Title: Falling Apart

author: Cindy Ryan

notes and summary: See part one

After an emotionally draining three hours Lucy was free of reports and debriefs. She and Tim left the station. They grabbed lunch from the circle of food trucks near the station and took it to go. They ate in Tim's truck on the way to the mystery destination. The only thing Tim had told her was to wear comfortable clothes preferably jeans. She wondered if they were going for a hike. As they got farther from the station Lucy began to recognize streets and the neighborhood. They'd been here several times since the quarantine. A place that held lots of fun good memories.

"Paintball!"Lucy exclaimed with a wide smile.

Tim grinned at her enthusiasm.

"I was able to round up the group we usually play with."Tim said. "We have the range for the afternoon."

A few minutes later they pulled in to a familiar parking lot. They went to the locker rooms and stashed their bags and got ready. When they stepped out onto the range Lucy was immediately greeted with hugs and smiles. The paintball group was a mix of men and women in their late twenties early thirties. She and Tim had clicked with them almost instantly. Lucy and Tim joined separate teams and spread out.

By five o'clock Lucy was covered in dirt and splattered with multi-colored paint. She hadn't stopped smiling since they'd set foot on the range. It'd been a great way for her to deal with some of the stress and emotions of the last few days. Lucy had also been happy to see Tim enjoying himself and having fun. They returned to the locker rooms to clean up then said goodbye to their friends before walking out to Tim's truck.

"Thank you."Lucy said when they reached the truck. "That was fun; what I needed."

"I'm glad."Tim responded with a smile. "Though I beat you twice."

"I think the last was a tie."Lucy countered as they got in the truck. "Mark was out of bounds."

"Majority disagreed, boot."Tim said with a grin.

"Either way they agreed to a rematch next week."Lucy commented with a shake of her head.

"Wouldn't miss it."Tim enthused."Tired, boot? Want me to take you home?"

"No."Lucy admitted. "Well, a little tired, but hungry too."

"Dinner it is."Tim agreed as he reached to put the key in the ignition and turn it. "I'm glad you had fun."

"I did, was a good idea."Lucy said as she settled back in the seat.

"I do have those once in awhile."Tim joked.

"Hmm."Lucy replied.

Tim put the truck in reverse then stopped and put it back in park. Lucy frowned and looked over at her partner. Their was an expression on his face that she couldn't quite read. Before Lucy could ask why they weren't leaving Tim turned and faced her.

Tim had been happy to see the smile on Lucy's face as they played paintball. He'd rarely seen her without it all afternoon. That had been his goal. The strange thing about the day was that paintball of all things had given Tim time to think. To think of how important Lucy had become to him. How he'd felt when he thought he'd been too late. He hadn't come up with any conclusive answers except he didn't want to spook Lucy. Didn't want to pressure her; not after everything she'd been through. Yet, he still wanted to show her how he felt.

"Tim?"Lucy queried softly.

Tim glanced at his partner and smiled. She had a smudge of green paint on the right side of her neck just under her jaw. It was small so she hadn't seen it, but it gave him an opening. He found a napkin in the center console and reached towards her.

"You missed a spot."Tim chided gently as he brushed the napkin against her neck.

"What?"Lucy asked in surprise as she flipped down the visor mirror and tried to see.

"Sit still, boot."Tim ordered quietly.

Lucy stopped moving he wondered if she caught something in his voice or expression. Tim knew being this close to her skin was intoxicating and he didn't have enough will power to stop his plan. He caressed the left side of her face with his free hand before leaning in and capturing her lips with his.