Chenford + pregnancy scare post canon!

Lucy wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been sitting there, perched on the edge of her tub, the solid pink line of the pregnancy test staring back at her.

Not pregnant.

As soon as Lucy had finally gathered the courage to look, a myriad of emotions had run through her so fast she could barely keep up. First came the predictable relief, her breath rushing out of her lungs in one solid exhale. When she had made her New Years resolutions a few months ago, an unexpected pregnancy had definitely not been one of her goals for the coming year.

Next, came the feeling of freedom; knowing her body was still entirely her own, and nothing was going to interfere with her trajectory at work for the foreseeable future. Watching Harper, then Nolan, and finally Tim moving up in the department over the last year had motivated her to start thinking hard about her own next steps in her career, and a baby would only complicate that by tenfold.

But then, much to Lucy's surprise, a third emotion had floated to the surface, one that stayed with her long after she'd thrown the test away and drove over to Tim's for dinner.

Disappointment, with a hint of sadness mixed in.

As she sat at Tim's kitchen island watching him cook them dinner, she couldn't stop picturing what he would look like with a baby, their baby, cradled in his arms. He would be an amazing father, and the idea of him being the father of her children made Lucy's heart ache so bad it hurt.

While they had only been dating for six months, Lucy had known from the moment he kissed her in the food truck parking lot that she was head over heels in love with him. Honestly, this was Tim Bradford she was talking about, how could she not be?

Their relationship was moving faster than any relationship Lucy had ever been in, but every time she thought she would be freaked out by their speedy progression, it actually ended up being the exact opposite. Everything with Tim just felt so right, like it had always been meant to be.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Blinking, Lucy was startled out of her reverie, the corners of her mouth curving into a smile as she regarded the shiny penny that was being held in front of her face, Tim's curious gaze blurry behind it.

Gently taking the coin from his grasp, Lucy turned it over in her hand, debating with herself on whether or not she should tell him. If it had been anyone else, Lucy wouldn't think twice to lie about it, but she and Tim had promised each other from the start that they'd always be honest with each other, even when it was hard or scary.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lucy admitted, "I was just thinking about some, news, I got today."

"Is everything okay?" Tim immediately asked, brows furrowed.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Lucy quickly reassured him, reaching out to cover his hand with her own. "It's just- I thought I might be pregnant; I'm a few days late, and my stomachs been a mess, but I wasn't sure if that's because I was a few days late, you know? So I decided to take a test before I came over, just to check."

Tim stopped breathing, his gaze locked on hers.

"It was negative," she continued gently, watching his face intently as he processed the news.

She swore she saw something like disappointment flash across his face before he schooled his features back into place, his hand squeezing hers.

"Well that's good news, right?"

Her heart rate starting to rise, Lucy said, "Yeah, it is, this wasn't something we were planning for."

"But?" he asked softly, picking up on her hesitation.

"But, I also feel a little sad about it, which I wasn't expecting."

Tim was quiet for a few moments, Lucy's anxiety continuing to rise. Maybe she had shared too much; been too honest.

But then Tim was giving her a small smile, his thumb gently rubbing over the top of her hand.

"I know what you mean," he said, his gaze soft.

"Really?" Lucy breathed, hope starting to weave its way into her heart.

"Really," he said, letting go of her hand to walk around to her side of the island, his strong arms wrapping around her as he hugged her to his chest, his chin resting on the top of her head.

"You don't think we're going too fast?" Lucy murmured quietly, leaning back into his embrace.

Tim shrugged, his shoulders brushing the bottom of her ears. "I don't if you don't."

Craning her neck around, Lucy looked into his eyes, finding the love she was feeling reflected in his gaze.

"I don't," she answered softly, her eyes fluttering closed as he kissed her forehead.

"There's a few things I'd like to happen first before we throw a kid into the mix, but I also won't be mad if it happens before then."

"I don't think I will either," Lucy admitted, resting her head against his chest.

"Yeah?'

"Yeah."

"Well, while we're being honest with each other, I've had something I've been meaning to ask you."

Lucy spun around, his arms falling away from her body as she twisted the barstool to face him.

"Not that," he said with a chuckle, Lucy feeling a sense of relief wash over her. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear that question, at least not yet.

"I uh, I heard you grumbling the other week about how your lease is almost up, and how rent is going up for your building next year. And I was thinking, seeing as how we've barely spent a night apart since we started dating, I was thinking maybe you and Tamara might wanna come stay here, with me."

"Like, move in with you?" Lucy asked, her eyes searching his face.

"Yeah, I know it seems fast, but-"

"Yes," Lucy interjected immediately, a smile breaking out over her face.

"Really?" he asked, the surprise and vulnerability in his voice making Lucy reach out and kiss him.

"Really," she mumbled against his lips, cupping his face in her hands. "I mean, I'll have to talk about it with Tamara, see how she feels, but for me, I've been getting tired of all the running back and forth between your place and mine; it'd be nice to have a place that's ours."

Tim pulled back slightly to stare at her, his expression happier than she'd ever seen it.

"I love you," he breathed, leaning in to give her a soft, slow kiss.

The moment their lips parted, Lucy couldn't wait to tell him, "I love you, too."

AN: You can find me as dreamerrgirl on Tumblr, and I'm always open to taking Chenford prompts!