After breakfast, Tim and Lucy walked down the pier to the group of shops and farmers market.

As they walked, Tim seemed to constantly stay connected to Lucy physically. Either resting his hand on her shoulder, or around her waist. It seemed to be effortless for him, but Lucy's skin tingled everywhere he made contact. At one point as they stood waiting in line to buy the bottle of wine he'd picked out, his hand was resting on her shoulder, his thumb tracing invisible lines up and down the base of her neck. So distracted by it, several times she'd missed that the line had moved, but at least she'd been able to keep the blushing down to just a faint flush. They checked out and he followed her towards the door, walking ahead to reach the door before her.

Opening the door for her wasn't new, this was something Tim always did, even as her TO during a shift. As many 'tests' he'd put her through, and no matter how many times he'd talk to her in such a stern voice about how she might've handled something differently, Tim always always held doors for her. It was just something Tim always did for any woman, including his rookie. What made it so different now, instead of motioning for her to go through first, he'd open it with one hand, and lead her through with his hand at the small of her back. It was such a subtle comforting gesture. It also had a side effect making her attraction to him even stronger, if that was possible. Every time he did it, she swore she was falling just a little bit deeper.

She realized the first time he'd ever done that was the day she got to leave the hospital after she'd been kidnapped and buried alive by Caleb. Initially, the plan had been for her to stay with her parents for a few weeks, but after a day of having them at the hospital, Lucy realized she couldn't go back home with them, they'd drive her crazy.

Tim had stayed in her room the whole first night, and most of the next day. He finally went home when the nurses chased him off so both he and Lucy could get some sleep. He'd returned the next day thinking he'd see her one time before she left with her parents. Instead, when he'd gotten there, as he walked up to her room he heard her talking to the Grace.
"No, I'll be fine, just give me whatever I need to sign. I promise I'll have someone there to check on me, you don't need to worry". He heard Lucy's voice and knocked on the door as he walked in.
"Oh see, there's my ride"! As Dr. Grace Sawyer turned to see Tim walk in, Lucy was putting a few things into a bag, fully dressed in sweats, and she looked pale he thought. He didn't see her parents anywhere around, something must have changed. Lucy silently pleaded with him behind Grace's back to play along.

"She shouldn't be alone Tim" Grace turned to plead with him since Lucy wasn't hearing her "If we release her, I want someone to be able to stay with her. She's fine but just in case anything unexpected happens" Grace waited for Tim's response.

"Absolutely" he said and nodded his head. He wasn't quite sure what he was agreeing to, but at this point he would've done nearly anything Lucy asked him to.

"Okay, I'll get the paperwork" she called back to them as she walked out the door shaking her head.

Tim waited for the door to close. "What happened, I thought you were gonna stay with your parents a few days"? He asked her, his concerned tone evident. Lucy was in the process of putting all her flower arrangements onto a rolling cart. He took 3 quick strides over when he saw her wince, trying to bend down to put one on a lower level. He took it out of her hand, shooed her away, doing it for her.
"I thought I'd take the cards off these and give them to the nurse's to give out to other people". She was looking at the dozen or so flower arrangements people had brought and sent her.

"So if you aren't going to your parents, what's your plan"? He asked as he finished moving all the flowers to the cart.

"I just want to go home, I called an Uber to pick me up, Jackson went to Sterling's for the weekend because he thought I wasn't going to be home". Her voice started to crack, she was trying to keep from crying. "I called my parents today and told them I was already home. I can't stay with them, they will literally drive me insane". She held her hands up to her temples. "Grace told me she wasn't going to release me if I didn't have someone to take me home"...she paused and her eyes filled with tears.

"I'll take you home" Tim put his hand on her shoulder, and gave it a squeeze, comforting her so she wouldn't cry. "I'll call Rachel to come stay with you when she gets off work, I can stay with you until then".

Once all the papers were signed they'd brought a wheelchair up to the room and parked it by the door "Hospital rules" the nurse had said, but then a patient calling from the room next door had distracted him so Tim grabbed the bag sitting next to Lucy on the bed, peeked out the doorway both ways, then motioned for her to hurry out, they could sneak out without the wheelchair. As Lucy approached the doorway she felt his hand on the small of her back. He'd kept it there to the elevator, led her into, and out of the elevator and all the way to his truck. She couldn't explain it at the time, but it had made her feel safe and protected at a time she didn't think anything would.
He'd stayed with her at her apartment all day until Rachel could come.

They headed back to the house, Lucy drove the speed limit, this time she wanted the ride to last as long as possible. The cool pacific breeze, the sun shining through the trees as they drove down the residential part of the Pacific Coast Highway. Lots of extra traffic due to it being the weekend. Just as she started to think about what she'd wear tonight, Tim spoke up.

"How about just relaxing on the beach for a while before tonight"? She looked over, and realized even in the car, his hand was on the back of her seat. "We need to go over a game plan anyway".
Oh right, they were here for work...Lucy thought. She'd almost forgotten.
She nodded her head "Yea, sounds good". She pulled into the driveway, through the trees, and into the garage. It was then she realized the movers had also delivered a couple of surfboards, kayaks, and she hoped his idea of relaxing on the beach was actually relaxing in some beach chairs, not jumping in some kayaks to paddle 10 miles before dinner.

While Lucy went up to change, Tim took a couple beach chairs from the garage around to the back of the house. There were lots of families and people on the beach by now, but no one right in front of their house. He put the chairs on the sand in front of the house and went back around to the garage. He grabbed a small cooler and brought it into the house. Bottled water and a couple beers, the crafty ones Lucy liked in the cooler with some ice. He heard Lucy coming back down the stairs, when he looked up, she had changed into some shorts but was still wearing his sweatshirt. He smiled at that, and realized he could see her bathing suit tied up at her neck under it. His pulse quickened at the thought of her taking off the sweatshirt and started to think maybe this had been a bad idea...he needed to concentrate on work, that would be hard if she was half undressed in front of him.

Lucy went out on the back deck and looked down at the beach. Tim had the 2 chairs on the sand, towels draped over the backs. A perfect afternoon is what it appeared to be if you were just glancing at them from the outside. Tim was up and back quick, wearing blue swim trunks, she swore were the same color as his eyes, and a white t-shirt that fit him perfectly. He was carrying a cooler with him. They walked down together and the second she sat down in the chair, her feet in the sand, let her head fall back, she let out a big sigh. Tim chuckled. She looked over through her big sunglasses "This is the life right? Just brunch, hang out on the beach, go to dinner parties...it must be nice to live like this".
Tim thought for a second and shook his head "Where's the excitement in that, you'd be bored after a while. Trust me". he knew her well enough to know she wouldn't be happy without a purpose. Being a cop was a calling for her, as much as it was for him.

"Maybe" she said "But right now it's looking pretty good". She closed here eyes and leaned back. The breeze off the water was cool enough that she was comfortable in the sweatshirt for now. "So what IS our plan for tonight then" she asked.

Tim set the cooler down between them, sat down and took a beer out for him, offering one to her as well. Lucy thought, he really does look like he belongs here. His tan, his physique, the blonde hair and blue eyes, he probably could've done anything he set his mind to, including making a lot more money as a military contractor if that's what he wanted. He wouldn't be happy though she was sure of that. Money didn't seem to be a driving factor in Tim's decisions about his career. He opened her beer for her, took a drink of his, and leaned on the chair towards her on one arm so he could speak quietly. "The key, is not to ask too many questions. I think its likely they'll be the ones to offer up as much as they know, but if not, ask just a few questions. We don't want to seem any more interested than they seem to be". Lucy nodded.

They talked about what kind of questions to ask, and how to act uninterested. What to look for as far as suspicious behavior - in case any of these people were actively involved in the murders, break-ins and disappearances. Tim said "It's unlikely but anything's possible". More details about their cover were agreed upon, they also agreed if anyone asked anything they hadn't discussed that they try to get the other person involved in the conversation to keep the story straight.
"Remember, we want to stick to the truth as much as possible". Tim watched some kids running down the beach chasing a ball, and scanned the beach to make sure parents were close by. "Like if anyone asked where we were when the missile scare happened, we were out shopping and got stuck in a liquor store". Lucy smiled remembering how they'd basically resigned themselves to being blown up so why not have a drink. Another example of one of the few things more important than the rules to Tim Bradford. If they really were going to die, he'd been able to distract her by having enough alcohol to be just a little tipsy. Technically an offense they both could've been fired for.

The afternoon sun made it a lot warmer than it'd been earlier. After they'd gone through all the details of the night Tim stood and looked out at the water. Only a few people had ventured in, and most of them just up to their knees. The Pacific wasn't warm, surfers wore wetsuits even in the middle of summer. Lucy was so distracted by him taking his shirt off that she didn't hear what he asked her. He asked again "Lucy" He repeated her name since she didn't answer "You mind? I think I'll run into the water for just a few"? as he nodded towards her sunscreen.

"Wha? Oh, sorry...I'm...um...sure" She got the bottle, he reached for it and she handed it to him. After pouring some, he handed it back to her, then kept his hand held out to pull her up out of the chair. Turning his back to her, he let her massage it into his shoulders while he slathered it on his chest, arms and face. He watched the ocean as she continued making sure there wasn't a single spot uncovered on his shoulders and back. It was not an unpleasant feeling he thought. And possibly taking just a little longer than it needed to. He smiled, and shook his head just a little, they were both enjoying it, but neither of them would dare admit it.

As Lucy was repeating a mantra in her head 'It's just to avoid skin cancer'. She thought she needs to have him do the same for her. Butterflies began fluttering in her stomach. She finished, and Tim turned to her, motioning for her to take off the sweatshirt, and took the bottle from her.

He realized after she'd taken it off and dropped it onto the back of the chair that he was holding his breath. Lucy wore a very modest bikini, but that much skin showing, Tim had to force himself to think of anything else to be able to put this lotion on her back without thinking about how much he wanted to pick her up right now and carry her back in the house to finish what they'd started several times in the past few days. The freezing ocean would be a good distraction he thought, as he warmed it in his hands before starting with her shoulders, then slowly moving down her back. Goosebumps formed as he reached the small of her back, right at the top of her shorts. He didn't know if it was the coolness of the sunscreen or something else. He still had some on his hands and continued massaging from her back to the sides of her waist. A small noise escaped her, as his hands came close to wrapping around her. Definitely not the cold, he thought, smiling. She had her hands clasped together in front of her, and he heard her sharply release breath as he finished.
"Thanks" she said, turning to face him, and he gave her back the bottle. They stood a few seconds, silently acknowledging whatever was happening, it was becoming just a fact of life. At this point they both knew it was leading to something, but it was still hard to admit verbally.

Finally he broke it off, taking his sunglasses from the top of the cooler and putting them back on.
"You want to come in"? He asked.
"No, I watch Shark Week, I'll keep my phone out, ready to call 911 just in case" she smiled.

"You know, you have a much bigger chance of being killed in your car, especially the way you drive, than even seeing a shark let alone being attacked by one". Tim teased her.

He walked away, and she watched. He was right, but she didn't take her eyes off him the whole time he was out there. It was only fifteen minutes, but she was serious about having her phone ready to dial 911. She felt a sense of relief at first, and then something else came over her as he walked from the water back to her. She was glad she had her sunglasses back on so he couldn't see her watching him. This is like watching Daniel Craig coming out of the water in a James Bond movie. He looked like something straight out of Baywatch, except not cheesy she thought. She did stand up as he got closer, and handed him the towel that had been on the back of his chair.
"Cold"? She asked.
"Freezing" he grinned. They both sat back down in the chairs, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Pretty soon the sun and the constant sound of the ocean had lulled Lucy into a light sleep. As she felt herself falling, she thought to herself how easy it was to sleep with Tim around. Her insomnia was miraculously cured in the past couple days. She just needed to stay with him and she'd never have trouble sleeping, or nightmares again.

Lucy was woken suddenly by a wet beach ball smacking her right in the stomach. "Oof"! She grabbed with her hands, taking a second to look around and remember where she was. She looked to her side, Tim was no longer in the chair. She looked towards the ocean, sitting up straight, a slight feeling of panic that he might've gone back in without telling her. Then she saw Tim, standing at the waters edge, covering his mouth and clearly laughing at the unfortunate landing. A young boy of about seven or eight was running up to her saying "Sorry! Sorry"!

She stood, holding the ball and figured out Tim had started a game with the young kids they'd seen earlier in the day. There was another boy standing by Tim, he was laughing openly and pointing at the kid running towards her. A third boy was walking towards her, from the same direction as the runner.

"Sorry". The boy said again as he reached her "It was an accident, I was kicking it back to Mr. Caswell and...I missed".

"It's okay, no harm done, I needed to wake up anyway" Lucy started as she glanced at her phone to see what time it was. "What's your name"? She asked.

"Tommy, this is my brother Ricky, and over there that's my brother Sam". The other boy, a year or two older walked up to them "Sorry Mrs. Caswell, he's got terrible aim". He ruffled his brother's hair as he reached them.

Tommy spoke up again "You're pretty". He flashed her a toothy grin. His older brother rolled his eyes at him. "Well thank you Tommy, looks like you guys are having fun" she handed him back the ball.

"Yea, mom said we could play as long as Mr. Caswell said it was okay, and he said sure". Lucy looked back over at Tim, he looked like he was playing some kind of thumb war with the youngest of the brothers. She looked to see if she could see their parents anywhere. There was an umbrella several houses down, with some chairs and people under it. "Oh he did, did he"? She smiled at Tommy. His older brother grabbed the ball from him and started to walk away. "We'll be more careful Mrs. Caswell". he said.

"It's fine, will you tell Mr. Caswell I'm going in to get ready"? She still needed to figure out what she was going to wear before she jumped in the shower.

"Sure" the older boy said, and he ran back towards Tim and his other brother. Tommy stayed with her another minute.
"Mr. Caswell said you don't have kids yet" he started "So it might be okay for us to come see if he wants to play with us again".

Lucy's butterflies started at the word 'yet'. She knew it was just part of their cover, but for a second an image flashed in her mind of she and Tim with kids. Watching him now with the boys, she thought how he'd make such a great dad, despite, or maybe because of how bad his own childhood had been. Lucy wasn't remotely ready to have kids, but somehow the thought of a little one calling her mom and Tim dad...it just warmed her heart in ways she couldn't understand. Rickey had just spoken with Tim and pointed back at Lucy. Tim gave her a thumbs up then grabbed the beach ball, throwing it as hard as he could down the beach. The other 2 boys running after it.
"Gotta go"! Tommy exclaimed and he ran to catch up to his brothers.

Lucy watched them running around playing for a few more minutes before she folded just her chair, in case Tim still wanted to sit in his. She knew he wouldn't need much time to get ready and headed up the stairs to the house.