Work Text:
Tim pulls up to the scene and it is complete chaos, the small cabin still in flames, ambulances and fire trucks everywhere. The last communication with Lucy and Nolan had been them radioing for the bomb squad, then 911 calls began pouring in about an explosion in the area. Tim had radioed them multiple times with no response as he sped towards the scene.
He jumps out of his shop before it even comes to a complete stop, his eyes frantically scanning the area for his officers, for Lucy. He sees Nolan first, being wheeled out on a stretcher, an oxygen mask over his face, blood on his face and arms but talking and alert.
“Nolan, are you ok? Where’s Chen? What happened?” Tim tries to remain calm, to remain in sergeant mode but all he can think about is Lucy and making sure she’s ok.
Nolan coughs as he removes the oxygen mask, “Guy had a whole arsenal of bombs. He came out with a grenade and we managed to disarm him but he had rigged something in the back room and as we were leaving it just exploded.”
“And Officer Chen? Where is she?”
“With the medics. We both got thrown back with the explosion, she hit her head pretty hard so they are evaluating her for a concussion.”
He scans the area again until finally he sees her, sitting on a stretcher, an oxygen mask over her face, a bloody gash on her forehead. His feet are moving towards her before he even fully processes what’s happening. He stops at the end of the stretcher, watches as the medic cleans the wound on her head, Lucy wincing at the sting. Then her eyes flicker to his, holding his gaze for a moment.
Tim shifts back into sergeant mode, not because he wants to, but because he needs to, needs to follow protocol before he does something he can’t take back. Before he says something he can’t take back.
“Chen, what the hell happened?”
He immediately knows he said the wrong thing by the way her face falls and she shifts her gaze away from him, “I’m fine sir. Thanks for asking. Your concern is touching.”
“Chen.. that’s not..”
She looks at the paramedics tending to her, “Can we get moving to the hospital? I would really love to get that over with so I can go home.”
The medics nod their heads and begin to strap her down to the stretcher, preparing her for transport. Just as they are about to load her into the ambulance Tim hears her voice, “I’ll have the paperwork finished as soon as they clear me Sergeant Bradford. If you have any other questions I’m sure Officer Nolan would be happy to fill you in.”
Then she’s gone, loaded into the back of the ambulance and Tim stands there watching it pull away, suddenly overcome with the desire to jump in his shop and follow her. But he can’t, he’ll find Lucy later and check in, for now he has a job to do.
*******
It’s hours later when Tim finally returns to the station, the scene cleared, the sniper arrested. As he walks down the hallway he catches a glimpse of Lucy disappearing into the women’s locker room. He hesitates for a second outside the door before he decides to take the risk. It’s late, most of the day shift is already gone and evening shift is out on patrol so the locker room should be empty. So he takes a deep breath, pushes the door open and steps inside.
He makes his way towards the row where he knows Lucy’s locker is and stops in his tracks as he turns the corner. She is turned away from him, her long hair freely flowing down her back. Her naked back. Tim watches as she gingerly pulls a shirt over her head, covering up the exposed skin. He shakes his head to clear the thoughts swirling then he clears his throat.
Lucy spins around, her eyes widening as she sees Tim standing there, “What are you doing in here? You do know this is the women’s locker room right?”
“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”
“Oh, now you want to pretend you care?”
He scoffs, “What is that supposed to mean?”
“You didn’t seem to care when you didn’t even consider me as your aide, knowing how good that would look for my career.”
“Lucy, that’s not why I didn’t pick you.”
“You know what, it doesn’t matter. It’s late, I’m tired and my entire body is aching. I’m going home.”
She slams her locker shut, throws her bag onto her shoulder and goes to move past Tim but he grabs her wrist, stopping her.
“Just… wait. I know you're mad that I didn’t pick you to be my aide, but can you at least tell me if you are ok?”
She yanks her wrist out of his grasp, “You think I’m mad because you didn’t pick me? No Tim, it's because you picked Smitty over me. Smitty! Basically telling everyone in the entire station that you think Smitty is a better officer than I am.”
He shakes his head, “That’s not… that is not why I picked him.”
“Oh really? Then explain it to me. Explain why you thought it was a good idea to pick Webb, then Smitty, instead of me? Am I really that awful to be around? Do you really think I’m that terrible as an officer?”
“Lucy…” He starts but then he trails off, unable to voice the words, unable to tell her the real reason why he didn’t pick her to be his aide.
She scoffs, “You know what… it’s fine. Come find me when you're ready to pull your head out of your ass and give me a real reason.”
She brushes past him, knocking into his shoulder as she goes. Tim hears the locker room door slam shut and he stands there stunned, wondering what the hell just happened and how he can fix it.
*******
Tim drives around aimlessly after he leaves the station, his mind swirling. He knows exactly why he didn’t pick Lucy to be his aide. Things have been changing between them since she graduated to P2, the lines beginning to blur as they spend more time together off shift. The night of Angela’s failed wedding he had shamelessly checked her out, asked her to save him a dance and he always finds himself wondering what would have happened if things hadn’t gone to hell. He held her in his arms that night, in the middle of his living room and he couldn’t help but think how right it felt.
When Grey suggested Tim take Lucy as his aide, his first thought was how amazing it would be to ride with her again. Until he realized these feelings he has been developing for her complicated things, so he picked Webb instead, and he didn’t miss the hurt look on her face when he did.
In Tim’s mind it was the safest thing to do, the best way to put some distance between them while he figured things out. But now she was mad, really mad, and she had almost gotten blown up today because of his avoidance.
Before he knows it he is pulling into Lucy’s apartment complex and parking his truck in the spot next to her car. He shuts it off and sits there for a moment, staring up at the building, at the window that he knows is hers. Then he gets out of his truck, slamming the door behind him before he can second guess his decision.
Once he gets to the door he realizes how crazy this is, it’s almost one in the morning, and he has no way of getting inside of the building unless he calls Lucy. He’s just pulling out his phone when the door opens, a delivery driver stepping out, holding it open for Tim who quickly steps inside. He makes his way up the stairs to the sixth floor and comes to a stop outside her apartment door. There’s a small voice in his head telling him this is a bad idea, to turn around and go home, but Tim pushes it aside and knocks.
He waits, hoping that Lucy is still awake, hoping she answers. He knocks again, a little louder this time and he is just starting to lose hope when he hears the locks clicking and the door is pulled open.
Lucy is standing there in pajama shorts, a tank top and a robe thrown over top, her hair piled high in a messy bun on top of her head. He lets his gaze trail down her body, taking in her bare legs before he drags his eyes back up to meet hers. There’s a questioning look in them as she raises an eyebrow at him, “What are you doing here Tim?”
“I need to talk to you. Can I come in?”
She hesitates for a second before she steps aside, opening the door wider for him to walk through. He steps inside, shoving his hands in his pockets while she shuts and locks the door behind him. His eyes scan the apartment, he notices the door to Tamara’s room wide open, but it’s empty. He raises an eyebrow at Lucy.
“She’s staying with a friend. They have a big exam tomorrow so they are spending the night studying.”
He nods as they stand there in silence, Lucy staring at him, Tim unsure what to say now that he’s finally face to face with her.
“Did you have a reason for showing up at one in the morning or did you just want to stand here in awkward silence?”
He studies her, the gauze on her forehead covering the gash, a cut on her cheek, a bruise forming on her chest and it hits him in that moment that he truly could have lost her today. And it would have been all his fault. Simply because he was too scared to tell her how he truly feels so instead he pushed her away.
Tim takes a step towards her, then another, and another, until he’s right in front of her, looking down into her beautiful brown eyes. He brings his hand up and gently rubs it over the cut on her cheek. Lucy’s eyes widen as his hand touches her skin but then she closes her eyes and leans into his touch. He drags his hand down to the bruise on her chest, tracing it with his fingers as he hears Lucy’s sharp intake of breath.
His voice is low when he speaks, “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Her voice shakes as she speaks, “Just some cuts on my arms and legs from the shrapnel. Doctors said no concussion but to take it easy for a few days.”
His hands move from her chest to her shoulders as he pushes her robe down. It slides down her arms, revealing more marks before it falls to the floor, pooling at her feet. Tim’s hand drags down each arm, taking in each cut, his fingers rubbing gently over them while Lucy watches, her eyes wide, her lips parted.
“Tim… what are you doing here?”
He meets her gaze, locking his eyes on hers before taking a deep breath.
“I didn’t pick Smitty as my aide because I think he’s a better officer than you. For the record, no one is a better officer than you.”
“Then why did you pick him Tim? Why not me?”
“I just didn’t think it was a good idea for us to ride together.”
“You mean you didn’t want to ride with me?” She takes a step away from him, his hands falling to his sides as she slips out of his touch.
He shakes his head, “No. No. That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what the fuck did you mean Tim? If you can’t explain it to me then you need to leave because I’m tired and I’m not going to go around in circles with you tonight.”
“I just… Lucy, this is hard for me, because I know the second I tell you then it means I lose you.”
“What are you talking about? Why would you lose me?”
The dam finally bursts and when he speaks his voice is louder than he intends it to be, “Because I’m in love with you! And I know you don’t feel the same way, so I’m sorry. I’m sorry for telling you, I’m sorry for not picking you to be my aide, I’m sorry you almost died today because of me. But Lucy I cannot sit next to you every single day in the shop with these feelings, knowing that I can never have you the way I want to have you.”
Once the words are out Tim lets out a long breath and hangs his head, waiting for Lucy’s response, waiting for her to crush his heart.
He feels her move closer, feels her hand run up his chest before she places it under his chin, forcing his eyes up to meet hers. When they meet all he can see are the tears swimming in hers and his heart plummets. This is why he didn’t want to tell her, because he knew it would change everything between them, and he would lose the most important person in his life.
Her voice is shaky when she finally speaks, “Tim.. why would you think telling me that would push me away?”
“Because you don’t feel the same way. Because you are too good for me Lucy. You are kind, pure, loving, and just, walking sunshine. And I'm just broken, and I'm scared.”
His voice cracks on the last word, his emotions threatening to take over as he watches Lucy’s eyes fill with concern, with a softness that he doesn’t feel worthy of.
“You’re not broken Tim. And I’m scared too.”
“What are you scared of?”
“Of how much I love you. How much I need you. Of ruining the most important relationship in my life.”
His face breaks into a hesitant smile as he listens to her words, “You… you love me?”
Her hand slides up to his face, her thumb rubbing across his cheek bone as she nods, “I do. I’ve loved you for longer than I should have. I’ve pushed those feelings aside because you were my training officer, and then after Jackson died you became the one person I could always depend on and I was terrified of losing that.”
He brings his hands up to cup her face, “So if I love you.. and you love me.. then that means..”
She giggles, “I think it means you should kiss me now.”
The smile that breaks out takes up his whole face as he leans down and finally captures her lips with his. It’s everything he always imagined a kiss with Lucy would be, her lips soft and warm against his. He pulls back, resting his forehead against hers as they breathe each other in, “So what now?”
Lucy throws her arms around his neck, “Now I think we should do more kissing… and maybe even something that requires less clothing.”
She pulls him into her, crashing her lips to his again and this time there is nothing soft about their kiss. Her tongue slides into his mouth as his hands slide under her tank top, feeling the warm skin beneath his hands. He pushes her back until she hits her front door, a gasp escaping her lips. Tim continues to kiss her, his hands grazing the underside of her boobs as he nudges her legs apart with one of his thighs.
Lucy grinds her center against him, desperate for some kind of friction as his mouth moves from her mouth to her neck. He presses kisses to her tattoo and moves down to her collarbone, sucking a mark there causing Lucy to moan as she continues to grind against his thigh.
He pulls back, his hands go to the hem of her shirt and he looks at her, his eyes asking silent permission. She nods and he slowly pulls it up and over her head, his eyes never leaving hers. He tosses it behind them before he lets his gaze lower, taking in her perfectly rounded breasts, “You are so fucking gorgeous.”
He dips his head again to kiss her, slowly, sensually before he trails his lips down her neck again all the way down to her breasts. His tongue darts out, circling one of her nipples while he pinches the other one between his fingers, causing a whine from Lucy.
Lucy’s hands snake between them, tugging at the hem of Tim’s shirt before he pulls back and helps her pull it over his head. She lets her eyes shamelessly take in his body, the hard planes of his abs and his chest as she runs her hand over his body. She surges up to press her lips to his as she fumbles with his belt buckle, desperate to feel more of his skin against hers.
He laughs against her lips, "Someone's a little impatient.”
“Can you blame me? I rode with you for over a year and all I could do was look. Now I get to touch, and I’m going to enjoy every single second.”
“Patience babe. We have all night, and I intend to use every single second to make you feel good.”
She cocks an eyebrow at him, “And just how do you intend to do that?”
He leans down to whisper in her ear, his breath hot against her skin, “I’m going to make you come three times. First, I’m going to fuck you with my fingers right here against this door. Then I’m going to carry you to that island where I’m going to take you apart with my mouth. And then, I’m going to take you to your bed, where I’m going to sink into you and feel you fall apart around my cock.”
Lucy shudders at his words, who knew Tim Bradford, hard ass TO, was such a dirty talker.
His hands move to the waistband of her shorts, toying with the drawstring as he kisses her again. Lucy feels herself grow wetter as his hand slides under the waistband, ghosting her pussy over her panties.
“Tim… please.”
He knows exactly what she’s begging for and he doesn’t miss a beat. He tugs her shorts down, taking her panties with them, and she stands there stripped bare for him. He eyes her hungrily, his eyes darkening as they glide over her entire body taking her all in.
He bends down, nipping at her ear before whispering, “You are so beautiful Lucy.”
Her knees buckle as he eases one finger into her, one of her legs coming up to wrap around him, opening herself up more to him. He adds another, spreading them inside of her, stretching her out and causing a loud moan to escape her lips.
“You’re so wet, you feel so fucking perfect. Can’t wait to feel how you feel around my cock.”
”Oh god..”
Tim swallows her moan as he attaches his lips to hers, his fingers pumping in and out of her while he tangles their tongues together. Lucy grasps at his back, her fingernails digging in as he builds her up. He can feel her clenching around his fingers, her orgasm approaching as he brings his thumb up to circle her clit. His lips move from hers, down her neck, sucking at her tattoo while he curls his fingers inside of her and he feels her shatter. Her pussy tightens around his fingers as she finds her release, her juices soaking Tim’s hand. He slows his motions, pumping slowly as he works her through it until he pulls completely out of her and she slumps forward, her head against his chest, her body heaving with heavy breaths.
He kisses the side of her head, “That’s one.”
She chuckles against his chest before she looks up at him and he leans down to meet her lips again. As they kiss Lucy begins to push him backwards until his back hits the cool tile of the island. She pulls back, her hands run down his chest before she begins to unbutton his jeans, slowly tug down the zipper and push them down his legs. Tim helps kick them off and watches as Lucy’s eyes drag over his body, lingering on his hard cock bulging through his boxers.
“Not yet. I get to taste you now.”
She laughs as he spins them, his hands coming up under her ass to lift her up onto the counter, a hiss escaping her lips as the cold tile hits her warm skin. He drags her to the edge, her pussy dripping right in front of him. He presses kisses to the inside of her thighs, biting down, leaving his marks before his mouth hovers in front of her wet, hot center. Tim blows out a breath, the heat making Lucy whimper before he licks a stripe from the back to the front. Lucy falls back against the counter as he begins to devour her, his tongue swirling around her clit then plunging into her. Her back arches as Tim’s hand comes up, pressing down on her belly, holding her in place while he continues to fuck her with this tongue. He alternates between licking and sucking and Lucy can feel her legs trembling in minutes, her next orgasm already brewing.
“Fuck Tim. Right there. I’m so close.”
He grips her thighs, pulling her impossibly closer to him as his tongue continues to fuck her and with one final suck to her clit he feels her break. She comes with a loud shout, her legs trembling as her orgasm washes over her and Tim laps it up. Lucy squirms out of his grip as she sits up and wraps her legs around his waist, bringing him closer and feeling his hard cock pressing into her leg.
She kisses him, moaning at the taste of her on his tongue as he grips her ass, lifting her off the counter and carrying her to the bedroom. He tosses her onto the bed, her breasts bouncing, her hair falling out of the messy bun it had been in. Tim pushes his boxers down, finally freeing his cock before he climbs onto the bed, settling between her legs. He drags his hand up her body, leaving a trail of goosebumps in his wake before his hands tangle in her hair. He tugs the hair tie holding her hair in place, pulling it out and allowing her hair to fall freely around her shoulders, perfectly framing her face.
“So fucking gorgeous.”
Lucy giggles, “Pretty sure you’ve said that multiple times tonight.”
He shrugs, “What can I say? You are gorgeous, and I plan on telling you as many times as I can.”
Her heart clenches at the softness of his voice, and his words. For a minute she just stares at him, taking in what has happened between them, and what is about to happen between them. Just this morning she was angry, and a little hurt, thinking he didn’t want to be around her anymore. Now here they were, in her bed, laid completely bare after confessing their love for each other.
She brings her hands up to cradle his face, their eyes locking as she whispers, “I love you.”
He smiles, “I love you too.”
Then he leans down to press a gentle kiss to her lips as he slowly pushes into her, Lucy gasping as he sinks in, stretching her inch by inch. Once he is fully seated he stills, allowing her a moment to adjust as he kisses her again, his nose nuzzling against hers as she clings to him.
“I’m good babe. Move.”
Tim begins to thrust slowly into her, pulling out almost completely before slowly sliding back in. Lucy can feel every single inch, every single vein as he glides inside of her.
The feeling is almost overwhelming for Lucy as he slowly builds her up, pressing kisses along her face, her neck, her shoulders as he does. She grinds her hips, desperate for more but he just hums against her neck.
“Patience Lucy. I’ll get you there. I want to take my time. Your pussy feels so good around my cock.”
She lets out a whine as he picks up his pace just a little bit, his cock hitting deep inside of her as her walls flutter around him. Tim moves his lips to her collarbone and is beginning to suck a mark when Lucy makes her move. She hooks her leg around his thigh and flips them, his back landing with a thud against her mattress as she sinks back down onto him.
He grips her hips as he grins at her, “Just couldn’t be patient could you?”
She leans down, brushing her lips against his before moving down his neck, nipping at his collarbone as she looks up at him, “I could be patient, but this is so much more fun.”
She sits up, rotating her hips against his as he groans, taking in the sight of her breasts bouncing and then his eyes travel down to where they are joined together.
“Look at you, taking my cock like a good little girl. Use me baby.”
Lucy plants her hands on his chest as she rises up and down, Tim watching as his dick repeatedly disappears inside of her. His hands come up to fondle her breasts, twisting her nipples between his fingers as Lucy throws her head back and lets out a loud moan.
“Oh god.. you feel so fucking good. Fuck Tim.”
He can feel her walls fluttering, feel her movements faltering and knows she is close. So he wraps his arms around her waist and flips them again, hovering over her before driving back into her and setting a brutal pace. Lucy grabs his forearms, fingernails digging in as Tim pounds into her, bringing them both right to the edge. Lucy comes with a loud scream, his name rolling off her lips as Tim continues to fuck her, chasing his own release. Her pussy clenches him tightly as she rides out her orgasm and Tim follows her over the edge, spurting his cum inside of her with a loud roar.
He collapses on top of her, careful not to crush her as they both come down from their highs, their bodies slick with sweat, their breathing rapid. Tim rolls off of her with a groan as his cock slips out of her, their combined fluids spilling out onto the sheets.
They lay there, side by side for a few minutes before Lucy rolls over, throwing her leg over his and snuggling into his side. His arm comes up around her and he presses a kiss to the side of her head as he thinks about how perfectly she fits around him.
After a few minutes she breaks the silence, “What are you thinking about?”
”I’m thinking that you definitely can’t be my aide now.”
She laughs, “No. I can’t. Because if I’m your aide then we can’t keep doing that, and I definitely want to keep doing that.”
Tim laughs as he pulls her closer to him, nuzzling her hair as he rubs his hand up and down her arm, “Guess it turned out to be a good thing I didn’t pick you and you almost got blown up. Made me get my head out of my ass.”
She swats his chest as her laughter echoes off the walls of the room and Tim can’t help but think how lucky he is that this beautiful, kind, warm, and amazing woman chose him. And he vows to himself to show her every single day just how much she means to him.