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“7-Adam-100, an alarm has been tripped in a residential neighborhood near your location. 447 Oakhurst Avenue.”
As Tim started to reach for the radio, Lucy said, “You know, that’s almost definitely a false alarm. We could just leave it for someone else.”
“We’re closest,” Tim pointed out. “And it’s not always a false alarm.”
“Oh, come on, Tim. More than half the time, the homeowner just accidentally tripped the alarm on their way out.”
Tim frowned at her. “Since when are you trying to get out of doing your job?”
“I’m not, I just—” she faltered, and glanced down. “I just think it’s a waste of time. Especially for a sergeant.”
“Yeah, well, that’s not your call.” Grabbing the radio, Tim clicked it on. “Show us responding.”
Replacing it, he glanced at Lucy as they took another corner, heading towards the address. She was quiet, staring out the window, but Tim could see her reflection in the glass. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and her expression was tight with frustration.
This wasn’t normal Lucy behavior. She was empathetic and kind, and she took her job seriously. Some cops would try to blow off something like this, but not her. So what was it about? Was she still upset about their argument yesterday? He’d apologized that morning, but it had to be something.
Speculating wasn’t going to do him any good. “You okay?” he asked, bringing the shop to a halt at a stop sign.
She didn’t respond right away, not until they were moving again. “Yeah— fine.”
“Listen, if this is about what I said about Sanford—”
“It’s not. You— you weren’t wrong,” she said, glancing at him. “Going out with him was probably a one time thing. He’s not… it wouldn’t work out.”
They turned onto Oakhurst. “Okay,” Tim said. “Then what’s wrong?”
She didn’t respond. When Tim looked at her again, she was staring at the house they’d pulled up in front of, her gaze heavy with something like dread. Then she unbuckled. “I can handle this— why don’t you stay here?”
Before Tim could even formulate an answer to that absolutely ridiculous question— he was a sergeant and her superior officer and definitely not the type to be sitting around in his shop while his gofer took care of calls for him— she’d opened the door and was heading for the house.
“Wha— Chen!” Scrambling to unbuckle his seat belt, Tim slammed the door behind him with a little more force than was strictly necessary. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Just stay in the shop, I got this!”
“Lucy, what’s going—”
The shatter of glass, and Tim instinctively turned towards it.
A gunshot.
And then something slammed into his upper chest, sending him toppling backwards.
The pavement knocked the wind of him, leaving him gasping for breath. And for a moment, he didn’t even register what had hit him. Until blinding pain ripped through the space beneath his clavicle.
He’d been shot.
Lucy was there a second later, calling for an ambulance and administering first aid with shaking hands. But Tim knew it was bad— the bullet had shattered bone and, with his luck, was still in there somewhere. He could taste his own blood, and judging by the amount all over Lucy’s hands, he was losing plenty.
As darkness descended, his last sight was Lucy’s face. She was determined, but scared, like he would have expected.
But more than that, she wore an expectant dread. And, throughout the whole thing, she hadn’t looked remotely surprised.
~~~
Despite the fact she’d gotten a lot of teasing for it from some of her co-workers— Nolan especially— Lucy had never actually seen the movie Groundhog’s Day. At least, not the whole thing.
She’d caught parts of it on a hotel TV years ago, and caught the gist of it— a guy gets trapped in a time loop reliving Groundhog’s Day over and over again, and proceeds to use that to make a lot of bad decisions. Apparently— Lucy hadn’t gotten that far— he eventually decided to help others and support the woman he’d fallen in love with, and the loop broke.
A sweet movie, in theory. But Lucy was officially doubly sure she never intended to watch it.
Time loops were fine for TV. But in real life? They were an absolute pain.
Especially when the day you were reliving repeatedly was a really, really bad one.
It had started out okay. She’d woken up on time to the sound of her phone alarm, chatted with Tamara before their respective work and school, then headed into the station. Tim had been waiting when she got there, and first things first, he’d apologized for the fight they’d had the previous day.
(which was good. It wasn’t any of his business who she would or wouldn’t date, even if he was a lawyer who’d started out as kind of a pain in the neck. And even if she hadn’t really been giving the idea of a second date any real thought, Tim didn’t get to tell what to do. Especially when he was dating a lifeguard.)
She’d forgiven him, obviously. Not without plans to torture him a little bit throughout the day, though. She was entitled to some revenge.
After that, roll call, which had been pretty normal. Apparently, the night shift had lost a fugitive, but Lopez had a lead on him that she was following up on with SWAT. TO Lucy’s delight, it had been Jackson’s unit— she didn’t see him nearly enough these days. She and Nolan had spent a minute or two catching up with him before Tim had barked at her to wrap up.
And then they were out on patrol, and the day settled into the usual erratic pattern of seconds of heart-pounding terror bracketed in by hours of boredom. By the time the end of shift crept near, Lucy was ready to crash.
And then they’d responded to an alarm tripped in a residential area.
“You got any plans for tonight?” Tim asked as they pulled the shop to a halt next to the house.
“No— my sergeant actually told me dating was a bad idea, so I’ve decided to become a hermit.”
Rolling his eyes, Tim said, “Ha-ha. When do you plan on letting this go?”
“Mmm, never?”
“That’s what I thought.” He shook his head, but Lucy saw the tiny smile he wore as he got out of the shop, and she counted it as a win.
He was still wearing that smile when they heard glass shatter behind them. Lucy turned in time to see a figure at a broken window in the house across the street— and then a gunshot sounded.
Blood sprayed.
And Tim, who seemed so strong and indomitable despite the vulnerability Lucy had seen, even on her first shifts, was dropping to the ground.
“TIM!”
By the time the scream left her lips she was already moving towards him, desperately grabbing for her radio. She’d managed to stammer out a call for help, snapping on rubber gloves to administer first aid.
But he’d been shot in the head. Even as she tried, Lucy could feel his life fading away under her hands.
The ambulance arrived too late.
They’d taken her to the hospital anyway, to make sure she was alright. She’d fallen asleep on the cot, Tim’s blood still spattering her hands and face.
But when she woke up the next morning, she was in her own bed. Alarm going off a few inches away. No blood, no bruises on her knees from diving to the ground where her former TO and closest friend was lying.
And when she went into work, he was there.
Alive. And completely confused when she had thrown her arms around him in a desperate hug, the events of the previous night still too close to do anything but that.
Lucy had managed to stammer out a joking excuse, but she’d still gotten a lot of weird looks from Tim that day.
At first, she’d thought it was all a horrible dream. That it hadn’t really happened. But then the day started to look incredibly familiar. And when they got the call from Oakhurst… surely it was a coincidence. There was no way.
It was not a coincidence. And when Lucy woke up the next morning to her alarm, it actually started to sink in that something really strange was going on.
That day, when they turned onto Oakhurst, she’d had a panic attack. Clinging to Tim’s arm, begging him not to leave the shop, that it was dangerous. He’d been confused, but eventually called Nolan to take care of it. Mainly because he was planning to drive Lucy to the hospital, but she didn’t care. He was safe.
He’d been shot at the first red light they stopped at. That time, to Lucy’s shock and relief, she’d been able to administer proper first aid, and they’d actually gotten him to the hospital.
Tim had died on the operating table.
And now here she was. Back in her bed, three loops later— which made this her seventh overall— her phone alarm warbling at her. Pressing her eyes closed, Lucy wished it would go away. When it didn’t, she gave in and sent it flying across the room.
The resulting thump was less than satisfying. A few seconds later, the door creaked open. “Everything okay?” Tamara asked, her voice more bemused than anything else.
Lucy opened her eyes to see her roommate giving her a frown. “You look like you didn’t sleep at all last night. What’s going on?”
Letting out a long sigh, Lucy said, “Honestly, you… you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Interesting.” Tamara crossed the room and dropped down onto the edge of the bed, propping her chin on her hands. “Try me.”
Lucy almost laughed. There was no way she could talk about this. Tamara would think she was crazy. But the girl’s expression was serious and patient, and… it could be nice to talk to someone about this. And it’ll all reset tomorrow, anyway.
Pushing herself upright, she said, “Okay. I’m… stuck in a time loop.”
One of Tamara’s eyebrows popped up. “Huh.”
“Yeah. I’ve been reliving today over and over again, which wouldn’t be too horrible, except…” Lucy’s voice wavered, and she winced. After what felt like a full week of this, one would think she’d be used to it.
She wasn’t. And it hurt just to force the words out. “Except it always ends with Tim getting shot. Sometimes I get him to the hospital. Mostly, I don’t, and he never— I can’t save him.”
Her voice cracked on the last words, and she closed her eyes against tears. She’d cried more the past few days than she had in the last month, and she was so tired of it. But none of it would go away. She couldn’t stop any of it.
“Okay,” Tamara said slowly. “Um… have you tried just not going to work?”
Lucy opened her eyes and frowned at her. “You actually… you believe me?”
“Obviously,” Tamara said, rolling her eyes. “You don’t make stuff like this up, you don’t even believe in ghosts, and you’re super freaked out. I read this short story like, a million years ago where in order to break a time loop, you had to change something drastically. Maybe you not being at work will change it.”
“Or, maybe it’ll make things worse,” Lucy pointed out.
“Can things really get much worse right now? It’s worth a shot, if you’re the only one looping.” Seeing the hesitation in Lucy’s eyes, Tamara stood up. “Come on. You call in sick, and we can have breakfast and watch one of those cheesy Hallmark movies you love.”
“I don’t love them,” Lucy protested half-heartedly, but she got out of bed anyway. Anything was worth a shot, if it could change things.
When she called in, Grey was clearly curious, but he accepted it, despite the short notice. Maybe something of the fear and desperation knotting in her chest had bled through to her voice. She hung up and went to make breakfast, trying not to think about Tim going out on patrol without her.
The worry hung in the back of her mind like a low grade headache, but Lucy was able to ignore it a little, at least. Tamara took the day off of school, and they had breakfast and binge watched action movies and true crime. By the end of the day, Lucy’s heart was a little lighter.
Halfway through a heist movie, her phone rang. Lucy glanced at the caller ID, and her heart nearly stopped. It was Sergeant Grey.
Wordlessly, she waved for Tamara to pause the movie, and answered the phone. “Yes, sir.”
“Officer Chen. I’m sorry to disturb you on your day off, but there’s been an incident. Sergeant Bradford—”
Lucy stopped listening after that, her hand wrapped too tightly around the phone.
~~~
She started planning after that. Obsessively coming up with different ways she could try and keep Tim safe, keep him away from the bullet that seemed destined to hit him. Tamara helped a lot of the time. While Lucy still had to explain things to her every loop around, the girl took it in stride with shocking ease. One time, she actually decided to stay home from school and research time loops in popular media.
“I’m pretty sure we’re not going to figure out how to fix this with Groundhog Day, ” Lucy told her over the phone at lunch.
“Definitely not,” Tamara assured her. “You don’t need to learn a lesson on how to be a better person. I read about this book where these kids were stuck in a time loop on their eleventh birthday until they became friends again. But, you know, it’s not your birthday. And you don’t have someone with a centuries-long family feud with you—do you?”
“Nope,” Lucy said, taking a sip from her drink and glancing at Tim. He was talking to Lopez— checking in on the SWAT sting that would happen in a few hours. “Anything else?”
“A couple where they’re just… stuck like that forever. But that’s not the case here,” Tamara said hastily, like she could hear Lucy’s panic. “We’re gonna figure this out.”
“I know,” Lucy said, taking a deep breath.
“Good. Oh, one more that seemed kinda relevant— a movie where these two kids get stuck in a time loop together. The only way for them to get out is for the girl to face the loss of a family member. Oh, and she has to kiss the boy.”
Rolling her eyes at the mischievousness in Tamara’s voice, Lucy said, “Yeah, I don’t think that’s actually gonna help.”
“You won’t know until you try. And you know you think he’s cute.”
Tim? Cute? That wasn’t exactly the first word that came to mind. Incredibly stubborn, maybe. Old school chivalrous, grumpy yet shockingly caring, a control freak and a schemer, and one of the best cops she knew. But cute? Lucy looked back at him with a frown.
Not cute. But he did have ruggedly sculpted cheekbones, intense blue-gray eyes, and a mouth that rarely smiled. When it did, it was… nice. Like he’d opened a door to a secret part of himself that almost never saw the sunlight.
“You totally just spaced out staring at him, didn’t you?”
“Wha— no!” Lucy protested, knowing that Tamara would probably know she was lying. “Okay, do you have anything helpful to say? Because my lunch break is almost over.”
“Two more things. At this point in my time loop education, I’d say that you either have to change something drastically, or… accept something.” Tamara paused, letting Lucy absorb what she’d said. “And the other thing. Have you considered telling Tim about this?”
It wasn’t the first time she’d suggested it. Lucy had eliminated it as an option every other time, because it was Tim. He would laugh it off or think she was crazy or who knew what else.
But if thinking she was crazy was the price to keep him alive, so be it. And Lucy was pretty persistent. Maybe she could convince him.
“I’ll think about it,” she told Tamara.
~~~
This loop was one of the less terrible ones. She’d convinced Tim to stop a ways away from the house on Oakhurst, giving them a bit of a walk but more time for her to plan.
The shatter of glass still came. And the bullet still hit him, albeit in the lower back of his neck this time. But she managed to stop some of the bleeding and get him to the hospital, where she refused to fall asleep until he was out of surgery.
Things didn’t look good. It had been touch and go, and there was still no guarantee. Lucy hadn’t even really listened to the doctor’s explanation of what was happening. She’d just seen the anger on Lopez’s face and the tears in Genny’s eyes and Nolan’s sorrow as he quietly supported her.
Finally, when the others were gone, she’d slipped into his room. It was strange to see him like this. Laying still and helpless in a hospital bed. Tim Bradford was a large as life presence, but the hospital bed reduced him to a shell of himself. She hated it.
Pulling a chair up next to him, she sat down with a sigh. “I failed again,” she whispered, knowing he wouldn’t respond. The doctors didn’t know when he’d wake up, if ever. “I don’t know what to do, Tim. I have to keep you safe, but you are not making it easy.”
Tears prickled at the back of her eyes. “You’ll never believe me if I tell you, and I don’t know how else to protect you. I’m running out of ideas, and I— I don’t think I can do this alone anymore.”
Blinking hard, she stared at his pale face, and wondered what he’d tell her to do. Something absolutely insane and outside of the box, knowing him. Something that she never would have thought of in a thousand years.
If Tim had been caught in this, he would have been able to come up with a plan. He always, always did.
But he’d also trained her. And one of the things he’d taught her was not to question herself. “I can do this,” she whispered. “But a little help would be really, really nice.”
As if in response, Tim’s heart monitor flatlined.
Lucy buried her face in her hands and screamed.
~~~
“Chen? You good?”
Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and looked at Tim, who was frowning at her with concern. They were standing outside of the briefing room, where he’d finally caught up with her after roll call. This time around, she’d avoided meeting up with him right away, letting him apologize. She’d wanted some time to think.
“Yeah— I’m fine,” she told him.
The furrows of concern didn’t leave his brow. “You sure? You’re not—”
“Still mad? No,” Lucy told him. “But I…”
She hesitated. This was crazy. If it hadn’t been for the past few days, she’d never have considered this. But after the time in the hospital, the next two deaths had been… really hard. Just the memory made her shudder, and that pushed her into her decision.
“I need to talk to you,” she said firmly. “In private— can we?”
He didn’t question her, and Lucy thanked her lucky stars for it. They headed to the break room, and Tim closed the door behind them. Then he turned to face her. “What’s wrong?”
Of course he would know something was wrong. He was annoyingly perceptive in almost every area, and right now, it was either going to make things really helpful or really… not. Taking a deep breath, Lucy said, “Okay, this is hard for me to explain, and it sounds really crazy. But I need you to listen.”
“Okay. I’m listening.”
His tone was serious, with just a hint of gentle concern in it. Biting her tongue, Lucy forced herself to look at him. “I’m stuck in a time loop.”
It was almost comical, how much his face changed. Jaw dropping for just a second, gaze completely bewildered. “What?”
“Listen, okay? I have been reliving today for the past twelve days now. Everything is exactly the same, and I can’t— I can’t change things, but I need to—”
“Slow down,” Tim said, holding up his hands. “Okay— did you hit your head yesterday?”
Clenching her jaw in frustration, Lucy said, “No. I am not crazy, Tim, I swear.”
“You’re talking about time loops. It sounds pretty crazy.”
Growling out a groan of irritation, Lucy said, “Why did I think this was a good idea? You need to listen to me.”
“Lucy—”
“No! I need you to believe me, Tim. If you don’t listen to me right now, and we don’t fix this, you are going to die.”
That cut off whatever response he had prepared sharply, and Lucy almost groaned. She’d meant to tell him this a little more gently, to explain it properly. But the words had bubbled up in a wave of panic that she couldn’t hold back, the past few days flashing before her eyes.
“Chen.”
Tim’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts, along with a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, dreading the doubt and skepticism and condescending pity she would read on his face.
All that she saw was concern, serious and real, as he studied her eyes intently. Then he nodded. “Okay. Explain it to me.”
Lucy could have cried. “You believe me?”
Blowing out a long breath, Tim shook his head. “I… I don’t know. It still sounds insane. But… yeah. I believe you. Can we have this conversation on the move, or do we have to stay in the break room waiting for Smitty to bust in?”
Letting out a shaky laugh, Lucy said, “No— we can go.”
“Okay. Let’s get out on patrol, then. Start talking.”
So, as they headed out of the break room and into the shop, Lucy laid out the situation. It was always a relief to talk about it— but usually, she was talking to Tamara. And while Tamara was helpful in her own way, talking to Tim about it eased the bands of panic locked around her chest.
He listened gravely, his face expressionless. Lucy had to imagine hearing about your own death was disturbing, to say the least. That or he didn’t actually believe her, but Tim wasn’t really the humoring type.
“So you’re telling me I got shot every time?” he checked. They were parked at the curb, waiting for any incoming calls. “Even when you actually got me away from the house?”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah. I’ve been assuming that meant that the way to break the time loop was to save you. But…” I haven’t been able to yet.
“Okay— that’s a fair assumption,” Tim acknowledged. “But if it’s been me who got shot every time, it could be that someone’s got it out for me specifically.”
Oh, crap. “You’re right— how did I not think of that?” Lucy bit her lip, frustration flooding through her. She’d gone over every angle she could think of in order to prevent Tim from getting shot. How had she not thought to go after the source, first?
“Chen.”
Lucy glanced up at him. Tim’s gaze was steady as he said, “Don’t go spiraling on me now. You didn’t think of it before because you’ve been stuck reliving the same traumatic event for the past two weeks. Honestly, it’s a bigger shock that you’re thinking straight at all. Besides, that’s why you have a partner. Two heads are better than one.”
Taking a deep breath, Lucy held it for a moment before exhaling and taking another. “You’re right,” she admitted. Then she glanced at him. “Did you just say you were my partner?”
“Clearly, I misspoke.” But Lucy saw the smile flickering across his face, just for a second.
“Clearly,” she agreed. “Okay, so who do we know who’s holding a grudge against you? Someone you’ve arrested before?”
Tim let out a sigh. “If we start with that list, it’s gonna be a long one. We need someone with motive, ability, and someone who’s a really good shot. Maybe former military. Which narrows things down a little.”
Lucy paused. Something was itching at the back of her mind, something she’d heard that morning— and therefore what felt like a thousand times. “Alvin Kinney.”
“The fugitive Lopez is after?” Tim frowned. “What about him?”
“He’s ex-military. And I don’t remember Lopez bringing him in.” Grabbing the radio, Lucy said, “Control, can you send Alvin Kinney’s arrest reports to our box? Starting with the first one.”
“Copy, 7-Adam-100.” A few seconds later, the details came up. Lucy skimmed the report until she found what she needed.
“You booked him for assault and resisting arrest like ten years ago,” she told him. “And from there, things only got worse— DUIs, possession with intent to distribute, multiple assaults, and then the most recent charge of murder.” Looking at him, she asked, “Do you remember him at all?”
Brow knitted and expression pensive, Tim drummed his fingers against the wheel. “It’s been ten years. Maybe a little? But clearly the experience made an impression on him.”
Nodding, Lucy said, “So what do we do about it, now that we know?”
“Unfortunately, guesswork and time loops don’t exactly make this a credible threat,” Tim said wryly. “So… I don’t know. Yet. Talking to Lopez might be a good idea— she’d be easier to convince than Harper, and she’ll have more details about Kinney.”
“Hmm.” Lucy paused as the radio chirped to life, directing them to a nearby address. As they started moving again, she said, “You know, I— I thought it would be a lot harder to convince you this was real. I didn’t even believe it the first time through.”
“Yeah.” Tim let out a half-laugh, shaking his head. “Honestly, a year ago, I would have taken you straight to the hospital to get you checked out. And if it was Thorsen or Nolan talking, I’d say they were crazy. And I’m still not totally sure what I should be believing about this. But you believe it, and I trust your judgment.”
A flash of surprise went through Lucy, and she ducked her head to hide the pleased smile that crossed her face. “Thanks.”
“Yeah. Besides, you…” he trailed off, glancing at her with a slight frown. “You’ve seen something. That’s for sure. You don’t get that look in your eye without having gone through something that would break someone weaker.”
Lucy thought back to the past days, watching Tim fall time after time. “I’m not sure it hasn’t, sometimes,” she admitted quietly.
“Trust me. It hasn’t.” She looked up at him, and he lifted an eyebrow. “Come on, Chen. You don’t think I know your limits after everything?”
“Fair enough,” Lucy said, taking a deep breath. His words sank in, building up her wavering strength. You’ve got this.
The rest of the day didn’t hold the head-spinning anxiety of the previous ones. Just having Tim on her side made things easier, which Lucy hadn’t expected. Maybe she should have— he’d always had a way of helping her work through these things, even when he claimed the shop was a personal life free zone.
They spent a good chunk of their free time discussing ideas on how to fix this. At one point, they checked in with Lopez and confirmed that her lead for Kinney hadn’t panned out. Which made their theory that much more likely. And as they grew closer to the actual event, Lucy felt dread building in her chest.
“There’s got to be a way we can keep you away from him,” she said, staring at the radio. “There’s got to be something. We could just leave, right now—”
“And leave a dangerous criminal on the streets?” Tim shook his head. “No. There’s always a chance of this kind of thing happening, Lucy, with or without weird supernatural interference. And that means that fear doesn’t get to control us. Not now, not ever.”
The radio hummed to life. “7-Adam-100, an alarm has been tripped in a residential neighborhood near your location. 447 Oakhurst Avenue.”
“Tim.” Lucy could barely force out the words, her throat tight. “Please don’t.”
He grabbed the radio anyway. “7-Adam-100. Show us responding.” As he replaced the radio, he looked at her. “Hey. Focus up, Chen. I’ve got a plan.”
The car shifted into gear, and they were moving. “Please tell me it’s a good plan,” Lucy said.
“That… really depends on your perspective.” Tim kept his eyes on the road as he made a turn. “We need to figure out this guy’s position. And for once, we actually have multiple tries. That said, I’d prefer not to use them. So I’m going out there as bait—”
“What? No!”
“—and you’re going in for surveillance. Find the guy’s position and take him down if you can. If you can’t—” he paused, and Lucy saw him take a deep breath, shoulders squaring. “Then you better be right about all this.”
“This is a really bad plan, Tim.”
“If I know he’s coming, I’ll be better equipped to evade him. And you’ve been through this the most. You’ll know where to find the guy.” Finally, as they turned onto Oakhurst, Tim looked at her. “This is the job, Lucy. With or without time loops.”
He was right, and she hated it. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took a deep breath. “Okay. Just— when you hear shattering glass, hit the ground, okay? That means he’s about to—”
Her voice stuck in her throat, but Tim nodded. “Got it.” He brought the car to an idling stop, a few yards away from the address. Lucy could see the white siding even from a distance, and she hated it with a burning passion.
“Be careful,” she told Tim, knowing it was futile.
“Always am.”
And then Lucy was getting out of the car, heading down the alley between the houses nearby. The shooter was positioned in the house directly across from the one they were supposed to be checking— a shabby, blue building, the windows covered in heavy curtains. As Lucy approached the back, she saw the back door was opened a crack, the doorjamb busted.
From a distance, she heard a car door slam, and knew it was Tim. Stomach knotting, she took a deep breath, and headed for the door.
She’d cleared the lower level and was heading for the stairs when she heard glass shatter. No. Her pace quickened, heart pounding—
A gunshot, and her heart dropped. NO. Please, no.
And then there was more gun fire, but she recognized the sound of this gun. It was Tim, shooting back. Relief poured through her. He’s okay.
Keep moving, Chen. She forced herself into action as more gunfire sounded. Keeping low, she headed towards the source, her own weapon at the ready.
The stairs led into a long hallway, lined with three doors. The closest one to her was open. Slowly, she pushed it open.
A man was crouched in the window, totally focused on the street below him as he fired. As Lucy approached, he stopped, peering out the window. And there was no returning fire.
Don’t panic yet. Handle the suspect first. Leveling her weapon at his head, Lucy said, “LAPD. Drop the gun, hands in the air.”
The man froze, then released his weapon. Slowly, he lifted his hands in the air. “It doesn’t matter,” he said as Lucy replaced her weapon, fishing out a pair of cuffs. “I’ve done what I came here for.”
What? Oh, no. No, no, not after everything. Panic welled in her throat, and she fought it down. There was a radiator on the far end of the room, and she cuffed him to that, grabbing his weapon as she went out the door and down the stairs.
Sirens were sounding in the distance as she hurried across the street. Tim must have called in back up. Their shop was a mess, pockmarked with bullets. And for a moment, Lucy couldn’t see Tim.
And then she spotted him. Back against the shop, hand still locked around his weapon. Covered in his own blood.
“No.” The word slipped out, not panicked and loud like the first time this had happened. Soft and helpless, with an ache so deep she could fall into it. But that didn’t stop her from racing across the street to be by his side.
Crashing to the ground, she grabbed his arm without thinking, and he twitched. Still alive. Thank God. “Don’t move,” she ordered, pulling out gloves with hands that still shook, even after seeing this same sight so many more things than she wanted to. “It’s going to be okay— backup is on the way. We got him.”
“Good,” Tim rasped, and Lucy’s throat tightened. He’d taken bullets to the lower part of his abdomen and his throat, and it was bleeding too much. Far, far too much. Bolting for the back of the shop, she pulled out the first aid kit, yanking out gauze and gingerly pressing it against the wounds in his stomach.
Grabbing her hand, she put it over the gauze, already turning a bright shade of crimson. “Hold that there.” She was in the middle of pulling out more gauze, wondering where the ambulance was, when he grabbed her hand.
“Lucy. Tell me you were right.” His voice was shaky, nothing like the confident Sergeant Bradford she was used to. “Tell me this isn’t—”
“No,” she said, cutting him off. “No— it’s gonna be okay. You’re going to wake up and not remember any of this, I promise. It’s going to go back to how it was.” And for once, Lucy hoped she was right. She prayed she was, because she couldn’t wake up in a world where this was her reality.
He nodded a little, pain twisting his features. “Good. Listen, if you need to convince me—” He paused, taking a rattling breath that tore at Lucy’s heart. “Ashley. She and I broke up.”
“I— what?” Lucy stared at him, dumbfounded. “But why—”
“Just didn’t work out. I haven’t… told anyone. Should convince me. And if that doesn’t work…” he dragged in a breath, shaking with the effort. Lucy bit back a sob. “Reaper. Was my… nickname… in the Army.”
“I kinda prefer Eagle Eye,” she told him, blinking back tears fiercely, and his mouth twisted into a smirk.
“You… would.”
She could feel his pulse with the hand pressed against his neck, and it was slowing. “Please don’t go,” she whispered. “I can’t—”
“You can.” Those two words were firm, completely assured. “There’s… no quit in you, Chen. Knew that… from the first day. So don’t quit. Bring Kinney in… and don’t let me die too many more times before you do.”
She would have laughed, but she knew she would start crying if she did. So Lucy just clutched his hand tighter. “You owe me for this, you know. I’ve spent a lot of time trying to fix this for you.”
“I’ll buy you… a drink if you fix it,” he mumbled, eyes drifting closed.
“I’ll hold you to that.” She paused, waiting for a response. “Tim?”
There was none. Letting her head drop against his chest, she let the tears come.
~~~
The next day she was out of bed and had eaten in fifteen minutes flat, rapidly explaining the situation to Tamara between bites of breakfast. As usual, her roommate took it pretty well.
She made it to work a half hour earlier than usual, and checked in with Sergeant Caradine about the fugitive the night shift had lost. He seemed surprised that she’d known, but Lucy just told him she had a friend on the night shift, and asked to see Lopez when she came in. From there, she went straight to her desk, to pull up everything she could possibly find on Kinney.
It had been thirteen loops. She was so ready to be done watching the person she cared most about die.
“Lucy?”
Glancing up from her computer, Lucy saw Lopez standing in front of her desk. “Caradine said you wanted to talk to me about something,” the woman said, pulling up a chair and dropping down. “Something about the fugitive night shift misplaced?”
“Yes,” Lucy said, wincing. Here was the fun part. While she knew Lopez believed in some things that were a tad more… out there than the average cop, she was also a detective, and a little bit cynical. At least I don’t have to explain it to Harper. “I need to tell you something that’s a little crazy, but it’s true. I swear.”
“Okay, I’m listening.”
“I’m stuck in a time loop. And no,” Lucy added as Angela’s eyebrows shot up, “I haven’t hit my head, and yes, like Groundhog Day. Except… mine always ends with Tim being shot. By Kinney.”
Her voice shook, but she couldn’t really bring herself to care. Closing her eyes, Lucy took a deep breath, and waited.
“Well, I’ve heard weirder things,” Lopez said matter-of-factly, and Lucy’s eyes popped open. The detective grinned at her. “Please, you knew I believed in ghosts. That’s why you came to me. Time loops are… weird, given, but you’re a skeptic. And you wouldn’t make this up. Now, explain to me how you’re planning to break the loop, and what Kinney has to do with anything.”
Relief pouring through her, Lucy quickly laid out the situation. How they were called to the house on Oakhurst, and Tim was shot and killed. How he’d been killed even in the few loops where she’d managed to keep him away from that spot, and Tim had figured out that it meant that someone must have been targeting him, and they’d realized it was Kinney.
“I was so close last time,” Lucy said, a pang of shame going through her. “But he still— I couldn’t save Tim. And I think that must be what breaks the loop. Except he always gets shot.”
Angela nodded. “So we need a two-pronged attack. One person brings in Kinney, the other makes sure Tim’s safe while also using him as bait. Piece of cake.”
“What’s a piece of cake?”
Lucy’s heart jumped in her chest and she turned to see Tim standing behind them. Just the sight of him sent a sharp blade of relief and sadness, with a tiny twist of happiness. He’s safe. For now.
“Lucy was just telling me she has a CI who was able to shed some light on the fugitive the night shift lost,” Lopez said easily. “Apparently, you arrested him back in the day— Alvin Kinney?”
Tim frowned. “Sounds vaguely familiar.”
“Well, according to Lucy’s CI, he’s out for blood. I’ll talk with Grey about it first, but how do you feel about being bait today? I’ll have Harper and Thorsen shadow you.”
Shrugging, Tim said, “Fine by me. Chen, can I have a word?”
Right, the apology, Lucy remembered. “Sure,” she said, getting to her feet.
“Make it quick,” Angela ordered. “She’s riding with me today— that's okay with you, Tim?”
This time, a hint of a frown flickered across Tim’s face— but it was gone quicker than it came. “Whatever you need to do.”
“Perfect.” Angela gave Lucy a nod and headed towards Grey’s office.
Lucy was watching her go when Tim said, “Listen, I wanted to apologize, about what I said yesterday. It’s none of my business who you do or don’t date.”
Snapping back to reality, Lucy said, “Oh— it’s okay. I mean, you’re right, it’s not, but… I went out with Chris once, and I don’t see it happening again. You were right.”
She realized that he was staring at her, looking confused. “What?”
“Since when am I right about anything?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “I’ve admitted you’re right before, when you are. And honestly I just… don’t want to fight about this. Not when— I just don’t.”
His frown deepened at her last words. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m fine, Tim. I am,” she added when he didn’t look convinced. “Just… be careful out there today.”
Tim’s expression was baffled and he clearly had more questions, but then it was roll call time and before she knew it, Lucy was in the car with Lopez, heading out onto the streets.
They still ran the SWAT operation. When it turned out to be fruitless, Angela and Lucy hopped into the car and headed towards the house on Oakhurst. On the way there, Lucy heard the radio crackle.
“7-Adam-100, an alarm has been tripped in a residential neighborhood near your location. 447 Oakhurst Avenue.”
Her heart lurched. “Lopez. That’s—”
“7-Adam-100, show us responding.” Nolan, who was riding with Tim today, was the one who spoke up today, his voice upbeat as always.
“I know,” Angela said, grabbing the radio. “7-Adam-100, switch to private channel 8.”
“Copy.” There was a crackle of static as Angela did the same, then Tim’s voice came over the radio. “What’s up, Lopez?”
“Proceed with caution— we’ve got intel that says Kinney could be camped out on that street. We’ll be there as backup shortly.”
“Copy that. We’re turning onto Oakhurst, and it all looks quiet.”
“It’s not,” Lucy said, her words barely a whisper.
“Tim knows what he’s doing. He’ll be fine,” Lopez said, but she stepped on the gas anyway.
They were almost there when Nolan’s voice came back over the radio, urgent and quick. “Shots fired at 447 Oakhurst Avenue, officer down. Request ambulance and backup.”
Despair clamped around Lucy’s chest. She knew what she would see when they arrived. Angela’s face was pale, her eyes wide.
“I really, really hope you’re telling the truth about the time loop,” she said.
“That’s what Tim said last time,” Lucy said, her voice shaking. “Angela, there has to be a way out of this.”
“There is. We just need to forget the SWAT raid next time, and stick by Tim’s side. We need someone who knows what’s going to happen with him, which means you.”
Lucy felt oddly relieved to hear that. Because as much as she didn’t want to relive this one more time, she hated being far away from Tim when it happened. She couldn’t not be there.
When they pulled up in front of the house, there was no sign of the shooter. Nolan was crouching next to Tim’s unmoving figure, and as they approached, he looked up with grief on his face.
Lucy burst into tears.
~~~
This was it. She’d done everything she could to prepare— explained things to Lopez, gotten them back up for when they rolled onto Oakhurst. Everyone knew that Kinney was gunning for Tim, and they were all on alert.
The only people who knew how significant this particular stop was were Lucy and Angela. But that was enough. She could do it this time. She had to. All she had to do was make sure she kept Tim safe until they had Kinney in cuffs.
But what if I can’t? What if it’s not enough, what if—
“Lucy.”
Tim’s voice snapped her out of her daze, and she glanced up to meet his concerned blue eyes. “You okay?” he asked, and Lucy almost laughed.
There were a lot of things that had been consistent in every loop. And most of them, if she thought about it, were Tim. His apology at the start of the morning, his stubbornness in taking this call. Losing him. But more than that, his concern for her. Even when he had survived past the first bullet, he always checked on her first.
She shouldn’t have been surprised. Tim Bradford, for all his tests and tricks, had been the most consistent part of her life for the past year or so. More so than Nolan or even Jackson, and definitely more so than her own family. And despite his gruffness, he cared. A lot more than Lucy would have guessed he did at first.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “Just… ready for this to be done. Ironically, considering you’re the one whose life is being threatened.”
He just shrugged. “Part of the job. I’ve only got the one guy after me— could be a lot worse.”
“Hmm.” Lucy couldn’t imagine anything worse than the past two weeks, and she honestly didn’t want to.
They pulled to a stop in front of Oakhurst, and Lucy slipped out her phone, checking her texts. To her relief, there was one from Lopez: We’re in position outside the house. Be careful.
You, too, Lucy texted back, and shoved the phone into her pocket. She really should have convinced Tim to let her drive, but there was no way that would have worked. For now, she just had to hope Lopez got to Kinney first. Let this work. Please, let this work.
“Ready?” Tim asked, and she nodded. Together, they got out of the car.
They’d gotten about three feet away from the car when Lucy heard the window shatter.
It was strange. She’d relived this moment a thousand times now, in reality and in her mind, trying to figure out a way out of it. But only this time had it seemed like time slowed down.
She knew this moment, inside and out. She knew it would be less than five seconds before Kinney fired. Which meant Lopez hadn’t gotten there in time. But Lucy was not going to watch Tim die again. That wasn’t an option anymore.
So she didn’t turn towards the sound like Tim did. Instead, she turned towards him and bolted towards him. She slammed into him, tackling him to the ground, just as the gunshot went off.
It missed them.
Lucy could have wept with relief.
Then there was another gunshot, and fiery pain lanced through her back, and Tim was shouting something she couldn’t quite make out. But then there were other shouts, distant but clear enough. It was Lopez, and she was arresting Kinney, and he was safe. Tim was safe.
“LUCY!”
She was vaguely aware of Tim calling her name, pulling her behind the shop and out of range of any other shots. Lucy wanted to tell him that it was fine— he was safe. She’d done it, against all odds. After trying so, so many times.
His voice was frantic, though Lucy was having an oddly hard time hearing what he said. She felt him holding her against his chest, his hands shaking as they cupped her face.
Then she heard his voice. “Chen? Lucy, stay with me. Lucy!”
But a weight had been wrapped around her feet, and she was slipping into the black depths. As they closed around her, she wondered, vaguely, what would happen if she died in a loop.
She’d never done that before.
Doesn’t matter. He’s safe.
The last thing she heard was his voice.
~~~
Something was beeping.
Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Lucy squeezed her already closed eyes shut tighter. Absolutely not. She’d broken the loop, hadn’t she? So why was her alarm going off near her head again?
And then she realized it wasn’t an alarm, it was a monitor. She was in the hospital. Slowly, painfully, she peeled her eyes open.
Her vision was blurry with sleep, but she recognized the room around her. She was at Shaw Memorial, hooked up to a few machines and wearing a hospital gown.
Her first wild thought was that she’d been in a coma the whole time. That the time loop wasn’t real, that it had all been some kind of drug-induced dream. And then she shifted, and fiery pain lanced through her shoulder. Biting her lip so hard she tasted blood, Lucy took a quick breath. Not a dream.
“Look who’s awake.”
The warm, familiar voice jolted her out of her daze, and she looked up to see Lisa, one of her favorite nurses, moving into the room. Keeping her voice low, Lisa said, “The others will be glad to see it. How are you feeling?”
“Not dead,” Lucy said, her voice croaking a little. “So pretty good.”
Smiling, Lisa said, “Good. You were very lucky— the bullet missed any major arteries, and surgery went smoothly.” Stopping by her bedside, she wordlessly lifted up a cup and helped Lucy drink from it. “You’ll need some bed rest and time off, but you should make a full recovery.”
“Thanks,” Lucy murmured. As she started to settle back into the pillows, a thought jolted through her. “Wait— where’s—”
Lisa tapped a finger against her lip, then pointed to Lucy’s right. Following her gesture, Lucy’s eyes went wide. Tim was settled in a hospital chair pulled up next to her bedside, sleeping with his head tilted back. He looked like he hadn’t shaved in a while, and Lucy wondered idly how long she’d been here. How long he’d been with her.
She realized that one of his hands was still clasped around hers, and she felt a surge of gratefulness.
“He hasn’t left your side since you came out of surgery,” Lisa said with an oddly knowing smile. “We were all worried about you, but I think he was the most concerned.”
Tim stirred a little, and Lisa lowered her voice again. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”
As she slipped out of the room, Tim lifted his head. Lucy watched, strangely unable to tear her eyes away, as he covered a yawn, stretched a little, and then looked at her. His eyes went wide as they met hers.
“Hey,” he said, leaning forward.
Lucy knew it would hurt, but she didn’t care. Lunging forward, she threw her arms around Tim, who didn’t hesitate before wrapping her in a hug, holding her close and gently. “I got you,” he whispered, and Lucy was choking back tears again. “You know that was insane, right?”
“Worth it,” Lucy mumbled. “You owe me a drink.”
She knew he didn’t understand what she was talking about, but to his credit, he didn’t question her. Just held her close and pressed what felt like a kiss into her hair.
Finally, the stress and fear of the past two weeks released from around her shoulders. Tim was alive, and they were both okay. That was all she needed for now. Everything else? Well, she could handle that tomorrow.