Long days turned into even longer weeks for Lucy and Tim, while on probation. They established a simple routine through the week and left town some weekends to leave the stress of their job behind them. That's why four months into what Lucy assumed to be a six month or longer probation, she was happy to be reassigned with Jackson. As the crisp fall air bit into Lucy's hands, she climbed into the cruiser and tossed the keys to Jackson.

He smirked before starting the car and moving out into the city. He turned to Lucy with a grin, "This is a good way to start a Monday morning."

Lucy smirked and shook her head agreeing, but silently thinking of Tim and their bodies tangled together in the soft sheets. She groaned softly before being pulled from her thoughts as the radio crackled to life, alerting them of a domestic dispute that had officers requesting backup. Jackson took the call and sped off towards the address they were given. Lucy sighed as they pulled up to the scene, preparing herself for anything. She perked up a bit when Tim and his rookie, Officer Gibson, was already on the scene. Jackson and Lucy were briefed as they walked up the front steps, both being cautious; both knowing that one of the most dangerous calls was the domestic disputes and assaults.

Tim glanced to Lucy, trying to shake the husband instincts, trying to immerse himself in the job at hand. Before he knocked on the door he made sure everyone was ready to go before banging his knuckles on the door, "LAPD, open up!"

A beat of silence engulfed them before he motioned for Lucy and Jackson to go around the back. He waited until they were in position before trying again. When the house remained silent, Tim kicked the door before moving into the front of the house. Tim and Gibson cleared the bottom of the house, while Lucy and Jackson took the top. After moving through the house Tim heard a loud thump above him and began moving towards the stairs. His heart slammed in his chest when he saw a knife wielding madman running down the short hallway in his direction. He pulled his taser from his belt and aimed, before hovering over him and placing his cuffs on the suspect. His heart jumped in his throat when he saw blood on the weapon. He yanked the suspect up, his voice shaking despite his harsh tone, "Who did you use the weapon on?"

Time seemed to slow down as the suspect smirked, "Lady Cops are so easy, man; she didn't even see me slip up behind her."

Tim clenched the front of the suspects shirt before shoving him towards his rookie, "Take him to the shop, I'll check on Lucy and Jackson."

He didn't even watch Gibson take the suspect down the stairs and out the door before searching the top half of the house. He breathed a little easier when his eyes rested on Lucy, standing, safe and sound. That fact didn't stop him from rushing towards her in relief. His eyes searched her from head to toe before bringing her towards him. His lips brushed across her forehead as she swayed into his arms weakly. He pulled back and scanned her eyes and panicked when they were closed in pain. He began searching her frantically until he felt a sticky wet spot from the side of her uniform shirt. He turned to West to demand on ambulance, but his hand was already on his radio to dispatch assistance at their location.

He turned back to Lucy and gently lowered her to the ground. He ran a hand gently over her cheek, noticing the clammy feel of her skin, before shaking her gently, "Hey, don't close your eyes, baby. You need to stay awake for me," his hand moved from her cheek to her side to apply pressure to the stab wound, before his voice took on a tone reminiscent of her former training officer, "that's an order, boot."

He turned to West and his voice rose again as he addressed the younger officer, "How far out is that ambulance West?"

Jackson knelt down beside his partner and grimaced, "They said about five minutes. How's she doing?"

Tim shook his head, not wanting to focus on his wife, bleeding on the floor, "She's unconscious and bleeding, how do you think she's doing?" he paused to stroke her hair before turning fury filled eyes back to his wife's partner, "What the hell happened?"

Jackson blew out a quick breath before launching into a quick rundown, "We took the top half of the house while you and Gibson took the bottom. As we were in the last two room he must have snuck up behind us. She said she was fine about a minute before you came through the door."

"Why didn't you take him out West?"

"He was running towards you before I could get my hand on my taser. And I was worried about Lucy."

Tim nodded before sighing in relief as medics came barreling through the door. He moved out of the way to let them work. He turned to Jackson and stood, "I trust you to take Gibson back to the station, he can at least drive the shop back. Let him process the suspect and fill out the paperwork; I'm going with Lucy."

He didn't even look at Jackson as he passed of his cruiser keys to the younger officer. His only focus was on his wife laying on the gurney in front of him. He ran a hand through his short hair as he climbed into the back of the ambulance, taking Lucy's small hand in his own. The ride to the hospital only lasted five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime to Tim. He watched helplessly as Lucy was whisked away to the ER to be worked on.

Over the next hour he paced up and down the hallway, waiting, hoping, and praying that Lucy would be okay. He jumped slightly when Lopez appeared beside him. He sighed before leaning against the wall, "What are you doing here Lopez?"

Lopez smirked before leaning against the opposite wall, rolling her eyes, "Isn't it obvious? We're friends and friends are there for each other through tough spots. Your wife, my colleague, and my friend is in a hospital being treated for an injury," Lopez shook her head and smirked again, "Obviously, we're going to be here. Talia is getting us coffee and Jackson and Nolan are going to be in after they finish up their paperwork."

Tim sighed before smiling softly, appreciating the comradery and the friendship. He shook his head before meeting Lopez's eyes across the narrow hallway, "Thanks Lopez."

Minutes slid into hours and Lopez and Tim was slowly joined by Bishop, Nolan, and West. Tim kept sighing and running a hand through his hair nervously. When results wasn't happening fast enough for Tim went to the nurses station only to be told that she was still being worked on. He was slouched in a small plastic chair as memories engulfed him. He saw a flash of red and it brought him back to when she first really caught his eye. He had been her T.O only a short while and she had weaseled her way into giving him her and the others bar tab for the night. Tht memory pushed him to others and he sloughed a bit further and welcomed the respite from reality.

It was the first week of Lucy's first full week as an LAPD Officer without him watching her. He searched the bull pen for her and spied her easily in the room, as he so often did, with West and Nolan talking about something. He breathed out a quick breath and strode over, trying to be confident. He cleared his throat before his voice broke the conversation, "Chen, can I have a word in the break room? You have something missing from a report."

Lucy's eyes narrowed and nodded, telling West and Nolan that she would get back with them later. He watched as she led the way to the break room. He was surprised when she whirled around on him as they stepped into the empty room, her voice rushed as if she needed to explain herself, "I double checked that report I had handed you. Three times. What do you really want, Tim?"

He silently kicked the door shut, locking it quickly without her notice. He didn't want to be interrupted for this. It was probably his one and only chance to get this thing right, "Easy boot, you're not in trouble." He took a steady breath as his eyes locked with hers. God she was beautiful. He smiled gently and took a deep breath, steading himself up for refection, but plowing on through anyway, "Have dinner with me, Lucy."

He watched as she stopped breathing for a split second before shaking her head gently, "Like a date?"

Tim smiled and shrugged, "You can call it whatever you want, but I do believe two people eating together on a weekend or a week night when they don't have to is the definition of a date."

Lucy grinned before shrugging, "If you're really serious, actually be serious and do it properly."

He felt his jaw drop as she brushed passed him and unlocked the door and went on about her shift. He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck, trying desperately to remember how to go about the dating thing. He sighed and remembered that it was Lucy, his former rookie. He huffed and slowly grinned as he realized that he had begun a slow and, dare he say it, romantic, pursuit.

It started small: Lucy's favorite chocolates at her seat during roll call, a bouquet of flowers at her desk that she worked at while not on patrol, her favorite lunch already payed for. It came to a romantic crescendo when on a Friday during lunch he talked Lopez into slipping in a thin box and a bag into Lucy's locker. He ignored the raised eyebrow and smirk, brushing it off as things she wanted him to get for her. He was biting his nail as he slipped the small stock card with a location, date, and time on her desk. He only hoped she would put together the clues.

He watched from across the room as she picked up the card and read it quickly. He smirked slowly as her eyes searched the room. He nodded with a grin as their eyes locked across the room. His heart thumped faster as she smiled gently, nodding as she flipped the card over and slid it in her purse.

He yanked at his tie in the locker room, trying desperately to loosen it. He smoothed out the tie, finally able to breathe comfortably, and brushed off a piece of fuzz from his black dress shirt. He shut his locker just as the door to the locker room opened. His world stopped when Lucy stepped through the door, looking beautiful in red. He eyed her quickly and smiled when he realized he had got the proper size dress. He rose an eyebrow as Lucy eyed him, smiling as she did.

Her voice as gentle as ever broke the silence, "Well, I gotta say, you've impressed me. You even got the dress size right," she paused as she eyed the gold and silver bracelet hanging delicately off her wrist, "not to mention you've got amazing taste in jewelry."

He shrugged a shoulder quickly, "You did say to be serious about it. Besides the jewelry is a late Christmas gift boot."

Lucy grinned, shaking her head and eyed her dress in the mirror on the back wall, "How did you get my size down?"

"I'm a cop boot. I notice things that you probably don't think I do."

Lucy smoothed out the satin dress and eyed the color before turning back to Tim with a raised eyebrow, "Why red? Why not something like black or dark blue?"

Tim knew he would make her melt with his response, so he grinned and came up behind her, trailing a finger down her arm gently, "This color of red looks beautiful on you Lucy. It's the same shade of red in the shirt you wore when I looked at you as someone other than my rookie the first time. You handed me your bar tab and you had this little smile on your face when you handed it to me," he trailed his hand back up her arm and around her neck where a silver necklace lay, "this necklace matches your skin tone, the inscription on the pendant is supposed to protect police officers, firefighters, and military personnel. I'm not Catholic by any means, but still, most officers wear them around their necks anyway."

Lucy watched as he yanked out a silver chain and showed her his necklace. Her heart raced faster when she realized it was an exact match to Tim's. She smiled and realized that the jewelry he had gotten her and the dress all had a special meaning behind it. She grinned as she let Tim lead her out of the locker room and into the busy LA streets.

That first date led to coffee and breakfast the following Monday. Monday morning coffee began a standing tradition for them after that. The days slid into weeks and weeks morphed into months after that. About a year after their first date, Lucy was surprised to see a stock card on her desk on a random Friday. She slid it open and grinned as a time, location, and date glared back at her in dark ink in the same neat scrawl that used to evaluate her on a daily basis. She wasn't surprised to see a familiar box with a floor length black dress inside. She grinned as she grabbed her things to get ready for whatever Tim had planned.

Tim grabbed his jacket from his locker and shoved his arms through the sleeves nervously. He looked around and grabbed the envelope he had saved and his old Polaroid camera before slamming the door shut. He shoved everything in his bag and tapped his foot anxiously. He glanced at his watch and glared as Jackson stepped through the door in his civilian clothes. He ran a hand down his shirt and shrugged as Jackson eyed his attire.

His voice broke the tense silence, "I have a meeting with someone soon."

Jackson nodded and turned to his locker, "Cool, good luck with that. I have a date so I gotta go or I'd ask about the meeting."

Tim rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Like I'd say anything until it was a done deal boot."

Jackson smirked and slammed his locker shut, shrugging as he walked past, "Hey, I'm not the one who waited a decade to take the sergeants exam."

Tim glared and tossed an empty bottle in Jackson's direction and bit back a retort at the tip of his tongue. He watched as Jackson ducked his toss and laughed as he waved goodnight. Tim shook his head before sighing and slowly made his way to the park not far from his apartment. He slowly pulled into the parking space and moved to grab his bag, suddenly feeling sick. He climbed out of the car and breathed in the evening air before making his way over to the tree in the center of the park. He reached in his bag and dug out the envelopes he had brought. He grinned as reached in again and grabbed clear wire to hang from the tree branches. When the string was how Tim wanted, he began pulling out pictures of him and Lucy from various points in their relationship. A few caught his eye as he was hanging them from the branches: him and Lucy in their police uniforms during her rookie year, Lucy drinking hot chocolate from a Dodgers mug with his Dodger beanie perched on top of her head; him smiling in the background, him reading a book on phycology while Lucy was reading over his shoulder, both of them in front of a Christmas tree with their arms around each other, both cuddled up on the couch watching some romantic movie. Tim grinned as he stepped back to survey his work. His eyes slid over the snippets of his and Lucy relationship hanging from the tree branches and hoped to God he could add a lifetime of memories and pictures in the tree. He was pulled from his thoughts as headlights lit up the tree, illuminating the memories frozen in time. He nervously jammed a hand in his pants pocket and withdrew a small ring box.

He clutched it in his hands as he turned around to see Lucy walking towards him with a bright smile. He grinned as she slid towards him looking a vision in black. He grinned into the kiss as Lucy ran a smooth hand up his arm and into his short hair. He pulled back and ran a finger down her cheek and tilted her head up so he could see her beautiful eyes. He grinned as she rose an eyebrow at him questioningly, loving to see her a bit confused at times. He slid behind her and pushed her towards the pictures dangling and shining like stars. He watched as her eyes slid over the photos with interest before turning towards him again with a small smile. Her voice adorably confused, "Tim what is this?"

He grinned roguishly before slowly stepping forward, his voice betraying his strong façade, "Lucy, you came barroling into my life when I least expected you. You came in so strong will and ready to prove yourself, impress your superior officers," he was hovering over her now, his fingertips tracing her jaw, slowly caressing her cheek, "funny thing is boot, not a day in and you impressed me. You had my back from the get go, ready to protect your partner at any time," he paused and took a deep breath, "after Isobel I said I'd never give myself to someone again, never trust again, never date a fellow officer again. Here I am doing all three because of you. You took the time to show me kindness when I was a pain in your ass. You took the time to get to know me and protect who I am in front of everyone else. You showed me friendship and partnership when I needed it most."

He watched as tears silently slid down her face. He slowly got down on a knee and popped open the box for her to see the ring inside, "Will you marry me, Lucy? Will you be my wife? My partner in this crazy insane wild ride of life?"

He watched as Lucy nodded and said yes through her tears. He slowly stood up to slide the ring on her finger, kissed her deep as she slid her arms up around his neck. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, taking in the moment and committing it to his memory.

Tim was pull from his thoughts when a doctor entered the waiting room, eyes scanning the space as if he was looking for someone.

When the doctor spotted uniformed officers he made his way over to them quickly. His eyes glanced down at his clipboard before clearing his throat, "I assume you're all here for Lucy Bradford?"

Tim quickly stood, walking closer to the doctor, "Yea, she's my wife. Is she going to be okay?"

The doctor smiled softly before nodding, "She'll be just fine. She has a deep stab wound to the side that we had to stitch up and clean. She must have passed out from blood loss, shock, and a bit of dehydration. She'll need to take it easy for a couple of weeks, but otherwise Lucy will make a full recovery."

Tim nodded before going back to the small group, waiting on any word from Lucy. He smiled at the group before blowing out an easy breath, "She's going to be fine. We can see her, but at eight you all have to scram."

Tim watched as the group nodded, relieved and happy that Lucy was going to be okay. He let himself breathe a little easy for the first time in hours. He knew that as long as he had Lucy he'd be okay. He just hoped they didn't have any more close calls. Little did he know, this was only the beginning.