WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

225. Chapter 225

To Build a Home

Ellitheria

Summary:

In the end, it's the closet of his childhood bedroom that does it.

He's spent the entire day fighting his demons, but in the end, it's the fucking closet that causes him to lose the fight.

Not seeing his father. Not being in his childhood home. Not even being held by Lucy.

In the end, it's the closet.

It had been the safest place in his childhood, but it had never been safe enough.

OR

With the help of Lucy and Genny, Tim tears down and rebuilds his childhood home, and in the process begins to heal himself, too.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

In the end, it's the closet of his childhood bedroom that does it.

He's spent the entire day fighting his demons, but in the end, it's thefucking closetthat causes him to lose the fight.

Not seeing his father.

Not being in his childhood home.

Not even being held by Lucy.

The Tim Tests, they don't make me like him.

I know. You're nothing like him. Come here. You're nothing like him.

In the end, it's thecloset.

The pictures on the wall that he'd drawn with a crayon when he'd been too terrified to do anything else. The corner he remembers curling into when his father would yell. The carpet behind the door that he'd picked bare in his nervousness. The scrapes and scratches on the door where little hands had tried everything to hold it closed — he'd wrapped belts around it, the cord from his TV,everything, but it had never worked.

It had been the safest place in his childhood, but it had never been safe enough.

"Daddy, NO!"

Tim falls to his knees in front of the door, staring inside. It's empty now. No more toys, no more dirty soccer shorts, no more books and snacks hidden behind his shoes for the long nights.

It'sempty, but he can't help but remember.

He shouldn't have… heshouldn't haveagreed to come back here, he thinks, as he crawls inside the closet. It's smaller than he remembers; he barely fits, with his back pressed against the wall and his knees drawn to his chest. There's a little room on either side of him, but it doesn't seem as cavernous as it had when he was five, or ten, or fifteen.

He pulls the door closed, and drops his head against it.

Heknowshe needs to get his shit together. Genny and Lucy are downstairs, waiting on pizza, and he knows that if he doesn't go back down they're going to come looking for him, and hecan'texplain why he's breaking down over acloset.

Unbidden, a sob builds in his chest, and Tim shoves his fist into his mouth to stop it. It doesn't help, and the tears begin falling without permission. His chest is tight and it's hard to breathe, and without conscious thought, he'ssobbing, deeply, raggedly, uncontrollably. Tears are rolling down his face, and he's hugging his knees tightly to his chest, rocking back and forth the way he had when he had been so small that his hands couldn't even wrap fully around the knob.

He tries to stop his cries.

Heknowshe needs to be quiet.

His dad will hear him.

His dad…

No, not his dad.

Lucy and Genny.

Lucy and Genny will hear him.

But he can't stop the tears, and he can't stop the noises that come from deep in his chest.

Heneeds to—

"Tim?"

Fuck.

Tim bites down on his arm,hard,to quiet himself down, even though he knows it's pointless. Lucy knows he's in his room, and it'sempty. There's nothing here anymore, no bed, no toys,nothing. Shehasto know where he is, and he doesn't evenwantto hide from her, but he can't help it. His heart beats fast. His body shakes, because…

Because if he's not quiet, his dad will find him.

It's been years. It's beenseventeen years, and it's taken less than ten minutes in his childhood room to return him to that place, thattime. It's taken less than ten minutes for his body to remember the terror, thedesperation, of being in this closet.

Seventeen years of progress, of trying to forget,gone.

"Tim?"

He hears Lucy reach for the doorknob of the closet, and her voice is soft, and Timknowsthat she won't hurt him. He knows that. He knows he knowshe knows…

But he reaches out and holds the doorknob anyway, keeping it from turning, keeping it from opening.

"Tim, let me in," Lucy begs, and her voice sounds strange. It sounds likeshe'scrying, and that's justwrong. Lucy should never cry. Lucy should always be smiling, and happy — the sun personified.

Tim doesn't respond, but he lets his hand fall away from the doorknob, and suddenly she'sthere. She's squeezing into the closet beside him, and she's wrapping her arms around him, and hefuckingloses it.

He tucks his head into her shoulder andhowls, the cries echoing throughout the small space, and Lucy is crying with him, holding him tightly, running shaking fingers through his hair.

Heknowshis father isn't here, but he'shere. His presencehauntsthis house, this room, thiscloset. His father's hands, his anger, the pain he'd dealt out easily and without remorse. It had seeped into the walls of this house, the dark corners, the small spaces under the bed, and it wraps around Tim now like a dark blanket, immobilizing him,paralyzinghim.

"Shh," Lucy murmurs, and she's rocking them back and forth in the small space. Her left hand is cupping the back of his head, pressing it into the divot of her shoulder and neck, and her right arm is wrapped around him as tightly as she can manage, but he still feels unmoored. He feels like he's going to float away any second, slip beneath the water and never resurface.

"Lucy," he croaks, and she presses her cheek to his head, squeezing him tighter.

"Tim," she whispers, and her voice is the only thing helping him tread water. If she stops talking, he's going to drown.

"Talk," he manages through the sobs, and Lucy doesn't even have to ask what he means.

Sheknows.

She always knows.

"The pizza's here," she begins, and Tim almost wants to laugh, because he couldn't give afuckabout pizza right now, but as always, Lucy knows what she's doing. She talks endlessly, purposelessly, and Tim's heart begins to slow as her voice washes over him. "They forgot yours, so you're SOL, buddy. There's one with pineapple and ham on it, which,gross, your sister isgross, and then there's mine. It has spinach and tomato and onion and mushroom, which I know you hate, but c'mon, you have to at least try it. It'sdelicious."

She keeps rambling about pizza, and about how Genny had flirted with the delivery boy, and about how she had actually left the house to get them beer, and Tim knows that Lucy had made her leave. He knows that she'd made Genny leave the house before she'd come up here to hold him, and he's so thankful for her.

By the time she's managed to get on the topic of 'an official visitation schedule for Kojo, because shemissesher boy', Tim feels like he can breathe again.

He pulls away from Lucy, and lets himself fall against the wall of the closet. It's still smaller than he remembers, because his feet are still tangled with Lucy's, their knees are still knocking against each other, and he can still feel her warmth.

But…

It feels…safe, in a way it never had when he was a boy.

"Thank you," he whispers, and Lucy smiles in the darkness.

"Anything you need," she whispers, and Tim closes his eyes, resting his head against the wall and breathing in deeply.

"I used to hide here, when I was a boy," he says, finally, and Lucy reaches out to hold his hand. She plays with his fingers, and her touch is grounding. It helps him continue talking. "This whole day has been a shit show, but I was…fine. I was fine until I came up here. I opened the closet door, and suddenly I was a little boy again, hiding from my angry father, and it's like the last seventeen years never happened. I'm right back there, hiding behind my shoes, hoping that he won't find me even though healwaysfound me."

Lucy doesn't speak, and he's almost glad of it. He knows that he's barely holding on, and he doesn't particularly want to break down again.

"I always hid in the same place. Stupid, I know. It actually made iteasierfor him to find me. But this closet was the safest place I knew. It was my own little world. I used to pretend I was somewhere else,anywhere else, when I was in here. I was in a rocket, or on a pirate ship. I was hiding from ninjas, or I was laying in wait, preparing to attack the bad guys. But it never worked. Healwaysfound me."

He's crying again, and hehatesthat he can't stop.

He can't keep going, and he knows Lucy doesn't expect him to, so he just drops his head to his knees, breathing in and out and in and out and in —

"Do you trust me, Tim?"

He looks up suddenly, eyes meeting Lucy's in the dim light of the closet.

He doesn't even have to consider her question.

"Absolutely," he says, without hesitation or doubt, and Lucy squeezes his hand before letting it drop.

"I'll be right back."

He feels the panic rising again as she stands to her feet and exits the closet, but he manages to push it down. He listens, and can hear her feet on the stairs. He can hear her digging around in the pile of tools he'd left on the living room floor, and he can hear when she starts to ascend the stairs again.

His heart rate slows with each step she takes toward him.

Suddenly she's in front of him again, and she's smiling. Her eyes are still red and he can see tear tracks on her cheeks, but she'ssmiling.

She holds out a sledge hammer, and a pair of goggles, and shrugs. He looks back and forth between the tool and her, eyes wide, mouth open.

He stands, and takes the hammer from her. They're both facing his closet.

His past.

His pain.

His demons.

He raises the sledge hammer, and lets it fall against the wall. A hole appears, and as the plaster rains down on the floor, he feels a new wave of tears slipping down his cheeks.

This time, though, it feels like arelease.

He'd spent an entire childhood hiding in this closet. He'd spentyearslocked inside those four walls. He'd spent his entire youth trying to hide from his father, and his entire adulthood trying to pretend that it had never happened.

But ithad happened.

Lucy puts a hand between his shoulder blades, and the pressure is grounding.

He raises the hammer again, and a chunk of wall falls to the floor as he releases it.

He raises the hammer again. And again. And again.

With each hit, more and more of the closet disappears. More of the wall crumbles. Tim feels the tightness of his chest loosen. He feels the tears falling freely. He hears the noises he's making, but he can't stop.

Hecan'tstop.

He doesn't stop until the hammer falls from his hands, and this time when he falls to the ground, Lucy is there, her arms around him, her head buried in his neck.

"You survived," she whispers, and Tim wraps his arms around her, returning her embrace.

He had.

He'd survived.

You've been fighting the memory, all on your own
Nothing worsens, nothing grows
I know how it feels being by yourself in the rain
We all need someone to stay
We all need someone to stay

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 2

When Tim finally makes his way downstairs (after taking several minutes to breathe deeply and compose himself), he's greeted by the soft sounds of laughter from Genny and Lucy in the kitchen. He smiles, and then takes a deep breath. He knows Lucy won't say anything about his red eyes and tear stained cheeks, but he's not sure about Genny. She never had been very good at reading him, or knowing when he justdidn't want to talk about it.

"Hey," Lucy murmurs when she sees him, and she reaches out and grabs his hand, hauling him into the kitchen. "I lied earlier, by the way, to distract you. Theydidn'tforget your pizza, so you don't actually have to eat mine. I know how much you hate mushrooms."

Tim knocks his shoulder into hers and offers her a small grin, but doesn't otherwise respond.

He's so grateful for her.

He's honestly not sure if he would have made it through the day without her by his side.

And that…

That's new.

Whenhad she wormed her way so thoroughly into his life that he felt like heneeded her?

He shakes his head (it's something he can worry about later) and takes the beer Genny passes him.

"I'm sorry, Tim," she says, voice soft, and when Tim finally looks up he can see tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"For what?" he asks, because nothing that had happened in this house had beenher fault.

"For pushing you to come here. I didn'trealize."

Tim swallows thickly, and then nods.

He knows it's not her fault. In fact, he'd done his very best his entire life to make sure shedidn'trealize. He had done everything he could to make sure she never felt the weight of their father's hand, or suffered the pain of disappointing him.

So he can't really blame her for not knowing how hard this would be for him, even though he wants to.

"I can do the renovation on my own, if I need to," she continues after a long minute of silence. "I can hire some people, or we can just sell it as is. We don't…youdon't have to do this," Genny finishes, and Tim turns to look at Lucy.

He's always turning to look at Lucy, if he's being honest with himself.

She smiles encouragingly, and Tim knows without asking what she thinks he should do. And she's notwrong;it probablywouldbe good for him to face his demons.

Because if he doesn't dosomethinghe knows nothing will ever change, and he had realized, while he was wrapped in Lucy's arms in his childhood closet, that hewantsto change.

"No," he finally decides as he takes a seat at the kitchen counter, taking the plate of meat lover's pizza that Lucy offers him. He takes a bite and chews it slowly, considering his words carefully. "I think we should do this. Together. We should do thistogether. Tear this place down to its bones, and rebuild it. It'll be good for me."

"And," Lucy adds, sitting down beside Tim. She's closer than she probably realizes; her thigh brushes against his leg, and the soft skin of her arm causes him to shiver when she presses her warm skin into his. "We're all here to help you. Nolan, Nyla, Angela — all of us. Of course,I'llbe the best helper, because we have the same shift and also because I'm the most awesome." She pauses and chews on a mushroom before admitting, "Well,Nolanwill probably be the best helper, actually, because of the whole 'owned a construction business' thing. But I maintain that I am the most fun to be around."

Tim rolls his eyes at her, but there's no actual heat behind it — it's just what they do. Lucy sticks her tongue in retaliation and takes another bite of her veggie pizza.

"Lucy, youalreadyspend twelve hours a day sitting across from this goof," Genny pipes up, shooting her brother a look. "Why would you want to spendmoretime with him?"

Lucy blushes and shrugs, and that'sinteresting, Tim thinks, but he doesn't allow himself to linger on how cute she looks when she blushes.

When she finally answers Genny, though, it's not at all what Tim was expecting.

"Tim doesn't have any family in the area. Or, much familyat all,come to think of it. It's just you, and you live so far away. I'm kind of in the same boat — I haven't spoken to my parents inmonths,so I know what it feels like to be alone while going through hard things. And this is going to behard."

Lucy pauses, and turns to meet Tim's gaze. He's staring at her, his pizza forgotten, and he feels like they're the only ones in the room as she smiles and continues speaking in a soft, low tone.

"When you're going through hell, you need people who care about you, who will hold you when you need to break down and kick your ass when you need to get your shit together. And… and when Jackson died, Tim did that for me. He made sure I wasn't alone, and hugged me when I needed a hug, and pushed me when I needed to be pushed. We're a family, of sorts, our little Mid-Wilshire group, and part of being a family is beingthere."

Silence falls over the kitchen, and Lucy worries that she's said too much, that she's made things awkward for Tim and Genny. She worries that she'supsetGenny, because GennyisTim's family, but she hasn't been there for him. Lucyknowsshe has her own life, but Tim has been alone and going throughso much(everything with Isabel, becoming a Sergeant, Lucy being kidnapped, Angela being kidnapped… it's been ashit showof a year)... and yet Gennywasneverthere.

Tim needs people who willbe therefor him.

"Oh," Genny says, and then casts a glance between her brother and Lucy. "That's really nice of you."

Lucy just shrugs and blushes again.

Tim is still frozen in his seat.

"Lucy," he says, and his voice is hoarse and quiet. He looks up and meets her eyes, and he drowns in everything he sees in them.

It's everything he's ever wanted, but he's been too scared to take.

He'sstilltoo scared.

"Thank you," he says, instead of everything hewantsto say.

You are the only one who has truly been there for me.

You are the one who saved my life, who stopped me from throwing away my career and my morals, when I went to Isabel's house that night.

You are the one who held me when I broke down.

You are the one.

"You're welcome," she says, and then reaches out to squeeze his hand once, tightly, before letting it drop. "Now, let's work on a timeline for this thing. What's the plan?"

Tim stares at her for a minute longer, unable to look away, but he finally snaps out of his thoughts when Genny speaks.

"I have to go back home next week, so I unfortunately won't be much help, but I promise to come down as often as I can."

"OK," Tim says, and he loves his sister, hedoes, but he knows that she won't be back as often as he needs help, so he'll have to rely on hisother family.His new family.Lucy. "Demolition will be the easy part."

As he talks and plans, he feels himself calming down, and it's always been this way. When there's a clear, set,predictabletimeline and list of things to do, he can focus.

Lucy grabs a marker and starts writing on the back of the pizza box and Tim stares at her messy handwriting, her make-shift notepad, and he's so glad she's here. He's so glad she's going to be with him, throughout this.

He feels like maybe he can heal, if she's here.

"Tim and I are off for the next two days, so we can get a pretty good head start with the demo," Lucy says, and bites on the end of her marker as she thinks. "I don't have any plans, so I'm free whenever you want me."

Tim nods. "I don't have any plans, either," he says, and even as he utters the words he knows they're untrue. He has a date with Ashley planned on Saturday, but he's already trying to figure out how he can reschedule or cancel.

Thisis more important.

He'd been so hesitant to start, but now that he has, now that he's seen the bedroom wall collapse under his hand, hecan't stop thinking about it. He wants to tear every wall down, throw away every memory, and create somethingnew,somethingbeautiful.

Both out of the house, and out of himself.

"Great!" Lucy says, and she claps her hands together as she stands up. "So, first thing in the morning! Oh, and Tim, you should bring Kojo so we don't have to go to your place to take him for walks. He can hang out in the backyard, or in the house with us!"

Tim smiles and nods. "OK," he says simply, because he thinks he would agree toanythingwhen Lucy smiles at him like that. "I can pick you up," he offers, and he's already planning on stopping by Nevin's in the morning for coffee and donuts. He can bring Lucy her favorite iced monstrosity and her favorite bear claw.

Just as a way to say 'thank you'.

Definitelynotjust because he wants to see that smile again.

"Perfect," Lucy says, and she's beaming widely as she tucks her hands into the back pockets of her jeans and rocks back and forth on her feet. "It's a date, then."

Tim stares at her — the way she smiles, the way the soft waves of her hair frame her face, the gentle curve of her hips and thighs — and thinks that he would do anything to keep her shining like that, like the sun rises and sets at her whim.

"It's a date," he agrees, and he pulls his phone out to text Ashley.

Need to reschedule dinner tomorrow,he types, and he presses send before he even thinks about it.

This is more important.

He just hopes that Ashley will understand.

Notes:

This one will have some angst and healing in it, but I promise it's going to be about 60% fluff and hugs and found family and Kojo. It's going to be very indulgent. It'll start out a little rough, but it will over overall MUCH happier than Something Wicked and Parallels. ️ ️

Chapter 3

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 3

When Tim pulls up and parks outside of Lucy's apartment the next morning, he's inexplicably nervous. He has Lucy's coffee, her favorite pastry, and an unread text message from Ashley all taunting him.

He's never been more confused.

He thought helikedAshley.

And hedoes…

He's just not sure why he would suddenly rather spend his day with Lucy demolishing his childhood home than going to dinner with a beautiful blondelifeguard.

He'd seen the text preview of her response to him canceling their date, but he hadn't been able to make himself open and read the full thing.

This is the second time you've canceled on me, Tim. I KNOW you have the day off. What…

He hadn't opened the message last night, and he can't make himself do it this morning, either, so he doesn't know how her sentence ends, but he knows it can't be good.

"Good morning!" Lucy chirps, breaking him out of his thoughts, and she's opening the door to his truck and climbing inside before Tim even manages to mutter a 'good morning' in return. She doesn't seem to care; frankly, she's used to the way he's a bit of a bear in the mornings until at least his second cup of coffee. She stopped letting his grumpiness affect her a long time ago.

Tim is opening his mouth to speak when Lucy spies the coffee in the cup holder, and the sound she makes causes him to grin reflexively.

"Ooooh, Tim! You got my favorite coffee from Nevin's! God, you're myfavorite," she gushes, and she reaches for the iced coffee, pops the straw in, and takes a long drink, melting back into the seat of his truck and sighing happily.

Tim holds out the bag with her bear claw in it, a tiny grumpy smile on his lips, and her responding smile isbreathtaking.

"I couldkissyou," she declares, and Tim's brain short circuits. She doesn't seem to notice the state she's left him in, however; she's happily munching on the bear claw, little noises of pleasure filling the cab of the truck as she bites into it.

"You're welcome," Tim finally manages, and he forces himself to focus on backing out of his parking spot and driving so that he doesn't do something stupid like lean over andkiss her.

He doesn't knowwhenexactly this started, but he's beginning to realize that something is unbalanced in his life. He's ignoring his girlfriend, too worried and also frankly a little annoyed by the part of her response that hehadread, while also trying to convince himself that heshouldn'tjust pull over, park the truck, and kiss Lucy within an inch of her life.

He wonders if it's a sign he should break up with Ashley (because even if he can't haveLucy, it's not fair to Ashleyorhim, the way he's stringing them along, because he can't imagine ever feeling this way about the lifeguard).

He can't imagine opening up to her about his past.

He can't imaginebringing Ashley with himto see his father.

He can't imagine letting Ashley hold him while he cries.

Those are the parts of himself that he has carefully guarded hisentire life, andAshleyis not the one he wants there when he breaks down in the closet of his childhood bedroom.

It'sLucy.

Well, shit.

Tim sighs, and glances over to see if Lucy has noticed his introspective mood. She doesn't seem to have realized that anything is off, however; she's got her feet curled under her in her seat and is watching the scenery pass by as she sips her coffee and eats her breakfast.

It's kind of annoying, actually, that she hasn't even realized that he's having an epiphany of sorts. Normally she notices if hesneezeswrong, but today she's happily unaware of his internal turmoil.

"Where's Kojo?" she finally asks, becauseof coursethat's what she notices — that thedogisn't with them.

Tim rolls his eyes, but he can't help smiling.

"He kept trying to eat your bear claw, so I already dropped him off at the house. He's having a grand old time in the backyard."

Lucy hums and crumples the bag her breakfast came in, making sure to put it carefully into the trash bag that Tim has in the backseat (he likes to keep a clean truck, and she'd spent too many days in the shop with him tonotknow his 'eating in the car' rules).

"You're the sweetest," she says, and Tim grunts in response.

He is notsweet.

But… with her, he thinks he might be.

Oh, God, what is happening to him?

Once they get to the house, Tim forces himself to open the text message from Ashley. He knows that if he wasn'talreadyin deep shit about canceling, then he was now fornot answering her for fourteen hours.

This is the second time you've canceled on me, Tim. I KNOW you have the day off. What could be so important that you have to cancelagain?

Tim grimaces as he reads it, and tries to ignore the intrigued look Lucy throws in his direction.

It's not that he doesn't want Ashley to know what he's up to today, it's just that it seems soprivate, and he wonders if that's perhaps another sign. His girlfriend should be included in things he considers to be private, probably.

Sorry, Ash. It's a family thing. We can reschedule for tomorrow, maybe?

But then again… they'd only been on two dates, Tim thinks. Maybe they just needed a little more time to get to know each other. After all, it was a very new relationship. He'd kissed her goodnight after their last date, and he'd beenexcitedto go out with her again, so maybe it was fine.

He'd give it a little more time and see.

I really had fun on our last date, he adds, when he sees that she's read his message and not responded.I'm sorry for canceling again. You know how the job is, and then this family thing came up. Tomorrow at 6?

Ashley takes several minutes to reply, and when she does, Tim feels his stomach churn.

OK.

They hadn't been dating long, but he knew how she texted. She never sent one word responses unless she was upset.

"Fuck," he whispers, and Lucy, who has popped out offucking nowhere, makes a noise from right behind him. He startles a little, and then shoves his phone in his pocket.

"What's wrong?" she asks, and Tim shrugs, running a hand through his hair.

"Nothing. It's fine."

Lucy gives him alook, and Tim sighs again.

"I think I pissed Ashley off."

Lucy, who had only heard of his mysterious girlfriend's existence the day before, is intrigued (and definitelynota little jealous.Definitelynot. She hadn't been jealous in the shop when Tim had told Genny he wasn't single, either.). "Ooh, what did you do?" she asks, and she's smiling as she hands Tim a pair of goggles and the reciprocating saw.

Tim rolls his eyes. "I canceled our date tonight. I didn't realize it was such a big deal."

He leaves out the part where he hadn't responded to her text message for fourteen hours, figuring that Lucy doesn't need that kind of ammunition. She already gives him enough shit for messing up his relationships.

"Oh," Lucy says, and then bites her lip. "I'm sorry."

Tim just shrugs.

They stare at each other in silence for a few moments, and right as Tim is getting the urge to make stupid decisions again, Lucy pulls out her phone and declares that they have to listen to music while working. She passes her phone to Tim and tells him to pick a station of music that came out at some pointaftershe was born, and then turns toward the back door to let Kojo in.

Tim is grateful for the distraction, and scrolls through her spotify.

One direction.

BTS.

Who the hellarethese people, anyway?

Pop Hits.

Nope. Not in a million years.

Classic Rock.

With a grin, he clicks on the classic rock station, and sets her phone down on the fireplace mantle as the sounds of Pink Floyd begin to float through the room. He can hear Kojo barking excitedly as Lucy lets him in, and finds himself smiling as Lucy responds to the dog, telling him what a good boy he is and how she's missed him.

It feelsweird, the sounds of so many comfortable things in the place he feels mostuncomfortable.

Hehatesthis house.

He hates the memories it brings up.

He hates looking at the living room wall where his father had pushed his head through the plaster.

He hates the lighting and the ugly, shag carpet, and he even hates the fireplace, too.

But the sound of Pink Floyd'sLearning to Fly, and the entwined voices of Lucy and Kojo as she talks and he barks and whines — those are sounds that heloves.

He thinks about the feeling of letting the sledge hammer break down the walls of his childhood closet the day before, and he wants that feeling back.

That feeling had beenfreeing.

It had beenfreeingto destroy the place that had brought him so much misery. It had beenfreeingto take control, to confront the memories of the hardest years of his life.

And…

Well, now he wants to tear this house topieces.

He wants to tear it to pieces, and then fill its bones with things that bring him joy.

He wants to fill it with bright colors, lots of windows for natural light, the sounds of Kojo barking and skittering across the floor, andLucy. He wants to fill this house withLucy, and her smiles and her laugh and the way that she makes himfeel.

And in that moment, as Lucy and Kojo both come bounding into the room, heknows.

He reaches for his phone, sends off a quick text message, and shoves it back in his pocket before Lucy can see.

We should talk before dinner tomorrow, Ash.

He smiles up at Lucy as he leans down to pet Kojo, and as the music washes over him, he thinks he's made the right choice.

Chapter 4

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 4

By the time the wall between the kitchen and the living room is in pieces on the floor, Tim is feeling solid in his decision.

He needs to break up with Ashley.

He thinks that, in another life, they might have been good together. She's sweet, funny, andveryattractive… but she's not what heneeds.

He needs someone who he can be himself with.

Someone who knows about and accepts his grumpy partsandhis broken parts.

Someone who understands that he has some abandonment issues because of Isabel.

He needs someone who understands and accepts that he doesn't like to try new things. Who understands his need for routine and predictability. Who understands that he doesn't justdislikeunpredictability because it's not comfortable, hehatesunpredictability because hisentire lifehas been unpredictable. He'd had no control as a child. He'd had no control when he was in the military. He'd had no control as a police officer until he'd risen in the ranks, and he'd had no control in his marriage when Isabel had left in the middle of the night and he'd been unable to help her.

Heneedsto control what he can, and Ashley has struggled to accept that. She wants him to try new things, and while he'd be willing to maybe meet her halfway, she hasn't shown any inclination to join him in the thingshefinds comfortable. She doesn't like to watch sports with him, or hike with Kojo, or any of the things that bring him comfort and joy.

What he needs is…

"Hey, Tim, I think I know your China Wok order but wanted to double check. General chicken, extra rice, and a side of wantons?"

Tim looks up from where he's stuffing sheet-rock into heavy duty plastic bags, and sees Lucy staring at him from the kitchen. She has white dust in her hair and a smudge of dirt on her cheek, and she's holding one hand over the phone while she talks to him.

He needsLucy.

Lucy, who knows him so well.

Lucy, who accepts him no matter what.

Who knows that he doesn't like trying new food, and has never once given him shit about it.

"Yes please," he finally responds, and Lucy nods before turning her attention back to the phone. Tim watches as she walks back into the kitchen, and then ties off the bag he's filling before tossing it over his shoulder and heading outside to the large, industrial sized dumpster they'd had delivered this morning. He tosses the bag in with the rest and then pauses to survey the neighborhood before going back inside.

It's acuteneighborhood.

It always has been, really, but Tim hasn't visited this house in over fifteen years, and it's changed a lot. The houses are all different looking, not the cookie cutter houses he hates so much, and most of them have been repainted or renovated. The street is lined with mature trees, their leaves blowing gently in the wind, and the yards are all maintained and landscaped beautifully.

Most importantly, though, it'squiet. Calm. All he can hear is the wind whistling through the trees and the occasional sound of a car driving by.

"This is a really nice place," Lucy observes quietly, and Tim turns around to see her leaning against the doorway. She still has dirt on her cheek, and Tim reaches out to brush it away with the pad of his thumb. She smiles at him and continues, "I think it'll be really nice once we fix everything up. It'll be cute. A good place to live and raise a family."

"Yeah," Tim agrees, and while he knows Lucy thinks he's going to be selling it when they're done… he's not so sure anymore.

He's suddenlywantingthings he hasn't allowed himself to want in a long, long time.

He wants the cute house and the dog and the wife and the 2.5 kids.

It's been so long since he'd allowed himself to believe that those things could be a possibility for him that the sudden longing surprises him.

"Are you OK?" Lucy asks, and Tim looks back at her. She's watching him carefully, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he says, and it's true.

He's better than he has been in a while, actually, because he finally knows what hewants.

Now all he has to do is find a way togeteverything he wants.

In retrospect, Tim blames the classic rock bandREO Speedwagonfor what happens next.

He and Lucy are sweeping out the living room after they'dfinallyfinished removing all of the pieces of the wall they'd taken down. They're absolutelycoveredin sheet-rock dust, plus regular dust, and Lucy is dancing around a little to the music while she sweeps. She's grinning and her hips are swaying, and Tim is in awe that she can be so happy and cheerful while they work. She is the literal sun, and because her happiness is infectious, Tim finds himself swaying to the music, too.

And then the songI Can't Fight This Feelingcomes on the radio, and it perfectly matches everything Tim has come to realize since beginning this project with Lucy.

I can't fight this feeling any longer
And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow
What started out as friendship has grown stronger
I only wish I had the strength to let it show

As the gentle, sweet sounds of the song flow over them, Tim suddenly stops sweeping and turns to stare at Lucy.

She's staring right back at him, and he can't help the smile that slowly lifts his lips.

"You know," he murmurs, and his heart is beating rapidly in his chest as he sets the broom he's holding against the wall. He knows he's covered in dust, and he doesn't look the way he had at Angela's first (disastrous) attempt at a wedding, but if the way Lucy isstaringat him is any indication, it doesn't matter that he's not dressed to the nines in a tuxedo.

"I knowwhat?" Lucy prompts him, and Tim realizes that he'd stopped speaking in the middle of his sentence.

He walks over to her, takes her broom and sets it with his, and then holds out his hand.

"You still owe me a dance, Chen."

Lucy raises an eyebrow, but she's still grinning. She cocks her head to the side and gives him a searching look. "Oh, Ido, do I?" she asks, and her voice is teasing, but oh so soft.

"Mmm," he confirms, and Lucy shrugs.

"Well, then, I suppose I must," she says, and she places her hand gently in his, letting her fingers rest on his palm, and Tim is quick to pull her to him, to wrap his arm around her waist and settle it low on her back. Lucy blushes and ducks her head, but sets her free hand on his shoulder, letting her fingers entwine with the hand he's still holding.

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever
I said there is no reason for my fear
'Cause I feel so secure when we're together
You give my life direction, you make everything so clear

Tim leads her slowly across the dirty floor, side stepping the bags of trash and the piles of dust easily. He pulls her as close to him as he can, pressing their hips together with the pressure of his hand on her back, and she sighs happily as she leans into him.

The house is a disaster; it's a mess, literally as well as figuratively, and it's still full of the type of memories that make it hard for Tim to sleep at night, but this moment, with Lucy in his arms, is what he knows he's going to think about tonight.

Not the way his father had pushed him down by the fireplace.

Not the way his head had hit the bricks and had required seven stitches.

He won't even remember the time he'd almost made it out of the door before his father had caught him, fingers wrapping around his wrist and pulling him back inside before laying his hands on him.

It'sthis momentthat he's going to think about when he goes to bed. The warmth of Lucy in his arms, the way she's smiling shyly up at him, the way her eyes sparkle. The way she feels against him, the way he can feel her chest press into his with every breath she takes.

He'd known that dancing with her would be dangerous, butdamn.

It's taking everything inside of him to refrain from kissing her, or asking her to be with him forever.

And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight
You're a candle in the window on a cold, dark winter's night
And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

"This is nice," Lucy sighs, and Tim makes a noise of agreement in his throat before pulling back a little and grinning. Lucy gives him a confused look for a moment, and then breaks out in delirious laughter when Tim spins her around. He never lets go of her hand, and Lucy's cheeks are flushed pink as he spins her back, collecting her against his body once again.

"Bradford's got moves," she says, and Tim laughs, shrugging and placing his hand on her lower back once again.

"I am a man of mystery," he says, and Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Lies. You are the most predictable man I've ever met. Yourroutineshave routines," she jokes, and Tim feels briefly hurt, his chest clenching, because she's not the first one to say that about him, and he knows she won't be the last.

But —

"And I wouldn't want you any other way," she adds.

She lays her head on his chest, and Tim knows he's sunk.

He's well and truly fucked.

How had he not seen this? How had he fallen in love with Lucy without realizing it?

It had snuck up on him, his admiration and respect for her growing bit by bit until they were friends (reluctant at first), and then, somehow, she'd become the person he wanted to talk to about everything. He always thought of her when he was picking what to order in when they were stuck in the station after hours with paperwork, and he thought of her first thing in the mornings, too, wondering if he should stop for coffee or if she'd like to take a walk with him and Kojo.

And I can't fight this feeling anymore
I've forgotten what I started fighting for
It's time to bring this ship into the shore
And throw away the oars, forever

"Lucy," he begins, and he's not sure how he's going to finish his sentence, he just knows that he can't hold everything inside any longer, and he has to saysomething.

Lucy lifts her head from his chest and gives him an inquiring look, but just as he's opening his mouth to speak, there's a noise from the doorway.

Tim turns to seeAshley, of all people, standing in the door to the living room. There's a bag of take-out in her hands, and Tim feelsterrible.

She'd brought him dinner, from the looks of it. She had probably expected him to be here working, alone, and instead she'd found him and Lucy —

"What thefuckis going on here?"

Notes:

I would apologize for the sappiness, but my last two stories have been FULL OF ANGST, so this one is going to be like 80% fluff. If you have complaints, feel free to lodge them below. ;)

Chapter 5

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 5

"What thefuckis going on here?"

Lucy drops her hands from Tim's body in shock and surprise, and Tim immediately misses the warmth of her touch. He can see her starting to pull away, both physically and emotionally, and he doesn't want that. It's thelastthing he wants — Ashley's presence to ruin what they'd just shared, the closeness and happiness they'd been reveling in.

"Ash," he begins, but Ashley doesn't give him a chance to continue.

"I should have known!" she shouts, and she's absolutelyfuming.

Tim isn't sure he blames her. He's been distant, canceling dates, and now she walks in to find Lucy pressed up against him while they slow dance across the living room?

He'd probably be pissed, too.

"I should have known you were cheating on me. I see the way you two look at each other!"

Tim opens his mouth to respond, but Lucy beats him to it.

"Tim wouldnevercheat on you!" she cries, and she says it with absolutecertainty,like she doesn't have a single doubt in her mind that he would be 100% faithful to whoever he was dating.

Physically, at least, he thinks. Because he's pretty sure he's been emotionally cheating at the very least.

"I swear there's nothing going on between us," Tim adds, though he doesn't add the part where he wishes there was. "Ashley, let me explain."

"Explainwhat? I came over here to bring you dinner since you canceled our date, and I was expecting you to bealone.You didn't mention that your 'family emergency' included Lucy!"

Tim winces and runs a hand through his dusty hair. He opens his mouth to speak, but Ashley isn't finished.

"My father is alway telling me what an honorable, kind man you are, but you're nothing but a fucking cheater! You would think that after yourwife left you, you'd know how it feels to be cheated on, but then you turn around and betray me!"

Tim is used to being yelled at. His father, the military, his TO when he was in the training program… he's been yelled at his entire life.

So he does what he has trained himself to do — he retreats into himself.

There are so many things hecouldsay. So many ways hecoulddeny her accusations. He could explain what was really happening — that his sister showed up out of nowhere, dumped this house on him, and then left to go back home. He could explain how he's renovating it so that he can either sell it or change it into something that's ahappymemory rather than a traumatizing one.

He could say all of those things, but he knows they won't make a single bit of difference.

So instead he wraps his arms around his chest. It's a soothing gesture, and not a mad one, but Ashley seems to take it as defensive.

She stalks up into his space and jabs a finger in his chest. "You, Tim Bradford, are nothing but a lying, cheating,asshole."

Tim doesn't respond.

Lucydoes.

"Ashley, listen," she says, and she steps between them, forcing Ashley to take a step back.

The taller woman glares down at her, the bag of take out in her hand, and if looks could kill, Lucy would be in the morgue right now.

"Tim isnotcheating on you. I am here because I am his partner andfriend, and he shouldn't have to face this house and these memories alone. That dance," she begins, and she wants to finish her sentence with 'waseverythingI have been dreaming of', but instead she says, "Was an IOU, from Angela's first attempt at a wedding. It was before you knew Tim, but I promised him a dance before everything happened."

Ashley seems to have stopped listening around the second sentence, and makes a confused face at Tim.

"Whatmemories?" she asks, and Tim doesn't want to tell her. Hedoesn't.This isn't going anywhere, their relationship, and he doesn't want to share that part of himself with her. He doesn't want to share the scared little boy he had been, the defenseless teenager, the child who had been beaten into submission.

"It's nothing, Ashley. And actually, this is probably a good thing. I was going to break up with you tomorrow," he says, softly, and he can hear Lucy gasping beside him in surprise.

Ashley, too, is surprised, but she's alsopissed.

"Youwere going to break up withme? That should be the other way around, Tim! I brought you dinner!Iam not the one who canceled our date —twice! I'm not the one who'scheating with my work partner!"

"Actually," Tim says, and he knows now isreallynot the time, but it's been bugging him since he saw her in the doorway. And besides, he knows that it's useless to defend himself against her accusations. He'd learned that the hard way throughout his life. No one will believe you anyway, so don't even try.

It rings true now, and he just wants her to begone.

"Howdid you know where I was?"

Ashley blushes and looks down for a moment, but then meets his gaze again, eyes flaring with anger. "I tracked your location on your phone. Remember, on our first date when I couldn't find the restaurant? You shared your location with me, and never turned it off. I wanted to know what the hell was more important than our date, so I came to find you."

Tim bristles, and he feels a wave ofviolationrun through him.

She's been tracking him?

For how long?

"You need to leave."

It's not Tim who speaks, though; it's Lucy.

She's still standing between him and Ashley, and Tim has never been more grateful for her. She's his rock right now, because if it had just been him and Ashley, he's not sure what he would have done. He's notweak,heknowshe's not, but when it comes to defending himself against an angry woman, he doesn't know what to do. He never has. Not with Isabel (both beforeandafter she'd been hooked on the drugs) and not now.

Ashley looks between them with disgust and anger clear in her features.

"Whatever!" she cries, and she takes a step back. Tim can see she's genuinely upset, and he hates that he's hurt her, but he knows that this is for the best. "We're done, Tim. I never want to see you again."

"OK," Tim says softly, because he knows he's partially in the wrong here.

He never should have asked her out. He should have known right away, when he didn't feel disappointed that he'd had to cancel their date the first time. He should have known when she had told him she 'didn't like hiking' and didn't want to go out with him and Kojo. He should have known when she continually pushed him out of his comfort zone.

He's hopeful that Ashley will just turn and leave, but apparently his easy acceptance only makes hermoreangry.

"You are a fuckingasshole, Tim Bradford! I hate you!"

She's clenching the bag of take-out tightly in her hand, and Tim knows what she's going to do only moments before she does it. He immediately steps in front of Lucy, and the bag hits him square in the chest. Containers of soup explode, and pasta rains down on the floor beneath Tim's feet.

He'scoveredin the dinner she'd brought them.

Ashley stares at them both for one more long second, and then turns on her heels and stalks out of the door.

Lucy looks between Tim and the door in horror, but all Tim can do is laugh as he watches the rivulets of soup run down his shirt.

"I don't evenlikethat restaurant," is all he can think to say, and he knows it's because he hasn't developed any healthier responses to confrontation and fighting, but he begins tolaugh. "Looks like it's just me and you, Chen. When isrealdinner getting here?"

Lucy stares at him in shock, her eyes wide and disbelieving.

"Ten minutes," she says, because she doesn't know how else to react.

"Perfect. I'm going to go clean up."

He turns toward the stairs, but then pauses and turns around. He takes in the mess that is the living room and sighs, eyes darting to meet Lucy's before falling again.

"You won't leave, will you?" he asks, and hehateshow small his voice sounds.

Lucy just smiles, though, and shakes her head. "No, Tim. I'll be here, I promise. Go, clean up. I'll wait for you."

"OK," Tim says, and he smiles gently at her before heading upstairs.

Ten minutes later, Tim has managed to wipe most of the soup off and has changed into whatever clothes he could find in his truck. He ends up in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and he walks down the stairs barefoot to find Lucy humming and dancing in the kitchen.

He'd made the right choice, he thinks, because he can't imagine anyone else dancing and singing in his kitchen like this.

Lucy spots him and grins before motioning toward a bag on the counter. She'd already taken out the boxes of Chinese, and has scrounged up plates from somewhere, too.

"Dinner's ready," she says, and Tim finds himself juststaringat her. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, and just takes in the scene before him.

Hewantsthis, and for more than just today.

He wants this forever.

He wants Lucy in the kitchen, smiling and happy, when he comes home from work. He wants to eat dinner with her every day, and go to bed with her every night.

It's frightening, how much hewants.

Slow and steady, he reminds himself, because he's starting to think that he can actually have this. The glint of happiness in Lucy's eyes, the way she'd held him and laughed when he'd twirled her earlier, and the way that she stared into his gaze and blushed and pressed her body to his… he's beginning to think that maybeshewants this, too.

"Tim?" she asks, voice soft, and he realizes that he's been staring at her for probably too long. He shakes his head and walks forward, taking the plate that she holds out to him.

"Want to eat in the backyard with Kojo?" he asks, and Lucy's grin is incandescent. She loves Kojoso much,and always jumps at the chance to spend time with him.

"Sounds perfect," she says, and Tim puts his hand on the small of her back to guide her in that direction. She lets him, which is nice, because he knows that she already knows where the back door is.

They're sitting and digging into the food when Tim finally speaks.

"Sorry about that," he says, and Lucy turns to look at him, her cheek full of Lo Mein, and Tim is endlessly charmed by her.

"It's OK," she says, after she chews and swallows. She knocks her shoulder into his, and laughs as she sticks her chopsticks back into the noodles. "Good that it happened before you guys got too serious, at least."

Tim nods. "Yeah, we only went on a few dates. I thought her reaction was a little dramatic for two dates, but I know I hurt her. I didn'tmeanto, I just didn't realize my own feelings until recently, and… it just wouldn't have worked. I shouldn't have asked her out in the first place, honestly."

Lucy just nods as she chews.

She's watching Kojo run around the yard, sniffing and yapping at various small bugs he finds, and shevery badlywants to askwhatfeelings he's realized, because the way he hadlookedat her had made her cheeks flush and her heart race, and shehopes, but she wants toknow.

Instead of asking, though, she sighs and leans her head on Tim's shoulder. She can feel him tense under her for a brief moment, and then relax. His free arm comes up around her shoulder, and Lucy smiles as she takes her next bite.

This is enough.

For now, at least.

Chapter 6

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 6

After dinner has been eaten and the trash disposed of, Tim and Lucy stand in the living room, surveying the damage.

"Well," Lucy says, and bites her lip as she stares at where the wall had been. "It has to get worse before it can get better, right?"

Tim nods, but rather than feeling apprehensive about the mess, he feelshopeful. They'd taken down the wall, and tomorrow they'll work on tearing up the carpet in the living room and removing all of the cabinets and counters in the kitchen. They're gutting the whole thing, updating it to a more modern look with white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and granite counter tops. They're also planning to take out the tile floor and replace it with a light grey laminate.

Once they're done in the living room and kitchen, the next step is to gut the downstairs bathroom and bedroom. The bedroom won't need too much, Tim doesn't think. They'll remove the carpet and the wallpaper so that they can paint, and he wants to replace the windows and the ceiling fan and fixtures, but he knows that won't be too hard with Nolan's help.

Lucy bumps her hip against Tim's, breaking him out of his thoughts, and he turns to look at her.

"Lost you there for a minute, Bradford," she teases, and he rolls his eyes at her.

"Just thinking," he says, and then stuffs his hands in his pockets, sighing. "We're off tomorrow, too, but you probably want to relax. Just let me know if you want to come help again."

Lucy scoffs and slaps him in the chest with the back of her hand, and Tim looks over in surprise.

"Stupid. I'll be here tomorrow, too, and any other timeyou'rehere."

Tim stiffens, frowning, because he doesn't want Lucy to think he'sweak.

"I know you can take care of yourself," Lucy continues, and Tim relaxes, becauseof courseshe doesn't pity him or think he's weak. She's just Lucy, and she's endlessly caring and kind. "Iwantto be here for you, becauseyouwere there formeduring the hardest time of my life. We'll tear out all of the bad memories and replace them," she finishes, and Tim smiles, leaning into her and letting her support some of his weight.

"That sounds good," he agrees, and he can already imagine it.

He can imagine taking this house, old and brown anddark, and turning it into something light and beautiful, with wide, open windows. He wants to fill it with good memories, and Lucy, andthem.

It's a nice thought.

Maybe he'll share it with her some day.

"Ready to go home?" he asks, and Lucy nods, turning toward the door. She pauses to grab Kojo's leash and clip it to his collar, and then has to spend several minutes convincing the dog to wake up because he isexhaustedafter chasing every bug in existence that afternoon.

"Thanks for driving me," she finally says, as Tim leads her outside of the house before turning to lock it up. Lucy waits for him, and then they walk toward his truck together. Tim walks Lucy to her side, opening the door and waiting until she climbs in to close it.

She gives him a bemused look, but she's smiling as he walks around to his side, helping Kojo hop into the back before climbing into the driver's seat.

"Such a gentleman," she remarks, and Tim grins over at her before turning the truck on.

"Always," he says, and Lucy scoffs before going on a tirade about all the times hewasn'ta gentleman.

"Right. I specifically remember you kicking me out of the car and making me walk for two miles —"

"It's notmy faultthat it took you so long to figure out where we were."

"AndI remember you making me fight some asshole twice my size on my second day as your rookie."

"A valuable training experience."

"AND, that time you made me search for a fakebombin the park before itblew up in my face."

Tim can't help it. He breaks into laughter, and when he glances over at Lucy while they're stopped at a red light, she's grinning right back.

"OK, fine, turns out there aremanytimes where I was not a gentleman. However, I still maintain that all of those were valuable training experiences."

"Whatever," Lucy says, but she's still smiling as she settles back into her seat. "You do always hold doors open for me, though," she adds after several seconds. "And you snapped at Rosalind for me that one time."

"Mm," Tim agrees. He had wanted to domuch morethan just snap at her, but he had managed to hold himself back.

"And you stepped in front of Ashley's soupy attack," she adds, and Tim grimaces. He still smells a little bit like minestrone soup, and he dislikes the smell greatly. "Andyou gave up a sergeant position to keep training me. So, maybe you're like 70% gentleman and 30% asshole. I can live with that."

Tim chuckles quietly as he flicks his blinker on.

They're somehow already at Lucy's apartment complex. Kojo is awake now and is whining in the back, and Tim sympathizes. He doesn't want to let Lucy leave, either, but then he's parking the truck and he's out of reasons to keep her with him.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he says, and Lucy nods, staring at him for several moments before sighing and turning to open her door.

"See you in the morning."

"I'll pick you up at eight," Tim whispers, though it's not what he wants to say.

Stay.

Come home with me.

I think I love you.

None of the words he wants to say will come out, though, and he watches in silence as Lucy closes the truck door and heads to her apartment entrance.

She looks back as she unlocks the door, and Tim wants to go to her. He wants to jump out of his truck and run to her, to grab her into his arms and kiss her.

But he doesn't.

He waves, and then backs the truck out of his spot.

He drives home alone.

The next morning Tim wakes up extra early to drop by Nevin's again, and he makes sure that he gets the last bear claw. He has to glare down several other people in line, but he doesn't regret anything. He's grinning as he walks back to the truck, Lucy's iced coffee and bear claw clutched triumphantly in his hands.

Kojo barks at him from the back seat when he comes back outside and Tim pets him through the window.

"I didn't forget about you, buddy. But we're gonna wait until we pick up Lucy, so she can give it to you."

Kojo barks again when Tim says Lucy's name, and he shakes his head.

His dog is just as gone on that woman as he is.

Today when he pulls up outside of Lucy's apartment she's ready and waiting. She's bouncing up and down on her heels and grinning widely. She's dressed today in a pair of skin tight, black workout leggings and a pink tank-top. Her hair is cascading down her shoulders in chocolate brown waves, and she has a small backpack in her hands.

"Good morning!" she greets him, and she sighs in happiness when Tim presents her with the coffee. He holds it out between them as a buffer, the bear claw in his other hand, and Lucy makes a happy, humming noise when she takes it from him.

"You're going to spoil me," she says, and Tim smiles as he watches her reach back and pet Kojo.

"Good," he says, and he wonders what the Tim from a year ago would have to say about the level of sappiness he's exhibiting right now.

Nothing good, that's for sure.

"Ready to destroy things today?" he asks, and Lucy nods enthusiastically as she bites into the bear claw.

"Bring it on."

It turns out that there's a Bluetooth speaker in Lucy's backpack, and she sets it up and turns on a station of songs that makes Tim'sears bleedbefore hiding her phone so he can't change the channel.

"Lucy," he complains, and she cackles as she grabs the sledgehammer from the previous day.

"You chose yesterday! I get to choose today!"

Tim begrudgingly gives in, and takes the second hammer that Lucy hands to him, and they head into the kitchen to begin destroying cabinets.

It's soothing, in a strange way, to be causing so much destruction. He's sweaty and sore and tired, but as each piece of wood splinters and falls, Tim feels lighter. Each time he throws the broken pieces away in the dumpster, he feels less and less burdened by the past that haunts this house.

Lucy is about to take her hammer to the kitchen island, but Tim holds out a hand to stop her.

"My dad…" he begins, and he lets his hammer fall to his side as he surveys the edge of the counter.

There's no mark, no dried blood,nothingthat gives away that this very spot was where Tim received his first concussion.

"He was yelling at Genny. He raised a hand to hit her, I think, and I stepped in. I fell backward, and hit my head on the edge there," he says, and he points to the sharp corner of the island. "Concussion and nine stitches. Dad told the ER doctor that Genny and I had been fighting. The doctor lectured both of us about being careful, and I felt terrible, because Genny cried. She kept apologizing, because she knew that dad was going to hit her, but I stepped in. The doctor ate it up. He just thought she was apologizing because we were 'fighting'."

"They should have noticed something," Lucy whispers, and Tim shrugs.

"I was a good liar. No one ever noticed. Not my teachers, not my friends. No one. Everyone thought we were this perfect family."

Tim pauses, and takes a deep breath. He holds it for several seconds, and as he lets it out, he allows the memory to flow out of his body as well.

"Help me destroy it?" he asks, and Lucy nods.

Together they break the kitchen island into a thousand tiny, shattered pieces, and when they're done, Tim is crying.

He doesn't realize it until Lucy reaches up to brush her thumb under his eye.

"Thank you," Tim whispers, and he's thanking her for so much he doesn't even know where to begin.

"Anytime," Lucy responds, and they work together to clean up the mess they've created.

They work the rest of the morning in a much happier mood, singing along to Lucy'sterribleplaylist and goofing off with Kojo as he barks and bounces through the house.

They manage to finish the kitchen counters, cabinets, and tile before Lucy dramatically announces that she'sstarvingand that they need to order pizza.

Tim does, and he even makes sure to get the vegetable monstrosity that she loves so much.

It's while they're waiting for lunch to be delivered that the Spice Girls comes on, and Lucy laughs unrestrainedly as Tim makes aface.

She's dancing around him in the bedroom, smiling and laughing, and Tim is rolling his eyes.

"This song isterrible," he deadpans, and all Lucy does in response is laugh at him some more. Her good mood is infectious, and Tim finds himself grinning despite himself as she pokes him in the stomach.

"Come on, Sergeant Grumpy! Join the Spice Girls, and tell me what you want, what youreally, reallywant!"

You.

Tim doesn't realize he's spoken out loud until Lucy stops dancing, the smile slipping from her lips and her eyes growing wide.

"Shit. Sorry, Lucy. I didn't mean to—"

Lucy stops him by pressing her hand to his lips, and Tim closes his eyes, his chest aching as he tries to imagine her response, each possibility worse than the last.

He's already said too much, he thinks.

He might as well lay it all out on the table.

"I wantyou," he repeats, eyes still closed. He may be a coward, but he can't make himself look at her. He's not sure he wants to see her reaction. "That's… that's what I realized. Why I broke up with Ashley. Because it'syouI want."

The Spice Girls is still echoing throughout the bedroom when Tim finally forces himself to open his eyes.

Lucy issmilingat him.

"Lucy," he whispers, and he's afraid to hope.

He doesn't need to be, as it turns out.

"I want you, too," Lucy says, and Tim grins, wide and unrestrained, as she moves toward him and wraps her arms around his waist. Tim holds her close and breathes in her scent, and sighs contentedly as he rests his chin on her head.

"Wanna go on a date with me?" he asks, and Lucy nods, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.

"Yes," she says, voice firm and decisive, and Tim laughs, grabbing her hand and spinning her around the way he had when they'd danced.

He's glad he asked herhere, he decides.

Another good memory.

Maybe, one day, the good memories will outweigh the bad ones.

Chapter 7

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 7

Lucy can't stop smiling.

Tim had dropped her off at her apartment over an hour ago, and she's already washed the dust and dirt out of her hair, run the dishwasher, and done a load of laundry.

But she stillcan't stop smiling.

She's never beenthat girl.

She's never been the love sick idiot who couldn't stop thinking about aboy, or looking forward to their date with so much excitement.

Theirdate, that Tim hadn't given her asingleclue about. All he'd told her was that it would be next weekend, when they both had a day off, and in between he'd asked if she wanted to help with the demo for a few hours each night.

She'd agreed, of course, and was excited to keep working with Tim on the house.

She knows it isn't her place to say anything, and she wouldnevermention it to Tim, but she's a little…hopeful, that during the renovation process, he'll see what a beautiful house it is. Maybe he'll see what itcould be, instead of whatit had been, and decide to keep it. Live in it. Make ahomeout of it.

Lucy's phone rings as she's rinsing the same place for the tenth time (she's a little lost in thought, butwho can blame her, TimfreakingBradford asked her out on a date), and she dries her hands on a hand towel before picking it up.

It's Tim.

She has to bite her own lip to keep her grin from growing even more.

"Hey," she says, and when she hears his voice on the other end, mixed with Kojo barking, she can't help it.

She's pretty damn gone on him already.

"Hey, Lu. So, listen, I just thought of something."

Lucy's grin disappears immediately, and her heart thumps heavily in her chest.

Had he realized that asking her out was a bad idea? Did he want to take it back, and go back to being just partners and friends?

God, she hopes not.

"What?" she asks, and she tries not to let her voice shake.

But, as always, Tim notices.

He laughs (though not unkindly), and reassures her, "No, Lu. Nothing like that. I'm not canceling our date. In fact, I'm trying to figure out how we can both call in sick without looking suspicious so we can gotomorrow, but thinking about work got me thinking about… you riding with me."

Oh.

"Oh," Lucy says, and now she knows exactly what he'd thought of. "We can't keep riding together, can we?"

Tim sighs on the other end, and she knows he hates it as much as she does, but … some things are more important, she reminds herself, and this?Them?

Theyare more important.

Tim had only asked her out half of a day ago, but she already knows that they're in this for the long haul. SheknowsTim. She knows his good parts, his bad parts, and hisreally badparts. She loves them all.

"No, I don't think so. So… we should probably talk to Grey in the morning."

Lucy winces. "That's not going to be fun."

Tim laughs on the other end, and Lucy can just imagine him sitting down on the couch, showered and dressed in comfortable sweats, with Kojo snuggled up beside him, and shewants. She wants that with himso much. She wants to snuggle between him and the dog and spend a lazy evening in front of the TV, unwinding and cuddling just enjoying his presence. and

"It'll be fine. Grey is a bit of a hardass, but you're not my rookie anymore. I may be a sergeant, but I'm not directly in charge of you, and all us being in a relationship would change is who you report to. Grey would just make sure you never reported directly to me, and it'll be fine."

"OK," Lucy says, and there's silence on the phone for a few moments. Lucy can hear Tim shuffling around, and it actually sounds like he's inbed, not on the couch, and that brings forth a whole new set of images in her mind. She grins, andalmostasks him what he's wearing, but manages to restrain herself.

"Your dog isn't allowed on the bed, but he doesn't listen to me,"Tim grunts, and Lucy realizes that heisin bed, and she might as well be comfortable while they talk, too. She abandons the dishes, and wiggles out of her jeans as she heads to her bedroom.

"Oh, he'smydog when he's being bad?"

"He gets all of his bad habits from you," Tim grumps, and Lucy can't help herself.

"AmInot allowed on the bed, Tim?"

Tim makes a choking noise on the other end, and Lucy grins triumphantly as she flops back into her bed wearing only her t-shirt and panties. She scoots up the bed and lays her head on the pillow, trying to imagine Tim's red cheeks and bashful look. For being as devastatingly hot as he is, he is very shy about flirting and women hitting on him.

"Lucy, you're welcome in this bed anytime you want," he says, and now it'sLucy'sturn to almost choke on her own spit.

"Tim," she whines, and he chuckles on the other end.

"OK. Enough of that, or I'm going to make bad choices. Safer topic of conversation: what do you think about maybe doing something different in the kitchen? I know we were talking about white, with granite counter tops, but I had another idea. White and granite seem too sterile. I was thinking of something like this. Check your text messages."

Lucy pulls the phone away from her ear and puts it on speaker while she navigates to her text messages. Tim continues talking while she zooms in on the image, looking at each of the aspects of the kitchen Tim has sent her.

It'sbeautiful, and it's veryTim.

"I love it," she says softly, and Tim continues to talk as she looks it over again.

"So we were already going to do earth tones throughout the house for the paint. I sent you some color palettes as well. I was thinking of Ruskin Room Green for the downstairs bedroom, and maybe the roxbury caramel in the kitchen. Instead of the grey laminate on the floor, we could do the brownstone in the picture, and instead of white cabinets we could do mahogany. The backsplash could be the light brown brick like in the picture. It's more… earthy. More my style."

Lucy wants to askwhyTim wants to do decor that's more his style, but she doesn't want to hope.

"I like it," is all she says, and normally she has to pull details out of Tim like she'spulling teeth, but he continues to talk, and she's hopeful that his new step in their relationship means he'll be more open with her.

"What if I kept the house?" he asks, and Lucy finds herself grinning so widely that she has to turn and hide her face in her pillow.

"I think it would be good," she says simply, and she wants to leave it at that, let Tim make his own decisions, but she can't stop herself. "You could design it how you want it. Your current house just feels… empty. Impersonal. It's not veryTim-like. You could design this one exactly how you want, and it would be yourhome, instead of just somewhere you live."

"Yeah,"Tim agrees, and his voice is a soft sigh.

Lucy very much wants to be there with him, curled into his side with Kojo at their feet.

She thinks maybe, in the future, she canhave that, and she can't wait.

"You could help design it, too,"he says, off-handedly, and Lucy's heart is beating fast and hard again.

"Yeah?"

"I obviously have veto power. But… I'd like your input. I want you to be comfortable there, too."

"OK," Lucy says, because she's not sure what else she can say without asking if she can move in with him tomorrow. "I'd like that. Oh, I do have one suggestion."

Tim sighs, and she knows he's already regretting offering to let her have input. "What?"

Lucy grins at the exasperated tone, but sheknowsnow.

He likes her.

Hewantsher.

So she can give him shit, and she knows that even if he's pretending to be annoyed, he's secretly fond.

"I think you should put a dog door in," she suggests, and Tim hums.

"That is a good idea, Chen."

"All of my ideas are good ideas," she defends, and Tim laughs at her.

They continue to talk aimlessly for another thirty minutes, and by the time Lucy begins to nod off in bed, they've been on the phone for over an hour.

"Get some sleep, Lu. I'll see you at work tomorrow."

Lucy mumbles a good night, and she blames the fact that she's been imagining living with him, filling the home they're renovating with dogs and babies andhappiness4, that she lets the next part slip out.

"Love you, Tim," she whispers, and she can hear his sharp intake of breath.

She's too tired to be properly anxious.

And, even if she had been, Tim wouldn't have let her worry too long.

"Yeah, I think I'm in love with you, too, Lu,"he says, and Lucy closes her eyes and grins so hard hercheeks hurt. "See you in the morning."

She hangs up the phone, and falls asleep with a smile on her face.

Notes:

I AM AWARE that this was PURE FLUFF.

I have no regrets and apologize for nothing.

Chapter 8

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 8

The next morning Lucy wakes up to the realization that she'dtold Tim she loved him, and while her heart is racing in her chest and her palms are sweating, she's not nervous so much asexcited,because he hadsaid it back.Well, he'dpretty muchsaid it back.

I think I'm in love with you, too,he'd said, and Lucy had fallen asleep soon after with a smile on her face.

In the light of day, however, the words are scarier than they had been last night, and she wishes she couldseeTim, so she could talk to him and see his reaction, becausewhyhad she told him she loved him before they even went on theirfirst date?

Lucy is about to bury her head under her pillow and refuse to come out until her second alarm when there's a knock on the door.

She sits up in bed, confused, and glances at the clock.

6:15 am.

She doesn't have to be at the station until eight.

"Whothe fuck…" she whispers to herself, and then climbs out of bed. She's wearing a large t-shirt and her sleep shorts, and doesn't think to put anything else on as she stumbles toward the door.

Tamara is still sleeping, she knows, and shealsoknows that the teen won't wake up for anything less than an actual earthquake, so she doesn't bother being quiet as she walks to and opens the door.

"Hi," Tim says bashfully, and Lucy can't help the grin that spreads across her face.

"Hey," she responds, and then stands back to let Tim in. He's freshly showered and dressed for the day, and she wonders when he had woken up.

"Sorry to come by so early," he says, and he holds out an iced coffee as a peace offering. "But I needed to see you."

He closes the door behind him, and then leads Lucy over to the kitchen island, taking the coffee he'djust given herout of her hands and setting it down on the counter. He crowds her up against the dishwasher and puts one hand on her hip, the other reaching up to cup her jaw.

"Last night, on the phone I said IthoughtI was in love with you, too, and then I couldn't sleepat allbecause I was anidiot.I amsoin love with you, Lucy, and I couldn't wait another minute to come over here and tell you. I am so in love with you, and you deserve to know."

Lucy is grinning so widely that her cheeks hurt. She reaches up and puts her hand over his where it rests on his cheek, and presses her body forward into his.

"Can I kiss you?" she asks tentatively, and Tim smiles before leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers.

It's a soft, chaste kiss, but it'severything.

It's everything Lucy had always imagined when she was a child. Fireworks, the swooping sensation in her belly,everything.

Tim pulls away after mere seconds, but he's already rearranged her entire life. He's already ruined her for any other man's kisses, she thinks, but it doesn't matter, because she doesn't want to kiss anyone else but him for the rest of her life.

"Get aroom,"a sleepy voice grumbles, and Tim and Lucy both glance over to see Tamara coming out of her room. She's grinning, though, so Lucy knows she doesn't really mind.

"Technically," Lucy says, and she doesn't move even a single inch away from Tim, though she knows they're pressed together from chest to toe and it's maybe not completely appropriate. "I have a wholeapartment.Thisismy room."

Tamara rolls her eyes, but bumps her hip against Tim's on her way to the coffee maker.

"I'm happy for you," she whispers as she passes, and Lucy grins. "Butpleasefor the love ofGod,I do not want to see or hear anything that's going to scar me for life."

Lucy blushes and buries her head in Tim's chest.

"Don't worry, we'll do all of that stuff atmyhouse," Tim says, and Lucy's blush deepens, though no one can see it because she refuses to pull her head away from Tim's chest. "We can be as loud as we want there. No pesky neighbors or roommates."

He winks at Tamara, and she obliges his playful mood by pretending to puke.

"Gross. You're basically mymom and dad,Ido notneed to know these things."

Tim laughs and rubs a hand up and down Lucy's back, knowing that she's feeling embarrassed.

"Go back to bed," he says, not unkindly. "You don't have class until 9. We'll get out of your hair and let you sleep."

Tamara considers the coffee cup in her hand. She hasn't actually started brewing any yet, and shecouldsleep for another few hours…

"OK, fine," she says, and puts the coffee cup back on the shelf. She walks past them and back into her room, and Lucy isjust aboutto unbury her face from Tim's chest when she shoots back, "But keep it down this morning, please!"

"Oh my god," she whispers, but Tim justlaughs.

"She's a good kid," he says, and kisses Lucy on the head before pulling back. "Go shower, Lu. I'll make something for breakfast. I didn't even think to eat before coming over here. I was too anxious."

Lucy pulls back and grins, and Tim can't help himself. He leans down and kisses her again, but pulls back after a few seconds because he knows if he allows himself to deepen the kiss,they will never leave.

"Go. Shower and dress," he says, and he swats her on the ass as she walks back toward her bedroom. She grins back at him, but he waves her on, moving toward and opening the fridge to see what she has to work with.

After Lucy showers, dresses, and eats the frankly magical breakfast Tim manages to whip up from the few ingredients in her refrigerator, she climbs into her own car and heads toward the station.

Tim waves at her from his truck, and she smiles the whole way to work.

Once she walks inside the women's locker room, however, she schools her expression.

It doesn't help.

"Ooooh, did Chen get laid this weekend?" Nyla says, and Lucy rolls her eyes.

"OK, one, none of your business, and two, also none of your business," she says, and Nyla just laughs and waggles her eyebrows.

"Whatever, Chen. I'll figure it out soon enough."

Lucy is absolutely sure she will, but the thought doesn't bother her too much. Nyla is her friend, and when they come over the next weekend to help with the upstairs demolition, she knows that they'll all figure it out. How she and Tim are together, and how they're renovating the house for him (forthem, her traitorous brain whispers).

Angela walks into the locker room then, and the second she sees Lucy's blush and Nyla's shit eating grin, sheknows.

"Did you and Bradford finally get your heads out of your asses?" she asks, and Lucy sputters.

"What…how?"she asks, and Angela laughs while Nyla cheers.

"Come on, you two have been dancing around each other formonths.Your 'relationships' with Chris and Ashley? A joke. Another way to ignore the fact that you're madly in love with each other."

Lucy juststares.

Sothisis why Angela is a detective.

She'sdamngood at her job.

"I… yes," she says, because she doesn't have the energy to fight. She's blushing but grinning as she says, "Tim asked me to dinner. This coming Saturday, after you guys help with the demolition."

"I'm so excited for you guys!" Angela gushes, and then she'shuggingLucy and Lucy doesn't know what to do.

Sure, these people are herfriends,and she's been through hell and back with them. But Angela has never shown this side of herself; she's never hugged Lucy, or been openly emotional with her.

When she pulls back, though, there are tears in her eyes.

"I am so happy for you guys, Lucy. Tim has been sad forso long. He's beenalonefor so long, even when he was with Isabel, because their shifts never matched up and honestly she wasn't what he needed. She never pushed him, emotionally or professionally or personally. But you… Lucy,youhave helped him confront his past. You helped him go into the house that has haunted him for almost twenty years. You have helped him show his feelings. Even when he was hurting the most, he confided in you. Hetrustedyou. You were what he needed, youarewhat he needs, and I amso happythat you're finally together. We've watched Tim self destruct foryears,so unwilling to accept help, and thenyoucame along. A hot-shot rookie who didn't let him get away with anything and helped him save himself."

By the time Angela is done speaking, Lucy is openly crying. Tears slip silently down her cheeks, and her chesthurts.

She's imagining a Tim who has been alone for so long. A Tim who, even when he wasmarried,couldn't share his feelings like he does now. A Tim who has bottled up his pain and anger and trauma forhis entire lif.

"I want to help him go to therapy," she whispers, and Angela takes her hand.

"If anyone can do it, it'syou," she says, and then she hugs Lucy again. Nyla, feeling left out, joins the group hug, and when they part Lucy brushes her tears away self-consciously.

"He wants to renovate the house and move in," she says, and she sees the wayAngelais now the one fighting tears. "He asked me to help renovate it into something that he loves, to help replace the bad memories."

"You're going to live there with him," Angela guesses, and Lucy knows it'sway to fucking soon,but yeah, she is. She's going to move in with Tim one day and fill the house with happy memories and laughter and love.

"Yeah," she admits, and then clears her throat as she begins pulling her hair into her customary bun because Roll Call is in ten minutes and she doesn't want to be late. "Yeah, I probably will."

Chapter 9

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 9

Lucy finds Tim waiting outside of the women's locker room, and he can tell immediately that she's been crying. He gives her a concerned look, but she just shakes her head and mouths 'we'll talk later'. He nods, and then stands, falling into step beside her as they head toward Roll Call.

They had wanted to talk to Greybefore,but traffic had been worse than they were expecting, and now they have to wait. Tim is already planning on asking if he can take over as Aaron's TO, and have Nyla ride with Lucy, and when he'd mentioned the plan to her, she had been fully onboard.

"All right, settle down," Grey begins, and Lucy quickly takes her seat as Tim walks to stand up next to Grey. They do most Roll Calls together now, with Tim training under Grey, and this morning is no exception. "Night shift did their jobs last night,for once,and left us with no open cases, so we're free and clear this morning. I do want to remind everyone to be hyper vigilant this week, however, as we've seen an increase in crime."

Tim cuts in here, holding up a hand, and Grey defers to him. "There are a couple of hotspots we noticed where the majority of the crime has been centered. I want to challenge you to beproactiveinstead ofreactivein these areas. Pull over, get out of the shop, and walk around. Let people see and talk to you. Get to know store owners. Be a friendly face, someone that is known in the community, and it will decrease crime."

Grey is nodding along, smiling slightly. He is proud of how much Tim has grown, and is thankful every day for the last batch of rookies they'd received (because heknowsthat Tim wouldn't have grown this much if not for one particular rookie).

"That's all, people," Grey says, and smiles at all of his officers. "Go do some good today."

Everyone begins to file out, but Tim motions for Nyla to come over. She does, hauling Aaron with her, and Tim clears his throat to get Grey's attention once they and Lucy have joined him at the front of the room.

"What's up, Officer Bradford?" he asks, raising his eyebrow at the little group in front of him.

"I wanted to talk to you about this first thing this morning, but time got away from me. Lucy and I can no longer ride together, and so I was wondering if it would be an acceptable switch to have me take over as Aaron's TO and have Lucy ride with Officer Harper."

Grey's eyebrow, which had already been raised, reaches new heights as he takes in the looks on each of his officer's faces. Tim and Lucy look a little bashful (and, upon closer inspection, Lucy is evenblushinga little), and Aaron and Nyla look surprised.

"May I ask why?"

Tim rocks back and forth on his feet, and glances at Lucy. She nods; Nyla already knows, so there's no point in asking for privacy for this part of the conversation.

"Lucy and I have started a romantic relationship. We realize that there is paperwork we need to fill out, and we also know we can no longer ride together."

"Oh,"Grey says, and Tim is apprehensive for a single moment before the Watch Commander smiles. "Finally,"he adds, and Nyla cackles while Lucy rolls her eyes.

"Iseveryonegoing to react like that?" she asks, and Tim glances over at her. "First Angela and Nyla, and now Sergeant Grey, too!"

"Well," Aaron cuts in nervously. "To be fair,Ialready thought you two were dating. Like, I wasconvincedof it on my first day. So yes, probably everyone will react like that. Also there was a betting pool on when you two would get together."

"And I won," Sergeant Grey says triumphantly, and Tim wants this conversation to beover.

"Whatever. So, is that an acceptable solution?" he asks, and Grey waves a hand in the air dismissively.

"Sure, sure, as long as everyone involved agrees. You're all exemplary officers, it shouldn't be a problem. I have the paperwork all ready for you two, by the way, stop by anytime to fill it out."

"You mean youwillhave it ready?" Lucy asks, frowning, and Grey shakes his head.

"No, Officer Chen, I mean I've had it ready since you became a P2. Come see me after work."

Lucy nods dumbly, and then turns to stare at Tim.

'What the fuck?' she mouths, and Tim shrugs. He's just as baffled as she is.

"Really, though," Nyla says, looping her arm through Lucy's and hauling her in the direction of what is nowtheirshop. "We all knew it. The sexual tension could be cut with aknife. Couldstillbe cut, actually, because I canstill feel it, and why the hell are you waiting until Saturday to go out?"

Lucy waves back at Tim as Nyla hauls her away, and Tim turns to face his new Rookie.

"Ready, Boot?" he asks, and it feelsdifferent,referring to someone other than Lucy as Boot. He's maybe going to have to find a new nickname for Aaron.

Aaron smiles nervously.

"Ready."

By the time his shift is over, Tim wonders if taking Aaron on was a good idea. He's going to be a good cop one day, he knows, but it's been a while since he's had a rookie that needed tolearnso much. Lucy had been weak in several areas, but she had been determined, focused, and learnedfast, and since he'd trained her, he hadn't taken on a rookie apart from the one day he'd had Katie.

"Good job today, Aaron, with the shoplifting," he says; he hasn't been able to make himself call the kidbootsince that morning. "You were able to calm the suspect before making the arrest, which probably saved him from serving time for assault."

"Thank you, sir," Aaron says bashfully, and just nods towards him. There are several areas he wants the boy to work on, but he's trying something new. He's working on praising his strengths first, andthenhe'll work on the areas of weakness.

Lucy would be proud of him, he knows, and he grins at the thought.

"Get our shop put away," he says, and then turns toward the locker room. "I have a meeting with Sergeant Grey."

Aaron nods and walks off while Tim heads to the locker rooms, and he's not surprised to see Lucy leaning against the wall outside the men's room. She had texted him about thirty minutes ago saying that she and Nyla had finished for the day and were heading back to the station. She's already changed back into her jeans and sweater, and is playing on her phone while she waits.

"Hey," Tim says, and Lucy looks up.

"Hi," she greets, and then pushes off the wall to walk toward him. She wants to hug him, or kiss him, or touch him inany way,but she knows she shouldn't. Instead she interlaces her fingers behind her own back so she doesn't do anything stupid, and bounces up and down on her heels.

"I'll just be a minute," Tim tells her, because he knows there's no point in showering. They're heading over to the house to continue destroying the en suite bathroom in the master bedroom, and he knows he's going to becoveredin dust and tile by the time they're done.

Lucy nods and goes back to looking through TikTok on her phone while Tim heads into the locker room. He's changed and ready less than five minutes later, and slings his bag over his shoulder before taking a deep breath and walking out. He meets Lucy's eye and she smiles, and as nervous as Tim is about this, about making thingsofficialso quickly,tellingpeople so quickly, he knows it's the right thing to do.

Because it'sLucy.

He knows this isn't just a fling. It'sserious— at least it is for him, and he thinks it is for Lucy, too.

"Ready?" she asks, and Tim nods, reaching out to take her hand. He knows he shouldn't, but hewantsto, and besides, the station is nearly empty between shift change.

"Ready."

After the paperwork is complete and Grey has had his fun teasing them, Lucy and Tim head to the house to continue tearing apart the bathroom. It's the last part of the downstairs that they have to gut, and they'll be taking a break until the weekend when Nolan, Nyla, Tamara, and Angela are planning on coming over to help.

Before they even start, Tim pulls out his phone to show Lucy pictures.

"I'm thinking earth tones in the bathroom, too, of course. I want to use the same brownstone tile as in the kitchen, both for the floor and the shower wall. I was thinking we could paint the walls this color, and use the same type of mahogany cabinets? And I've always wanted a clawfoot tub. Look at this one I found. What do you think?"

Lucy takes the phone from Tim's hands and scrolls through the pictures, and the warm browns and soft lighting in them make her smile softly. It's the type of decor that she's always dreamed about. Her childhood had been filled with white, sterile floorplans, and she'd always gotten in trouble if she left a mess on anything.

The earth tones, warm brown cabinets and tile, and sage green walls of the pictures mixed with the natural lighting from the large windows make her sigh happily as she passes the phone back to Tim.

"I think it looks wonderful. This is going to be a beautiful house, Tim."

Tim smiles and leans over to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'm … excited," he says slowly, and then reaches up to adjust his goggles and grab his hammer. "It's going to look completely different than it did when I was a child."

"That's a good thing," Lucy reminds him as she grabs her hammer as well. "Now, is there anything inherethat we're destroying with a particular amount of hatred?"

Tim laughs and shakes his head. "No, this was my parents bathroom, since it's part of the master bedroom. I was never allowed in here. No terrible memories requiring your rage tonight, Lu. We're just taking the tile, toilet, tub, and cabinets out."

Lucy grins and nods, and then turns her attention to the shower tile.

"Still, we're tearing this whole place down to its bones. Whether or not there are bad memories in here, we're throwingeverythingaway before we start over fresh. So, let's destroy some shit, and then I think I want ice cream afterward."

Tim laughs as he begins to tear the sink and cabinet from the wall.

"Whatever you want," he says softly, and Lucy thinks he would give her the moon if she asked.

But she doesn't want the moon. All she wants ishim,and this house, andthem.

Notes:

Seriously all of the fluff. The next several chapters are group demo with appearances from Angela, Nyla, Nolan, Tamara, and Kojo!

Can't promise Kojo will be much help though.

Chapter 10

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 10

Despite the week dragging by more slowly than Lucy had thought humanly possible, Saturdaydoeseventually arrive, and she wakes up bright eyed and bushy tailed at five in the morning, which is a wholly unacceptable time to be awake onthe weekendand alsofive whole hoursbefore she and Tim are supposed to meet everyone else at the house.

Lucy grabs her phone and grins widely when she sees a message from Tim (sent at 4:56am), stating that he can't sleep so he's picking up coffee and pastries, and to join him whenever she feels like it.

She's out of bed, showered, and ready to go by 5:30, which past Lucy would have scoffed at. Past Lucy wasnota morning person, but Present Lucy knows her boyfriend is already at the house, and she wants to be there with him and Kojo more than she wants to sleep in.

Which… Tim should consider himselfluckythat she loves him more than she loves sleep.

On my way,she texts back, along with a string of dog and heart emojis, and Tim responds with a simple 'see you soon'thatshouldn'tcause her heart to race, but it does.

Lucy leaves a note for Tamara saying that she's with Tim and to come over whenever she wakes up, and tapes it to the coffee maker before tossing her bag over her shoulder and heading out of the door.

Her bag, whichmayormay nothave a change of clothes, because she's going on a date withTim Bradfordtonight, and while he'd told her that jeans and a t-shirt were acceptable attire for where he was taking her, she wanted backup clothes,just in caseshe stayed the night at his house.

For whatever reason.

Just in case.

Lucy shakes her head at herself, because really, sheknowsshe's hoping that she'll end up staying with Tim. She just doesn't know ifhewill think it's too soon. Normallysheconsiders spending the night with someone on the first date too fast, but she's known Tim foryears,and has had these feelings for him for quite a while, whether or not she was ready to admit it. If their date went really well, and he invited her in, she wouldn't sayno.

"Get yourself together, woman," she mutters to herself as she climbs into her car, and she tries, she really does, but she can't keep the giddiness out of her step or the smile off of her face the whole way over, and it only gets worse when she arrives at the house and walks in (because she's made herself at home here already).

"Bork!" Kojo greets, and he's running over to her, his tail wagging so fast that his entire butt is shaking, and Lucy wants this, forever.

She wants to come home to Kojo and Tim and (she tries to reign herself in, but shecan't) maybe even a few children.

"Hey, good morning," Tim greets, walking out of the kitchen, and he's already covered in plaster dust, but he's smiling and holding out her favorite coffee andhow had she gotten so lucky?

"I love you," she blurts out, and Tim's smile only grows as she grabs the coffee and takes a long sip to hide the way she's blushing.

"I love you, too, Lu," he whispers, and kisses her on the forehead.

Kojo wiggles his way between them and makes tiny whiney noises, and Lucy laughs as she leans down to scratch him between his ears.

"I love you, too, Kojo," she says, and he licks her arm enthusiastically as she pets him. "You're the best boy, yes you are."

Tim makes a noise and Lucy looks up. He looks disgruntled, though she knows it's just an act.

"I thoughtIwas the best boy," he complains, and Lucy laughs, pressing herself into his legs as she continues to pet Kojo. It's cozy, being here with both of her boys just as the sun is beginning to rise.

"You'rebothmy best boys," she admits, and Tim accepts the answer.

"Breakfast is in the kitchen," he says, and Lucy stands back up, switching her coffee to her right hand so she can reach out and take Tim's hand in her own.

"Did we leave any solid surface on which toputbreakfast?" she wonders out loud, and Tim laughs as he leads her into the gutted kitchen.

"No. I brought over a folding table since the whole group will be here today. I stopped by Walmart and got snacks and drinks so that everyone can graze before lunch."

They walk into the kitchen and Lucy whistles at the spread of snacks and drinks before her. There are two coolers on the floor under the table, one filled with soda and water, and the other filled with beer, and on the table is the greatest assortment of snacks she haseverseen. There's pastries from Nevin's, chips, bagels and cream cheese, a cheese and cracker tray, fruit and veggie trays, and a variety of single serving snack bags ranging from cookies to popcorn. There's also a to-go container of Nevin's coffee, disposable cups, creamer and sugar, and Lucy thinks that they'lldieif they eat all of this.

"And I'm ordering pizza for lunch," Tim adds.

"Wow," she says, and he gives her a bashful look as he runs his free hand through his hair.

"I just wanted to say thank you, because everyone traded shifts to make sure they could be off today. Nolan is going to be working the nightshift,because he couldn't get anyone else to trade him, and I just want to let them know that I appreciate it."

Lucy smiles and leans into Tim, surveying the disastrous kitchen and the frankly absurd spread of snacks in the middle of it.

"They know, Tim. And besides, you don't have to bribe them, they're yourfriends,and I know the concept is alien to you, but friendshelp each other,without expecting anything in return. They're coming over because they love you and want to help you."

Tim doesn't respond, but he does squeeze Lucy's hand before letting go.

"Want to go finish the bathroom before everyone else gets here? Then we can just focus on the upstairs, and maybe we can get it all demolished this weekend. The sooner we finish the demo, the sooner we can start rebuilding."

"Sounds good," Lucy agrees, and they head into the master bathroom with Kojo on their heels.

By the time their first volunteer shows up (Tamara) the downstairs bathroom has been finished and all of the ruin has been taken out to the industrial dumpster in the driveway. Lucy is working on sweeping all of the plaster dust up while Tim takes a final walkthrough of the downstairs.

"I think that's it," he says as he joins Tamara and Lucy in the living room. "We finished the kitchen and dining room, living room, master bed and bathroom, and the entryway. Upstairs we have the three bedrooms and the bathroom, and of course we're tearing out all of the carpet in the hallway and from the stairs."

"We can get that all done today," Tamara says optimistically, and then chuckles as she surveys the wreckage of the downstairs area. "You guys sure have been busy."

Lucy wipes sweat and dust off of her forehead as she looks around. "Yeah, we've gotten a lot done. Turns out that destroying stuff is great for stress relief."

"You knowwhat elseis great for stress relief," Nyla says, entering the living room, and Tim briefly wonders if they'd just left the front door open (which of course they had, because it was too much effort to open it for every guest).

"Hush," Tim says, becauseTamarais with them, and she's already covering her ears and making a face.

"You're no fun, Dadford," Nyla says, rolling her eyes. "Tam is officially an adult. We're not going to corrupt her or anything."

"You're right, Iaman adult," Tamara cuts in, "But I still don't want to hear any of what they get up to!"

Lucy rolls her eyes at all of them, mumbles something about 'not getting up to anything, unfortunately', and then points toward the kitchen. "There are snacks in there. Go fuel up, as soon as everyone else is here we're getting started and not stopping until we're done."

Nyla perks up at the mention of snacks and wanders into the kitchen to see what they have. Tamara follows her, and Lucy shoots Tim an amused look when they hear both girls exclaiming happily over the options.

"You did good, Bradford," she says, leaning up against him, and Tim leans over to kiss her head before nodding.

"I better have. I bought most of the store."

Less than twenty minutes later, the rest of the crew has shown up, and Tim solemnly hands out hard hats, gloves, and various demolition tools along with a lecture on how to safely tear down walls. Wesley, Angela, Nyla, and Tamara are headed upstairs to work on the bathroom and two of the bedrooms (Tim's childhood bedroom is off limits; he and Lucy are planning on doing it together the next day) while they hang out with Nolan to go over the renovation plans.

"I love the ideas for the kitchen and bathroom," Nolan begins, shuffling through the papers that Tim has printed and organized. "What are you thinking about for flooring in the rest of the house?"

"I want hardwood throughout. The brownstone will be in the kitchen and both bathrooms, and I want a hardwood that matches it or at least goes along with the theme in the rest of the house. I want to re-do the stairs in the same wood, and work on the railings as well. Those I'd like to be wrought iron up and down the stairs, and across the landing on the second floor. I want to re-do all of the fixtures in the same wrought iron as the stair railing, and I want to replace the ceiling fans, light switches, and baseboard throughout the house as well, to match with the earth-tone theme we're wanting."

Nolan raises an eyebrow at Lucy when Tim mentions the theme that 'theywant', but doesn't interrupt.

"Upstairs it'll be the same," Tim continues. "Hardwood, baseboards, fixtures, ceiling fans, and painting the walls. We're thinking of a different earth tone in each room, a green in one, a soft brown in another, and maybe a butter yellow in the final one? We found one we liked in the paint chips, the 'lemon basil' is nice. Yellow is soothing, it would make a good nursery."

Nolan's eyebrow reaches previously unknown heights at the mention of a nursery, but he manages to bite his tongue as Tim keeps talking.

"In the upstairs bathroom we want to do the same thing as downstairs, but with a different tub. We're going to do the clawfoot tub in the master bathroom, but upstairs we're thinking of a stand up shower and then a smaller tub, as well, with lower walls for easier bathing. A clawfoot would be too deep for the upstairs."

"This all sounds very kid friendly," Nolan mentions off-handedly as he finishes writing in his notebook.

Lucy blushes but Tim just shrugs.

"Yeah. I want this house to be a happy place for a family, and not what it was when I was growing up."

He doesn't mention that he hopes that it will behisfamily living here, his andLucy's, because that feels like something they shouldn't talk about untilat leastafter the first date.

But when he glances over and catches her eye, he knows they're thinking the same thing, even if neither of them is ready to say it out loud.

This will betheir home,one day, and Tim can't wait to watch it come together over the next several weeks.

Notes:

Next chapter is their daaaaaate!

Any guesses on what Tim is planning that only requires a t-shirt and jeans?

Chapter 11

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 11

By six in the evening, Tim is absolutelytwitchingwith the need to get everyone out of the house so he can whisk Lucy away on what he hopes will be an amazing first date.

And the thing is,all of his friends know,and they'rerefusing to leave.

"We could finish tearing the carpet off of the stairs," Angela muses, a wicked glint in her eye as she grins at Tim. "It would probably only take an hour."

"Lucy and I can do that tomorrow," he growls, glaring at her. "We're coming back in the morning, anyway."

What hedoesn'tsay is that he hopes that he'll wake up with Lucy in the morning, and be able to share a lazy few hours with her before they stop at Nevin's and come overtogether, but he's not sure that she'll want to spend the night, or if it's too soon. All he knows is that he wants to take her home tonight and make love to her slowly, to watch her fall apart beneath him (or on top of him, he's not picky). He knows that he wants to wake up next to her in the morning, and do it all again, before they drive,together, to what he hopes will betheirhouse one day soon.

"Please take the leftover snacks and leave," he finally says, deciding that subtlety isn't going to work.

Lucy laughs from where she's packaging up the fruit and veggie trays and shoving them into Tamara's hands, because 'you have to eat a vegetable a day, even if I'm not there'and Tim watches them and wonders if Tamara would like the sage green room or the light brown one when the house is finished.

"Fine," Angela relents, grinning, and she heads into the kitchen to gather up leftovers.

Nolan gives Tim a knowing look, and Tim rolls his eyes.

"Let's acknowledge the elephant in the room.Yes, I would likeall of youto leave immediately because I have been waiting over a week to take Lucy on a date, and you are ruining my plans. Thank you for all of your help. Nowgo away."

Tamara laughs at him and waltzes over to kiss him on the cheek before heading toward the door. "See you later, Dadford! Bye, MomChen! Don't worry about coming home tonight if you don't want to!"

Lucy blushes and rolls her eyes toward the ceiling. "Oh my god, I'm giving you up for adoption," she says, and Tamara cackles as she leaves the house.

Nolan and Nyla follow soon after, but Angela stops to hug first Lucy and then Tim before she and Wesley head toward the door.

"I'm happy for you," she whispers, to Lucy, and then to Tim she says, "Be good to each other. You guys are going to bespectacular. Don't fuck it up, Bradford."

Tim hugs her back tightly before pushing her toward the door.

"Bye,Angela. We'll see you later."

Angela waves as she takes Wesley's hand and walks out, and all of a sudden it's just Tim and Lucy standing in the living room.

Tim turns to see Lucy smiling at him. She still has a little smudge of dust on her cheek, but she's never seemed more beautiful to him than in that moment.

"Ready?" he asks. He holds out a hand, and. Lucy takes it and lets him pull her toward the door. "And don't think I didn't see that overnight bag in your car, Lu. Go grab it, and let's head out," he says, kissing her on the cheek, and Lucy blushes before nodding.

"OK," she says, and she wants to ask if they're on the same page about her staying the night with him, but she doesn't. She thinks sheknows, anyway, and it seems almost better to let the night play out naturally and see what happens.

Less than ten minutes later they're on the road, and Lucy is bouncing with excitement in the passenger seat of Tim's truck. He keeps glancing over at her and smiling, and he feels utterly ridiculous with how gone he is on her.

"Where are we going?" Lucy asks, for possibly the tenth time, and Tim pretends to zip his lips.

"What part ofit's a surprisedo you not understand, Chen?"

"The'surprise'part," she says, and makes a conscious effort to relax. "I don't like surprises."

"Yes you do. You just only like them if you're the one doing the surprising. You don't likenot knowingthings, but I promise that this will be worth the suspense, Lu. So sit back and enjoy it."

Lucy shrugs and feels a little bit lightheaded with how well Tim knows her.

Sheknowsthat he's taking her somewhere she'll love, and she knows it's not to a fancy restaurant, which she's grateful for. There's a time and a place for a fancy dinner, of course, but it's not on their first date, not when they've known each other for so long already.

She knows, instead, that they'll be doing something that theybothlove.

"It's paintball, isn't it?" she asks, and Tim scoffs.

"No. That was theobviouschoice, so I picked something different."

"Hmm," Lucy says, and she hasideas, but she finds that she doesn't actually want to know.

"You'll like it," he promises, and he reaches over to take her hand in his. Lucy sighs and relaxes at his touch, and tries to enjoy the ride.

"Oh mygod,laser tag. I am going toruin you!"

Lucy is practically squealing in excitement as she hops out of the truck fifteen minutes later. Tim climbs out more slowly, his hands in his pockets and a soft smile on his face as he watches Lucy vibrating out of her skin.

"And I've planned a picnic dinner afterward, with Kojo," he says, and walks up to her and loops his arm around her waistbecause he can now.He kisses her head and presses his side against hers as they walk together toward the building.

"Thank you," Lucy whispers, and she stops walking in the middle of the parking lot to look up at Tim. She's still holding his hand, and she's still smiling, but she looksserious.

"For what?" Tim asks, bemused, and Lucy bites her lip.

"For everything. For having the courage to ask me on this date. For loving me."

"Loving you is easy," he says, and it'strue.

It's as easy as breathing.

Maybeeasier, because even when he's no longer breathing, he'll still be in love with her.

Notloving her was the hard part; not letting himself be with her was torture. Sitting across from her in the shop, day after day, was the hardest thing he's ever done, but since hetold her,since he had whispered that he wanted her, it's beeneasy.The easiest thing he's ever done.

"You're the best decision I ever made," he says, and Lucy's smile could light up the entireuniverse.

"You're a big, sappyromantic,"she teases him, but Tim can see the way she's fighting tears and knows that his words have impacted her. He's similarly impacted when she whispers in return, "I love you for all that you are, all that you have been, and all that you will be," and he almost wants to cry, because he knows that what hehas beenis not pretty. Before Lucy, he'd been a broken, angry man, and he had said and done things that he regretted.

Instead of giving into the weight of the situation and their words, though, Tim clears his throat and pushes them in the direction of the laser tag building.

"Come on, Chen. You said something about ruining me?"

Lucy grins and nods, letting the seriousness of the moment pass, and entwines her fingers with Tim's.

"You're goingdownBradford."

Tim scoffs. "We'll see, Boot."

Lucy sticks her tongue out at him and kicks him in the ankle, and before he knows what's happening, they've checked in and are being fit for vests.

The bored game attendant is rattling off the rules while Lucy and Tim mouth threats to each other over his head, and the others who are playing on their teams are giving them concerned looks.

Tim doesn't care; his teammates will only drag him down.

Lucy, however, is already trying to decide how to get the bored looking mom and three teenage boys on her team to do her bidding.

"Each game is 20 minutes long," the game attendant begins, and Tim forces himself to pay attention. "There are two teams — red and blue. The team with the most points wins. Any hit on an extremity is worth 2 points. A chest or stomach shot is worth 5, and a headshot is worth 10. If you are shot, your vest will light up red and your gun will be offline for fifteen seconds until you 'respawn'. No blocking your vest sensors. No physical contact or foul language —" he pauses here to stare at Lucy and Tim, who grin bashfully at him and apologize again for their less than family-friendly banter. "—and finally, anyone who is pregnant, has asthma, is epeleptic, or suffers from seizuresshould not play this game. By playing you agree to accept all risks and agree that you won't hold Lazer Force Laser Tag responsible for any injuries that occur. Got it?"

There's a chorus of 'got its' throughout the room, and then Tim picks up his phaser and tests its weight.

"See you inside, Chen," he says, and Lucy grins and mock salutes him before ushering her minions inside.

Tim disappears immediately, and Lucy knows that the team approach is what's going to help her win.

"All right," she says, and then she sticks her thumb over her shoulder to point in the direction Tim had gone. "That's my boyfriend. This is our first date. If you guys help me beat him, I'll give you money for ice cream."

The buys all high five, and the bored looking mother smiles briefly.

"He's going to play alone; he's not going to work with his teammates, and we can use that. He likes to hide, but he's not going to be expectingyou guysto be after him, he's going to be watching out forme. Use that to your advantage."

"We got this, miss," the youngest looking boy says, and he's grinning widely in the darkness. "We'reprosat this game. We've won every time we've been here for, like,years."

Lucy wisely doesn't inform them that Tim had spent four years in the military before being a police officer for the lasttwelve.

She figures it'll only bring down morale.

"All right then," she whispers, and she hears movement and the cries of the other team behind her as someone, presumably Tim, finds the other members of her team and takes them out. "Good luck!"

The boys giggle and nod, and they run off to follow the path Tim had taken while Lucy doubles back.

SheknowsTim.

He probably hadn't gone far before turning around and taking another path, trying to be unpredictable, but she's spent too many hours with him, talking strategy and practicing and practically reading each other's minds while in the field to be taken in by his tricks.

She thinks she has a pretty good idea where he's gone, and she's about to search him out in the darkness when her vest suddenly lights up bright red and her phaser turns off.

"What the—"

Tim runs by her, grinning and cackling, and Lucy rolls her eyes.

"You may have gotten the first shot, Bradford, but as soon as this dam—darnphaser turns back on, I'm coming for you!"

"Bring it, Chen!" he shouts, and Lucy curses as she hides behind a wall and tries to wait out her disabled vest.

Best first date ever,she thinks, and the best part is, it's not even over.

Not by a long shot.

Notes:

I have updated the tags to include "a truly astounding amount of fluff and love" because apparently I can either do ALL OF THE ANGST or ALL OF THE FLUFF. There is no in between.

A reminder to see your dentist regularly, as this fic will apparently rot your teeth.

Chapter 12

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 12

In the end, Tim wins, but Lucy gives the teenagers money for ice cream, anyway, because they just look sodefeated. She remembers them saying that they hadn't lost inyears,and briefly feels bad that they had the misfortune to go up againstTim Bradford, who had single handedly earned 5/6ths of the points for his team.

She doesn't feel bad for too long, though, because Tim comes out of the laser tag room grinning triumphantly, and all of her attention is focused on notjumping his bones right then,because a triumphant Tim is averyattractive Tim. He's a little sweaty, his hair disheveled, and looking sexier than Lucy thinks is fair when they're surrounded bychildrenand other people.

"Hey," he greets her, smug smile firmly in place, and Lucy melts a little bit.

Can they skip dinner, and just go back to his place?she wonders, and then shakes her head.

No. Picnic with Kojo,thenshe can haul Tim to bed by the belt loops of his unfairly sexy, skin-tight jeans.

Because this nightwill beending with her in his bed, she's decided, and she thinks (knows) he's on the same page. He'd told her to grab her overnight bag and bring it with them, so she's feeling hopeful and excited all at once.

"Hi," she says as he stalks toward her, and she feels likeprey. He doesn't break eye contact as he approaches, and she takes a shuddering breath in as he presses his body against hers and puts his hands on her hips, holding her close to him. She can feel every inch of him from his chest to his toes, and he's notunaffected, either, it turns out, and she can't help but push forward into his obvious arousal.

"Be a good girl," he growls, and Lucy simultaneously discoversseveralkinks she had been unaware of until right this second.

"OK," she whispers, and the look Tim gives her is downrightsinful.She grins, knowing that she holds a lot of power here despite him being bigger than herandthe laser tag winner, and lowers her voice so no one else will hear them. "What do I get, if I'm a good girl?"

Tim sucks a breath in, and she thinks she might melt under the intensity of his gaze.

"Whatever you want," he says simply, and Lucygrins.

"I want… to see Kojo," she says slyly, and Tim raises an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, really? That'sallyou want?"

Lucy shakes her head, still smiling, and pretends to zip her lips closed. Tim continues to stare at her for several moments until they're interrupted by the sound of a throat clearing behind them.

Tim sighs and prepares herself to be told off by the laser tag attendant for 'inappropriate behavior' or whatever, but when he turns around he's faced with three bashful, grinning teenagers.

"Uh," he says, becausewhat is happening?

Lucy laughs and takes a step away from Tim. "These are my teammates. James, Luke, and Daniel."

"Oh," Tim says, and then turns to the boys. "Hi?"

"Hy, sir!" the youngest one chirps, and he looks completely and utterly starstruck. "You had a100%hit rate. We saw it on the board. You'reawesome."

Lucy grins and bites the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing as Tim's expression grows uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I did," he acknowledges. "I'm a pretty good shot. I'm a cop."

The adoring looks of his fans grow evenmorefascinated, and Lucy can't help it any longer. She starts laughing as she presses into Tim's side.

"Hey, I had a 100% hit rate, too," she defends herself, and the boys look at her briefly before turning their attention back to Tim.

"Yeah, but you scoredthree hundred points. That's more points than any of us haveeverscored," Daniel says, and he's looking at Tim like he might be the boy's new role model. "I want to be a cop when I grow up," he decides, and Tim finally smiles.

"That is an excellent goal," he says, and then begins to relax as the boys pepper him with questions about training and what it's like to be a cop on patrol, and when Tim mentions he's asergeant,Lucy realizes that the might never get to their dinner, because they're going to be stuck hereforever.

"OK, boys," their mom finally cuts in, and Lucy shoots her a thankful look. "Leave the poor man alone."

"Butmom," Luke whines, and Tim laughs, looping his arm through Lucy's arm and facing the boys again. He seems to have forgotten that he was uncomfortable, and is smiling at them now.

"We do need to leave," he says, and winks at the boys. "I'm taking Lucy out to dinner and we don't want to be late."

"Like adate?" the youngest asks, eyes wide, and Tim laughs.

"Yes, exactly like a date. It was nice to meet you."

Lucy waves as she and Tim begin to walk toward the door, and once they're outside, she sighs and leans into Tim.

"So, you won," she says, and Tim grins again, nodding.

"Yes, I did. So I think that means you have to buy ice cream after dinner."

"Icoulddo that," Lucy says, and then pulls away from Tim enough that she can meet his eyes. She's still holding his hand, but she's walking backward so he can see his expression. "OrI could do something else."

"Like what?" Tim asks, raising an eyebrow, and he pauses outside his truck. He reaches to open Lucy's door for her, but stops when Lucy moves toward him, pressing her chest to his and reaching up to cup the back of his head in her hand. She presses her lips to his ears and whispers something, and Tim's pupils dilate and his breath comes fast.

"Wouldthatbe an acceptable prize for your win?" she asks, briefly biting his ear lobe as she pulls back, and Tim swallows hard.

"Y-yes," he stutters, and Lucy mentally pats herself on the back for rendering him speechless. "That would be fine. Good. That would be good."

Lucy's grinning widely and about to reach for the truck handle when Tim startles, coming to his senses. He drops a hand to her waist and frowns, and he seems very concerned when he speaks again.

"I mean, as long as youwantto. You don'thaveto doanything,Lucy, even if I did win the game. I would never make you—"

Lucy laughs and reaches up to kiss him to make him stop talking, because how can shenot. He's so adorable when he's being sweet and caring.

"Tim, Iwantto. I've beenthinkingabout it since you asked me out. Probably since before then, because I secretly have averyfilthy mind."

Tim laughs and kisses her back for a long moment before finally pulling away and pushing her toward the door.

"Get in the truck, Lu, or we're never going to make it to dinner."

Lucy laughs and climbs in, closing her door and buckling her belt before Tim joins her. He turns the key in the ignition and puts the truck into reverse, pulling out of the parking lot and directing the truck toward his house.

"Speaking of which, where are we going? You said a picnic? With Kojo?"

Tim nods, and smiles as he turns to look at Lucy at a red light.

"We're going to pick up Kojo and go to the park by my house. There's a nice area by the lake where we can put the blanket, and I've been working with Kojo so he can be off leash."

Lucy sighs in happiness, and her cheeks are beginning to hurt with how much she's been smiling, and she realizes suddenly why none of her previous relationships hadn't worked out — they weren'tTim.They didn't effortlessly plan picnics with the dog they shared custody with. They didn't challenge her to laser tag challenges, or even understand why she loved competition and thrill so much. Most of them hadn't even understoodwhyshe had wanted to be a cop, butTim does.

He understands it all.

"That sounds so fun," she sighs happily, and Tim reaches over to take her hand. Lucy entwines their fingers, and rests their clasped hands on her thigh. "Also, no one warned me that you were sosoft, Tim. You act like this mean,toughguy, but you're really a giant marshmallow."

Tim laughs and shrugs. "I am only that way withyou," he says, and then adds, "And maybe baby Jack. And Kojo. But I amdefinitely nota marshmallow with most people. Don't give away my secrets. I have a reputation to maintain, you know."

Lucy laughs, and holds tighter to his hand.

"I wouldnever," she promises, and she doesn't think she will, becausethisTim is a Tim that only she gets to see, and she wants to keep him all to herself.

By the time they're settled on a quilt in front of the lake, the wind blowing softly in her face as the sun begins to cast reds and oranges and pinks across the sky, Lucy has decided that this is the best date she's ever been on, hands down.

She tells Tim, and he smiles at her.

She doesn't think she'lleverget enough of his smiles.

"Thank you," she says again, voice low and private, and Tim looks up from where he's making her a plate with a tomato, cucumber, and avocado sandwich, carefully sliced strawberries, and potato salad. He hands it to her with a napkin and a beer, and she sighs in contentment as she takes her first bite.

"You don't have to thank me, Lu," he says, and takes his own plate before settling beside her. She lays her head on his shoulder, watching Kojo bark and chase a butterfly around the park, and she's not sure she could be happier in this moment if she tried. "I'm so lucky that you're here, withme.Ishould be thankingyou," he says, and Lucy scoffs. It's not a very delicate sound, but Tim just smiles and shakes his head.

"OK, let's agree that no one needs to thank anyone. I'm here because Iwantto be. Ihave wantedthis for a while, I just didn't let myself realize it or dwell on it. I honestly didn't ever think I'd have this," she murmurs, and Tim leans down to kiss her hair.

"I didn't, either, not after I lost Isabel. I know that I dated Rachel and then Ashley, but… this, you and me, it already feels different, Lu. It feelseasy,andreal."

"Yeah," Lucy agrees, because itdoes.It's one of the easiest things she's ever done.

She's not walking on eggshells around him, worried about upsetting him or wanting to impress him.

She's not constantly guessing if he likes her, because sheknowsTim Bradford, and he doesn't do things halfway.

She's not worried that he has secrets, or that he's hiding things from her, because she's seen all his rough parts, and she loves him not in spite of them, butbecauseof them. She loves that he can be vulnerable in front of her, that he can share his childhood with her. She loves that he trusted her, all the way back when she was still his Rookie, with what had happened to Isabel.

With a soft exhale, she lets herself relax into Tim's body, and enjoys the picnic he made her while they watch their dog sniff at the ground, following the trail of some animal or another, and they both laugh when a grasshopper scares him and he jumps back, yelping in surprise.

The moment is perfect, and while she's excited and anxious for the rest of the night to play out, she's content to just relax and enjoy being in Tim's arms.

For now.

Notes:

I can go either way with the next chapter, so I need to hear from you! This is very very very important.

… porn, or no porn?

Let me know!

Chapter 13

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 13

As they pull up outside of Tim's house, Lucy suddenly realizes that she'snervous. She's trying not to let it show, but of course Tim sees right through her, and he parks the truck before turning his body toward her in the dark cab of the truck.

"Lucy, I can drive you home right now if this isn't what you want," he says softly, and she shakes her head even though she knows he means every word he says.

"No, I want thisverymuch. I wantyou. I'm just… nervous, because it's been a while since I've been with anyone. And this is… this is bigger than being with justanyone, because it'syou, and I'm so in love with you. I don't want to mess anything up."

Tim smiles and reaches out to caress her jaw, his warm thumb tracing the line of her lip as he leans forward and kisses her.

"Lu, there's nothing to be nervous about. It's just me, and I love you, too. It's going to begreat, but if you're not 100% on board with this, I am driving you home."

"I'm 100% on board," she reassures him, and then leans forward to drape her arms over his shoulders, pressing as close to him as she can get in the cab of the truck. "There's not a single ounce of doubt in me. I want to go inside with you and make love with you, and I want to go to sleep and wake up in the morning by your side. I know what I want, Tim, but I'm allowed to be a little nervous."

Tim chuckles and kisses her nose before pulling back. "All right, then," he says, and he moves to exit the truck, opening the back door so Kojo can jump out and follow them to the door. Lucy grabs her overnight bag and tosses it over her shoulder, following behind her two favorite boys, and as they get closer and closer to the house, she feels her apprehension slowly disappearing.

Thisiswhat she wants. She wants picnic dinners with Tim and Kojo, and then she wants to go home with them and make love to Tim before going to bed and doing it all over again the next day.

Tim opens the door and disables his alarm before turning back to Lucy, and it'shisturn to be surprised when Lucy stalks toward him, her intent clear in her eyes, and Tim swallows, backing up against the door as she presses her whole body against his.

She doesn't kiss him right away, however, and Tim is confused until he looks down and sees herstaringat him, her brown eyes wide and her pupils dilated.

"Do you want your reward now or later?" she asks, her voice low and full of promise, and Tim's brain short circuits as he tries to decide.

He really,reallywants his reward, but he knows that if he finds himself in Lucy's mouth there's no way he's going to be able to hold back, and he also wants to make love to her without waiting for his body to recover.

But, if he's recovering, he'll be able to take his time to lay Lucy out on his bed and worship every inch of her without being distracted by his own need. Letting Lucy go down on him will relieve his need for long enough that he can make her seestars.

"Now," he decides, and Lucy clearly also hearshere, because she drops to her knees in front of him and Tim thinks he mightdie. "Fuck," he says, and Lucy grins up at him as she slowly lowers his zipper and palms him through his boxers. If he hadn't been all the way hard before, he sure as shit is when she reaches forward and kisses the tip of him as she guides his cock out.

"In a bit," she reassures him, and Tim can't help but laugh at her.

God, he loves herso much.

He doesn't have time to tell her, though he's sure he's told her plenty by now (and will tell her a million more times, every day, for as long as they're together), before she's taking his length into her mouth and he can't think aboutanything.

Lucy grabs one of his hands and encourages him to thread his fingers through her hair, so he does, dropping his head back on the wall behind him as she slowly, gently explores the length of him. She runs her tongue up the vein on the underside of his cock and kisses his balls before rolling them in her mouth. She alternates slow licks and long, hard sucks, trying to figure out what he likes, and she has him reduced to a shivering mess against the door withinminutes.

He hasn't come this fast since he was ateenager, and he's suddenly glad that he asked her to do this first, because now he knows that he wouldn't have been able to draw their first time out like he wants to without taking the edge off first.

"Lu," he groans, and then he has to pause when she swallows around the head of him. "Fuck. Lu, I'm gonna come," he warns her, and he's been worked up about this since she stood on her tiptoes and whispered filthy things into his ear at laser tag.

Lucy looks up at him and smiles around his length. She nudges his hand with her head, and he realizes that she wants him to come in her mouth, so he obliges her and comes with a long, deep groan, gripping her hair tightly as he pulses between her lips.

Lucy licks him clean and then lets him fall from her mouth, a satisfied smile on her face, and after Tim takes a few seconds to pull himself together, he reaches out and hauls her up so he can kiss her. He tastes himself in her mouth, and it's not entirely unpleasant. He kind of likes it, even, and groans as he switches their positions and pushes her up against the door.

"Bedroom," he gasps, and Lucy nods enthusiastically, grinning as he pulls back to make sure the door is locked before holding out a hand.

Lucy takes it, and lets him lead her to his bedroom.

The room is dim, lit only by a stand up lamp in the corner, and Lucy likes the low light. She likes how the lamp casts a warm glow on Tim as he stares up and down her body, his eyes half lidded and his pupils blown wide in the semi-darkness.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers, and Lucy blushes under his intense scrutiny, her breath catching in her throat as his hands drop to the hem of her shirt. He plays with it for a second, rubbing his fingers across the warm skin of her belly. "Is there anything I shouldn't do, Lu? Anything I should know, before I start? And if you ever want me to stop, all you have to do is say so."

"I know," Lucy says, because shedoes. Tim would always stop if she asked him to; she has no doubts about that. "And no, not really. I don't like being tied up, but that's about it."

"OK," Tim says, and then he tugs on her shirt, pulling it off over her head and tossing it on the floor. He lets his hands explore the skin of her belly and her back, his fingers dipping underneath the cups of her bra to tease at the soft flesh of her breasts, and Lucy's breath is already coming fast, her chest heaving as he touches her.

"Tim," she whispers, and he smiles, leaning down and kissing her neck and her shoulder. He licks and kisses every inch of skin he can reach, and then reaches behind her to unclasp her bra, letting it fall to the floor as he takes in the sight of her.

"God," he groans, and he's overcome by the sight of her before him. Heneedsher to be naked. He needs to lay her on his bed, splay her body across his bed to take in the contrast of her dark skin and his light blue quilt. He reaches down and unbuttons her pants, shoving them and her panties down quickly, and then he herds her toward the bed, pushing her back on it. He takes her hands and places them on the pillow above her head, and then presses her thighs apart so he can see the soft, creamy skin leading up to her center.

She's already soaking wet, and Tim groans at the sighs, feeling himself already growing hard in his jeans again.

Which…whyis he still wearing jeans?

He makes quick work of his own clothes, tearing them off and tossing them to the floor before he crawls into the bed with Lucy, settling his knees on either side of her thighs and staring down at her in wonder.

She's a sight beneath him, her chest red and flushed, her breath coming in pants, and her eyes glazed and bright. She's struggling to keep her eyes open as he stares at her, and she feels herself grow wetter as he hungrily takes in every inch of her.

"So beautiful," he decides, and he leans down to kiss her on the lips. Gently. Softly and slowly, exploring her mouth like he's done before, taking his time to draw out the little sounds she makes when he kisses her deeply like this.

Helovesthose little sounds.

"I love your eyes," he says, and he pulls back so he can stare into them for a long moment before leaning down and kissing each of her eyelids gently.

"I love your lips. So maddening, staring at them all of the time when you smile, or tease me, or when you're talking endlessly in the shop."

He moves so he can kiss her lips again, but he doesn't spend much time there.

"I love your arms," he says, and he kisses her right palm, and then her left, before letting his lips travel up the length of her forearm. He cups her hand gently in his, and kisses her bicep, her shoulder, and then lets his lips travel down the length of her other arm. "I love how strong you are. How you defend not only yourself, butme, and everyone you meet. You care and love sofiercely."

He lets his lips travel to her stomach, grinning as she groans about him skipping where she really wants his attention.

"I love your stomach," he says, and Lucy snorts, but he smiles and continues. "You're so beautiful, Lucy, and Ido, I love your stomach. You're so strong and fit, but you're still soft here. Soft and warm and so beautiful," he says, letting his fingers dance over her belly. "You are such a good cook, and I love that you make food for those you care about. I love that you sent me soup when I was sick, even though I was a bit of an asshole about it."

Lucy is pretty sure she's crying, but she won't open her eyes to confirm it.

Tim moves to her legs, pushing them apart on the bed. He starts at her ankles, though, kissing and nipping at the place where she'd sprained it a few months ago. It hadn't kept her off of the job long, but she'd grumbled about it every day.

"I love your feet. They're so small and cute, but you can also run like afucking Cheetah, Chen. You tackled that guy on your first day after chasing him for several blocks, and I was inaweof you."

He moves his lips up, laving attention on her calves, her knees, and her inner thighs, but never moving his lips where she really wants them.

"I love your thighs, Lucy. Ifucking lovethem. They're so thick, and strong, and I have imagined them wrapped around my waisthundred of times. I love watching you run, and fight, and I love seeing you in jeans and yoga pants. Anything that highlights your curves. So fucking beautiful."

"Tim," Lucy sobs, and sheknowsshe's crying now. She can feel tears on her cheeks, warm and salty, and she feels soloved. She'sneverfelt this loved, especially not duringsex.

She didn't know that sexcouldfeel like this.

Tim moves up her body until he's hovering over her, his elbows on either side of her chest, and he leans down and kisses right between her breasts.

"Most of all I love your heart, Lucy. I love that you care about everyone you meet. I love what you did for Tamara. I know I gave you shit about it, but you havesuch a huge heart, and I love that you took her in. You saved her, you know."

"She would have been fine on her own," Lucy gasps, because she can't take all of this.

She can't absorb all of Tim's love without breaking down.

She'sneverbeen loved like this, and it'sintoxicating.

"Maybe," he admits, and he kisses the swell of her breast. "But I love how much you care about her, anyway. And," he whispers, his lips trailing down her breast, his tongue flicking out to tease her nipple. "I love your breasts, too. Not for any deep reason or anything, they're just perfect and fit right in the palm of my hand," he says, and he'd had no prior knowledge about that fact before now, but theydo. He reaches out to cup them, and they're a pleasant, warm weight in his hands.

He gives each equal attention, sucking her nipples and licking the skin around them, biting one and sucking a small where no one will see before taking the other into his mouth and rolling the nipple back and forth.

"Tim,please," Lucy begs, and he pauses to look up at her. She's on the edge of being overstimulated, he knows, and he doesn't want to push her too far. Instead, he reaches for his bedside table and grabs a condom, rolling it on and leaning back, taking in the sight before him.

He'll never forget this sight.

Lucy, naked,in his bed. Red all over from where his stubble has irritated her skin, small bruises blooming on her stomach and breast and neck where he'd bitten and sucked a little too enthusiastically.

"Ready?" he asks, and he had wanted to continue his worship and make her come with his mouth before making love to her, but he knows there will be time for that later.

Lucy nods and reaches out to grab Tim's free hand, entwining their fingers and holding on tightly as he presses inside of her. She lets her eyes flutter closed as he bottoms out, and the feel of him inside of her isperfect. He's long and thick, just enough to stretch her pleasantly but not enough to hurt, and his body is warm and comforting above hers.

"I love you," she whispers, and Tim leans down, capturing her lips as he begins to move inside of her.

It's slow and so loving that Lucy can't stop the tears. She's never cried so much during sex, but this isdifferent. This isn't just sex. As cliche as it sounds in her head, it'smaking love; there's no other way to describe it.

She comes first, her whole body trembling, and Tim follows her over the edge before disposing of the condom and taking her into his arms. She's sweaty and shaking, and Tim murmurs words of comfort and love as she comes down from her high.

"I love you," he whispers, tears in his own eyes, and Lucy hums before leaning up and kissing him again.

"I love you, too," she responds, and then she lays her head on his chest, and she's lulled to sleep by the sound of his beating heart.

Notes:

Soft enough for ya'll? ;)

Chapter 14

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 14

When Lucy wakes up the next morning, it takes a few seconds to remember everything that had happened the night before and alsowhyshe's snuggled up to a very warm,very attractivebody, and when shedoesremember, she can't stop the grin that takes over her entire face.

"Morning," Tim says, and his voice is sleep soft and quiet in the dim morning light.

Lucy props herself up on her elbows and wiggles around until she's pressed all along Tim's side, and then sighs in happiness.

"Hi," she says, and then she giggles and presses her face into Tim's chest.

"Feeling OK this morning?" he asks, and his voice is light but Lucy can hear the undercurrent of worry in his voice, and she sits up immediately. The sheet falls away from her body, and Tim is momentarily distracted by all of theskinon display.

"I feelamazing," she says, and then leans down to kiss him, her chest pressing into his. "Last night was amazing.You'reamazing. I love you so much, and I haveliterally zeroregrets about last night. In fact," she says, and she moves until she's straddling his lap and grins as Tim gasps when she sits right on top of hisveryinterested cock. "I liked it so much I think we need a repeat performanceimmediately."

Tim obliges, and they don't climb out of bed until much,muchlater.

Tim drives them to Nevin's when they finallydomanage to crawl out of bed, and Lucy is just so happy that her chest hurts and it's hard to breathe. She goes in with him, and they get distracted talking to the owner for several minutes. They're all out of bear claws, which Tim looks grumpy about, but Lucy happily chooses a chocolate croissant instead, and Tim files away the happy noise she makes when she bites into it for later.

"And something for Kojo," Tim requests, pulling out his wallet, and the boy at the cash register grins and nods, bagging up some donut holes and handing them over. Lucy takes them and smiles the whole time Tim is paying and making small talk with the teenager.

"Thanks," she says, because he had paid without even blinking, and she can definitely pay for her own breakfast, and she normally doesn't evenlikewhen men do things like this without asking, but whenTimdoes it, it just feels like he loves her and wants to take care of her.

Tim leans over and kisses her on the head while he waits for his hot coffee. "You're welcome," he says, and they stand pressed together from head to toe until Tim has his coffee and they head back to his truck.

The drive to Tim's childhood home is quiet as they munch their breakfast. Kojo happily takes each donut hole from Lucy, leaving slobber trails on her fingers, and she laughs at him, scratching him between the ears as he chews noisily.

"What are we working on today?" Lucy asks as Tim parks the truck, and he sighs and leans back in the seat.

"We need to do my room," he says, and he's not looking forward to it, but he knows it'll make him feel better the same way that taking the sledgehammer to his closet had. "Tear up the carpet, finish knocking down the wall we started the other day, and get rid of the wallpaper. After that, I was thinking… do you want to work on the yard? It's a nice day, and the front is bad. I think my father stopped caring about it a few years ago. I thought we could weed the flowerbeds, mow the lawn, and maybe plant a few things?"

Lucy smiles and nods; it sounds great. "Of course. Do we have a mower and weed-eater?"

Tim shakes his head, but he has them at home, so he knows he can run and get them at some point.

They exit the car, taking Kojo with them, and Tim unlocks the door. Lucy walks in, and it already looksso differentthan it had before. The floors are bare, the wallpaper stripped, and the downstairs windows have been taken out and the holes are covered in plastic. The kitchen is completely bare, and the baseboards, ceiling fans, and all of the fixtures have been stripped. It's amessy,disastrous mess, but it has potential.

She can imagine what itwillbe, and she'sexcited.

"Today's the last day of the demo," she says, and she thinks she'll miss it, at least a little bit. "When are we starting the renovation?"

Tim shrugs, because a lot of it is going to have to be done with Nolan and the man only has so much free time, but there are parts they can do themselves. He can lay the flooring and do the baseboards and paint.

"Next week, I think? Nolan helped me order everything we need, and it should start arriving late this week or early next."

"Awesome," Lucy says, because she's excited for everything to start coming together.

They get to work pretty quickly after letting Kojo into the backyard. Lucy helps haul the tools upstairs, and then they both stand in Tim's childhood bedroom. There's a huge hole in the wall where the closet used to be, and Lucy remembers that first night when Tim had broken down in her arms.

She turns to Tim and bites her lip.

"How are you doing?" she asks, reaching out to take his hand, and he turns to her with a small smile.

"I'm OK, surprisingly. Lucy, this place doesn't lookanythinglike my childhood home anymore. We… Wedestroyedthat place. It'sgone; this is the last part that remains, and all I am is excited to finish taking down that wall. I'm…soexcited to start over."

Lucy stands on her tiptoes to kiss Tim's cheek, and then she stands back, surveying the wall.

"Then let's finish that first," she says, and Tim nods, grabbing the sledgehammer and turning toward the closet. He knows they'll have to rebuild the entire thing, and maybe destroying it hadn't been thebestidea, but it sure had felt good. And besides, the old closet had been small. Maybe they'll remake it as a larger, walk-in closet. Tamara would like that, he thinks, and the idea of having Tamara bring her style into his childhood bedroom makes him feel good. She could paint the walls however she likes, decorate it in her eclectic style, and he doesn't think he would ever think about how itusedto look if she made it her own.

It takes them a surprisingly short amount of time to finish the room.

Within the hour they've finished tearing down the wall, and then the wallpaper and carpet come up quickly. By lunch they're done, and they're standing in the middle of the room, surveying everything they've accomplished.

"We should get lunch, grab your yard tools, and then go shopping for plants," Lucy says brighty, and Tim sighs happily. It sounds great, he has to admit, and he can't wait to begin turning the house into something that theybothlove.

He likes lilies, and he thinks Lucy does, too. They can plant them along the front walkway, and then do a variety of flowers in the beds against the house.

By mid afternoon, Lucy is covered in sweat and she isn't sure she'll ever be able to get the dirt out from underneath her fingernails. Tim has been mowing and weed-eating the front lawn for the past thirty minutes, and she keeps getting distracted by his biceps as he pushes the mower (and why does he own apush mower? To purposelydrive her to distraction?) and the way the sweat beads on his forehead.

Tim notices her staring and waves, and Lucy blushes before turning her attention back to the flower beds. She's managed to tear all of the weeds out and has turned the soil so it's ready for planting. She turns her attention back to the pallets of plants they'd bought, and smiles at the memory of doing something so domestic with Tim.

He likes lilies, as it turned out, and Lucy thinks it'sadorablethat he has flower preferences.

She's almost done with the flower beds framing the house when Tim finishes mowing and walks up to her. He's surveying the flowers with a smile on his face, and then turns to hook up the hose they'd bought, but when Lucy turns to thank him, she notices a small child staring at her from the next house. She smiles back and waves at the little boy, and he blushes before inching closer.

"Hey, buddy," she says, and Tim turns around at the sound of her voice, eyes searching for who she's talking to. He spots the little boy and waves.

"Who're you?" the boy asks, pressing his body against the fence, his little eyes wide.

"I'm Lucy, and that's Tim," she introduces them, and when she looks back the little boy's mother has joined him. "We're… renovating the house. Fixing it up."

"Do you know the mean man who lives here?" the little boy asks, and his mother winces at his bluntness. Lucy, however, just laughs.

"I know him a little. Heismean, huh?"

The boy nods enthusiastically.

"He's not going to live here anymore," Tim assures the little boy, handing the hose to Lucy and turning to the boy and his mother. "He's my father. We've moved him into an assisted living facility."

"Ooooh," the boy says, and then, "So areyouguysgoing to live here now? I like you. You're nice."

Lucy laughs, and her smile is wide and happy. "Maybe," she responds slowly, and her voice is quiet and soft. "Maybe one day," she adds, and Timwants that. He wants her in this house, with him and their flowers and their dog.

"We are," Tim says, and he hopes Lucy doesn't mind, but he thinks she maybe just didn't want to overstep. "Once we get it fixed up. We tore a lot of stuff down, and now we have to build it all back up."

The little boy nods, and his mother comes closer to the fence as Lucy fights a blush.

"I'm Marianna," she introduces herself, and then takes her son's hand. "This is Ben. We've lived here for years. Your father was…"

Tim stiffens, and interrupts her. "He is aterribleman, but I swear I'm nothing like him. Iswear."

Marianna smiles and waves off his concern. "I didn't think you were. We're glad to have some new neighbors. You've made the yard look really nice; I love the flowers."

"Me, too," Lucy adds, and they get caught up talking to Marianna for a long time. The little boy gets bored and wanders off, but he quickly notices Kojo in the backyard and begins exclaiming over him. He barks back and forth with Kojo, who seems to think it's the greatest game ever, and Lucy wants to move innow.

"We're both police officers," Tim explains when Marianna notices and asks about his off duty weapon.

"Oh, that's nice," Marianna says, and she's smiling. Lucy thinks she's being sincere, and is glad for it. Not everyone likes living next to police officers.

Speaking of which…

Marianna takes Ben inside for dinner, and Lucy turns on Tim.

He's blushing and not meeting her eyes, and Lucy is having exactly none of it.

"We're gonna live here, huh?" she asks, sauntering up to him, and though Tim is clearly bashful, it doesn't stop him from reaching out and settling his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. He grins down at her and nods.

"I don't know if you've noticed it yet, but I amveryserious about us," he begins, and Lucy sighs in happiness. She'dhoped. She had desperately hoped that Tim felt the same, and she hadthoughthe had because of all the hints he had dropped, but it was nice to be on the same page. "Unless you don't feel the same," Tim adds after several long, silent moments, and Lucy shakes her head.

"No, no Ido. I've never been this serious about anyone soquickly, though, and it's kind of scary, but Iam. I'm wanting-to-move-in-with-you, planning-kids-names serious, Tim, and it's fuckingterrifying."

Tim laughs and kisses her on the forehead, wrapping his arms around her and rocking them back and forth in the middle of the yard.

"Itisa little scary," he admits. "But… My mom used to say 'when you know, you know', and I always thought she was full of shit,especiallybecause she was withmy dad. But she told me one day that it wasn't mydadthat 'she just knew' about. There was a manbeforemy dad, but he passed away, and I don't think she ever really got over him. But she used to tell me that it would be like… something slotting into place. Like something had always been wrong, oroff, and then when you found that person, everything would feelright. Lucy,youmake things feel right."

Lucy stares up at him, tears in her eyes, and she knows.

Sheknowsthat Tim is it for her.

"You make things feel right, too," she whispers, and Tim kisses her long and slow before pulling back and letting her tuck her head into his shoulder.

Chapter 15

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 15

The next morning Lucy wakes up in Tim's arms for the second time in as many days, and she smiles as she curls closer.

She could get used to this,she thinks.

She'salreadygetting used to it, actually, and maybe that should be concerning, but she doesn't mind.

"Hey," Tim whispers, and Lucy smiles into his chest.

"Do wehaveto go to work today?" she asks, and she can feel Tim's chest rumbling under her cheek as he laughs. He leans down, kisses her head, and then sighs.

"Yeah, we do," he says regretfully, and then he rolls them over so Lucy is beneath him. "But, we haveseveral hoursbefore we have to go anywhere."

Lucy chuckles, and leans up to press a kiss to Tim's lips.

"You just like morning sex, don't you?" she asks, and Tim shrugs.

"Guilty as charged. Are you complaining?"

Lucy shakes her head quickly, and then reaches down to pull her own panties off. "Not at all. Show me what you've got, Bradford."

He does.

Repeatedly.

They're only alittle bitlate for work.

Riding with Nyla is different butfun,Lucy decides. She gets to turn the air conditioning on whenever she wants, they play the radio and sing along totruly terriblepop music, and she always gets to drive.

It's not the same as riding with Tim, but she'd rather have Tim at homeall the time, she thinks, than in the shop for only 40 hours a week.

"So," Nyla says, and Lucy rolls her eyes. She knows what's coming.

"Yes?" she asks tentatively.

"You and Tim."

"Yep, me and Tim," Lucy says, and she's being purposefully vague just to watch Nyla grow more and more irritated.

"Details,woman," she insists, and Lucy laughs.

"I will not be sharing details, but I can tell you that we're happy. We're together, and we've talked about how we both believe it's long term and serious."

Nyla whistles, and then lays a hand on her stomach. She can't say much - she was the one who got pregnant within a few months of dating her boyfriend.

"OK, that's fine, I didn'tactuallywant the dirty details. More like, what's going on with the house? It seemed kind of like… well, I don't think Tim will be selling it, is all I'm saying."

Lucy shakes her head, biting her lip to keep her smile from taking over her entire face. "No, he won't be."

Nylaglaresuntil Lucy elaborates.

"We talked yesterday, and we both want the same thing, even though it'sfast.We both want to renovate the house forus,and for Tamara. I know it's fast, probablytoo fast, and maybe we're making a huge mistake, but I love him, and I want everything with him. We've wasted enough time, don't you think?"

Nyla smiles over at Lucy, and she's so happy for her friends. "I do. I think you'll be fine. Tim doesn't do things halfway. If he says he loves you, helovesyou, and youknowhe's already picking out names for your kids and deciding if Kojo needs a dog brother or sister. That man isgoneon you, Lucy."

Lucy is opening her mouth to reply when she hears her radio crackle to life, and she motions for Nyla to grab it.

"7-Adam-19, this is dispatch. We have a possible domestic dispute at 324 S Main. Can we show you responding?"

Nyla grabs the radio and glances at Lucy, who nods. "This is 7-Adam-19. Show us responding. We're two minutes out. Is the situation escalated?"

"Unknown. The report was vague but mentioned yelling and loud crashing noises. Advise to approach with caution."

"Got it. We'll report when we know more."

Nyla hangs up the radio and Lucy flips on the sirens. She knows how quickly domestic disputes can go downhill, and she wants to get there as quickly as possible.

"I hate domestics," Nyla says, her hand settling protectively over her baby bump, and Lucy nods solemnly in agreement.

They pull up outside the house, and Lucy knows immediately that it's going to be a bad one.

She grabs the radio, and her heart hurts as she makes the call. "Dispatch, we need backup at 324 S Main. Also send an RA to our location."

She puts the radio down, tells Nyla to stay put, and draws her gun before heading into the house.

Tim has just stopped for coffee when he hears the commotion over the radio.

"Dispatch, this is 7-Adam-19. We have shots fired at our location, 324 S main. Status of Officer Chen is unknown, she entered the residence five minutes ago, and has not checked in."

"7-Adam-19, this is Dispatch. You have backup en-route, 1 minute out. RA and emergency services have also been dispatched."

Tim leaves the counter without his coffee and jumps back into the shop, putting it in gear and pulling onto the street, sirens and lights already blaring. Aaron looks at him in concern but doesn't say anything, and Tim is thankful.

He's not sure he can speak right now, anyway.

Status of Officer Chen is unknown.

Shots fired at our location.

He'd known that he wouldhateriding without Lucy, and he'd known that this would happen sooner or later (their job was high risk, and he knew she would be in danger without him to watch her back) but he hadn't expected it to happenso quickly.

He'd just told her he was serious about her, that he wanted them to live together and be together long term, andnow…

He swallows hard and tries not to think about the worst case scenario.

Lucy wraps her arms around the little boy in her lap and ducks her head, wincing as the bullets strike the desk. Her heart is pounding and her breath is shaky, but she knows backup is coming, she knowsTimis coming. She just has to hold out long enough for them to get there.

"Come out of there, bitch! Give my boy back!" the man yells, and he's drunk, high, andangry, which is a terrible combination that Lucy's worried they may not survive.

She had arrived just as the first shots were fired, and had been able to sweep the little boy into her arms and to safety.

His mother hadn't been so lucky.

He's screaming in her arms now, thrashing and trying to get away, and Lucy's heart breaks for him.

"Shh," she whispers, and she rocks him back and forth, trying desperately to get him to stop hitting and kicking. "I'm gonna keep you safe, buddy. I'm gonna keep you safe. I won't let anyone hurt you, OK? I won't let him hurt you."

"Daddy, no!" the little boy screams, and Lucy buries her face in his hair, breathing in his soft, baby scent.

He'd just watched his motherdieby his father's hand, and Lucy wants to wrap him in her arms and never let him go.

Three more bullets hit the desk, and Lucy prays that she'll be able to keep her word to this little boy, that she'll be able to keep him safe from his father. After the third shot, she hears the gun click and the man grunt, and then he's throwing it to the side and his heavy footsteps move toward them.

Lucy reaches for her gun, shifting the boy in her arms until she wraps her fingers around the handle, and then turns to face the man who had just murdered his wife in cold blood.

He charges toward them, screaming, and Lucy aims and fires without a second thought.

He falls heavily to the ground, and the little boy's screams echo in her ears as she hears the first sirens approaching the house.

By the time Tim arrives, the ambulances are already there and he looks around frantically for one long, terrifying second, and then his legs buckle beneath him when he sees Lucy sitting on a stretcher inside the second ambulance. There's a little boy in her lap, and both of themlookunharmed, but he finds himself running toward them, anyway, his heart in his throat.

"Lucy," he croaks, and his voice cracks as he comes to a stop in front of her, his hands shaking as he reaches out.

Lucy looks up, and she's crying but she'salive.

She grabs his hand in hers and holds ontightly,and Tim can't focus on anything buther.

"Hey," he whispers, and Lucy lets her head fall forward into his chest. The EMT who had been checking them over steps back, giving them some space, and it's only then that Tim lets himself notice the little boy in her arms. He's less than three, and small enough that he's tucked his entire body into the crook of Lucy's left arm. His bright green eyes are filled with tears, but he's no longer screaming, which Lucy is thankful for.

"Hi," she says, and then she breaks down, crying into his uniform shirt in great, heaving sobs. Tim holds her close, and the little boy gets squished between them but he doesn't seem to mind.

"What thefuckhappened?" he asks when he pulls back a second later, and Lucy brushes a trembling hand through her hair.

"We got a call for a domestic. When we arrived I could see the man through the window and he had a gun, so I approached. I was too late to save the mom, but I grabbed him," she gestures to the boy, "and we hid behind a metal desk. It saved our lives."

"And then man?" Tim asks, because if he's not already dead he's going to make himwishthat he were.

"I shot him," Lucy says, and Tim sighs. He knows there will be an investigation; there always is when there's an officer involved homicide. "He's dead."

"OK," Tim says, and there's so much more he wants to know, but as her superior he needs to take a step back so he doesn't compromise the investigation. "OK. Are they taking you to the hospital?"

Lucy nods. "Yeah, he needs to get checked out, and I'm going with him. He's terrified and won't let me go."

"OK," Tim says again, and he knows he needs to step away. He needs to recuse himself from the situation so that he can remain a neutral party, but it's the hardest thing he's ever done.

He needs Grey. He needs someone else to take over on scene, because he can't be involved in this, he doesn't think.

"I'll meet you there," he says, because hecan't.He can't stay out of this when she needs him. "I have to call Grey, get a new supervisor on scene, and then I'll be there."

"OK," Lucy says, nodding as the EMT begins to load them into the ambulance. "I love you."

Tim wants to kiss her, to hold her in his arms and never let her go, but instead he waves, his heart pounding in his chest as she's taken away from him. "I love you, too, Lu," he whispers, and then the ambulance doors close and they're beingtaken away from him.

He takes out his phone to call Grey.

He needs to get to the hospital, and be with Lucy.

Chapter 16

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 16

By the time Tim is able to turn the scene over to Grey it's been nearly an hour and he's vibrating out of his skin with the need to see Lucy and make sure she's OK. It's a little concerning, he thinks, because heknowsthat this won't be the last time something like this happens, and he's going to need to figure out how to get a handle on his emotions where Lucy is concerned.

"I'm here for Lucy Chen, and…" he tells the nurse at the ER intake desk, but he has to pause when he realizes that he doesn't know the little boy's name.

Thankfully, the nurse knows who he's talking about, and she smiles as she leads him to a room. Tim walks inside, and all of his stress and fear melts away when he sees Lucy sitting on the bed, the little boy sleeping soundly in her arms.

"Hey," he whispers, and Lucy looks up at the sound of his voice. She smiles, and she nods to the boy.

"He finally fell asleep. He exhausted himself crying and screaming, and the nurse ended up having to give him a sedative."

Tim swallows thickly, because heunderstands.He doesn't understandeverythingthe little boy is going through, of course, because his father hadn'tmurderedhis mother in front of him, but he knows how traumatizing it can be to be constantly scared of your own parent.

He doesn't know how to say any of this, though, so he just sighs and sits on the bed next to them.

"Does he have a name?" he asks quietly, and Lucy nods.

"Yeah, he was able to talk a little after the sedative kicked in and before he fell asleep. His name is Liam, and he's three. He likes dogs, he said, so I showed him some pictures of Kojo to help calm him down."

Liam.

It's a good, strong name, Tim thinks, and then he sighs.

"Does he have any family?"

Lucy shrugs, and then winces when she tries to reposition Liam so she can sit up more fully. The little boy isdeeplyasleep; his mouth is open and he's drooling everywhere, and his little body is sleep warm and pliant as Tim reaches out to lift him up so Lucy can get more comfortable.

Liam's head falls onto Tim's shoulder, and warm little puffs of breath tickle the hair at the nape of his neck as he holds him.

Lucy repositions the bed so that it's all the way sat up, and then holds her arms out. Tim settles Liam back in them, turning his head so that it's resting on Lucy's chest, and then takes in the scene with a sigh.

It's so close to everything he's ever wanted, but it'swrong, because this little boy is traumatized and has just lost his motherandhis father.

"DFS is looking into it," she finally whispers as she continues to run her fingers through Liam's hair. "No immediate family in the area, and it's not looking promising. They can't find much extended family either, and his grandfather on his dad's side said, and I quote, 'I don't want anything to do with that little bastard'. So. They're trying to find him a foster home to stay in tonight."

Tim's heart hurts as he thinks about the little boy screaming and crying from nightmares in an overcrowded foster home. He thinks about Liam, who doesn't know what's going on, being torn from Lucy's arms — the only arms he's found comfort in since his mother had been murdered in front of him. He thinks about how Liam has probably been living in a traumatic environment since the day he was born, and all he wants is for the little boy is for him to besafeandloved.

"I completed the foster parent process when my first nephew was born," he whispers, and he can't make himself meet Lucy's eyes, but he isoverwhelmedwith the need to make sure that this little boy is taken care of.

"Tim," Lucy says, and her voice is soft. She reaches her free hand out and brushes her fingers over his cheek, and encourages him to look up. "Tim."

"He's terrified," Tim whispers. He feels the need to explain himself, because he's never done this before. He's never felt such a strong pull to someone they had helped, and he's certainlyneveroffered to take anyone in. "He's alone, his mom and dad are dead, and he probably… Lucy, he probably used to hide in his closet, too, and Iknow what that's like.I don't want to just dump him in some foster home where they don't understand him."

"OK," Lucy says, and Tim looks up in shock. She's smiling softly at him, and Tim loves herso much. "OK. Let's talk to the social worker, see if we can get him set up with you tonight."

Tim nods, and then sits heavily on the bed beside Lucy and Liam.

"So, he's fine? He's not hurt, nothing's broken?"

Lucy nods. "He's fine. They did full body x-rays, because he couldn't answer any questions in his hysteria, and there's… Tim, there's evidence of prior abuse. Several healed fractures in his arms and legs, and there's evidence of prior remodeling on his skull, which indicates an old concussion."

"He'sthree,"Tim breathes, and he can feel his heart shattering at everything the little boy has gone through.

"I know," Lucy sighs, and she reaches out to take Tim's hand. She entwines their fingers, and holds on tightly. "I know."

The social worker drops by around dinner time, and Liam is awake even if he's not speaking or really engaging with anyone. He's fascinated by all of the pictures of Kojo on Lucy's phone, and when he runs out of those, Tim offershisphone without a second thought because as much as he tries to deny it, he's a doting dog father and has several hundred Kojo pictures as well.

(If he were pressed to explain himself, he would say he only took them so he could send them to Lucy, which he isn't entirely sure is any better, but he's sticking to it.)

"I'm foster certified," Tim explains to the social worker. The man had introduced himself as Jacob Helms, and he has a kind, patient face. "When my nephew was born, his father was… a flake, to say the least, and Genny was terrified about someone happening to her. Looking back I think she had postpartum anxiety, but she made me go through the process to be able to take the boys if something happened, anyway."

"That's good, Mr. Bradford," Jacob says, smiling as he takes a seat next to Liam's hospital bed. "And you're law enforcement, so you've been through every background check known to man. It shouldn't be too hard to get you approved,especiallysince we're hurting for foster homes right now. We were looking at placing Liam in a group home tonight, but you and I both know with his trauma that it's not the best place for him."

Tim nods, frowning.

They were going to put him in agroup home?

He's taking Liam home with himno matter what,he thinks, and he knows Lucy feels the same way.

"I have a spare room," he continues. "My house is clean and safe. I had a home visit when we first did the process, but it's been a while, so they may need to do another one. Um, also," he says, and he frowns as he remembers. "I was married at the time. My wife Isabel went through the process with me, but we're no longer together. I hope that doesn't hurt my chances of being able to take Liam."

Jacob shakes his head as he writes notes on his clipboard. "It shouldn't. Lots of single people foster and adopt. We will need to do another home visit, but we should be able to take care of it when we drop Liam off. A social worker is gathering some of his clothes and toys from his home, but from what she's told me they're not in great condition."

Tim nods; he'll stop by Walmart on the way home and buy him a few outfits and toys, everything he'll need for tonight, and then he can send Smitty with a list to get anything else they'll need in the morning.

"I'll take care of it," he says, and then he turns to look at Lucy. "Also, I'm not single. Lucy and I are dating, and we're very serious. Is having her with me going to be a problem, since she's not foster certified?"

Jacob shakes his head again. "No. Like I said, lots of unmarried people foster. If there's a relationship, we just like it to bestablebefore putting children in the home. And her not being foster parent certified shouldn't be a problem as long as you're primary caregiver. I would suggest she begin the process immediately, however, in case this turns into a long term placement."

Long term placement, Tim thinks, and his heart clenches at the thought.

"I already applied online to begin," Lucy says, holding up her phone, and Tim is so fucking in love with her that it hurts.

Jacob smiles at them both, and then hands over a large stack of paperwork. "The hospital is releasing Liam into my care. I'll gather all of his things, and bring him to your home, Mr. Bradford. It'll take a few hours to do the rest of the paperwork and get everything squared away, so if you need to do any shopping or anything you'll have time."

Tim nods; hewill,he thinks. He also needs to go back to the station and change out of his uniform.

"We'll go get him some things," Lucy answers, and then turns to face Liam. The boy hasn't even looked up from Tim's phone. "Hey, bud, do you want to stay with me and Tim tonight?"

The boy nods without looking at her, and Lucy sighs, knowing that she's going to have to let him go.

"You have to go with the nice man, now," she says, and Liamdoeslook up at that. His eyes are full of apprehension and fear as his gaze flickers back and forth between Lucy and Jacob.

"No," he says, and while it's not what Lucy was hoping for, she's at least glad he'sspeaking.

"Sorry, love," she says, running a hand through his hair. "But it'll just be for a few hours."

Liam shakes his head, tears welling up in his eyes, and Lucy knows he has to go but it's killing her to hand him over.

"Hey, it's gonna be OK, Liam," Tim whispers, and then he leans down so he's at eye level with the boy. "Ipromisethat it won't be for long. Jacob is going to go get some of your toys for you, and then bring you to my house. Lucy will be there," he says, looking up at his girlfriend, and he can see she's struggling to let the boy go.

Liam clings tighter to her, and Tim sighs.

"I know you've been lied to a lot, little man," he whispers, and Liam's eyes flicker to his, holding his gaze. "And hurt, too. I know you don't trust me, but let's make a deal, OK? I'm going to give you something that'svery specialto me, and I want you to hold onto it until you get to my house tonight."

Liam is looking interested now, leaning away from Lucy's body to try and see whatever Tim's going to give to him. Tim smiles at the boy, and then turns to meet Lucy's gaze. He's running his fingers over the ring in his pocket, apprehension buzzing through his entire body… but he'd already told her he was serious about their relationship, so he hopes she won't be too shocked.

"This is going to be Lucy's, one day," he says softly, and he hands the small ring to Liam. It's a platinum gold band, with three small diamonds in the middle.

Lucy gasps when she sees it, but doesn't speak. Her eyes are wide and moist, and Tim smiles at her, soft and loving. When he continues to speak, he's talking more toherthan to Liam, but the little boy doesn't seem to mind. "She doesn't know it yet, but I'm going to ask her to marry me one day. You have to takesuper good careof this, Liam. I love Lucy so much, and this isvery important.Can you keep an eye on it for me, until Jacob brings you to my house?"

Liam is staring at Tim with wide, eager eyes now, a tiny smile pulling on his lips.

"Uh huh!" he says, nodding his head enthusiastically. "I take good care of it for you."

He still looks a little scared as he climbs off of Lucy's lap, but he's holding the ring in both hands, careful not to drop it as Tim helps him climb down onto the floor.

"We'll see you soon, little man," he whispers, and for a second it looks like Liam is going to refuse to go, but then he looks at the ring in his hands and clenches it tightly into one small, chubby fist before reaching out to take Jacob's extended hand.

"Bye bye," he whispers, and he glances back and forth between Lucy and Tim several times before Jacob leads him out of the door.

The second he's gone, Tim finds himself with his arms full of Lucy. He grins and buries his head in her hair, breathing in her scent.

"I love you," she whispers, and just as Tim is about to say it back, to explain to herwhyhe had that ring in his pocket, she laughs. "Also, you can no longer give me shit about basically adopting Tamara. You're nothing but a big, soft marshmallow, and now you haveyour ownpuppy!"

Tim rolls her eyes, but he's smiling as he wraps his arms around Lucy and holds her tightly.

He kisses her hair, and then her forehead, and pulls back enough that he can meet her gaze.

"Wanna go shopping with me?" he asks, and Lucy nods, grinning as she climbs out of his lap.

"Yes. I peeked at his clothes, he wears a 2T, which is small for his age, so we should get some kid snacks, too."

"And maybe a stuffed puppy, too," Tim muses, and Lucy's laugh is clear and bright as they walk out of the hospital together.

Notes:

Don't worry, I haven't forgot about Lucy's problems. She did kill a man, even if it was in self defense, and I promise I'll deal with the fallout of that, too!

Chapter 17

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 17

After Tim drops by the station to change, he and Lucy head to Walmart to pick up what they'll need for Liam.

There's a brief moment when Tim is pushing the cart through the baby aisle (because Liam isvery smalland is still wearing 24 months and 2T clothes) and Lucy is exclaiming over the teeny-tiny outfits that he pauses and wonders what thefuckhe's gotten himself into. But then Lucy turns to him with sparkling eyes as she holds up a puppy themed set of pajamas, andthatfeeling is back.

The feeling ofrightness.

"How long have we been dating, like, officially?" Tim asks, and Lucy looks at him strangely as she tosses the dog pajamas into the cart.

"Like 10 days," she says, and Tim wonders briefly why she's not phased.

"Doesn't this all seem…fast?"

Lucy shrugs as she begins to dig through a rack of t-shirts and impossibly small jeans.

"Yes," she admits. "ButIam not the one with a ring in his pocket,Tim Bradford."

She's smiling, so Tim knows she's not upset, but he feels his heart race at her words, anyway.

"In my defense," he begins, and the way Lucy is laughing at him tells him that hehasno defense. "I bought it this morning,that'swhy it was in my pocket."

"OK, but you see, that's actuallyworse," Lucy replies as she holds up a pair of tiny, brown overalls. Tim nods, and the overalls join the puppy pajamas. "Youbought a ringthis morning, Tim. We've been dating forten days.You don't get to be the one to question the speed of our relationship, here."

"Like you'd sayno," he scoffs, and though he's acting certain and sure, there's a little part of him that wonders if shewould.

"You'll just have to ask me and find out," Lucy says, sticking her tongue out at him. Tim laughs, and then takes a few t-shirts from the rack to add to the cart. He picks one with dinosaurs, one with black and white stripes, and one that has Marvel characters on it. Most boys like superheros, he reasons, and then tosses in a Baby Yoda t-shirt for good measure.

"You don't… mind, though, right? That I offered to take Liam in?" he asks quietly.

Lucy shakes her head so fast that her curls whip around her face. "No, Tim, of course not! I didn't want to give him over, either. He's… God, he's been through so much, and we can help him. I don't care that we've only been dating for ten days. I love you, and you love me, and we're both serious about this. We don't have to wait a prescribed number of months before taking each step in our relationship, and besides, it's not like we'readoptingLiam right this second or anything."

"OK," Tim says, and he thinks that she's probably right.

In all of his previous relationships, he'd beenhesitantto take each step.

Sleeping together.

Sleepingover.

Moving in together.

Proposing.

Kids.

But with Lucy, it all seems so natural, and maybe theyaredoing things out of order or fucking things up, but he doesn't think they are.

He smiles, and reaches out to take Lucy's hand into his own as they continue to look through the baby clothes.

In the end, it takesmuchlonger than Tim had anticipated, because once Lucy Googles what kids need, the list more than doubles.

Clothes. Lots and lots of little, tiny clothes. T-shirts, jeans, pajamas, socks, underwear, shoes, and backups of everything because little kids are disasters.

Food. Snacks that toddlers will eat. Nuggets, because Tim has nephews and that's all that kids between the ages of one and five seem toeat.Fruit cups, applesauce, some weird puff snacks, and thenlittle tiny forks and spoonsto go with the food.

Sippy cups, because Tim doesn't know if Liam can drink out of a regular cup yet.

Baby gates, baby locks, and cabinet latches.

A car seat (and Lucy demands they get the one that has extended rear facing, because Liam is so little).

Bed railings, because Tim has a bed in the spare room but it's a full size bed, and if Liam rolls off he could get hurt.

Baby shampoo that doesn't sting your eyes. Tiny baby washrags. A little toothbrush and toothpaste. Baby tylenol. Tiny towels with hoods that he absolutelydoesn'tthink are adorable, thank you very much. (He gets the frogandthe dog ones).

By the time they're ready to check out, Tim isterrifiedto see the total.

Lucy reaches to take his hand, and lays her head on his shoulder.

"The state will cover some of it, and I can pitch in, too. But you and I both know that this isn't a short term placement. You'reattached."

"You are, too," he shoots back, defensive, but all Lucy does is smile and kiss his neck.

"Yeah, I am."

They make it to Tim's house just minutes before Jacob shows up with Liam, so the little boy walks into the house with all of his new things spread out in the living room, and his eyes grow so wide that Lucy can see his pupils from across the room.

"Hey, buddy!" Tim greets him, and Lucy watches with a smile on her face as he drops to the floor beside the toddler and places his large hands on his hips. Liam grins around the fingers in his mouth, and Lucy is in love with him and Tim, and himandTim. "Did you keep that ring super safe for me?"

Liam nods and holds out his hand. It's still clenched tightly, and he opens it to reveal the ring, a little sweaty but no worse for wear.

"He refused to let it go for even a second," Jacob informs them, and Lucy turns her attention back to the older man. He's not alone this time; there's a young woman with him. She looks very official, and Lucy realizes that she's here to conduct the home visit.

"Hey, why don't Liam and I go meet Kojo, and you can show them around the house?"

Tim nods, pocketing the ring, and then stands up. Liam moves to stand beside Lucy quickly, reaching out to take her hand. Lucy leans down and picks him up (she can't help herself) and then begins walking them to Tim's bedroom, where they've locked Kojo.

"Want to meet our dog?" she asks, and Tim smiles at their retreating backs and the inevitable squeal of happiness from Liam as Lucy closes the bedroom door behind them.

"So, what do we need to do?" he asks, turning his attention to Jacob and the young woman. She's got long blonde hair and is smiling at him.

"This is mostly just a formality. Hi, my name is Ashley. We just need to tour the house and see where Liam will be sleeping."

"OK," Tim says, grimacing when she introduces herself, becausewhydoes she have to share a name with his ex? Heruns a hand through his hair as he motions toward the hallway. He can hear Lucy and Liam making happy noises behind his bedroom door, and points. "That's my room. Liam's is down this other hallway. There's actually two guest rooms, and a bathroom. Lucy and I are going to work on baby-proofing the house tonight. We bought everything, but we didn't have enough time."

"No need to worry, Mr. Bradford," Jacob says, following along behind them as Tim shows them first the toddler's room and then the bathroom.

"Does Lucy live here with you?" Ashley asks, and Tim looks up at her.

"Uh, no, not yet. We're actually remodeling my childhood home, and plan to move in there when it's done, but that's several months away."

"So you're not super serious yet."

Tim gives Ashley an odd look and shakes his head.

"No, weareserious. Just because we don't live together yet doesn't mean we're not serious."

Ashley nods, and Tim brushes off the odd question as he continues to show them through the house.

"The backyard is fenced in, so he'll have a place to play. We bought a car seat, do you need to see it?"

Jacob shakes his head.

"No, Mr. Bradford, I think we have everything we need. It looks great, and I'm sure Liam will be happy here. I have a few final forms for you to sign, and then we'll get out of your hair. There will be a few announced as well as unannounced visits over the next few weeks to make sure everything's going smoothly. Keep in mind, we're still looking for immediate family for Liam, but if we don't find any, we'll be asking whether you'd consider a longer term placement, so be giving that some serious thought."

"I will," Tim promises, but he already knows he'll say yes for as long as Liam needs him to. "Do you need to meet Kojo? He'sveryfriendly, but he is a bulldog/pit bull mix and I don't want that to… cause a problem, or anything."

"Yes, we'd like to meet him, just to make sure," Ashley says, and Tim nods, heading back toward his room. He knocks first, to alert Lucy, and then opens the door slowly.

"Hey, we're here to see Kojo," he says softly, and Liam squeals in excitement. He's sitting in the middle of the big bed in Lucy's lap, and Kojo is sprawled out next to him, nosing the boy's foot and gently licking him and sniffing the new addition to the family.

Kojo's ears perk up when he notices the new visitors. He doesn't move from Lucy and Liam's side, but he does begin to whine low in his throat.

"Kojo, hush," Tim tells him, because he's never done this before (except with Ashley his ex, and Tim wonders if Kojo has something against the Ashleys of the world).

"I thought you said he wasfriendly," Ashley accuses, and Tim wants to roll his eyes but he knows she's in charge of approving his house for Liam's foster placement, so he restrains himself.

"Heis.He's very friendly, but my bedroom is like his den, and strangers are entering it. He'scautious,not dangerous."

Jacob waves off Tim's concern. "He's fine. He's interacting with Liam in a very positive manner. Clearly he accepts the boy, and that's the important part."

Tim nods in relief, and then moves to show Jacob and Ashley out the door. He offers them each a farewell, and then closes the door behind th, taking a deep breath before turning around.

Time to get Liam settled in.

He smiles, and heads toward the bedroom.

Chapter 18

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 18

When Tim walks back into the bedroom, his breath stutters at the sight before him.

Liam looks like he's seconds away from falling asleep; his little green eyes are heavy and he keeps yawning. He's curled up in Lucy's lap, two of his fingers in his mouth, and Kojo has gently rested his head on Liam's leg. The dog is staring at the boy like he's the best thing that's ever happened to him, and Tim already knows that they're going to be best buddies.

"Hey," he whispers, and Lucy looks up as he walks toward them.

"Hi. How did it go?"

Tim grins and sits down next to them. Lucy sighs and lays her head on his shoulder.

"I think it went well, if a little weird. Ashley was kind of intense, and Jacob was the exact opposite. He didn't care much about anything. So, at least they balance each other out. They approved the house, and then left. They said there will be some visits within the next week or so to check on how things are going, and also something occurred to me. Lucy, we don't have anywhere for Liam to goduring the daywhile we're at work."

"Oh," Lucy says, biting her lip as realization sinks in. "Well, shi…shoot," she corrects, grinning down at Liam, who seems to have given up the battle and has gone to sleep. "Um, we can make sure our days off are on different days for now, I guess. We're each working 4, 12-hour shifts a week, so we should be able to cover most of the days if we ask Grey to schedule us opposite each other. It's not ideal, and we'll never see each other or get much done on the house, but it'll work until we can find a daycare."

"OK," Tim agrees, and though he doesn'tlikethe idea, he knows that it'll have to be good enough for now. "But I think we should both take tomorrow off to help settle Liam in. We should also call around and find him a child psychologist. He's going to need some help processing everything that happened, once it kicks in. I think he's still in shock, a little bit."

"I am, too," Lucy murmurs. "I've been so busy thinking about Liam that, for most of the day, I forgot that Ikilled a man. So, actually, that helps. I'm already on suspension until after the investigation, so I can stay with Liam for probably the next week or so."

Tim had forgotten, too, in the chaos, and he feels bad suddenly that he was so focused on Liam that he'd forgotten Lucy's part in all of this.

It had been her first ever officer involved shooting, and he knows that it's hard, the first time. It's hardeverytime, but the first time is especially bad.

He reaches out to wrap his arm around Lucy's shoulders and hold her close to him. He kisses her forehead, and thinks about the pile of things in the living room that they need to unpack and go through, and then decides that it can all wait until tomorrow.

He picks Liam up and settles the sleeping toddler on Lucy's side of the bed, and then nudges her until she's laying down, too, before crawling into the bed behind her and wrapping his arms around both of them. Kojo, not to be left out, sneaks up to the top of the bed, staring at Lucy and Tim the whole time like they won'tnoticeif he's slow enough, and then settles to where he's laying wrapped around Liam, his head resting on the little boy's chest.

Tim shakes his head at the dog, but figures that it's fine for just this night. Besides, he has astrongfeeling that Kojo will be sleeping in Liam's room from now on, and probably in the bed, too, and he's not sure it's even a battle he's going to fight. Liam could probably use the comfort anyway.

"Let's sleep, and figure this all out in the morning."

Lucy nods and yawns, and Tim sighs in contentment as he holds them.

Everything else can wait.

They make it through the night with only one nightmare from Liam, but the toddler is awake and ready to go at 5am, which Lucy groans endlessly about.

"Why," she asks, rubbing her eyes, and Tim leans over to kiss her on the forehead.

"Go back to sleep, baby. I'll take Liam and he can help me make breakfast. Then we have to get started on that giant pile of babystuffin the living room. I can come get you when pancakes and coffee are done."

Lucy grumbles something that sounds like 'kthanks'and then rolls over into Tim's spot, shoves her head into his pillow, and promptly falls back to sleep. Tim smiles and shakes his head, and then picks Liam up, settling him on his hip as they make their way to the door. Kojo scrambles to follow, and Tim lets him outside before taking Liam into the kitchen.

He sets the boy up with an apron that positivelyswallowshim, and then pulls a chair up to the counter so he can stand on it to help mix the pancakes.

"Do you like pancakes?" he asks, and Liam nods, little green eyes wide.

"Uh huh," he agrees as Tim hands him the whisk. He drops it in the bowl and begins to clumsily mix the batter. Tim has to help, but in the end it resembles somethingcloseto pancake mix. He pours it into the pan, careful to keep Liam away from the hot stove, and is about to turn around to ask Liam if he would like a cup of milk when the little boy speaks.

"Daddy get mad when I try an' cook," he whispers, and Tim turns the stove down low so he can crouch down and give the little boy his full attention.

"Why were you trying to cook?" he asks, because Liam isthreeand other than helping mix or measuring ingredients, he shouldn't be trying to cookanything.

"I was hungry," he says, playing with the apron string. "Mama was sleepin' for allll day. She was sick, and I wanted mac 'n' cheese."

He pauses and lets his gaze drop to the floor.

"I spill it. Daddy foun' me and he got mad."

"I'm sorry," Tim whispers, and reaches out to put his hand gently on Liam's hip. The little boy flinches, and then relaxes slowly, and if his father hadn't already been dead, Tim would have made him wish hewas. "I'm sorry he was mean. But he can't hurt you anymore. You're safe now."

Liam looks up at that, eyes moist with unshed tears, and nods enthusiastically. "Uh huh! 'Cause Lucy made him go 'way."

Tim swallows and nods slowly. "Yeah, she did. Was that scary? When she made him go away?"

Liam nods and shrugs at the same time. "It was loud, an' daddy was screamin' and he had a gun and hehurt mama. Lucy made him stop. An' I didn't see it. Lucy made me look 'way."

Thank God, Tim thinks, and he loves Lucy so much for thinking to make sure that the boy didn't have to witness his fatherandhis mother die, even when the situation washorrifyingand she probably hadn't had much time to think at all.

"I'm glad you looked away," Tim says simply, because at least there's that.

"Uh huh. An' then Lucy took me outside so I didn't have to see mama all still and gone. I miss mama."

Tim nods, and leans forward to gather Liam into his arms. "I bet you do. I miss my mama sometimes, too."

Liam looks up at Tim with curious eyes as he settles the boy on his hip.

"Did your mama go 'way, too?" he asks, and Tim nods.

"Yes. She got very sick with something called cancer, and she went away."

"What aboutyourdaddy?" Liam asks, and Tim pauses for several seconds, thinking.

He decides to tell the truth, because even though Liam is little, hedeservesthe truth. He deserves to know he's not alone.

"My daddy was mean, too," he whispers, and Liam's already wide eyes grow impossibly wider. His entire attention is on Tim as he continues to talk. "He used to hit me and make me cry. I used to hide in my closet to get away from him."

"Did Lucy make him go 'way, too?" Liam asks, voice soft and reverent, and Tim thinks he might have a crush on Lucy.

"No," he says slowly. "But she helped me chase away the bad memories. She's helping me forget the bad things and she's helping me creategoodmemories to replace them."

"Oh. OK. Can she help me, too?" Liam asks, and Tim knows without a doubt that he's never going to let this little boy go.

"I'm sure she'd love to," he says, and then kisses Liam on the head before turning back to the pancakes. The first batch is burnt, but he doesn't mind. He throws them in the trash, and then pours more batter into the pan.

After the pancakes are done, he starts coffee and throws bacon on the stove, and the combined smells bring Lucy wandering from the bedroom. Tim is still holding Liam on his hip, and when Lucy comes to wrap her arms around both of them from behind, he sighs in happiness.

There's still a lot to consider, and a lot to figure out, but Tim wants nothing more than to enjoy the moment with Lucy and Liam and Kojo.

They can take care of everything else after breakfast.

Chapter 19

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 19

By the time they're done with breakfast, Liam is practically vibrating with excitement to see all of his new things. He keeps glancing in the direction of the living room and then bouncing in his seat, and after Tim puts their dirty dishes into the dishwasher, he lifts the boy into his arms and carries him into the living room.

"I gots new toys!" Liam squeals, and Lucy laughs as she hands him each new thing they'd bought. There's a stuffed dog, a set of plastic dinosaurs, blocks, and a train set, but they had stopped there because they wanted to be able to go back and let Liampicksome things, too. "I love my dog!" he says, squeezing the stuffed animal, and Kojo whines from his spot a few feet away as if he realizes he's been replaced.

Tim shakes his head at the dog and scratches behind his ears.

"Hush, boy. He still loves you, too."

Liam nods and then runs over to Kojo, his stuffed dog in his hands. "Look, Kojo! I gots a dog. You can share."

Kojo licks Liam from his chin all the way to his hairline, and the boy squeals in surprise.

Tim distracts Liam with the toys while Lucy takes everything out of the reusable shopping bags. She makes piles — clothes (which she plans on washing before Liam uses them), bathroom necessities, and hygiene items. She quickly puts away the bathroom and hygiene items in Liam's bathroom, and then comes back to start taking stickers and tags off of the clothes.

Liam's eyes are wide as he takes in thepilesof clothes they'd bought.

Which Lucy is glad theyhad, because she'd gone through the bag that the social worker had packed from Liam's house, and his old clothes are too small and very worn. She'll keep them, in case he wants them later, but she plans on washing these, getting him into the bath, and putting him in clean, well-fitting clothes as soon as possible.

"All forme?" he asks in wonder, and Tim has to pull the boy back into his arms and hug him when he hears the amazement in his voice.

"Yeah, buddy," he says, meeting Lucy's eyes over Liam's head. He can tell that she's just as affected as he is by Liam's wonder over the new clothes. "Sure is. These clothes should be more comfortable and fit you better."

"Can I put dinosaurs on?" he asks, pointing to one of the t-shirts Tim had picked out, but Lucy wants him to be clean before she dresses him.

"Sure can," she says, and then passes the t-shirt and a pair of jeans to Tim. Even though they're not washed yet, Liam is just soexcited. "Afteryou take a bath."

"Oooh," Tim says, grinning as he picks Liam up and swings him onto his shoulders. The boy giggles in delight, gripping Tim's hair tightly to hold on. "Let's go take a bath, buddy, and then we can put on the dinosaur shirt!"

Lucy and Tim are so distracted by Liam that they don't notice the sound of a key in the lock.

They do, however, notice when Angela's voice echoes loud and clear throughout the living room (and Timimmediatelyregrets giving her his spare key).

"What thefuck," she says succinctly, taking in the scene before her.

Lucy can't help herself and starts laughing while Liam gasps and puts a hand over his mouth.

"That's abad word!"

Tim grins and winks at Angela.

"Sure is. Auntie Angela will say sorry, won't she?" he says, turning his gaze on his friend, and Angela nods, dumbstruck.

"I will, if someone will give meanswers."

Lucy drops a pile of baby clothes into her hands and laughs. "I swear that I'll answer all your questions if you help me with laundry. Tim is going to give Liam a bath."

"OK," Angela says, and then follows Lucy on auto-pilot. She turns back to look at Tim and the small child he'd gotten from God knows where, and mumbles a quick apology for cursing before she follows Lucy into Tim's small, neatly organized laundry room. She turns on the younger woman immediately, a stern expression on her face. "Explain. I came over here to check on you, Tim, because last I heard, you were freaking the fuck out because Lucy was involved in a messy domestic, and now you're both grinning like idiots and have ababy."

Lucy sighs and shrugs. "It's… a long story, but Liam was involved in the domestic. His dad shot his mom, and thenIshot his dad, so he has no family. DFS has been searching for someone to take him, but they can't find any immediate or extended family, and they were going to put him in agrouphome. Tim is foster certified, so he offered to take him, and I'm here to help."

Angela rolls her eyes. "I leave you two alone fortwelve hoursand you move in together and have a kid."

Lucy is opening her mouth to argue, but… well, Angela isn'twrong.

"I'd say sorry, but I'm not," she says definitively. "I'm terrified, and nervous, and I'm trying very hard not to think about the fact that I killed someone yesterday or the fact that I'm partially responsible for a toddler now, but I'm notsorry."

"How are you doing with that, by the way? The whole 'killing someone' thing?" Angela asks softly as she begins sorting baby clothes into the washer.

Lucy shrugs.

"I've barely had time to think about it, honestly. It has beencrazysince Liam and I were taken to the hospital. I haven't had a second to breathe, much lessthink. But… I think it's finally starting to hit me. Tim took Liam to make breakfast this morning, and I wanted to go back to sleep, but I keptseeingit over and over, so I got up and went to them. I know I did what I had to do to keep me and Liam safe, but it doesn't change the fact that I took someone's life."

"It's hard," Angela sympathizes. "It's hard and itsucks, having to do that. But at the end of the day, you know that you did what you had to do. After my first officer involved shooting, I ended up having to talk to someone. Like, professionally. You might consider it."

Lucy nods, and she knows that she'll think about it. She'd seen someone after everything that had happened with Caleb, and it hadhelped. Maybe it would help now, too.

"I will," she promises, and she knows that she'll end up making an appointment. This time she wants to see someone not affiliated with the police department, however. She wants to be able to talk about more than the immediate problem. She feels like there are other things she needs to hash out in therapy, and she might be getting ahead of herself, but she doesn'tnotwant to be like her mother. If she's going to be in Liam's life for any length of time, she wants to be the best mother to him that she can be.

(And, she thinks but doesn't dwell on, she wants to be a good mother to the kids that she and Tim have someday).

"What can I do to help?" Angela asks, her voice soft, and Lucy shrugs as she dumps some laundry soap into the washer and starts it. She turns to face her friend, and offers her a small smile.

"I don't know. I think I just have to wade through the shit storm, and believe that I'll come out OK on the other side."

"You will," Angela reassures her, and then she's moving forward, wrapping her arms around Lucy and holding her tightly.

Lucy sighs and melts into the embrace.

She lets Angela hold her for several moments, and it'snice. She knows Angela wouldshoot herand feelno remorseif she said it out loud, but it's kind of like being hugged by her mother (if her mother had ever hugged her, that is).

Eventually she pulls back and nods her head in the direction of the hallway.

"Wanna go meet Liam for real?"

Angela nods, clapping her hands together.

"He's just a little older than Jack! They're going to be best buddies! They'll grow up together and before we know it we'll be taking pictures of them on Prom night."

Lucybalksfor a second, her heart in her throat, at the image. She shakes her head, though, and nudges Angela in the side.

"Getting a little ahead of yourself there, Lopez. We don't even know how long he's going to be here."

Angela scoffs and rolls her eyes, and Lucy knows she'sright.

It's been less than two days, and Liam already seems like he's been here forever.

And, if the scene she had walked in on this morning with Tim sharing his childhood with a traumatized little boy was any indication, it wasgoodfor him to be here. He would have someone who understood him, and they wouldbothhave Lucy, who would make sure they wereendlesslyloved.

She smiles, and leads Angela into the bathroom.

After Liam's bath, he demands that he be dressed in the dog pajamas, despite the fact that it's eleven in the morning, and then he tears through his new bedroom playing with every toy he has, and then falls asleep half on the bed, his mouth open and drooling everywhere.

Tim stares at the little boy with a besotted look, and then carefully moves him to the middle of the bed before installing the bed railings to make sure the toddler doesn't fall.

When he's finished he walks into the living room to see Lucy and Angela folding impossibly small toddler clothes, and he feels full to overflowing.

How had he gone from falling to literal pieces when faced with his father tothisin less than ten days? What had he done todeservethis? To deserve a best friend like Angela, a girlfriend like Lucy, and a little boy like Liam?

He's just standing there, frozen, and Lucy notices that something is wrong immediately. She turns to Angela and nods toward the kitchen; Angela understands immediately and stands up, declaring that they need snacks, and heads into the kitchen.

Lucy stands up and goes to take Tim into her arms. He returns her embrace on auto-pilot, and sighs as he melts into her.

"What did I do to deserve this?" he asks quietly, and he's asked himself those words before, a million times, but never in this context.

What did I do to deserve this? he'd asked himself after his father had left him bruised and broken on the floor.

What did I do to deserve this? he'd asked when he was holding the dead, limp body of one of his best friends on the battlefield.

What did I do to deserve this? he'd asked when Isabel had disappeared in the middle of the night when the drugs had become more important than he had been.

But now…

"You survived," Lucy whispers, and she kisses him deep and slow, her hands cupping his cheeks. "You are agood man, Tim Bradford, and you deserve every good thing that happens to you."

Tim nods. He doesn't know if he believes her, but hewantsto.

He buries his head in her shoulder, and just lets her hold him.

Notes:

Awww shit, the end of this one is in sight. :( It's still a while off, but I can seeeeee it.

Chapter 20

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 20

Tim goes back to work the next day, and Lucy is left alone with a toddler and her thoughts (which maybe isn't thebestcombination).

It had been easy to ignore the fact that she'dkilled a manwhile she was busy with Liam, but now that the little boy has settled in and is mostly entertaining himself and Tim isgone, she's having trouble compartmentalizing. She finds herself washing the same plate over and over andoveragain, and finally has to put it to the side and take a seat at the kitchen table.

Liam comes over, curious, and hands her one of his plastic dinosaurs.

Lucy smiles and leans down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Thanks, buddy. What are you playing?"

"Dinos," he responds, and then he shows her the others that he's holding. "This one is the mama," he whispers, and then he pulls out a bigger dinosaur and sets it beside the first one. "This one is the daddy. That one is you," he says, pointing to the one Lucy is holding, and she swallows hard, because she knows that kids process through play, and she's not sure what to do here.

"What are all the dinosaurs doing?" she asks gently, and Liam shrugs, looking up at her with big, green eyes.

"They were having dinner, but then something bad happened."

"Oh?" Lucy asks, careful, and Liam nods. He holds out one final dinosaur; it's a small one, and Lucy knows without asking that it representshim. "What happened?"

"The daddy dinosaur was being mean. He hurt mama."

Lucy tries to hold back her tears, but it's useless. She feels them slipping silently down her cheeks, and reaches up to brush them away as Liam knocks the mother dinosaur onto its side on the table.

"He was gonna hurt baby dinosaur, too," Liam continues, and makes the larger figure approach the baby. "But then Super Dinosaur saves the day! That's you, Lucy.Yousave the day."

"OK," Lucy agrees, and then brings the dinosaur that he had given her onto the table. She lets Liam take the lead, watching as he makes dramatic fighting noises, and then she claps with him when the daddy dinosaur lands on the ground.

Liam is quiet for a moment as he stares at the plastic figure, and then he sighs, sitting down beside it on the ground.

"I miss mama."

"I know," Lucy whispers, and she crawls onto the floor to sit beside Liam. He maneuvers himself until he's sitting in her lap with two of his fingers in his mouth, and Lucy canfeelwhen he starts to cry. She can feel his back hitching against her chest as he sobs, and she wraps her arms around him, holding him close.

"I miss mama, but I don't miss daddy. Does that make me a bad boy?"

Lucy shakes her head, and then buries it in Liam's soft hair.

"No, Liam, it doesn't. It's OK to feel that way. It's OK to feelanyway, because they'reyourfeelings. If you don't miss your daddy yet, then it's fine."

Liam nods, and wipes away the snot from his nose with his tiny little fist. "What if I never miss daddy?"

"Then that's OK, too, baby," she assures him, and then she sighs, because she knows that Liam is going to need more help than she can provide. She can comfort him, and reassure him that whatever he is feeling is valid and real, but she can't do it alone.

When she puts Liam down for a nap, she begins calling child psychiatrists. She finds one who can fit Liam in later in the week, and then she pauses, biting her the listings for child psychiatrists, there's an advertisement for adult therapists that deal specifically with trauma.

Without thinking about it too much, she picks up her phone and dials, but she doesn't dial the number for the therapist.

Instead, she dials Tim.

He picks up on the second ring, and she can tell that he's been nervous all day because the first thing out of his mouth is,"Are you and Liam OK?"

Lucy laughs a little, but his reaction only reinforces her decision to try and get him to do this with her.

"We're fine. Liam had a moment in the kitchen earlier, and it inspired me to look up some child psychiatrists. I found someone who can get him in on Friday, and I assume I'll still be on suspension then, so I can take him."

"I'll take the day off and come with you," Tim says automatically, and Lucyknowshow big a deal it is for him to take off from work."What time?"

"It's at eleven. But… I was also thinking about something else, Tim."

She's speaking softly, anxiety making her heart pound and her palms sweat, but sheneedsto do this.

Timneeds to do this.

"I'm going to call and make an appointment for me, too," she says, and then quickly, so she can't lose her nerve, "And I think you should consider therapy, as well."

Tim is silent for a long moment on the other end, and Lucy is nervous about his reactions but sherefusesto take the words back.

Heneedstherapy.

He has so much compacted trauma, and while she thinks he deals with it admirably, she knows that, if he's going to be a parent to Liam (even if it's temporary), he needs to begin working through some of it.

"OK," Tim finally says, and Lucy isfloored.

"Really?" she asks, voice hopeful, and she hears Tim clear his throat on the other end. There's the sound of shuffling, then of footsteps, and Lucy feels a little bad that she'd bombarded him with this while he was at work (but not bad enough to end the conversation).

"Yeah, I… I'll try. I can't promise I won't hate it, or quit. But I want to be … better. For you, and for me, and for Liam. And for any kids you and I might have."

Lucy is nodding, though she knows Tim can't see her, because she agreeswholeheartedly.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispers, and she hears Tim huff on the other end of the line.

"It'stherapyLucy, not like I won a gold medal or anything."

Lucy rolls her eyes and settles more comfortably on the couch, propping the phone on her knee and putting it on speakerphone.

"No, but it'shard. Tim, you've gone through alotin your life, and talking about it is going to bedifficult. I'm proud of you for wanting to do this. For facing everything that's happened to you and trying to become a better man. You're already afucking amazingman, and I am so lucky that we love each other and found each other, and I amso proud of you."

Tim is silent for several long moments, but Lucy can hear him breathing shakily and she knows he's trying to hold his emotions in.

He doesn't like to show emotion at work, she knows, but heneeds to knowhow much she loves him and how fuckingproudof him she is.

"I love you," she whispers. "We can do this together. We can do separate sessions, or duel sessions, orboth. We can do family sessions with Liam, too, to help us learn how to communicate and help him through the trauma. We can do whatever you want."

"OK," Tim says quietly, and Lucy wants to hug him."Can we talk more about this when I get home?"

"Of course. I should let you go, I just… I just wanted to ask you about that. We can look through options and pick a therapist tonight."

"That sounds good,"Tim says, and then, more brightly."Do you want to go to the reno house for a while tonight? We won't get much done with Liam, but I wanted to see what Nolan has been working on. He was excited this morning, and said that the master bathroom is almost done."

"That sounds amazing," Lucy says, sighing happily as she grabs the throw blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around her shoulders. "Do you want me and Liam to meet you there, or will you come pick us up?"

"I'll come get you. 5 o'clock? We can get dinner afterward."

Lucy hums in agreement, and then she hears Grey calling for Tim in the background.

"I gotta go, babe,"he says, reluctance clear in his voice."I love you and I'll see you tonight."

"Love you, too," Lucy responds, and then she hangs up the phone and curls into the couch for a little nap of her own.

Whatever mood Liam had been in that morning has disappeared by the time Lucy is buckling him into his carseat in the back of Tim's truck. Kojo is sitting next to the boy's seat, unhelpfully licking Lucy's hands each time she tries to buckle the 5-point harness, and Tim is laughing at all of them as he clicks his own seatbelt on and starts the truck.

"Kojo, stop," Lucy laughs, shoving his snout away. The dog yips and then comes right back, smothering Liam's face with kisses.

"Doggie!" Liam yells, and he hugs Kojo around his neck, giggling madly as he continues to lick the toddler's face.

"He's going to need a bath tonight," Lucy moans as she pulls the car seat straps tight and closes the back door. "He'scoveredin Kojo slobber."

"I can take bath," Liam agrees. "With dinosaurs, please."

Lucy smiles but rolls her eyes.

"Are the dinosaursnecessary?" she asks, glancing back to see Liam's solemn little face in the mirror attached to the backseat headrest. Even though he's rear facing, she wants to be able to keep an eye on him.

He nods seriously. "Yes. Allll of them take bath with me."

The rest of the ride is spent in negotiations on the number of dinosaurs necessary for a bath. Liam starts with all of them (which is around 32 dinosaurs, if Lucy remembers correctly from the packaging), and by the time that they pull up outside the house, she's managed to bargain him down to 10.

"Pancakes for breakfast?" he asks suspiciously as she unbuckles him and settles him on her hip, and Lucy kisses his forehead and nods solemnly.

"Iswear.Pancakeswith blueberriesfor breakfast.Tendinosaurs. Deal?"

She sticks out her hand and Liam nods, eyes bright, as he takes it in his own. His entire hand wraps around just the edges of her fingers, and it's so cute that she thinks she mightdie.

Tim walks over to them and wraps an arm around Lucy's waist, leading them toward the front, and the moment is soperfectthat Lucy can't help but imagine having thisforever.

A baby on her hip and Tim's arm around her waist as they walk up to the front door oftheir home.

She smiles, and leans up to kiss him on the cheek.

They have a lot of healing to do, but she knows they'll do ittogether.

Notes:

OK so I know this feels ending-ish, but it's NOT the end. I still have a few things to wrap up.

-Finishing the house
-Therapy for our little found family
-Moving in/Proposal, etc.

Anything else I'm missing that you'd like to see in this one?

Chapter 21

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 21

By Friday, Lucy is more sure than ever that Liam is going to need therapy.

No one had slept the previous two nights, and everyone isgrumpy.The nightmares (split fairly evenly between Liam and Lucy), don't stop, and by the time the alarm goes off on Friday morning, Lucy feels like she's going to cry at the drop of a hat.

"I'm so tired," she moans as she rolls over and plasters herself to Tim's side. He sighs and holds her against him, groaning as he hears Liam talking to himself on the baby monitor.

"We have a few hours before his appointment. Stay here," he whispers, and then he kisses her briefly before climbing out of bed and walking out of the room. Lucy watches curiously, and then grins when he comes back a minute later with Liam in his arms. The boy is dressed in his dinosaur pajamas (and they'd had to go back to Walmart and buy two more pairs, because herefusedto wear any others), holding tightly to his stuffed dog.

"Hey, buddy," Lucy coos, and she holds out her arms. Tim hands her the little boy and he snuggles into her, nuzzling his head in her chest and sighing when she wraps him up in the blankets.

Tim smiles and then whistles for Kojo, and before she knows what's happening, Tim is behind her, holding both her and Liam, and Kojo is settled on her other side, his snout buried in Liam's hair.

"Oh this wassucha good idea," she murmurs, snuggling back into Tim and breathing in Liam's clean, baby scent.

Tim kisses her on the head, and then reaches over to reset the alarm for another hour.

"Go back to sleep," he whispers, and Lucy smiles before relaxing into the warmth of their bed and their little family.

When they all wake up an hour later, they're in a much better mood.

Lucy's good mood lasts until they're sitting in the physiatrist office, and then she realizes that she's really fuckingnervous.

She had done her interviews with Sergeant Grey, IA, and the rest of the investigative team the previous day, but this isdifferent.In this session, she's going to have to talk to someone about what had happenedwhile Liam is in the room.And while she knows that the boy sees her as a protector or savior of sorts, the wholepointof the therapy is to help him deal with the death of his mother,andthe fact that she, his currentmother figure, was the one who had killed his father.

"It's going to befine," Tim reassures her as he redirects Liam when the little boy tries to make his dinosaurs climb the walls. He nudges Liam until he's playing with them on the floor, and then reaches over to take Lucy's hand. "This is… it'simportant, since it's looking like Liam doesn't have any other family."

Lucy nods, and recalls the conversation with Liam's case worker the previous day.

"How can he not haveanyonewho cares about him?" she whispers, and Tim shakes his head.

"I don't know, but he hasus."

Lucy nods, and then startles when the door in front of them opens. A kind looking, older woman walks out and smiles at the little family.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Keene. Come on in."

Lucy swallows hard, and then helps Liam pick up his dinosaurs. Dr. Keene notices, and motions to them.

"He can play with those while we talk. With children this young, it's helpful to have toys or other distractions while talking."

"He uses them to play out scenes about what happened," Lucy says, and the therapist smiles.

"That's good. I'd love to see him do that, to get an idea of where he is."

Tim gathers up the rest of their things (and why does toting around a toddler require so muchstuff?) before he herds Liam into the room. It's nice and calming inside, and Tim feels himself relaxing as he takes a seat on the couch. The entire room is done in neutral colors, and there are plants everywhere, hanging in the windows and on the tables and in the corner by the door.

"So, tell me a little about why you're here."

Lucy takes a deep breath, and tells their story as Liam settles down on the carpet to play with his toys.

"I was on a domestic call, and when I walked in the situation had already escalated. Liam's father had a gun, and his mother was… she was already dead. I was too late to save her. But I grabbed Liam, and we hid. He shot at us until he ran out of ammo, and then he charged us. I… shot him. I reacted on instinct, to protect myself and Liam. He died on the scene."

Dr. Keene is nodding and making notes, and she looks much less disturbed than Lucy had thought she would. She finds herself wondering what other situations the therapist has dealt with, and decides that she doesn't actually want to know.

"And how is Liam taking that? The fact that you are responsible for his father's death. Especially since he's living with you."

Lucy blows out a breath and shrugs, not bothering to correct the therapist since she's nottechnicallyliving with Tim and Liam. "He didn'tseeit happen, because I told him to hide his face, but heknows. The other day, Tuesday I think, he played out the scene with his dinosaurs, and he called me the 'hero dinosaur'."

Tim nods and adds, "And he told me that he was glad Lucy made his dad 'go away'."

"So, he's not viewing you as the bad guy in this situation. That's good."

"No!" Liam squeals, and they all look down at him where he's laying on his stomach on the carpet. "Lucy isgood.She save me."

Dr. Keene smiles down at the little boy. "Oh, yeah? She saved you? Can you tell me more?"

Liam nods and then stands up, crawling onto the couch to settle himself in Lucy's arms, as if to prove that he's not scared of her.

"Daddy hurt mama, and made mama go away. Imissmama. An' then daddy was gonna hurtme,but Lucy stopped him. She made daddy stop hurting me."

Dr. Keene glances at Lucy and Tim, and they nod, confirming her suspicions.

"Had your daddy ever hurt you before?"

Liam nods as he makes his dinosaur climb up and down Lucy's arm. He won't look at Dr. Keene, but Lucy doesn't think that's abnormal, and she's glad that she and Tim are there for him since he's comfortable around them. "Uh huh. He hit me an' made me hurt a lot. I went down the stairs."

Lucy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, and wonders if the fall down the stairs is what had caused the long healed fractures in Liam's bones that had showed up on the x-ray. Two breaks in his arm, one in his leg, and evidence of a prior concussion.

She tells Dr. Keene this, and the doctor smiles sadly at them.

"Do you feel safe with Tim and Lucy, Liam? Do they hurt you?"

Tim glares at the therapist, but Lucy puts her hand on his arm, wanting to hear what Liam has to say.

He drops the dinosaur and finally looks up at the doctor, and the expression on his face iscomical.He's a mix between mad and disbelieving, and he makes a tiny little scoffing noise. It'sthe cutest thingshe's ever seen on a toddler, and she finds herself smiling as Liam

"No, Lucy an' Tim are thebest.They snuggle me an' give me toys an' make me food when I'm hungry."

Lucy's heart clenches, and she has to fight tears, because Liam isthreeand he's already experienced being hungry and having no one to feed him.

"An' they bought me new clothes an' they say it's OK to be sad and don't get mad at me."

Dr. Keene smiles at Liam.

"It sounds like it's a nice place to live."

"Yeah," Liam agrees, moving his dinosaur to climb along Tim's shoulders. "I wanna stay thereforeverwith Lucy an' Tim an' Kojo."

Lucy takes Tim's hand into her own and squeezes it tightly.

She hates the idea that Liam might one day leave, but she knows it's not necessarily up to them. They'd been asked if they would be willing to foster him long term and they had agreed, but she knows these things can change in a heartbeat.

"Is that something you two would be interested in? Liam joining your family long term?" Dr. Keene asks, and Lucy knows that Dr. Keene is just trying to determine the stability of Liam's current home, but she feels her heart beating fast regardless at everything she's implying.

Tim, however, has already made his decision (and he hopes, heknows,that Lucy will be with him all the way).

"Yes." Tim says without reservation, and he entwines his fingers with Lucy's, settling their clasped hands in his lap. "Lucy and I are very serious in our relationship. We've talked about moving in together, and even marriage, and this isn't what we had planned,not at all, but it's what we want. We want Liam."

"I'm working on becoming foster parent certified," Lucy adds. "It's all… so fast, and a little terrifying. I'mterrifiedof being a parent, but Tim's right. We don't want to let Liam go. We know that being with us is what's best for him."

Dr. Keene nods, making notes on her chart. "That's good. Of course, with these types of situations, it's hard to know forsureif it's going to be permanent. There's a whole process Liam will need to go through before he's even officially placed for adoption, and then the actualadoptionprocessis long and arduous. But knowing that you two are serious about this is good. Liam is in a stable environment. Now, for the rest of our time today, I would like to just talk and get a feel for what Liam's main needs will be."

Tim cuts in gently here, because he knows that Liam shares a lot of the same trauma that he does, and he doesn't want the little boy growing up learning to ignore the pain rather than dealing with it.

It had caused him so much heartache, and he doesn't want Liam giong through what he did.

"I think one of the main needs he has is to process and deal with the abuse he suffered," he murmurs softly, and Lucy sighs and lays her head on Tim's shoulder as he takes a deep breath, preparing himself to be emotionally vulnerable for Liam's sake. "I … share the same trauma. My father was abusive to me. Liam has talked to me about it some, but I never dealt with what happened to me, so I don't know how much help I can be or how much I can help Liam on my own."

Dr. Keene is smiling sympathetically at Tim, and when she speaks it's everything that Lucy had hoped for and more.

"Well, Lucy tells me that you and her are both seeking out counseling of your own, but for now, I'd like you to sit in on Liam's sessions. Both of you, if you'd like; you're more than welcome, too, Lucy. But Tim, I think it would be specifically helpful for you to be here, because as we revisit Liam's trauma and begin to deal with it, Liam will need a steady presence, as well as someone who understands him. That'syou, and if being vulnerable and there for Liam helps you process what happened to you, then that's just a bonus."

"OK," Tim agrees, and he is already trying to figure out how to get the necessary days off. He has plenty of sick days and vacation time, he thinks.

"So, I'd like to see Liam every Monday and Friday. Does a specific time in the day work for you?"

Lucy turns to Tim and shrugs. It's unlikely that they'll both be able to come to every session, but she knows they're going to try.

"No, not necessarily. This time was good," Tim tells her. "Eleven to noon."

Dr. Keene nods and makes a note on her clipboard.

"All right then. Liam, is there anything you want to say or share before you go?"

Liam shrugs from where he's splayed half across Lucy's lap and half across Tim's. His dinosaur is resting on his stomach, and Tim knows that he's going to fall asleep soon.

"I love Lucy an' Tim," he whispers as he grins up at them.

"We love you, too, buddy," Lucy replies, gathering him into her arms and hugging him.

Dr. Keene is smiling at them softly, and as they gather all of Liam's stuff and walk out the door, Tim is beginning to think that this therapy thing might not be so bad after all.

Chapter 22

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 22

Liam crasheshardafter therapy, and Lucy takes her time to carefully unbuckle him and carry him inside, hopeful not to wake him. She's discovered he sleeps better at night if he naps well, which is baffling to her but she's not going to question it.

Once she lays Liam down in his bed and covers him with a blanket, she tiptoes out of the room, gasping and trying to hold in a yelp when she runs into Tim as she closes the door.

"Do you think you'll want more kids one day?" he asks, apropos of nothing, and Lucy grins as she turns and wraps her arms around him.

"More?"

Tim shrugs, but there's a little smile on his face. "You and I know full well that Liam isn't going anywhere if we can help it. So, yes, little brothers and sisters for him."

"Hmm."

Lucy pretends to think, but Tim can see the sparkle in her eyes and knows her answer already.

He knows they're moving fast, and he doesn't have any plans to make these little brothers and sisters arealityfor quite a while, but the knowledge that he and Lucy are on the same page makes his stomach clench pleasantly.

"Yeah, I do," she finally says, and she sighs happily as she melts against his chest. "Andspeakingof brothers and sisters, Tamara wants to meet Liam. She's been texting me about why I haven't been home, and I gave her a basic rundown of what happened. I was thinking she could come over for dinner?"

Tim nods, rocking them back and forth in the hallway outside of Liam's room.

"I was thinking, actually… when we move into the new house, Tamara could actually come live with us?"

Lucy sighs happily and lays her head on Tim's chest.

Her, Tim, LiamandTamara all living in one house, with Kojo and maybe a baby or two of their own in the future…

It's frighteningly close to everything she's ever wanted.

"We should take a nap, too," she whispers, and Tim pulls back, holding out a hand. Lucy takes it, and lets him take her to bed.

They wake up before Liam, and Lucy is briefly concerned that the little boy is sleeping so long, but Tim tells her it's normal, that his nephews did the same thing when they were little, and then distracts her with pictures of the renovation that Nolan has been sending him.

They lay in bed for a long time, cuddling and scrolling through Tim's phone, and while Lucy is a little sad that they're not more involved in the current renovation process, she knows that being with Liam is more important.

"He asked if we want to get everyone together again this weekend. We can introduce Liam to them, and he said we can help lay all of the flooring, since he's done with installing the kitchen cabinets. If we take turns watching Liam and Kojo, the rest of the group could work on the hardwood, and we should be able to get it done in one day."

It soundswonderful, and Lucy is already working on plans to haul Tim's grill over to the house so they can grill veggie burgers and hot dogs for dinner.

"That soundsgreat," she murmurs, and then sighs as she lays her head back on Tim's chest.

"He said that if we keep up the same pace it'll be ready in a month or two, but I'm hoping we can speed that along once we find Liam a daycare. He can still go to daycare for a few hours on our days off, and we can work on the house during that time."

"About that, have any of the daycares we left messages with called us back?" Lucy asks, and then smiles as she hears Liam begin talking to himself over the baby monitor.

"A few," Tim responds, sitting up and reaching for his sweatpants so he can go grab Liam. "I was going to set up interviews with them, so we could tour them and make sure they're safe places."

"OK," Lucy says, and snuggles back into the bed because sheknowsthat Tim is just going to bring Liam back to snuggle with them.

She's right, as always, and laughs as Kojo stares at them jealously for a minute before jumping up and wiggling his way between Tim and Lucy, settling his snout on Liam's belly and licking his chin.

"Hi, doggy!" Liam greets, rubbing his eyes as he settles back against Lucy. "I love you, Kojo."

Kojo yips happily and then licks Liam's face again and again, until the little boy is a giggling puddle in the middle of the bed, and Tim finally has to haul the dog off.

"That's enough, Kojo," he says, voice firm, and the dog sits back on his bottom, wagging his tail and panting.

The bed is silent for a moment other than the sounds of Liam's soft breathing and wiggling as he gets comfortable between them, and once he lays back, arms splayed out on top of Tim and Lucy's bellies, Lucy turns to him.

"Hey, there's someone else in our family that we want you to meet. You have me and Tim, and Kojo, but … you know how your mama and daddy are gone?"

Liam nods, eyes wide.

"There's a girl named Tamara. Her mama and daddy are gone, too. She wants to meet you. Would it be OK if she joined us for dinner?"

"Is she gonna come live here with us, too?" Liam asks, sitting up and staring at them in turn. Tim smiles, and nods.

"Well, kind of," he says, and then explains. "Do you remember when we visited that big house a few days ago? Well, we're all going to be moving there soon, even you, and you'll get your own room upstairs. Tamara will come live with us when we move to the big house."

"Oooh," Liam says, and then he seems to be thinking hard for a few moments. "I get my own room? Like I have here?"

Tim nods and then Liam grins. "OK. That sounds good. I wanna have dinner with 'Mara."

"Tamara," Lucy corrects, but she's sure Tam won't mind if Liam calls her Mara.

"Mara," Liam says again, and then he's bouncing up and down in the bed and Lucy knows that they'll have to get up soon. "Can we have sketti for dinner? Mara will like it! Tim makes it so good. An' bread with butter? An' the green stuff?"

Tim is nodding and smiling, and he has never felt happier than he does at the thought of having Lucy and Liam and Tamara and Kojo all under one roof, together.

"Yeah. We can do that. Wanna help me, buddy?"

Liam nods and holds out his hands, and Tim knows that he's perfectly capable of walking, but he picks the boy up anyway, because how much has Liam been touched or loved in his life? He plans to make up for everything the little boy has missed out on, and snuggles him close as he walks.

"Let's work on the bread and butter, and Lucy can work on the green stuff. She's good at green stuff."

Lucy rolls her eyes at her boys, but follows them into the kitchen anyway.

Shedoesmake a mean salad.

Liam falls in love with Tamaraimmediately, and Lucy thinks it's onlypartlybecause she's brought the boy agiant stuffed dinosaur.

Liam's eyes go wide at the sight of the stuffed animal, and he practically bounces in place as Tamara walks up to him and crouches down to his level. The dinosaur is just as big if not bigger than Liam, and the little boy isvibratingwith happiness as Tamara hands it to him.

He hugs it tightly and lets out the cutest little squeal that Lucy has ever heard.

"Oh I love my dino!" he cheers, kissing it on the head before turning to show it to Lucy and Tim. "See my dino? Mara brought itfor me!"

Tamara looks up at Lucy with a big grin, and Lucy just nods as if to sayI know, he's adorable.

"Hey, so my name is Tamara, but you can call me Mara if you want."

Liam nods, and then, as if he can't help himself, blurts out, "Did your mama and daddy go away, too?"

Tamara looks up at Lucy and Tim again, unsure what to say.

Tim shrugs as he kisses Lucy on the head and wraps an arm around her as waist. Tamara sits on the floor, cross-legged in front of the little boy, and reaches out to run her fingers over the dinosaur's soft head.

"Yeah, my mom and dad went away, too. It was a long time ago, and I was a lot bigger than you are. But they went away and never came back."

"Oh," Liam says, and he's rubbing the stuffed animal's fur between his fingers. "Did Lucy an' Tim being you home, too?"

"Kind of," Tamara says, and Tim turns to Lucy as the two of them talk in soft tones, the dinosaur like a shield between them.

"Want to help me finish dinner?" he asks, and Lucy nods, stepping away from him to lean down and put a hand on Liam's shoulder.

"Tim and I will be in the kitchen, baby. You and Mara can come find us when you're ready to eat."

"OK, Lucy," Liam says, and then turns back to Tamara.

Lucy follows Tim into the kitchen, but keeps an eye on the two kids (one less of a kid and more of an adult) from over the island.

"I wish we had found Tam when she was younger," she says wistfully, but she knows it's useless to wish. She hadn't evenknownTim when Tamara's parents had died, and she definitely hadn't been in a place where she could have helped the girl.

But she isnow, and she'll do anything for her and Liam.

"We have her now, and that's the important part. She would have survived on her own; she's strong, and resilient, but she has us now."

"Yeah," Lucy agrees, and she bumps her hip into Tim's as she starts chopping tomatoes for the salad. "I'm ready for us to be a family, in the big house," she whispers, and Tim pauses in buttering the bread to walk over and wrap her into his arms.

"Wearea family," he says, his voice certain and unyielding. "We may be untraditional, but family is what we make it. It's who we decide to love, and Lucy, we have alotof love between the four of us. Thefiveof us, really. Kojo isobsessedwith that boy. You know my father… well, our family growing up, there wasn't a lot of love. But this family,ourfamily, is full of love, andthat'swhat matters."

Lucy stares at Tim for a long moment, her eyes never leaving his, and then she grins, biting her lip as she leans forward and kisses him softly.

"You, Tim Bradford, are a big, soft,romantic, and you can't tell me otherwise."

Tim chuckles and presses her against the counter, his hands going to her hips as he kisses her for real. He coaxes her lips open, tangles their tongues together, and swallows the needy noise she makes. He pulls back after several moments and whisperslaterin her ear, and then presses their foreheads together.

"Only with you and Tam and Liam," he says, and then kisses her cheek and her forehead before stepping back so that they can actually finish dinner. "Don't go ruining my reputation, Chen."

Liam runs into the kitchen at that moment, demanding bread and 'sketti', Tamara following at a much more sedate pace, and Tim's chest and heart feel heavy with contentment.

He'd always wanted afamily.

Arealfamily that he loved and that loved him in return, and while the family he'd been born into had never fulfilled that longing, the people in his kitchen nowdid.

It felt like ahome.

Notes:

This feels very end-y. Like, this could potentially be the end, but it's not, because there are still things I want to accomplish. The list is below, and it's looking like 30-ish chapters is around what it's going to end up being, as long as ya'll don't mind it running that long! That was never the goal, but here we are!

-Finishing the house
-Therapy for everyone (started this one)
-Moving in/Proposal
-Adoption of Liam/Tam Dinosaur Party
-Wedding/Babies
-Running into Trashley

Chapter 23

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 23

A week later finds Tim, Lucy, Liam, Tamara, and all of their friends at the Big House (they've taken to calling itthe big houserather than anything else, because Liam has trouble saying the word 'renovation' and Tim no longer wants to associate it with his childhood. He wants to think of it as hisfuture home, not his childhood home).

Kojo, Tamara and Liam are running around the backyard when the doorbell first rings, and Lucy pulls away from where she's kissing Tim desperately against their new kitchen counters to go open the door.

Tim stays leaning against the counter, breathless and in awe that this is his life, as Lucy greets Angela, Wes, and Jack.

"Hi, Jack!" Lucy coos enthusiastically, and she reaches out to take the baby into her arms. Jack is a little over a year old and he squeals adorably as Lucy plants kisses all over his face.

Tim wonders, not for the first time, when it'll betheir babyshe's holding and kissing.

Is it too soon?

Probably.

They probably shouldn't be trying for a babyyet, he thinks, and then wonders if after they move in together would be enough time to be socially acceptable.

It's just that hewants it so much.

He wants to watch Lucy grow big and round with their child.

He wants to feel the baby kicking against his palm.

He wants to wait on Lucy hand and foot when she gets too big and tired to do things on her own.

He wants topamperher, both before and after their baby is born (and for the rest of their lives).

He's wanted a lot of things in his life, but afamilywith Lucy and Liam and a baby that's half him and halfheris a yearning he's never experienced before.

He thought he'd never have this, after Isabel. He'd beensurethat he would never get to see someone pregnant with his baby, to watch them grow or to hold a fresh new life in his arms. He'd thought he'd lost that when he'd lost Isabel, but then thisfucking rookiehad come into his life, turned everything upside down, and had made all of his dreams come true.

Tim breathes in deeply and shakes his head, returning his focus to his friends andLucy. She's grinning and waving them in, like it'stheir home(itis, he knows, it's just not ready for them yet).

He wonders if they can move in before the renovation is done, but thinks that with a toddler it's not a great idea.

"Come on in!" Lucy is saying. "Nolan has done… just, anamazingjob in the kitchen! Come look!"

Tim reaches out to hug Angela when she comes into the kitchen, and then claps Wesley on the back. He wraps his arm around Lucy, holding her tight to his side, and as they watch their friends 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the kitchen while their two (unofficially adopted) children and their dog run around in the backyard.

"This is everything I've ever wanted," he breathes into Lucy's ear, and she smiles as she leans her head on his shoulder.

"Me, too."

He kisses her forehead, and then pulls himself away from her when the doorbell rings again.

He's smiling.

He'sbeensmiling, more than he ever has in his entire life.

Liam runs through the house most of the morning, chasing Kojo and being generally unhelpful when it comes to laying the flooring, but he eventually crashes, hanging half off of the stairs, and Lucy chuckles as she picks him up, kisses him on the forehead, and gently lays him in the pack 'n' play they'd brought with them.

"You're such a good mom."

Lucy turns around to see Angela watching her, and she smiles softly as she looks down at Liam.

"I would say I'm trying not to get attached, but I already am," she whispers, and Angela nods sympathetically as she watches how Lucy caresses Liam's soft, little cheek. "I'msoattached. I love him so much."

"I know," Angela says, and Lucy sighs as she steps back. "And hopefully you don't have to say goodbye anytime soon. Orever. He has no family. It's likely that he's going to be with you two long term. Anyone who watches you and Tim with Liam knows that it's a perfect fit. We'll all vouch for you and fight for you to keep him, no matter what."

"Thank you," Lucy says, and then sighs as she backs out of the bedroom and closes the door. They'd set up the pack and play in the master bedroom, as it had been the first one they'd finished the flooring in, and the thought that it'stheirfuture bedroom makes her smile. It'll be her and Tim's room, off of the living room, and their children (and Tamara) will sleep upstairs.

She wonders if there's enough room in the backyard to put a swing set, and makes a mental note to ask Tim about it.

"Is it … insane, to already be thinking about filling this house with kids?" she asks Angela, biting her lip as they walk back toward where the others are finishing laying the laminate in the kitchen.

"No," Angela says slowly, and she's looking at where Tamara is playing with Jack as she speaks. "I thinkactuallyfilling it with children right now is maybe a little fast, but you and Tim… you're long term. No one, and I meanno onehas a single doubt that you guys are forever. You're gonna get married and have babies. It's just a matter ofwhen,notif."

"I want at least two," Lucy says, letting herself smile as she talks now. "I want a little girl, for sure, and I want to do better raising her than my mom did raising me."

Angela scoffs, and leans against the counter. "That'll be easy. Your mother is a piece of work."

"Yeah," Lucy agrees, and wonders if her mother and father will ever meet Tim, or their grandchildren. She won't let her mother poison what she's building here, so she knows it's unlikely unless something drastic changes.

"Hey, did he go down easy?" Tim asks, interrupting her and Angela's conversation, and Lucy nods as she walks into Tim's arms and lays her head on his chest.

"Yeah, he's exhausted."

Tim chuckled and kisses her head, and then glances up at their friends (who are trying to pretend that they're not staring).

"What else do we have to do before we're move in ready?" Tim asks, because he's not sure he can wait much longer.

Nolan chuckles from where he's finishing the last bit of laminate in the corner. The kitchen is almost complete now. All that's left is to paint and finish the fixtures, and he knows the rest of the house will come together quickly.

"The bedrooms are the main focus next," he tells them, dusting his hands off on his thighs as he stands. "And the bathrooms. Bedrooms need painted, need to have the baseboards installed, and the ceiling fans installed. We can knock that out next weekend, if everyone wants to get together and help again."

"We're in," Angela says, and Wesley nods in agreement.

"I'm free, but I'll have Lyla with me," Nyla adds, and Lucy chuckles as Angela bounces Jack in her arms and nods toward the closed bedroom door.

"The more the merrier. Tamara can babysit them all."

"Hey!" Tamara interjects, though she's smiling.

"What? You got kicked off flooring duty like ten minutes in. I didn't know it waspossibleto lay laminate that badly," Nolan says, laughing and shaking his head.

"It's hard, OK?" Tamara defends herself. "Butfine.I can be the nanny."

Lucy wonders if getting a swing set installed before the next weekend will be possible, and grabs her phone to absently scroll through sets from the local Home Depot.

She grins at Tim when he gives her an inquiring look, and turns her phone his way.

"Swing set," she says simply, and Tim sighs happily as he presses to her side, looking at the swing sets with her.

"Oh, I like that one," Tamara adds from where she's looking over Lucy's shoulder, and Lucy has to agree.

It's a large wooden structure, with two child swings, one baby swing, a slide and a climbing wall. There's a sand pit below the slide, a bench, and a small, child sized picnic table.

Tim takes Lucy's phone gently from her hands and walks away from the group, typing away, and Lucy turns to smile and shrug at her friends.

"$10 says it's here and assembled by tomorrow."

Wesley shakes his head. "Not takingthatbet. I like my money. Hey, when exactly did Bradford turn intoDadford? His transformation is complete and frankly a littleterrifying."

"He's always wanted kids," Lucy murmurs as she watches him on the phone with, presumably, Home Depot. "This isn't a new side of Tim… it's just one he hasn't allowed many people to see. The Tim we first met was angry and grieving. None of us, with the exception of Angela, knew him before he lost Isabel. So, our perception of who hewasis wrong, because we didn't really knowhim.We can't judge him based on who he was during the worst time of his life."

"Oh," Wesley says, and he looks contemplative. "I didn't think about it like that."

Lucy just smiles and shrugs. "He's really just… he's agood man.He's kind, and loving, and even though he presents this tough exterior, he's … it's not who heis. He's justTim."

No one speaks for a moment, but Nolan eventually breaks the silence by clearing his throat and turning toward the stack of laminate still sitting in the living room.

"We're ready to work upstairs," he says, and they all nod, gathering supplies and heading that way, but Lucy waits downstairs until Tim hangs up the phone, and then plasters herself against his back.

"I love you," she whispers, and Tim turns around in her arms, pulling her against his chest and kissing her on the head.

"I love you, too. What broughtthison?" he asks, bemused, because he knows that she'd been thinking about swing sets for a while (he's seen her critically eyeing the backyard more than once), but he doesn't think that she'd bethatexcited about getting one.

Lucy shrugs in his arms. "I just love you. I love that you're a good man. You're hardworking, and you have strong morals. You never give in and you never give up, and you aregood,Tim. You aregood, and you love me and Liam and you're going to be afantasticdaddy to our children."

Tim smiles and buries his head in her hair.

"I can't wait," he whispers, and he hopes she's on the same page. "To have a baby of our own."

"Me, too," she agrees, and she knows it's going to take a large amount of self control to not flush her birth control until they're ready.

"Soon," Tim reassures her, and presses a hand to her soft, flat stomach. "Soon, Lu."

"OK," she whispers, because shewantsso badly to have Tim's baby.

Tim is holding her, rocking them back and forth in the mess that is one day going to be theirhome,and he'd been planning something romantic. He'd been planning on maybe taking her on a walk with Kojo and getting down on one knee, but here, in the place where they're building their future, it just seemsright.

"Will you marry me, Lu?" he asks, and he pulls back to cup her cheek and meet her gaze. He's smiling softly, his eyes half lidded with the pleasure of being here, withher,and he had thought he'd be nervous, but he'snot."I don't have the ring with me. I … I left it at home, since I knew we'd be working today. But I'm asking. Will you marry me, baby?"

Lucy nods, her eyes shining with tears, and Tim smiles brightly before he leans down and kisses her.

"Yes,"she breathes, and she presses her body into his, wrapping her arms around him, and kisses him back. She kisses him slowly, softly, touching him everywhere she can possibly be touching him.

They eventually have to pull apart, because they're grinning too brightly, and when they do they're immediately startled by applause and whistling from the staircase.

Lucy buries her head in Tim's chest, embarrassed, but Tim just chuckled at the excitement of their friends.

"Congratulations!" Angela squeals, and she's basically vibrating in place.

Tim rolls his eyes and holds out one arm, keeping the other wrapped firmly around Lucy, and lets out a grunt of surprise when Angela barrels into his side, hugging them both. He laughs and holds her, and the rest of their friends move in, congratulating them and hugging Lucy and slapping Tim on the back.

"I'm your best man," Angela demands, and Tim nods.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

Chapter 24

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 24

Wesley and Angela insist on taking the whole crew out to dinner to celebrate Tim and Lucy's engagement, and leave everyone with strict instructions to go home, shower, and meet up at their favorite steakhouse by 6pm or else (though Angela hasn't specified what theor elsemeans, no one is really willing to find out).

Lucy gives Liam a bath while Tim showers, and then they swap child duty; Tim tries to clothe a giggling and squirmy little boy in jeans and a button down while Lucy rinses off.

By the time they meet in the living room to head to dinner they're both flushed but smiling, and Lucy is reaching for the door when Tim clears his throat.

"I'm sorry I skipped this step earlier," he murmurs, and Lucy already knows that her freshly applied makeup istoast.

"Tim," she whispers, and he grins as he drops to one knee in front of her, taking a small, velvet ring box out from behind his back and opening it.

"Lucy Chen, I am so in love with you. Ihave beenin love with you for…god, years, probably. I just was too afraid to let myself see it. But now that I do, I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and Liam, and Tamara, and Kojo, and any other babies we have. You're it for me, baby. I have never loved anyone like I love you, and I never will again. Will you marry me?"

Lucy is nodding and grinning and probably crying a little bit, too, but as Tim stands up and slides the ring on her finger (and of course it fitsperfectly), she doesn't even care. She throws herself into his arms, and she wants more than anything to haul him into their bedroom and make slow, sweet love to him all night long.

"Yay!"

But they have a child now.

Lucy breaks away from where she's kissing Tim senseless to laugh at Liam, who is dancing circles around them.

"Are you happy, buddy?" Tim asks, leaning down to pick him up. They squish the little boy between them and he giggles, his little eyes bright.

"Yeah!"

Tim laughs and kisses Liam on the forehead, and then leans down to capture Lucy's lips again.

"I love you," she whispers as they pull back, and Tim grins the grin of the totally besotted.

"I love you, too."

Lucy is sure for a moment that they're never going to leave, but Liam's stomach decides that it's the perfect moment to growl loudly, and they all chuckle as they head toward the door again.

There will be time forcelebratinglater.

Dinner is, in a word,chaos.

In several words, though, it's everything Tim imagines that familyshould be.

It's good conversation and laughter, smiles and teasing and just…fun.

Liam and Jack are put in high chairs next to each other, and Lucy positivelymeltsas the two boys interact. Jack may be a year and a half younger than Liam, but he's almost as big, and the two boys giggle and make faces and reach out to each other from their high chairs, and it's the cutest thing she's ever seen in her entire life.

"We have toplanthe next baby," Angela is telling Wesley. "So that Lucy and I are pregnant at the same time. Our kidswillbe best friends for life."

Wesley wisely just nods, while Lucy blushes.

She doesn't deny the fact that shewillbe pregnant sooner rather than later, however; she simply smiles and leans into Tim's side and imagines what the future will look like.

Liam and a baby brother or sister (or more than one?) playing with Angela's children while they all talk and laugh together.

It's exactly what she's always wanted, but never thought she'd actually get to have.

"So, are we expecting anyotherbig announcements soon?" Nolan asks, waggling an eyebrow, and Lucy rolls her eyes at her friend.

"No. Well. Not that I know of."

Tim laughs and wraps his arm around Lucy's shoulder, leaning back in his chair as he sips his water.

"Nothing planned as of right now," he says. "Just… just the wedding, for now. I think that's enough to think about and work on."

Lucy makes a face. "Ugh.Wedding planning. Can't we just elope?"

Tim turns to her in surprise and she blushes, offering him a little smile.

"I thought forsureyou'd be all about the wedding planning, Chen," he says, and Lucy just shrugs.

"I don't need anything big. I just need you and Liam, and all of our friends, and that's it. My… my family won't be coming. You can invite Genny and anyone else you want. But I'm thinking… a small ceremony, maybe in the backyard of the big house? And then a party, for the reception."

Tim sighs happily and leans back in his chair, because that soundsperfect, honestly. Simple, easy, and something that they can plan and dosoon, which is a bonus because he can't wait to be married to Lucy.

"OK," he whispers, and he leans over to kiss her chastely on the lips.

"Wait wait waitwait," Wesley cuts in, eyes wide and brows furrowed. "That's it? It tookmonthsfor my mother and Angela to plan our wedding andwhat, you two do it while we'rewaiting for our appetizers?"

Angela is patting Wesley comfortingly on the arm while trying to hold back laughter; all Tim can do is shrug.

"We know what we want, man. What can I say?"

"It's notallplanned," Lucy tries to reassure him as their waitress walks over with their appetizer samplers and lays them on the table in the middle of the group. "I'll need to find a dress, and we'll have to decide on decorations."

"Yeah, butstill," Wesley sighs, and Angela kisses him on the cheek in consolation as he reaches for a mozzarella stick.

"Our life is anadventure, babe," she tells him, and Lucy grins as she takes a few of the snacks off of the tray and offers them to Liam. He likes the mozzarella sticks and the fried pickles, but makes a face and spits out the mushrooms, much to the delight of the table.

The easy conversation continues through the main course, and by the time they're wrapping up dessert, Liam is beginning to slump in his chair, his eyes fluttering sleepily, and Tim realizes that they'll need to leave soon.

"Thank you all," he says softly, eyes scanning the table. "For everything. For helping with the house. For supporting me and Lucy, even when we were being oblivious idiots. Thank you for celebrating this milestone with us."

"Yes," Lucy adds, holding onto Tim's hand and leaning into his shoulder as she smiles brightly. "Thank you. I had no idea… I had no idea that when I started at Mid-Wilshire, that I would find myfamily, but I did and I amso grateful."

Tim kisses her on the head, and then stands, taking her into his arms, and they all share a round of hugs from their friends before Tim takes Liam out of the high chair. The boy makes a sleepy noise and then drops his head heavily onto Tim's shoulder, his mouth open and his eyes closed.

"See you tomorrow," she whispers, waving to the table, and then she pauses by Tamara, wrapping her in a hug and kissing her forehead. "You know you're welcome at Tim's, right? I know I haven't been around much, but if you want to come stay with us, we wouldloveto have you."

"I know," Tamara says, smiling. "I'm enjoying the alone time for now, and I figured I may as well enjoy it before we all move into the big house."

"OK," Lucy says, and she understands, shedoes. "But the doors are always open. Come by anytime."

Tamara smiles and nods, and then Lucy follows Tim into the parking lot. By the time she reaches his truck he's already buckling Liam into the backseat. She runs her fingers across his back, causing him to look back and smile at her, before walking around the truck and climbing into the passenger seat.

Tim joins her a few seconds later, melting against the seat with a sigh, and reaches over to take her hand.

"I am…overwhelminglyhappy," he whispers, and then, more softly, "And also maybe just a littleoverwhelmed."

And Lucy understands.

His entire life has been mostly made up of pain and uncertainty and chaos, and to suddenly haveso much, andso many peopleto call family… it's alot, even for Tim Bradford.

"Take us home," she says, softly, because she knows a way to help him get out of his head. He's done it for her — filled her brain and her body with so much pleasure that she wasn't able to think about or focus on anything else, and she desperately wants to do the same for him.

Once they're home (because somehow itisalreadytheirhome), Lucy puts Liam to bed after telling Tim to change and relax. He seems to know she's up to something, but he just smiles and nods and listens, because he trusts her with…

Well,everything.

He's laying in their bed, dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers, when she comes out of the bathroom, and hegroans, because she's already naked. She's naked, with miles and miles of glorious, soft,beautifulskin on display and just begging to be touched.

He reaches to cup his cock through his boxers and grins at her.

"Get that ass over here," he murmurs, and Lucy laughs and shakes her head. She's walking toward the bed slowly,soslowly, shaking her hips and dancing to a tune only she can hear.

"Nope,I'mgoing to tellyouwhat to do tonight, Tim," she whispers, and Tim swallows as she reaches the bed and crawls onto it, inching ever closer to him. He reaches out to grab her hips when she gets close enough and she laughs, letting him, as she sits herself in his lap.

"What do you have in mind?" he asks, because he's up foranything, honestly.

Lucy hums in her throat as she trails one of her fingers from his collarbone, across his stomach, and dips it inside of his boxers.

"I was thinking… you've had a lot going on lately. So I want you to try and shut off, to not have to make any decisions, or worry about work, or me and Liam, or the house, oranything. I want you to just… let me make you feel good. Just focus on me."

"You always make me feel good," Tim whispers as she reaches into his boxers and wraps her dainty fingers around his length.

Lucy just grins, and then leans down to kiss him.

She manages to make him come three different times that night, once with her mouth, once while she's riding him, and once when he'salmostoverstimulated and can barely take it, she sucks him again and lets him thrust into her mouth, and he comes apart with a cry, shaking and trembling in her arms. When he comes down from the high of histhird orgasm, his mind is blissfully blank, and all he can see or hear or smell or eventhink aboutis Lucy.

Chapter 25

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter fornotes.)

Chapter Text

You were alone, left out in the cold
Clinging to the ruin of your broken home
Hear the falling and lonely, cry out
Will you fix me up? Will you show me hope?
It's the end of the day and we're helpless
Can you keep me close? Can you love me most?

~Vancouver Sleep Clinic, Someone To Stay

To Build a Home: Chapter 25

They end up finishing the renovation of the house the same week that Liam is officially put up for adoption, and Lucy finds herself frozen in the doorway oftheir new home,unable to move or breathe or eventhink.

The renovation had gone faster than she had expected, but at the same time it felt like it had takenforever.

Four and a half months from beginning to end, and Lucy couldn't believe sometimes how much had changed in that time.

She and Tim had admitted their feelings for one another and had started a relationship.

They'd found Liam (at the worst moment of his life) and had officially begun the adoption process.

They hadgotten engaged, and were talking aboutstarting a familywith a baby brother or sister for Liam.

It was alot, but she wouldn't change a single second of it foranything.

Tim walks up behind her and wraps his hands around her waist, pulling her flush against his body, and she sighs as she melts back into him.

"I can't believe it," she whispers, and Tim hums in agreement as he noses behind her ear and kisses her neck.

"Me either."

Lucy turns back to glance at him, and he's smiling softly down at her.

(She remembers a time when heneversmiled, and to see the change in him is justbreathtaking).

They stare at the door of their new home for several moments, and then Tim clears his throat, steps back, and reaches one hand under Lucy's knees while the other supports her back.

She shrieks in surprise as Tim lifts her into his arms, and then buries her face in his chest, grinning and blushing.

"We're notmarried,Tim," she whispers, and he shrugs.

"Close enough."

"Andwe've been here before. I've walked across this threshold probably a hundred times."

"Not when it was finished and when it was officiallyours.The paperwork went through; both of our names are on the deed now."

Lucy sniffles and pulls her head back, grinning incandescently up at Tim.

"I love you."

Tim smiles and then leans down, kissing her softly as he carries her into their new home.

"I love you, too."

The day they move in, Lucy and Tim are too exhausted to celebrate properly. Their friends help them move all of their belongings from their respective houses, and by the time everything is finallyinthe house, no one has any energy left to unpack anything except Liam's bedding and bath supplies, and the things they'll absolutely need for the next twenty four hours.

Due to work, and Liam, and unpacking, it's not until three daysafterthey move in that they get to celebrate properly.

Tamara takes Liam out for dinner and ice cream, for 'puppy sibling bonding time', as she calls it, and thesecondthey're out the door, Tim is backing Lucy up against the wall and kissing her frantically.

They don't even make it into the bedroom for round one.

Lucy giggles and buries her head in Tim's chest as he holds her against the wall by the door as they're coming down from their peaks. Their clothing is in a pile at their feet, and Tim is laughing as he kisses her, gripping her thighs tightly to him so she doesn't go anywhere as he backs them into the bedroom for round two.

(And three).

They just barely remember to grab the pile of clothing off of the floor before jumping in the shower, and when Tamara comes home she takes one look at them and rolls her eyes.

"Oh mygod,you two are like…old,not teenagers. Act like it."

Tim sticks his tongue out at her, making Liam laugh, and Lucy collapses against his side, giggling breathlessly.

Liam's adoption is finalized four months after they move into The Big House, and he is so overcome by emotion that he begins bawling in the courtroom.

Tim swoops in and picks him up, cuddling him close, and Lucy joins the embrace, wrapping her arms around both of her boys and holding ontightly.

They stay like that in the middle of the courtroom for a long time, arms wrapped around each other, murmuring words of comfort and love to theirson,and they're just about to pull back when Liam begins murmuring something over and over and over, and as soon as Tim is able to make out the words,hestarts crying, too.

"Mommy and daddy," the little boy is whispering, his eyes closed tightly as he grips Lucy and Tim's shirts in his little fists. He's holding tight to them, one in each hand, and continues crying as they rock back and forth in a room full of witnesses and various DFS workers. "Mommy and daddy.Mommy and daddy."

"Yeah," Lucy murmurs, kissing his forehead and his cheek and his soft, brown hair. "Yeah, we're your new mommy and daddy, baby."

"Mommy," Liam says, and he looks up at Lucy with such love in his eyes that she wonders howanyonecould have ever hurt this precious little boy.

"I'm your mommy," she says again, and thenTimhas to holdher,because she's suddenly sobbing, overcome with love for her entire, broken little family.

"We love you," Tim tells Liam, and then he has to blink away tears when Liam turns to him and calls himdaddy.

It's everything he's ever wanted.

It'smorethan he ever imagined he would have.

"I love you, Daddy," Liam says, and it's only in the silence that follows that Tim realizes the courtroom has emptied out, everyone giving the new little family some privacy.

Shortly afterward Lucy declares it unfair that Liam gets to be a Bradford butshe'snot, yet.

They're laying in bed when it happens, the sweat just barely cooling on their bodies from a particularly enthuastic round of morning sex, and Tim laughs before rolling them over, covering her body with his, his elbows bracketing her face as he stares down at her.

"You could be a Bradfordtoday, if you wanted. We can go down to the courthouse anytime, baby."

Lucy seriously considers it for a moment, but more than she wants to get marriedright now,she wants to have the little ceremony they were planning in their backyard, with fairy lights and lanterns and Liam as a ring bearer.

"No… I want to get married here, in our home," she whispers, and then she surges up to kiss Tim again.

They get distracted for a long time after that, but when they come up for air, Lucy is smiling, a decision made.

"We should set a date. Next month."

Tim agrees, and then kisses her again, and they don't come up for air until Liam's voice comes over the baby monitor, letting them know he's awake and wants their attention.

Their wedding takes place on a beautiful fall evening. The sun is just beginning to set, and their entire backyard is decked out in fairy lights, floating lanterns, and white flowers. It's everything Lucy had dreamed it would be andmore.

Their friends and family are there.

It's a small group, but Lucy can't imagine it any other way.

This is one of the most important things she'll ever do, and she wants all of the people she loves to be there, to witness her and Tim vowing to love each other for the rest of their lives.

Tim is just opening his mouth to begin his vows when he feels something tugging on his suit pants, and he looks down to see Liam, holding his hands in the air and requesting to be picked up.

Tim obliges, and turns back to Lucy, his arms full oftheir son, and her smile could light up the night sky.

"Lucy, I love you," he begins, because that's the most important thing. He loves her. He has for a long time, and he will until the day he dies (and, honestly, even beyond then, because no matter what comes after death, his soul will love Lucy until the end of time).

"I love you, too," she can't help saying, and Tim grins. He wants to kiss her,sobadly, but he knows that the officiant will yell at him if he does (mostly because the officiant is Sergeant Grey).

"I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life by your side. I want to be there for the amazing parts, and for the hard parts. I want to build a family with you. I want to build ahomewith you. I want to raise babies with you and wake up with you every morning and go to sleep with you every night. I want to share laughter, tears, and love with you. I love you with all of my heart, and all of my soul. Everything I have is yours, Lucy. Everything Iamis yours. I love you, and I will cherish you forever."

Lucy sniffles and grins and leans forward to peck him on the lips before Grey yells.

"Hey! We're not done yet!"

Their friends and family laugh, and Lucy feels her entire heart fill up and overflow with love. She giggles and stands back, clasping her hands behind her back so she doesn't touch him again until it's time.

"I love you, too, Tim, and I wanteverythingwith you. I want sleepy mornings and long nights. I want babies and more dogs —" Tim makes a noise here and Lucy shushes him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Yes,more dogs Tim. Kojo needs a friend.Anyway, as I was saying, I wanteverything.I want laughter and tears, and hugs and love and late nights and even the fights I know will happen. I want to grow old with you, watch our children grow up and have children of their own. I want…God, I want it all. I want the cheesy romance movie moments, but I also want thereal, hard moments, because I know you'll support me and love me through it all, no matter what. Mostly, though, I wantyou. I love you."

Tim is practically vibrating in place as he turns to look at Grey, who rolls his eyes and nods.

"Fine. I now pronounce you husband and wife, even though we're doing this out of order, you may kiss her andthengive her the ring, I suppose."

Tim laughs and then lunges forward, Liam still on his hip, and cups Lucy's cheek with his one free hand.

Their kiss goes on and on andon,and Angela finally throws her small bouquet of flowers at them to make them break it up.

"May I introduce for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford!" Grey announces, and he's smiling like he's just beenwaitingto say that for the longest time.

Tim wraps his arm around Lucy's waist, and turns to face his friends and family with her by his side.

Less than a month later Lucy is crawling on top of Tim, bouncing up and down and generally being annoying to get his attention.

Tim groans and rolls over, and it'sfive in the fucking morning.He doesn't have to work today, sowhy—

"Tim, I'm pregnant," Lucy blurts out the second he opens his eyes, and it takes him a second to process her words, but as soon as he does he's sitting up, his arms wrapping around her back instinctively to keep her from falling, and he's kissing her.

She laughs and pulls back, her eyes sparkling.

"I take it you're happy?" she asks, her voice soft and quiet, and even though they've talked about thisendlessly, even though she'd thrown out her birth control the day they got married, she's stillnervous.

"Sofucking happy," he murmurs, and he's reaching his hands under her shirt to press against her soft belly as he turns them on the bed so she's on her back and he's hovering over her. "You gotta call in sick, babe. I don't think I can let you out of this bed today."

Lucy giggles and stretches out underneath him as he peels her shirt off and tosses it off of the bed. His lips and hands are all over her belly, fascinated by the fact that even though it's still perfectly flat,their baby is growing inside of her.

"I already did," she tells him, and Tim grins before ducking down to kiss her.

They celebrate the news of their new baby in the early morning light, and afterwards, when Tim is laying with Lucy in his arms, tracing mindless patterns over her belly and imagining what their baby will look like, he marvels at how far they'd come, how farhe'dcome.

Their adventure had started when he'd broken down in his childhood closet, overcome with grief from the terrible memories, andnow…

Now, they'd taken the house that had lived in Tim's nightmares fordecades,torn it down to it's bones, and they'd created something wonderful, somethingnew.

They'd created ahome.

Notes:

The end of this one snuck up on me. I can't believe it's over, but it's come full circle and I've created the happy ending these two deserve. There may be some related one-shots in this universe in the future, but for now the story is finished!

️️️

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it, and THANK YOU to Northern-Neighbor for the prompt.