truly looked.
"You look beautiful, Chen." He said after he regain a sense of himself, clearing his throat so that it would not fail him.
"You look rather dashing yourself." Lucy complimented offering him a shy smile. "Do you think I should pin my hair further up?" She asked, turning to look at the mirror she had in the living room. She had pinned her hair slightly in the back, so that it left the base of her neck exposed and left the remaining strands of hair to hang loosely from her head.
"No." Tim answered, almost too quickly and Jackson suppressed a laughed from his place on the sofa. "I mean I think it looks good like it is." He added in a more controlled tone. The truth was that Tim preferred to see Lucy with her hair down, it made her look more relaxed, young perhaps even more free.
"You look great, stop touching it or you'll ruin it. You guys have to go, or you'll risk being late." Jackson rushed them towards the exit, giving Lucy her small clutch.
"Are these for me?" Lucy asked as she noticed the box of chocolate on the table, picking them up and smiling softly at Tim.
"See it as a thank you." He added in a tone that was meant to come off as standoffish but completely missed the point.
"They are my favourite, thank you." She said, putting the box down and walking closer to him.
"Well I'm gonna eat a few tonight." Jackson stated as he walked them to the door. "No complaining, your dog ate my Varsity jacket." He interrupted Lucy before she could complain.
"It's his dog." Lucy pointed at Tim, smirking slightly.
"He was in her care when it happens, I refuse to take the blame for that."
"His dog, your dog or no one's dog, I don't care. I'm still eating it. Now go." Jackson ordered them as he pushed them pass the door and shut it on their faces.
Tim and Lucy both laughed and headed in silence towards the car, as they reached it. Tim held the door open for Lucy and helped her find a position that would cause the minimum number of wrinkles to her dress. Thankfully they found relatively few traffic and reached the venue quickly, taking the time to talk about the most recent dramas at the station.
"Fancy." Lucy mutter to Tim after he hands the keys of his car to a valet who went to park their car. Tim offered her a smile as she held onto his arm to ascend the stair to the entrance of the old Cathedral.
"What? I only bring my Boots to top notch places."
"And her I was, thinking I was special. When apparently you play all of us." Lucy laughed as they reached the top of the stairs.
"If it makes you feel any better, I wore my best suit for you." He said, pointing at his high-quality suit.
"Thank you but I think you just made my job a lot harder." She joked.
"What job?"
"Keeping all the old ladies away from you." She explained, pointing slightly with her to a couple of old ladies to their left, who were failing to look discreetly at Tim.
"OH." Tim laughed with good humours as he pulled the invites from the interior pocket of his jacket. "Don't be greedy Chen, it doesn't suit you." He teased.
"Not greedy, I'm just a little possessive of my T.O." She winked as Tim handed their tickets to the woman in front of the entrance and she searched for his name on the list.
"Here it is. Table 95." She smiled at them, offering a brighter a smile a Tim that Lucy pretended not to notice. "Have a nice evening, Officer Bradford." She wished.
"You see what I mean." She laughed, attempting to hide her displeasure with the entire situation.
"What?" He asked confused, looking down at her, holding the side of her dress so that she would step on it as she crossed the ledge of the door.
"She was looking at you like you were the last candy in the jar." Lucy explained, admired that he didn't notice.
"Please." Tim shrugged it off as he wanders between tables to look for theirs. "I was a little more focus on something else." He answered looking straight at her and Lucy blushed.
"You are such a player Bradford." Lucy laughed and he chuckled good naturally. "But I see it, you still own me not matter how much you flatter me."
"Can't blame a guy for trying." He winked at her and halted in front of a table with 2 couples around their age and an elderly couple, that would perhaps be in their 90's. "This is us."
"Hello, would you mind if we sit here?" Lucy asked as she approached the table, smiling softly at the elderly couple.
"Of course not, sweety." The woman answered with a slight southern accent. "I told you, we would be seated next to lovely people this year."
"I'm Tim and this is Lucy." Tim introduced them as he pulled the chair, closest to the older woman, for Lucy to sit on.
"I'm Agatha and this is Ralf." The lady said pointing at her husband, who offered them a smile.
"Pleasure to met you and we were the one glad to sit next to such a lovely couple such as yourselves." Lucy smiled, pulling her chair slightly away from the table so that Tim could also look straight at the couple.
"See and you didn't want to come this year." Agatha said, swatting Ralf on the arm. "Took me almost an hour to convince this hardhead to put on a suit and leave the house. But you must know what I mean dear."
"Actually, I was the one who had to force her to come." Tim joked, resting his hand on the back of Lucy's chair and dodging the elbow she sent towards him.
"See, I'm not the only one who didn't want to come." Ralf added and Lucy smiled at the gruff but, at the same time, sweet tone he used for Agatha. "How long have you two been married."
"Oh no." Lucy almost chocked on the water she was drinking, and Tim had to take her glass from her hand so that she could use her arm to cover her face as she coughed.
"We are partners." Tim explained but immediately rectified when the elderly couple nodded and smiled at each other. "We work together, that's what I mean, we are both officers for the LAPD."
"Oh, I see." Agatha said with a grin. "Would have betted you two were a couple but I guess being each other's partners is almost the same level of commitment."
"Yes." Lucy agreed with a smile after she gained her composure, face still slightly red. "And you how long, have you guys been married? Now that must be a story." Lucy said shifted the conversation from them. Tim sighed from his place behind her, mentally thanking her for being so good at changing the topic of conversation.
"Oh, we met in Georgia on October 1945." Rolf explained, gazing adorably at him wife and Lucy couldn't keep a smile away from her face. "I had just arrived from 3 years oversees and I didn't know where I wanted to go from there."
"And there I was, waiting for someone who didn't want me anymore." Agatha completed offering him her hand to hold. "Ralf got a job at this car shop in my city and well we leaned on each other for support, one thing led to another and we got married."
"Oh, that's really lovely." Lucy said, giving them a big grin and turning to look at Tim who also had a smile on his face.
"Ended moving here to open my own shop and stayed till now." Ralf explained, patting Agatha's thigh softly. "we weren't each other's first love but we have been married for 74 years and I never loved anyone so much."
"Oh, you are a sweetheart." Agatha told her husband, grabbing the hand that he had rested on her tight. Lucy turned to look at Tim, whose hand had found the base of her neck and he smiled softly at her. Even though the two of them weren't aware of it then, Agatha's and Rolfs' story applied more to theirs then they thought. Lucy and Tim had loved other people before, had suffered for them and seen a potential to live a happy life by their side but that had not gone has planed but wouldn't stop the from finding true happiness by each other's side.
"You two are simply precious." Lucy smiled at the couple, eyes glistening.
"Thank you dear." Agatha thanked her. As the new formed friends continued with their conversations until a photographer came up to their table asking if they would like to take a couple pictures, when Agatha noticed Tim and Lucy were about to refuse, she intervened. "Oh no dears, you have to take a picture."
"Really Agatha, we are not really fans…" Lucy started to explain.
"Nonsense." Ralf interrupted her. "You will want to remember this day when you are older, this moment you shared. No matter where life takes you, if closer together or unfortunately apart, you'll want something to look at and awake the feelings that you have in your heart right now. And believe me, when you two are our age, your memory isn't that reliable."
"Oh, and you look so dashing, you must take a picture." Agatha added making the pair laugh.
"Alright Tim agreed, unable to say no to the two sweet creatures in front of him. "But you take one with us."
"Oh no…" Ralf started to decline.
"Yes, yes. I want take a no for an answer now." Lucy said, smiling at Tim, thanking him for his brilliant idea. The older couple nodded their agreement and the photographer smiled snapping a couple pictures of Tim and Lucy sitting together as well as a couple photos of the two couples. Tim and Lucy also ended up being convinced to take a couple ones standing and Tim even got dragged into a selfie with Lucy that she latter posted on her Instagram stories.
The evening proceeds as planned, after the photos the benefactors of the Gala gave a speech that neither Tim or Lucy played close attention and announced the amount of money donated to Veteran foundations. Dinner was a pleasant affair with gourmet dishes and expensive wine that left Tim and Rolf complaining that there wasn't enough food. Posterior to the desserts Tim got up to do his job as acting Sergeant and went to introduce himself to some important people, leaving Lucy talking to Rolf and Agatha.
"He's one of the good one." Agatha said to Lucy as they watched Tim greet a group of man, he clearly had met before.
"He's the best." Lucy agreed, flashing a smile at Tim when he turned towards them, probably from feeling their gaze on his back.
"You two are clearly very smitten with each other." Agatha stated.
"He has helped me a lot…saved me actually." Confessed Lucy, she avoided answering her question directly but still answered it with honesty. How could she not be smitten with someone who saved her life?
"And if that doesn't say everything, the way you look at each other says everything."
"You are two very observant bees." Lucy joked, sipping slightly on her champagne. She had made a promise to herself that she would not get drunk.
"Only someone completely blind would miss it, you gravitate towards each other." Ralf laughed. "You have looked at him at least 20 times in the 10 minutes he has been away."
"Don't tease the poor girl, Raf." Agatha warned but he simply waved her off.
"I'll use your words against you, you two are very smitten with each other."
"Every day since 1945." Ralf affirmed and Agatha smiled lovingly at him.
"I'm going to the bathroom and leave you to flirt a bit." The couple laughed at Lucy as she got up to head for the bathroom. She passed Tim as he talked to a tall man with an unpleasant face.
Lucy took her time figuring out, how to pee with her dress and to freshen her make up. Tim ended up beating her back to the table, so took the time to have a whiskey with Ralf.
"The only thing missing is the cigars and it would be just like old times." Ralf remembered and Tim toasted with him.
"Unfortunately, I didn't bring some with me."
"Oh, you couldn't have known, you were going to meet an old sold like mine."
"He was just planning on having a nice time with a beautiful lady."
"I wasn't even planning on coming." He admitted with a laugh. "My boss couldn't come today, so we had to fill in."
"That simply sounds like an excuse." Agatha sang and Tim smiled softly. He would deny it, but he had an hard time keeping his hard-ass persona around elderly people. "I think deep down you wanted to dance with that beautiful girl of yours."
"She's not my girl."
"Clearly you two are ignoring something that's crystal clear to the rest of us."
"I wish it was that simple." Tim answered softly, perhaps if they weren't who they were, if he was her T.O. and she Rookie things would be simple. When he is no longer responsible for her career and she is more stable in Wilshire, perhaps then… if it's not too late.
"If it was easy it wouldn't be the same, you wouldn't feel the fire or the pull." Tim nodded, knowing exactly what Ralf was talking about and even though he was too much of a coward to admit it, watching Lucy talk to a volunteer from one of the organizations and smile enthusiastically made his heart work like never before. "Go dance with your girl Tim before someone comes and sweeps her away." He removed the glass from his hand and gave him a push, as strong as he could master.
"You can thank us latter." Agatha teased as Tim and headed across the dance floor towards Lucy. His Boot was so distracted with the conversation she was having she didn't feel him approach until he touched her lower back. She jumped slightly but relaxed when she saw him.
"Can I still you away for a dance?" Tim bowed offering his hand for her to take and she giggled softly.
"I thought the great Tim Bradford didn't dance." Lucy said, accepting his hand.
"I guess I can make an exception for the great Lucy Chen." Lucy blushed as Tim led her towards the middle of the dance floor. The pair watched Ralf and Agatha wave and smile at them as Tim pulled Lucy closer and they swayed softly to the music.
"They are really wise, aren't they? They clearly see through the masks." Admitted Lucy softly as she rested her head against Tim's shoulder.
"You were always a terrible liar." Tim accused Lucy as he swayed them softly. "And here we are, proving them right."
"yes, we are, not that I think they need to be proved right."
"we could always fake an argument; pretty sure they would get off our backs."
"Tim, they are old. We are not going to cause them a heart attack and be the reason they die." Tim stepped back to look at his eyes and saw the mirth in his eyes. "You were mocking me." She sighed resting back against him.
"I don't enjoy lying to old people." Tim admitted softly, lips pressed against her hair. "it's a nasty habit."
Lucy laughed turning her head towards his neck, her lips resting mere inches from his skin. Her voice was low and soft, but Tim still heard her sing the song they were dancing to.
"Somebody cover up my ears.
Somebody save me from my heart.
Somebody take me far from here,
and rip the speakers out my car.
Cause I'm ready to love you,
or I'm ready to lose you.
But I can't wait here any longer."
Her voice was lovely, but it was the lyrics of the song that caught his attention, it reflected perfectly what was going through their minds. How much they wished to act on their deepest feelings, to truly connect and get lost in each other. Neither of them was blind, they were cops, they knew perfectly well what the other was feeling. But Tim couldn't risk it, not yet, he cared too much for Lucy to be the reason her career was ruined. She knew it two, they wouldn't work if they blamed each other. So, they enjoyed the night, dancing it away, lips almost touching skin and made a mental promise not to acknowledge until the time was right.
The next Monday Tim was signing off some paperwork when Sergeant Grey dropped an envelope in front of him.
"What is there?" He asked surprised, picking up the envelope and turning it around, looking for any logos.
"Apparently the party was fun." Sergeant Grey teased, leaving him alone. Tim quickly ripped the seal and took out, what he now knew were the photos of the Gala. One of him and Lucy seating, maybe a little too closely, one of them with Agatha and Ralf, one standing up and a surprise one of them dancing.
Tim thought he had never looked so relaxed or happy as he did in these photos. He packed them away and promised to make a copy of them for Lucy. He also vowed in his head to send Agatha and Rolf a thank you letter, unfortunately the duo, that made Tim and Lucy admit his feelings for the first time, would never meet them as a couple.
Here it is guys, chapter 18. A super long one that made me very happy to write. Music from Lauv 3
I'm trying to make my posting right on time but I've had a lot to do and I'm having to mentally adjust myself to the reality and fight my anxiety a bit but unfortunately being isolated makes it a little hard. Your support helps a lot 😊
Chapter 18: And we met again, ha a connection to a chapter on the past. Can you guess what chapter?
-stay safe, XO.
P.s.: I don't know if I can reply to Guest comments !? But a few of you have asked me if you need to be up to the show, if you can yes because I try to involve what happens in my chapters but I don't give concrete spoilers, except for 2x11 and 2x14 but as you guys noticed some things are different (Rachel and Tim are no more) hope it helped.
