Hey there! Here's the second chapter of this story. Probably one more left. I've had a hard couple of days, but still wanted to get this out tonight.. I hope you like it, but hey, at least it's easing the pains of withdrawal from The Rookie and my usual Chenford fix !
This was the first night in a while that the football game and the beer in his hand hadn't distracted him enough for him to stop thinking about his partner. Although that wasn't the right word. Aide? Gopher? Friend? Something else? Shaking his head to stop his mind going down that slippery slope, he took another sip of his beer.
Of course, if he was feeling sickened by this whole Chris ordeal it probably was because it was something else, but that's not something he could deal with tonight.
The commentator on the TV was almost screaming at the play that had just happened a second ago on the field, and Tim furrowed his eyebrows, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even catch an ounce of what happened.
Sighing, he picked up the phone he had thrown on the coffee table and stared at it. It was empty of notifications, as always. He put it back down next to him and tried to concentrate again on the game. That worked for about 3 minutes before he picked his phone up again.
21:14 You up?
He texted Lucy before he could change his mind again. He knew she'd probably answer him something like the fact that she wasn't as old as him and that of course she was still up when it wasn't even 10pm yet. He kept his phone in his hand for a minute, expecting it to light up with an answer, but it didn't.
Feeling like a schoolgirl, he put his phone back on the couch, screen down so he wouldn't see it light up if it did, and turned his mind back to the game. He kept himself from looking at it for the next half hour, but when the channel went to the commercials, he grabbed it and turned it around, expecting her name to be at the top of his screen.
It wasn't.
This almost made him worried. Scratch that, it did make him worried. Even if Lucy was still with Chris or anyone else really, she would still check her phone. Maybe she was actually sleeping? This had been a very long and emotional day, it wouldn't be surprising if she was tired, just a little out of character.
21:52 Lucy?
He texted again. Aware that this was twice in the same day that he had double texted her and that she would probably never let him hear the last of it, but at that moment he didn't really care.
When his phone still stayed dark, he changed contacts and texted Tamara instead.
22:01 How is she tonight? Everything okay at home?
22:02 Hey, not sure I'm not home tonight, she said she'd be fine really.
22:02 Okay, thanks.
He held back the urge to get a little mad at Tamara for not being there, but at the same time he knew that she wouldn't have left if Lucy hadn't been the one telling her to go.
Fighting against his instincts for one more minute, he got a hold of the remote and turned the TV off, grabbing his phone, jacket, and keys before he ran out the door. He told himself it was just what a partner does, and that checking up on her wouldn't take more than a minute. He'd be back to his apartment in no time.
As he got to her door, his hand hovered in the air for a few seconds. This was probably not the right thing to do, but he'd come that far he wasn't about to go home how. Pushing good judgment aside, he knocked twice. Not hard enough to wake her if she was indeed sleeping, but enough for her to hear if she wasn't.
It took a minute for him to hear real movement in the apartment and he was almost about to leave when he heard footsteps coming towards the door. A few seconds later she appeared in front of him, and his heart sunk a little.
"Tim? What are you doing here?" She asked, smiling, but the smile not reaching her eyes that were red rimmed and a little swollen.
"Checking up on you, you wouldn't answer your phone." He stated, and she looked behind her at the couch.
"Oh, I think it died a little while ago, just forgot to charge it." She explained and he raised an eyebrow. Lucy Chen forgetting to charge her phone? That was a first, and he was about to say something, but she continued. "This is not patrol you know; you don't have to perform a security check on me."
"I know." He simply answered and he glanced at the inside of the apartment, looking to see if there was anyone with her.
"I sent Chris home, I just needed to be alone." She answered his unspoken question, but that last part sounded off.
"If you want to be alone, I can go home." He told her quietly, knowing that it wasn't the reason why she sent Chris home, but not wanting to force his presence upon her.
"I'm fine." She said, still holding on to the door as she looked at the floor, not looking at him.
"Not the question I was asking." He replied, his tone soft but firm. It reminded her of that TO voice she'd heard so often.
"Do you want to come in?" She asked instead of answering, taking a step back so the door was wide open now.
Her eyes lifted to meet his and the pain he could read in them teared him apart. He just nodded and stepped in grabbing the door to close it because he knew that if he didn't do something with his hand, he'd just end up reaching for her shoulder, his heart aching to see her like that.
"Do you want a drink?" She asked and he shook his head.
They stood in the middle of her apartment for a second, just looking at each other, not quite knowing what to do. The silence between them didn't feel awkward, they were used to silence, they were used to each other's presence so much that it just felt natural to be there with her. He motioned to the couch, and they walked around it, Lucy curling up on the right side of it, wrapping her arms around her knees as Tim sat on the opposite side.
"How was today?" He simply asked, and she closed her eyes, huffing a breath as she shrugged her shoulders, opening her eyes again to look at the ceiling and then back down.
"Not my best." She started, not really knowing what else to say. "I uh… I watched the video."
"I know. I'm sorry you had to relive that, Lucy. That video is…" He didn't even know how to qualify it really.
"I didn't know you watched it too." She said, but her tone wasn't accusatory, just stating a fact, she sounded almost sad that he had to go through it too.
"I saw it live, and watched it afterwards, I understand that you had to see it too, but it must've been hard."
Not seeming to trust her voice, Lucy just nodded, pressing her eyelids close but not managing to keep a tear from escaping her eye. Not able to stop himself, he reached for her, his hand resting on hers.
"I decided not to testify." She said a few seconds later, and he rested his back against the couch again, taking back his hand.
He nodded, understandingly. "It doesn't make you any less strong. You survived that; you don't have to prove anything."
She gave him a look he couldn't quite decipher, and he raised an eyebrow, asking silently.
"Thank you for always believing in me, and for understanding."
"Of course I'd believe in you, I trained you, thus I know you're the best there is." He said with a smile, and she laughed softly.
It was like a balm on his heart, and he knew that he made the right decision coming to check on her.
"I just… It's been a hard day, and I told Chris I was tired and that I wanted to be alone but… It just crept back up on me. I don't really want to be alone." She confessed, and he nodded, he knew she didn't really want to be alone, and he was annoyed that Chris hadn't seen through it too.
"You don't have to be." He replied and she smiled, thankful for him.
"What about pizza?" She asked, and he agreed.
He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the delivery guy showed up with the pizza. He had been so caught up in the day, and Chris and worry about her that he had forgotten to eat when he got home and now that pizza smelled delicious.
They sat on the couch eating as he told her what happened at the hospital today, the story definitely taking her mind off everything else. It had been a crazy day after all.
It was past midnight when Lucy's eyes started to close on their own, and Tim knew it had been a very long day for her too.
"I think it's time for bed." Tim said as she yawned and stretched out, her feet resting only a few inches from his thighs, and she nodded.
"Although Chris did say he would give me a foot massage." She said grinning, and that's when he knew that she was really feeling better.
"That's never going to happen, Chen." He said with his hard TO voice even if his eyes were sparkling with teasing.
"Oh, come on." She pleaded, lifting her feet, and placing them on his lap.
"Nope." He continued as he grabbed her bare ankles and lifted her feet off as he stood up.
The warm contact of her skin against his made his hands tingle where he touched her, but he pushed the feeling away, dropping her feet back on the couch.
"You're not fun." She said pouting, and he rolled his eyes with a shrug.
As he walked towards the door she stood up and joined him there. His hand was on the handle, and she looked at him, serious again.
"Thank you, Tim." She whispered, and he smiled back at her.
"Any time." He answered softly.
His eyes were still on her as he opened the door, but at that moment he just couldn't make himself go out of the apartment, turning to look at her instead. She was standing close to him, as always, because her definition of personal space was definitely not the same as his, but he's gotten so used to having her close that he didn't even really realize it.
They both reached out at the same time, and she snuggled herself in his arms, holding on for dear life as he held her tightly. He wondered if Chris or Tamara had given her that comfort today, as he knew that she needed it. This was not the first time he had hugged her, and he knew that this was how she worked, how she copped.
From the first time he'd held on to her as he pulled her out of the barrel, he'd known that this physical contact was what she needed to get through the rough moments in her life. He remembered her asking for a hug the night they learned Jackson died, and then reaching out to hug him after they'd gone to see his father. Lucy Chen was a hugger and as he kept his arms securely wrapped around her as he knew that she needed this today.
They stayed there, lost in each other for a minute, and he couldn't help but rest his face against her head. His hand came up to brush against her hair, holding her close. She felt so tiny in his arms, even if he knew she was one of the strongest person he knew. She smelled like citrus and something so indescribably Lucy that it made his heart swell. It just smelled like home.
Made him feel safe.
As she eventually pulled away, he stepped onto the hall, knowing he had to break the spell that always took a hold of him when he was close to her. He'd felt it for the first time that night she almost stayed at his house, not knowing what would've happened if he hadn't been called by Wesley.
"Goodnight." He said as he gave her one last look.
"Goodnight." She replied as he walked down the corridor, feeling her eyes still on him, the smell of her lingering against his shirt.
This wasn't such a bad idea after all, he thought to himself as he drove back home, knowing he'd sleep better now that he knew she was okay.
When she woke up the next day, Lucy felt so rested and calmer that she had for a while. The decision of not testifying at Rosalind's trial had been the best one, and spending the rest of the evening with Tim had comforted her in a way that she knew spending the evening with Chris never would have.
Life went on.
She went back to patrolling with Tim, and even though the trial would be starting soon, she felt like that part of her life was pretty much behind her now.
"Did Thorsen invite you to Harper's wedding party?" She asked as they were patrolling a couple of weeks later.
"Of course, he did, I'm guessing you're going too?" He said as he turned his head from the road to look at her.
"Yup. You uh… thinking of inviting Ashley?" She continued, trying to keep her tone casual, but not knowing if it was actually working.
"We're not there yet." He started, turning his head back to the road. "Not quite sure if we'll ever be really." He added after a beat.
"I'm sorry to hear that" She replied, not really sorry, because she was still wondering what Tim and a lifeguard who didn't like Kojo had in common, but it was not the time to say that.
"What about you? Going with Chris?" He asked, his tone sounding just as casual as her did earlier.
"Honestly, I don't really know where I am with Chris right now. Since that day at the DA's office, I just…" She confessed and he turned to look at her.
"That is understandable."
"It's just… I haven't felt a sense of safety with anyone I've bene with since… Well, you know." She said and he nodded, of course he knew. "Chris is a good guy and all, but he doesn't make me feel safe, and I don't know if I'll ever feel safe with anyone again at this point."
The shop came to a stop at the red light, and he turned to look at her. She could almost see the question in his eyes, but she didn't really know quite what to do with it. They stayed silent for a moment, the only sound coming from the music playing low on the radio that Lucy kept insisting they have on even if Tim kept saying he didn't want to listen to music and that it was just a distraction.
"Anyways, we'll see how the next couple of weeks go, but I just felt like going to that party alone." She added as he started to drive again.
"You're not going alone though." He said smiling, and she returned his smile. Knowing that he would be there probably making her happier than it should've.
She was about to tease him about his reply when their radio sparked to live.
7-Adam-100 we have a possible 211 at the intersection of Beverly and Vista.
Lucy automatically responded to dispatch marking them as on route. Even as she was concentrated on doing that, she could hear the first notes of that song on the radio, and a chill went through her whole body. It was just a couple of notes in, she could probably change the channel and act like nothing happened, but at that moment she didn't quite know how to react.
She didn't have to though, because just like if it was the most natural thing to do, Tim reached over and changed the channel as he started driving faster to respond to that robbery call. He didn't even glance at her, not saying anything.
That's when she realized it. She doesn't feel safe anywhere else, but she feels safe with Tim. He's the only one that has made her feel safe since he rescued her from that barrel. With Chris the other night at her place, she kept feeling on edge, waiting for him to start singing again, just feeling weird.
She did not feel safe.
As the car rushed through the street of LA, she just knew that she had been wrong telling him that she hadn't felt safe with anyone. Every moment spent with him, whether it had been on the streets on patrol, or in his arms the other night, every moment spent with him she had felt 100% safe.
Chris hadn't thought to stop himself from singing that song. Tim recognized the first couple of notes and instantly changed the station. She knew it was just a song, and she would've been okay now, even if it still did something to her, she really was better. Even with all that said, the fact that Tim would just think about her like that, left her a little speechless.
She had known for a while now that he wasn't the hard ass he let everyone think he was, but to see him so kind hearted still made her heart swell.
Trying to push everything out of her head, getting ready for the call, she still felt like this had been some kind of revelation to her. She would have to talk about it to Chris soon, but for now she had to concentrate on the job.
The shop stopped in front of the address and Tim looked at her, asking if she was ready. She was. She knew he had her back, what else could she asked for. She knew that with Tim Bradford she'd always be ready.
Safe.
Let me know what you think! Next up : Tim and Lucy go to the wedding party.