Tim was awoken to the sound of Kojo barking incessantly, followed by a weak thud pounding against his front door. It didn't sound like there was a lot of wind that night, so it couldn't have been a palm tree branch or a cardboard box that had gotten blown down the street like usual. After a minute or so, when it wouldn't stop, he groaned and got out of bed to investigate. He realized that what he was hearing was knocking, which confused him considering the clock on the wall said it was just a few minutes before two in the morning. Who in the hell could be coming by this late?

He opened the door to find Lucy standing there, exhausted and eyes stained with old tears. Her hand shot out toward his ribs instantaneously, her fingers cold against his skin, but she seemed almost in a trance as she stared at his bare chest with a dumbfounded gaze. He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her to him, spinning both of their bodies inside so he could shut the door.

He directed her to the couch, where they sat in silence for what seemed like forever, horrified as all the possibilities of what could have happened were running through his mind. She seemed to be fighting the words, like she wanted to tell him but... was too angry? Or maybe she was too embarrassed? It could be something she thought he wouldn't handle well also... but then, if it brought her to his door, crying, in the middle of the night, why would she have gone there? The only thing he knew for sure was that he wanted to make it better, but he couldn't until she told him what it was that was bothering her.

"Lucy? What happened?" he asked, "What's going on?"

"Sorry, it was... a nightmare. Just another stupid fucking nightmare, but... Tim, it was so real." she started, "There was this tiny room; it seemed like a basement you'd see in a horror movie. We were there on a call, but it was a trap - sleeping gas came out of the vents. Somehow, Caleb had faked his death and was back for revenge; he was able to get us both. When we came to, I was tied to a chair, and you were... you..."

Tears started pouring down her face as she fought with the next words. He wiped them away, and said, "It's okay. You can tell me. What happened?"

She inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself enough to speak, "You were chained to the wall, one on each leg and your arms up over your head, so you couldn't fight back. I thought he was about to pull out the tattoo gun, like with me, but... but then he pulled something out of the fireplace, and... he fucking branded you! God, I could smell it! But you fought it. You tried so hard to stay strong. Then when I heard you screaming, I... I tried so hard to get free, to get to you. I had almost broken the handle off of the chair, like last time, but I just... I couldn't..."

She began sobbing uncontrollably again as he pulled her into his arms and whispered to her, "Hey, I'm right here, okay? We're both fine. It wasn't real."

She could barely speak as she gasped for air, when she said, "When I woke up... I yelled for Jackson, but he was still gone so I called you. But then, when you didn't answer your phone, I thought... god, I just freaked out."

Hold on! What!? Jackson never went home and just left her there...? At the apartment...? By herself!? What in the hell was he thinking!? Tim was absolutely furious! He knew he couldn't let that show right now though, not with Lucy in the state she was in. It would be too much for her to handle and she'd probably run. He knew it had been a while since she'd been abducted, but Lucy was still fragile.

She asked for him to loosen his grip on her, to let her handle more on her own, so he was doing as she asked. But when he had left her place earlier, something had told him he shouldn't go. He knew she was just putting on a brave face for him, that she wouldn't take it as well as she thought. He knew he should have waited to see if West would make it back to their apartment, so he could know for sure that someone else was there with her. Yet really, he didn't know who he was more upset with - Jackson or himself. After all, he had chosen to leave.

"It's okay. I'm okay." he reassured her, as he pulled back to show her his chest, "And look, there's nothing there. I'm fine."

"Yeah." she breathed. Her eyes were fixated on that spot and her fingers found it again, languidly running from his side to the middle of his chest to dip down an inch or two toward his belly button and then trail back up, following the contours of his muscles, and repeating the motion over and over again. "You're fine."

"Yeah." he sighed. "It was just a dream."

It was like he was being tortured right now. It was so hard not to reach out and kiss her, to pull her on top of him... but he couldn't. He just couldn't do this with Lucy. Not until they were ready... when the time was right.

But seriously... when the hell was that ever going to be? They lived in worlds of constant drama, whether it was their own or just the random cases they dealt with on the job. There were always issues, and there was never going to be that perfect moment in their future where every obstacle they faced would just magically disappear.

Suddenly, Lucy snapped back into reality, yanking her hand back from him, as she exclaimed, "Shit! I'm sorry, Tim. I shouldn't have come here. I just needed...", trailing off as confusion took over her expression.

And before he realized he was saying it, he interjected, "No, you can't be alone right now... Stay. You can take my bed. I'll sleep out here."

"Oh." she replied, seeming almost sad as he said that.

"What? Do you want the couch? Because let me tell you, she seems comfy now, but after sleeping on her a few hours..."

"No, it's just... wait, you even genderize your couch as a woman?" she asked, almost wanting to laugh at the fact, if she wasn't so emotionally drained, "Anyway... I can't take your bed. I don't mind staying out here."

"Lucy, it's okay! You need it more than I do right now."

"No, I insist." she demanded.

He paused for a moment, and said, "Well... alright, but only if you're sure."

"Yeah, it'll be okay. As long as I have Kojo out here to protect me." she joked, petting the dog's head as he laid on the floor next to her.

He stood and said, "Well, let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Yeah." she caught his hand and his gaze as she replied, "Thanks for all of this, Tim. I really appreciate it."

"No problem." he smiled, "Sweet dreams, Boot."

"Good night."

He went back to his room and grabbed his phone. There were four missed calls from Lucy. He couldn't bring himself to listen to the voicemails yet. And if she heard him listening to them, he was afraid she would react similar to how she did at the restaurant.

Tim regrets a lot of what happened earlier. Of course, for the song and her freaking out, but also for letting himself fall victim to the fantasy that they were actually on a 'date'. He knew he could have taken her out for cheap burgers, and she wouldn't care, but yesterday was more about helping her heal and showing her how she should be treated. She deserved compliments, and expensive food, and alcoholic drinks without roofies in them. He wanted to show her that she could smile, and laugh, and not have to worry if she could trust the person across from her.

Angela and Nyla had a good idea that night with the speed dating, he'd just improved on it, by giving her a date (even if she didn't know it was one) with someone she knew. As much as it pained him to admit it, she didn't need a relationship. Not yet, at least. What she needed was pampering and praise - someone to show her that she was better than what Caleb had made her feel like she was. Since this attempt had gone so poorly though, he wondered if he should try again or accept his loss.

About twenty minutes later, he was just about to drift back off to sleep when he heard a knock at his bedroom door and the sound of it opening.

"Tim?"

"Yeah. What's up? Are you okay?"

"I'm alright, I guess. Well, I just..." she paused.

He was getting a bit tired of this. He wished she would be more straightforward with him right now and just tell him what she wanted. Instead, she was being hesitant about every word she spoke and every move she made.

"What, Lucy?"

"I guess I'm still a little shaken." she admitted, "And... I was wrong. You, being all the way in here, I still feel like I'm alone, so... well, I just... I was hoping..." she trailed off before snorting in frustration, "This is stupid. I'm sorry. I'll just head back..."

"No, come on. You can tell me... anything." he urged her, "What is it?"

"Can you...?" she paused again, before she asked, timidly, "Tim, will you just... hold me?"

He knew he shouldn't. There was no way he could have her in his room, in his bed, in his arms... and not cross that line. But as he looked at her face, tear stained and full of desperation and fear, he found it too hard to say no.

He gave her a weak smile and a nod, before he made some space for her. He gave her an extra blanket, thinking it might be easier to prevent something from occurring if they weren't sharing one. He laid back against the headboard and she slid in next to him, turning toward him to her side. As he cradled her head to his chest, she placed her arm around his waist and her legs intertwined with his as well as they could through the sheets. His hand was running over her back and his other hand was wiping her face, trying as best as he could to absorb her tears before they hit him.

She was still trembling. She needed him to feel safe, so that's what he needed to focus on. There were a million things he would love to do right now, a million scenarios he'd ran through in his head about what he would do if this moment ever occurred. But this moment wasn't about him, it was about taking this broken girl in front of him and putting her back together again.

Yet he couldn't deny just how right they felt together. Laying there, they just fit so perfectly. He tried his best to block out the circumstances that led them to this and just savor the moment, because he knew he might not ever get another chance.

He traced her hairline with his fingers and down her jaw, memorizing every curve and every dip. She seemed to be doing the same, staring into his eyes as both of theirs became heavy. He wished it could have lasted for hours, but it didn't take long for her to fall asleep. When she did, he kissed her on the forehead and did the same.

Tim wasn't sure how long they had rested, but the next morning, he was jostled out of slumber by her hand drawing patterns only she could see all over his chest and neck. When she noticed he had woken, her fingers traveled lightly upward to cradle his jaw and make him look her in the eyes. He wasn't sure what she searched for in them - a sign, an answer - hell, he didn't know. But there was something more there than the gaze they shared last night.

Her eyes then darted to his lips and back and his did the same, they were moving closer and closer and...

It had to be a dream.

Lucy's lips were the softest he'd ever felt, and although he swore that he could still taste the salt from her tears, they were also the sweetest. Imagination was usually a hard thing to live up to, but she surpassed every fantasy he'd had. Cautious movements were there for only seconds before the flood gates opened and everything that had built up to this moment had finally been released. It didn't take long before her hands were scratching down his neck to pull him closer... and he was running his nails down the length of her back to do the same, becoming more heated as tongues clashed with a fiery passion.

A moan came from deep in her throat and her breathing became shallow. She was just about to swing her leg over him and crawl on top, but... he pulled away.

Even though this was amazing, there was still that nagging feeling inside that he shouldn't let it happen this way. Lucy wasn't kissing him because she truly wanted to be together. She probably wasn't even thinking about any of the repercussions of this moment at all. All she wanted was something to make her forget. Something that made her feel anything but the terror she felt when she woke up from that nightmare. She wanted to feel that solace she felt after he'd saved her from that barrel and held her as she cried. She was trying to recreate memories, not start a future.

He hated himself as he said the words, "I can't. Look, Lucy... I really like you, but..."

"Are you fucking serious right now?!" she exclaimed, cutting him off.

He sighed, "Come on, you know we can't. This isn't a good idea."

"But to be clear, it's an idea you have had."

"Of course, I have! Lucy, I've been thinking about it over and over again for a while now."

"Well, I'm here. I want this. I want you. So, what's stopping you then?"

"Because you're too vulnerable right now. I would feel like I was taking advantage. Besides, I'm not sure it's what's best for either of us if we pursue this. We both have a lot to lose if things go wrong." he said.

"Why do you have to automatically assume it will go wrong!?" she yelled back.

"Lucy, if we continued here, now... we both know it wouldn't be because of our true feelings. I would just be a way for you to escape and... I don't want to be something you regret in the morning."

She crawled closer to him, and grabbed his shoulders so she could look him in the eyes as she ensured, "But you won't be, Tim. You won't! I've wanted this for a while too, and I know there are changes that would have to happen for it to work, but... we should at least try, shouldn't we?"

"Possibly, yes... but not yet. Not now." he said, "I do want to give it a shot with you. But if we get together, I can't allow it to be like this."

"Tim, I... just don't understand. Are you unwilling to make this big of a sacrifice yet or are you just too afraid to? Because you know this is worth it! You have to!"

"You know why I'm more hesitant? Because I look at things more realistically than you do! Because I have a lot more to lose than you do! Look... you have no idea how hard this is for me, but... I'm sorry. Hopefully, we'll have a chance to be together sometime soon, but I've made my decision." he said, sternly, as he grabbed his stuff off of the nightstand and stood, "Now, again, I'm sorry, but... we got to get ready for work."

"Yeah. See you there, sir." she replied angrily, heading for the door, before she turned to him and added, "I just got to say, Tim... whenever you finally decide the time is right, I might not be there waiting anymore."

Needless to say, that day hadn't gone well. And neither had the next. Or the next. But when he woke up on this day, Tim decided he was done with it. He understood she was hurt, and he was too. But she also needed to understand that they had jobs to do, and she had to act accordingly. As hard as it would be she needed to put her feelings on the back burner and get back to their normal routine if she wanted to finish her training.

So that was his goal - a good day at work! It seemed simple enough, but when did anything ever go according to plan? Not only had Grey assigned them to foot patrol to increase their social media presence, but the cookie bandit they were chasing had gone headfirst right through some poor lady's windshield. (Although he did think it was pretty funny when the Girl Scout had tried to inform Chen on how to make a tourniquet while he was calling it in.)

Finally he saw the crew of first responders pulling up and joked, "Nine minutes, Lang? You guys are usually faster than that."

Emmett was an okay guy, from what he knew, which wasn't much, but something began boiling inside of him when he saw him walk up to Lucy and ask, "Bradford's your T.O.?"

"Yeah."

"My condolences." he replied, trying to be funny.

"That's what everyone says." she laughed.

The two exchanged names and pleasantries, as Tim walked off to make a phone call. He couldn't stand to hear that any longer. He didn't know whether he was more upset that Lucy was blatantly trying to piss him off by flirting with this guy right in front of him or mad at himself that it was working... and that he had allowed for this to happen.

All day long, she had tormented him with it. Flirting at the hospital, making sure Tim was close enough to hear her turn down his date offer, asking him questions about how well they knew one another and what kind of guy he thought that Emmett was. He just didn't understand her. This had to be some game she was playing; it was typical. The guy makes the girl angry, so she dumps him and parades around with a new guy to make him jealous. Usually, it was simply to see the two men fight each other, the antiquated idea that the stronger man was always the superior choice. Or it was so he would get so mad that he would blow up at her, causing him to publicly out them for their relationship. Either way, it was some teenybopper high school bullshit, and he wasn't going to fall into her trap.

He decided, if a reaction is what she wanted than that is exactly what she would not get. Hell, apparently everyone knew how well he could bottle up his emotions and keep a straight face and a clear head when he needed to. Angela had said it; Lucy, herself, had said it. Compartmentalization was a skill he wasn't proud of but was definitely well needed at times.

Her lamest attempt to get a rise out of him had to be when she sat next to him on a stake out and began talking on the phone about her reserve about going out with Emmett and being the third wheel to Jackson and Sterling's relationship. Tim noticed within seconds that there was absolutely no one on the other end of that call. Then, when he literally called her out on it, she gave him some excuse about needing to talk things out and since she knew that he most likely wouldn't want to talk to her about it, that she only had herself to talk to.

"Why would you even care what I think?" he asked.

"What?"

And instead of the reply they both expected to come out of his mouth, he said, "The last time I gave you romantic advice, I pushed you toward Caleb and you... you almost died."

He wasn't sure where that had come from, but she could tell now that games were over. He was carrying around just as much baggage about that day as she was.

"Tha-that's ridiculous." she replied, before trying to assure him, "There was no reason to suspect anything. What happened... what happened wasn't your fault. It wasn't mine either. Look, I wouldn't ask your advice if I didn't value your opinion."

He turned up his nose smugly, letting his moment of weakness pass, and said, "You can do better than Emmett."

She acted surprised, but still attempted a weak jab at him by saying Tim was 'threatened by his hunkiness'. As if he even had to be worried about something so juvenile. Besides, he knew he looked good. Definitely hotter than some firefighter.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get in any good shots of his own, before they were called away on pursuit of a possible decoy vehicle fleeing an undercover drug bust that had just been blown. They were flying, weaving through traffic, when suddenly a brown pick-up truck t-boned them, causing them to spin out of control and the force of the impact to knock them both unconscious. It was timed too well, and they hit too hard for it to have been an accident; this was planned.

When he came to, she was his first priority, but when she'd said she was okay, he was having trouble gathering his thoughts afterwards of what he should be doing - checking to see if the other vehicle had fled, grabbing his radio and calling it in, seeing if any unlucky passersby got hurt. He was scared he had a concussion, but it seemed he hadn't managed to sustain any other injuries. And she hadn't either, other than a cut on her forehead. They'd both been lucky.

However, it seemed his luck had run out (yet again), as lo and behold, who should come calling to check on them after the crash, but Bachelor Number Two himself, Mr. Emmett Lang!? (Come on down!)

Maybe this was just what he deserved. He screwed up when he'd turned her down that day; he knew it. He definitely messed up in the way he managed the situation. It could have been handled with more finesse, but... he was Tim Bradford, and that meant it was going to get done in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Which usually meant that compassion was just an afterthought - the shoulda, coulda, woulda's that he knew were right, but he just didn't have time for.

When she questioned why he was so hesitant the other day, it had stuck with him. He didn't really know why, at first, but he had figured it out. What was so hard to explain to her, and what Lucy didn't understand, was that if they went through with this... this was his last shot. If they broke up, she could pick herself up, dust herself off and move on to the next guy... Tim didn't have that luxury. If things failed with her, he'd be too devastated to have time to heal himself and try again. If she broke his heart, it was broken for good.

Maybe he'd been pushing her away for another reason than he realized.

Maybe it wasn't Lucy who wasn't ready for all of this. It was Tim.

...Shit.