Chapter 25: Every step of the way

The one where Lucy helps a "stray".

Lucy had always had an aptitude to pick up strays that was off the charts. Maybe it came from the fact that both her parents were psychologist and they too made it their life's mission to protect the less fortunate. Lucy didn't believe she was an all heartedly good person and that her motives were entirely selfless and good, instead she truly believed in the power of karma. She believed that what she put into the universe, had a way to get back to her and the better she did for others, better others would be to her. It didn't always work out that way and Lucy ended up, countless times, hurt by those she cared for, nevertheless she never changed her ways because she knew how easily your life could do a 180 and go down the drain.

"So west did manage to convince you to go out with him and Stearling last night?" Tim asked as pulled her head away from the headrest to avoid falling asleep.

"yes, but I've regretted it the second I entered the club." Lucy admitted, sipping her Coffee, and shaking her head to keep herself concentrated.

"God Chen, you are younger than me but act older. You can't even handle a night at the club." Tim teased, even though he too was not s big fun of clubs. In fact, the last time he had entered a club was probably a good 10 years ago.

"you clearly have never gone out with those two." Lucy answered with a roll of her eyes. "they are like two excited little puppies that are in heat at the same time."

"Then why do you go out with them if you don't enjoy it?" He asked genuinely interested and Lucy rolled her eyes internally. Sure, he would not be able to comprehend why she didn't say no, Tim had no problem telling people no... even if it wasn't the politest thing to do.

"it's not that I don't enjoy it. It really isn't." Lucy reinforced as Tim offered her an incredulous look. "But sometimes they are just a little too much and then they are a little too touchy."

"So, you feel left out?" Tim asked, looking sideways at her. He knew that Caleb had affected Lucy's abilities to form new relationships and how easy it was for that to cause loneliness in a city where everyone seemed to be madly in love.

"I feel like a third wheel." she admitted, she loved sterling and Jackson but going out with the two of them and seeing how in love they were made her wish for a relationship even if she didn't need or wasn't ready for one.

"then don't go." He answered simply. she really needed to learn to say no more often, no matter to who or for what.

"but then they call me old." She whined, every time she refused an invitation to go out Jackson would make sure to point out that she acted like an old divorce, that her only source of joy was Netflix and Ice cream.

"you millennials makes everything hard." Tim commented, when he was her age things were not that complicated. Not that it was that long ago, things just changed a lot in the past 12 years.

"oh, really and what would be the great Tim Bradford's solution?" Lucy asked teasingly, he always had an answer to everything or so he thought.

"I'm not a club person." He admitted and that was his great solution. He simply didn't go to any.

"And where do you go to have fun?" Lucy asked, she was clearly aware that Tim was not a club person, in all honesty Tim was more the work hard play light kind if guy. Even though it had gotten much better.

"To a basketball game." He answered simply and Lucy rolled her eyes, figures that he would go there. "don't give me that look, you don't go to the club to have fun. You go to get laid."

"I do not go there to get laid." Lucy defended her cheeks tinted red from the comment.

"oh really, then what do you do there?" Tim asked, taking his eyes slightly of the road to offer her a challenging smirk.

"I dance and I listen to music." She explained, searching for something that could come as innocent and not cause him to tease her even more.

"that's what you do at concerts." He laughed. "the only dance you do at a club, is the grinding."

"what do you think I do in a club?" she asked, her face going even redder at the thought that he might have imagined her grinding against complete strangers in the dance floor.

"Saint Lucy Chen." He mocked and Lucy simply rolled her eyes, looking out of the window. Her eye catching something that made any sort of remark vanish from her mind.

"Tim." Lucy called, her voice high and alert, for Tim as she looked out the window across the alley, their car was passing by. "look."

Tim turned to look at what Lucy was pointing what and after quickly observing the typical alleyway she was looking at he too caught what she had seen. Behind the dumpster that stood on the left side, Tim could see a pair of well-kept white tennis shoes. While normally they would have ruled it as some homeless person simply lying behind the bin, but the tennis shoes looked brand new and immaculately cleaned. That was a strong indicator that something was not where it should be.

"It looks a little strange doesn't it?" Lucy asked as she turned to look at him for confirmation that he had the same opinion as her.

"yes, let's go check it out." He told her as he parked the car by the sidewalk and stepped out. He walked up to her and the two walked together toward the bin. Lucy felt her heart skip a couple beats, usually bodies behind dumpsters rarely turned out to be simply someone who fell asleep there but instead someone who had there taken his last breath, either by natural causes or by someone else's hands. Lucy still had not gotten used to the possibility of finding a dead body in any crevasses of the city, that was not the case for Tim. He had gotten used to it, there was no other way to it considering that ever since he moved to La the number of homeless people had been high and with that they were too more subjected to criminal activity and to develop serious clinical illnesses. As Tim and Lucy approached the bin with their hands in their guns in case it was necessary, like it was expected they did find the body of a young woman. She did not look like she was homeless, her clothes were clean and looked almost brand new. Lucy leaned down to examine the young girl to check if she was dead or alive, as Tim analysed the surrounding site. There was a small bag by the girl, from some hipster brand – her recognized it because his sister had sked him for the same bag for her birthday.

"Tim, she's breathing." Lucy called to him, as she felt the girl's pulse with her gloved hand, while the breathing was shallow it was there. Lucy observed the girl closing noticing how much she truly shivered even though the heavy layers of clothes. "call for an ambulance." Lucy told him but Tim already had the com in his hand.

"Dispatch, 7-Adam-19 requesting an ambulance at out location." Tim called, as Lucy opened the girls tick jacket and noticed how truly severe her health situation was. She suspected already that the situation was somewhat serious, considering that the girls face was too skinny, she was wearing 4 layers of clothes in late April and she shivered like there was no tomorrow. She had clear signs of severe malnourishment.

"ATA 10 to 15 minutes, there is a huge pile up on the highway." Dispatch answered back and Tim cursed. A pile up during traffic hours would certainly congest the cities resources for a couple hours.

"I don't think she has that much time." Lucy admitted, slapping the girl softly on her cheeks. "sweeties open your eyes." She ordered sternly and watched as the girls blinked several times but refrained from opening her eyes." I know it is hard, but you got to do it." The girl blinked once more and opened her green eyes to look at them. "Honey can you tell me your name?"

"L-ana." Her voice came out scratched and she struggled to even keep her eyes open, her body trying to save as much energy as possible.

"we're taking her to the hospital, give her to me." Tim told Lucy, if all units were rerouted to a pile up it would take more than 10 minutes to get here. Lucy stepped back and allowed Tim to pick the frail girl up. She was so light that it caught him of guard.

"please..." she begged softly struggling, her eyes trying to stay open and looking for Lucy.

"you need medical care." Lucy explained to the girl, looking at her weak frame in Tim's sting arms. She looked more like a waking corpse than a young girl.

"I don't want a feeding tube." She begged them with tears streaming down her face and both officers wondered how many times she had gone through this.

"firstly, you will need some saline solution and then they'll see what else." Lucy said, remembering the protocols for severe malnutrition and dehydration from when she had volunteered in the ER during her college years.

"No glycose." She begged weakly.

"I can't promise that." Lucy said honestly, she would clearly need to receive a boost of glucose to replace the levels certainly were low as well as all the other electrolytes.

"I can't..." She cried weakly and Lucy sighed sadly as she slid inside the back of the shop so that Tim could slide the girl in after her.

"Lana, we got you now. Trust me, you need this to live." Lucy explained softly, as Tim sat the fragile girl on the seat.

"what if I don't want to live?" She asked and Lucy struggled to find an answer, how exactly do you answer that. She contented herself with simply rubbing the girls frail hair with her hand, as she leaned against Lucy for support.

"you should decide that when you have the ability to make a conscious decision." Tim told her as he closed the door to the back of the shop. Lana did not answer back, falling into unconsciousness, maybe because she was comfortable laying against Lucy or because she was too exhausted to answer.

Tim always believed that his job was to make sure that the victim got the medical help he or she needed and leave. He did not follow it up after, unless the situation involved someone he knew. Follow ups were a two-edge sword, it could have a positive outcome or a negative one and from his experience the negative outcomes always managed to weight more in your consciousness. No matter how much you try to forget it. The people you couldn't help never leaves your mind but those you have saved tend to get blurry and eventually vanish, because of that Tim had lived by one rule: make sure they are safe, make your report and close the book. He never expected to break it, but before he met Lucy, he did not expect to break many rules, but he had. Because their shift had been almost ending, Tim had pulled them out of service after watching Lucy's face contort into one of worry when Lana was wheeled into the ER room. She was a bleeding heart and while that would probably cause her many heartaches it was also what made her a good Cop.

"Hey any news?" He asked as he sat down next to her in the waiting room, he had gone outside to make a couple calls and pick them a cup of coffee. He had a feeling this was going to take longer than he hoped.

"Not yet, Grace told me she would tell me as soon as there is." She answered, bouncing her left leg up and down. It was taking all her will power not to get up and walk around, even if she had only sat down less than 5 minutes ago. It was also taking all of Tim's will power not to lay is hand on her leg to steady it.

"Here, drink this." He offered her one of the coffee cups he had bought.

"I'm too nervous for Coffee." She denied politely, Tim's black coffee was a bomb to her ticking system.

"It's your vanilla chai thing." He smirked as he handed the cup to her. The Hospital's coffee shop had some fancy new barista that had expanded the coffee options. And while, on the job, Tim always got them a black coffee because he was not about to raise a boujee cop, he wasn't completely heartless and knew she would appreciate the kind gesture when she was in need of one.

"Thanks." She offered him a soft smile that didn't quite reach her ears, even though she was happy he remembered her favourite order. "She looked really bad Tim."

"They are doing all they can to help her." He reassured her to the best of his abilities, giving her tight a kind, reassuring pat.

"Her hair was falling off." She whispered, more to herself but Tim hear her anyway, remembering how she had collected some of the girl's hair in her hand when she had combed her fingers though it. "They can't help her if she doesn't want to be helped."

"That's how life is Boot. We can't live someone else's life for them no matter how much we want to."

"I just wished…" Lucy whispered not finishing the rest of their sentence because she didn't even know what she wished for. Did she wish she could take the girls pain away or simply fix her !?whatever it was she couldn't simply do it, no matter how much she wanted.

"I know…" Tim told her, comprehending exactly what she meant, considering that Lucy was a blessing hear.

"Lucy, Tim." Grace called to them from the door of the ER, signalling for them to join her.

"Hey, do you have news?" Lucy asked as she and Tim walked towards grace, she led them towards the door of the ER and they could see Lana laying on a bed to the far right, eyes closed but breathing normally.

"yeah, wish I had better though." She admitted with a sombre assemble, as she held the tablet in her hand.

"That bad?" Lucy asked as she played with her belt, nervous for the outcome that could wait the young girl.

"Its not the first time Lana has come to the ER for malnutrition." Grace clarified as she checked her file, confirming only what Lucy and Tim already knew. "she was diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa when she was 14 and has been region admitted all over the county."

"How old is she now?" Tim asked interrupting the doctor, she looked even more tiny and fragile now that she didn't have all that layers of clothes on. He wouldn't have guessed she wasn a single day over 15.

"That's the problem, she turned 18 just a week ago." Grace explained and Lucy felt like cursing, considering she was of legal age Lana could decide what she wanted by herself and she wasn't sure the girl would choose the right solution on the long run for herself. "We called her emergency contact, but no one answered."

"She refused the feeding tube?" Lucy asked just to check because she already knew the answer she would give.

"yes, to get her to agree to take glucose solution was a stretch but she did promise me she wouldn't rip it out of her arm, but she needs to get nutrients in."

"Can I talk to her?" Lucy asked, sending the girl a worried look, perhaps she could say something that would change her opinion. Lucy was soo concentrated in her own thoughts that she missed the look Tim gave her, one of concern for her feeling. While he admired her ability to connect soo deeply with people, he feared that she was even more likely to have her heart broken once more.

"yes, of course." Clair answered smiling softly at them. "Maybe you can make her change her mind. I need to check on some other patients and I'll come by as soon as I'm done." She nodded and walked away, before Tim could have grabbed her arm to stop her and tell her (softly) to measure her expectations.

Lucy walked to the young girl, as Tim pulled a chair for her to sit, standing behind her. The girl's opened her eyes when she felt Lucy's hand rest against her arm. She opened her eyes easierlly than the first time in the alley but still her body was trying to preserve energy to the vital organs. "hey how do you feel honey?"

"Better, thank you." She answered softly, drinking a little bit of water from the plastic cup that sat by her bedside table. She looked at the two officers up and down, observing their body language. She could tell they were genuinely good people, after all they had led her to an hospital even when she had begged not to and had stayed to know if she was feeling better. Still, even though the two showed a face between stoic and caring, Lana could tell how much they wished she would try and get better. Like everyone that ever crossed her mind. "I'm not going to eat."

"Lana, you have soo much to live, soo much to do." Lucy said gently, offering the young girl's hand a tight squeeze. "you don't need to eat a Big Mac or anything, anything at this point is good."

"Why should I eat? There's nothing for me out there." Lana admitted sadly, hadn't she been soo week and dehydrated she would actually have cried.

"There's always something for us, even when we don't know it."

"That's not true." Lana said turning her face away from them, all she wanted to do was rip the IV line from her arm and the spectacle-type nasal catheter away from her face. "I have nothing."

"Now I tell that that's not true." Lucy told her, leaning closer to the girl, siting herself further on the edge of the chair. "You have yourself, your worth and your values and that is a lot to have and something no one can take away from you."

"That's easy to say when you have all that plus friends and family. My family tossed me out a week ago as soon as I turned 18." She told them, turning to finally look at the two of them. While Tim managed to hide his shock, Lucy clearly wasn't: Who abandoned their daughter? Especially when she is going through such a difficult moment. "Yeah, I guess handling an Anorexic daughter in constant relapses is not easy or fun, can say I blame them. Honestly, I would toss me out as well."

"Don't say that, they didn't abandon you because you were the problem or because you are sick. They abandoned you because it was the easier and most simple root."

"Well I'm used to being abandoned. My friends bailed as soon as they realised that I could only stay as skinny and perfect as them if I starved myself. It's all fun until the moment your hair falls off and all you want to wear are heavy sweater."

"Those people are not your real friends." Lucy remembered her softly, she too remember the time that the toxic people she surrounded herself with almost made her do things she would one day regret deeply.

"Exactly, then who do I have? No one. No real friends, no fake friends, no real family and no fake one either. I have nothing and I can do nothing."

"As long as you keep up that attitude, you are right." Tim told her, his voice slight gruff, he wanted to help the girl he truly did, but he wasn't sure she wanted the help and that would only led to Lucy getting her hopes and her big heart shredded to bits.

"What he wanted to say, in a more polite manner." Lucy corrected, throwing Tim a pointed stare to which he simply shrugged. "Is you are looking at all the past, you are focusing on all the pain you have been through, but you forgot to see all the good things you still have to live. The family you can build, the friends you can still make, the things you still have to achieve, you…"

"You just have to want to live, that we can't help you with." Tim told her now a little more softly. He too had felt abandoned times before and he had people who had reached out for him but, the truth was, that he was the only one who could get himself back onto his feet.

"I wish I could see it that clearly, in my head there's like a small airplane and a SUV on top of all of those possibilities and I don't have the strength to push them off." A single tear slipped down her face as she admitted how truly drowned, she felt to someone who wanted to hear all the pain and not a simple, empty: I am ok. Lucy felt her heart break a little more for the girl and she was more certain than ever that she wanted to do something to help her move forward.

"you don't have to do this alone." Lucy told her softly, and felt Tim shift his weight behind her. "I…"

"Can I talk to you outside Boot?" He whisper in her ear, his voice firm but not demanding. "Now." He told her a little more sternly when he noticed she was about to protest. He wanted to make sure, she was offering something that she new perfectly well what the consequences could be.

"Can you give us a couple minutes?" Lucy asked Lana kindly who nodded, her eyes focused on Tim like she knew what was going through his mind. Lucy fallowed Tim outside, waiting to hear what he had to say that was so important, it couldn't wait a couple more minutes.

"What are you doing Lucy?" Tim asked Lucy as they stopped, just outside the room, he kept his voice relatively low to insure no one would overhear them.

"I'm helping her." Lucy explained like it was obvious, keeping her arms crossed over her chest in a protective manner, already anticipating what would fallow.

"you already helped her, you brought her to get specialized help." Tim answered, looking straight at Lucy but the younger officer avoided his gaze at all cost, focusing her attention on everything but him. Completely aware to where this conversation was headed.

"She needs someone who reaches a hand to her and guides her along the way." She explained, finally looking him straight at him. Lucy wanted to be mad at Tim for trying to call her to attention but as she saw the concern, he had for her in his eyes, she couldn't.

"We can't help everyone Lucy." He said more softly, he simply didn't want her to be sad when, possibly, this went wrong.

"But I can help her." She stepped closer to him, standing closer to him to reassure him that she was confident in what she was saying but that she appreciated his concern.

"you can't know that for sure." Tim remembered her softly, reaching to touch her softly in the arm in support. It was not that he didn't believe in her abilities or that she couldn't help, actually he was sure she could, but it wasn't simply up to her. He would blame himself if she got her hopes up and then everything fell through and he had not tried to warn her.

"I don't but I can try. I need to try." She affirmed laying her hand over his to say that she understood where his concern came from but that this was something, she needed in order to be the person she wanted to be.

"I don't want you to get disappointed if it doesn't work out well." He admitted to her and she smiled softly in response.

"I'll be disappointed in me if I don't try."

"I just want you to know, that sometimes no matter how much we try, we simply can't help people if they don't want to." He remembered

"That's the thing I don't think she doesn't want it, just that she doesn't know how to."

"And do we now how to?" He asked, turning slightly to looked away from her and at the girl that had gone back to a light sleep.

"Oh, is it We now?" Lucy laughed, he did have an amazing ability to infiltrate himself in her plans, not that she minded.

"Please, like I would let you handle this alone. You don't have that much emotional stability." He teased with no actual malice and Lucy laughed. She could probably do it alone, but it felt better to do it with his support.

"Thanks… I guess."

"No need to thank me Boot." He teased back but quickly turned back his attention to the topic at hand. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"I know someone who can help." She answered, and Tim rolled his eyes at her secrecy.

"Do I really need to ask for more information's?" He asked incredulous, looking at her in his serious cop tone. "That was basically what I know already."

"No one can really do a little suspense with you." Lucy pouted and Tim rose an eyebrow at her, as to ask her if she only noticed that now. "I have a friend who co-owns a clinic that handles eating disorders. His partner and he developed this open, trust method, that I think will work great for Lana."

"He's a friend?" He question, trying to sound as uninterested as possible or at least simply interested professionally.

"An ex Actually, officer Bradford." She answered with a small grin. Every time Tim showed any signs of jealousy, Lucy made an internal cheerful dance.

"Oh, and this Ex of yours will help? Willingly?" He asked incredulous, that was not usually the case when talking about past relationships.

"Very funny but actually he will." Lucy answered with a knowing smirk. "Let's say that Chris owns me… eternally."

"Oh really?" He asked, raising an eyebrow questionably at her. He was aware of Lucy's sneaky ways, so he wasn't about to doubt her tactics.

"I dated Chris right before Collage and let's say I made sure his parents didn't doubt his sexual orientation." She smirked and allowed Tim to make his own conclusions. It was a really fun senior year now that she though back to it.

"You are dangerous, Chen. I swear, pure trouble." Tim laughed, who would have thought nervous Rookie Lucy Chen would turn out to be box full of surprises.

"Thank you." She smiled brightly, now that was a proper Tim Bradford compliment. "Nevertheless, we are still good friends and he would help no questions asked. I just need to call him…"

"You should talk to her first." Tim told her, lowering her phone. "Make sure she wants this and not that she feels forced to do it."

"You are right." Lucy agreed and Tim walked away from her, leading the way back into the room. As if she felt their presence, Lana's eyes opened slowly and focused on the two of them.

"Guess my body needs more sleep than usual."

"That's normal, it's trying to preserve you." Lucy explained as she and Tim came to stand by the side of her bed. "I have something to offer you."

"I'm not getting interned again." Lana answered quickly.

"Can you simply listen to her?" Tim asked, which earned him a poke on the ribs from Lucy but a nod from the girl.

"It's not a regular internment but you do have to remain in a place, and attend regular counselling meetings and eat, you can eat what you wont but the more progress you have, more regular every day activities you get to do."

"I really wanted it to sound more tempting." Lana admitted, she really wanted to feel like it could change her life…but it didn't.

"Why doesn't it sound tempting?" Tim asked.

"Let's see confronting my deepest fears only with the therapist and not have anyone there to support me, sounds pretty depressing. And where would I go when I get those privileges? To my house behind the dumpster? Sounds super lovely." She answered ironically and Tim felt too a pang of sadness for her.

"I know you don't know me well, but I promise I'm not a sociopath…" Lucy smiled, interlacing her fingers.

"Well not completely." Tim teased, causing the other two to laugh.

"Shut up." Lucy told him playfully and even Lana laughed. "But as I was saying… You can count on me, I'll be there for whatever it is you need, whether it is my presence in the therapy meetings, a simple phone call or a place to crash afterwards. And believe me I don't give up easily and neither does this guy. He looks all tough, but he'll be there too." Lucy said almost like a promise because she knew that all her words were the pure truth.

"Well, I won't go to the counselling sessions not really my thing but if you eat your vegetables we can, maybe, go punch and shot somethings, believe me it's therapeutic."

"ugh… why help me? you don't even know me." Lana asked slightly taken back by their kind gesture.

"No, I don't. But I wish if I ever go through a hard time, like this, someone will also offer me a helping hand." Lucy explained, as the true believer in giving back that she was.

"I…" Lana answered hesitantly, honestly confused in what was the better answer to give.

"All you have to do is say yes." Lucy almost like a beg, she wanted her to chose life soo much. Maybe Lana couldn't see it, but Lucy could see the bright future she could have.

"Yeah, you don't need to be afraid," Tim reassured her, offering a small nod.

"okay, I'm not promising anything, but I'll try." Lana said, giving a soft smile and Lucy gave a small excited jump.

"That's all I can ask." Lucy answered excitedly, pulling her phone out of her pocket. "I'm gonna make a quick phone call and put this show on the road." She announced and left the room to make the call.

"Is she always like that?" Lana asked as soon as Lucy stepped outside, gawking attentively Tim's response.

"Excited? Pretty much." He answered with a soft smile, it was always good to see Lucy happy and cheerful, she deserved it.

"I mean kind." She corrected, even a blind person could tell that Lucy was a naturally happy person.

"That too." He admitted, if there was one thing, he was learning from his Rookie was how to be a better and kinder person.

"You seem very fond of her." Lana observed, smirking slightly at Tim's surprised face. Thought I would catch that? Sucker.

"She's my partner." He explained but the girl simply rolled her eyes, he really needed to work on his indifferent mask.

"I may be starved but I'm not stupid." She told him and just like that, her stomach growled loudly.

"It does cause some hallucinations." He teased her and hadn't she been so weak, she would have thrown her pillow at him.

"Real funny, anyway she seems really fond of you too." Lana added and watched as his face turned to own of proud. Not smitten, my ass.

"I am pretty spectacular." He answered mockingly to cover his real reaction.

"Ya, right."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked as she re-entered the room a big smile on her face, apparently the conversation went well.

"About how amazing I am." Tim explained naturally.

"Don't believe a single thing he says, he's sneaky." Lucy warned playfully, earning a light shove from Tim. "So, I talked to my friend and he'll be by tomorrow to check on you."

"That's great..." Lana hesitated, as happy as she was that another person was willing to help her, she wasn't ready to face it alone.

"I'll be sure to be here, as the intermediate I am." Lucy reassured the girl, who gave her a grateful nod. "In the meantime, we need to get some nutrients in your system."

"Ughhh…." Lana answered hesitantly.

"Not a full-on meal, maybe a latte…" Lucy suggested, getting her to even drink something was a win in her book.

"ok." Lana agreed, she could handle a latte, after all that was only like 170 calories.

"And a couple of crackers." Tim ordered and the two girls turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, don't be all buddy buddy and attack me. Or will walk home." He said pointing at Lucy. "And you will eat an entire steak even if I have to stay here a week." He threatened Lana who simply laughed.

"Believe me he'll do it, he's as stubborn as a rock." Lucy told the girl, as to tell her that it was simply better to comply.

"I can tell… but fine, I'll eat the crackers and the latte." She caved and smile when she watched Lucy and also Tim smile proudly.

"Now we're talking." Tim said proudly.

"ok, we're going to go and get someone to bring you the food." Lucy told her, taking a step forward to give her hand a squeeze. "Sleep, you have a long day ahead of you."

"Yeah… thanks." Lana answered shyly, feeling her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.

"Don't mention it." Lucy smiled as she stepped back. Tim gave Lana a nod that she returned and left after his partner. "So, do I know what I'm doing or not?"

"Maybe." He answered and she slapped him on the shoulder. Cocky bastard. "But, you should check with West before you offer your house to another stranger without his consent."

"Well I know I can always count with your couch." Lucy suggested and Tim shook his head, good humouredly.

"Cojo's bed maybe but definitely not the couch." He conceded, smiling at her. Faster would Jackson move out than force her out.

"So I'll take the bed !?" She asked rhetorically and Tim simply raised a questioning eyebrow. "Please I know Cojo sleeps in your bed."

"And how would you know that?" He asked, looking sideways at her. While he might let Cojo cuddle for a few minutes in the bed, he would never allow him to fully sleep there.

"He told me." Lucy admitted like she was telling him a secret.

"Yup, we are asking for Lana's food and then you are seeing a shrink. You officially lost it." He teased and Lucy simply laughed.

Lana would be one of those people that would manage to wrap herself around Lucy and Tim, accompanying them throughout their lives. She would be the constant reminder that while they were good cops individually, together they were better people, better mentors, better friends, better parents and better husband and wife.

Hey guys, here it is chapter 25! How do you find it?

I know I'm a little late, but imagination is running short during Quarantine and everything is distracting. I was thinking about maybe doing one-shots, that are off character. What do you think? I still have a couple more chapters planed, and if I did that, it would be a separate story. Let me know!

-stay safe, XO.

P.S.: Next chapter brings someone from Tim's past. Any guesses?