Chapter Text
Tim Bradford stood in the kitchen of his sister’s house helping her clean up after dinner. Genny had made the meal so he stayed to help her clean while his nephews did their homework in the living room. With his sister working on the dishes in her sink, the dishwasher was broken and Nolan was coming by to check it over the next day, he headed back into the dining room to grab the rest of the dishes. Pausing as he picked up the plates, he found his girlfriend sitting on the couch beside his youngest nephew, working on his problems with him. She’d gone to the bathroom but had apparently gone on a detour instead of returning to the kitchen.
“…how does it work?” Reese asked while looking at Lucy. At seven, he was the youngest and often struggled with the difference in curriculum between his school in St. Louis and Los Angeles. “How does rain happen?”
Lucy picked up the boy’s pencil and looked at Tyler. “Tyler, can I have a piece of paper out of your notebook, please.”
“Yeah.” Tyler flipped his notebook to the next page and tore out the paper.
“Thank you.” Lucy put the paper down and smiled at Reese. “You’ve been in Los Angles a while so tell me what nature is around.”
Reese shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“That’s not true. I know you know the answer to my question.” Lucy rubbed the boy’s back. “Think about it. What forms of nature is around us?”
“Well there is the ocean.” Lucy started writing on the paper. “The sun, it’s always on.”
Lucy chuckled. “Okay, what else?”
“Trees and up north there are mountains. Mrs. Bennet says there is a desert to the south.”
Still writing on the paper, she finally put the pencil down and pushed the paper towards Reese to show him what was on it. “Way out in the ocean the sun turns the water to a gas instead of a liquid. That’s called evaporation. In the sky, very far above our heads it turns from warm to cold. When it’s cold, the gas turns into half-gas, half-liquid called condensation. It collects in clouds and when it becomes heavy, it starts to rain and that’s called precipitation. When it rains, water collects on the ground and the cycle starts all over again.”
The boy picked up the paper and looked at it, as if in deep thought. “Why does the teacher make it harder?”
“I don’t know, buddy. School just becomes harder the older you get.”
“Did you go to school?”
Lucy laughed and nodded. “I did, I went to school for a very long time. Then after school, I went to the LAPD Academy. I learned to be an officer there and then Uncle Tim taught me for my first year as a police officer.”
“Did you know that Uncle Tim says you’re sunshine?” The child beside her looked up with seriousness.
Laughter spilled from the younger officer again as she nodded. “I do know that.”
“Are you my aunt?” It was asked with pure innocence. “Leo says his uncle got married and then he got an aunt.”
Lucy smiled at the child beside her and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear. “Hopefully, one day. Uncle Tim has to ask me to marry him before that can happen.”
“Oh.” Eyes went back to the paper he was holding. “Evaporation, Condensation, and Precipitation. I got it now.”
“Good and well done pronouncing those huge words.”
Tim turned around and headed back to the kitchen, finding his sister in the doorway watching him and what was going on in the living room. Genny leaned against the counter and folded her arms while Tim went back to rinsing the dishes. “You should ask her.”
“We’re not there yet.” Tim told his sister.
“There’s no law to say you can’t continue working on the relationship while engaged.” Genny looked straight at Tim. “Lucy isn’t Isabel, she’s not going to run.”
Tim sighed and paused, turning to his sister fully. “I know that. I see the difference every day, but this is more about Lucy than me being scared.”
“So you are scared?”
Folding his arms, he turned around and leaned against the counter. “I love her and I fear asking her to marry me is going to put her where so many female officers land after marriage. She loves being a cop and this most recent blow of not making detective, it caused a rough patch we’re working through. Mending isn’t easy; I used to think I was amazing at relationships because I didn’t fight with Isabel or girlfriends. I just wasn’t putting in the effort and Lucy is worth the effort ten times over.”
“Exactly.” Taking pity on him, she asked a question. “How long have you been together?”
“A year, twenty-eight days.”
Genny covered her mouth while laughing. “I’m sorry, I just never expected you to count days on top of months.”
His hands were shoved into his pants pockets, no longer on the defensive. “I count a lot of things now. Like money and time.”
“Why money?”
“I’m paying off the mortgage faster than I planned to. I want to get a house with Lucy one day, that means something bigger than my one-bedroom house. Tamara and the kids to come, they need room too.”
“So you’re not afraid of kids, but marriage spooks you? Tim, at times I don’t know how your mind works.” At a thought, Genny turned to him. “Tamara?”
He nodded softly. “Lucy promised that Tamara would always have a home with her. If we move, Tamara comes with her.” He sighed, “plus with the hell that girl has gone through, I’d never tear a roof from over her head or not have a meal readily available for her to eat. I used to think she was an annoying brat but I learned some of what she went through and I know if that was my kid, I’d want someone to give her a home after living on the streets.”
“Hey.” Lucy came into the kitchen and read the room immediately. “Am I interrupting something?”
Tim removed his hands from his pockets. “Not at all. My sister was just trying to figure out how my mind works.”
Lucy smirked. “You figure it out Genny, please let me know.”
Genny nodded. “You’ll be my first call. Sergeant Grey will be my second.”
“Alright, this is just getting weird.” He turned back to the sink.
Seeing the wall clock, the younger of the Bradford siblings pulled on her brother’s arm. “Come on. You two go home and rest before you go out into the organized chaos that is Los Angeles. I have two boys to get in the bath and bed.”
“I’m helping you clean up since you cooked.”
Annoyance filled Genny’s voice as she spoke to Lucy. “Is he always this annoying?”
“No, not usually.” Lucy motioned to herself. “I’m the dramatic, annoying one.”
Tim turned back around quickly. “I was out of line when I said that. More that I was being hard on you because I wanted to get you to quit the program since I saw you as unfit.”
“Thank you for finally telling me that. However, are we forgetting all the drama that happens when I drink too much coffee?”
Looking between the couple as if it was a tennis match, Genny gave her brother three seconds before he put his foot in his mouth. He had no clue it was a test that he’d probably fail massively. It took a moment but finally Tim spoke. “That was one week out of almost five years. That doesn’t make you dramatic, more passionate that you’d stay up all night finding ways for at-risk juveniles.” Genny found herself impressed that her brother could navigate around that land mine.
“It’s official, I’m kicking you guys out. I really do have to get the boys in the bath and then bed.”
Tyler and Reese made their way over to the two as Lucy was pulling on her sweatshirt and purse. Tim got hugs after Lucy for a change and she held in the laugh she’d let out later, especially seeing his expression of disbelief.
“Goodnight.” Reese told her and she rubbed his back.
“Tell me what those big words are again, in order?” She waited and finally heard them after a second.
“Evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.”
Lucy nodded, “good job. You have a good night with your mom.”
“’Night.” Tyler hugged her after his brother.
Reese motioned for Tim to come down to his level and he knelt down. “What’s up?” Hands covered Tim’s ear as words were whispered to him. When Reese pulled away, he smiled at his nephew. “I’ll work on that.”
“Soon?”
“Not super soon, but one day.” He stood up and ruffled his nephew’s hair before getting a hug from Tyler. “Behave for your mom, okay?” A nod was his answer, “goodnight.”
“’Night.”
The sound of giggling welcomed them both as they entered the apartment. It was coming from Tamara’s room so Lucy went over and knocked. “Tamara?”
“Yeah, what’s up?” The girl opened her door and found Lucy giving a knowing look. “Right, I didn’t say anything about having friends over.”
Two girls around Tamara’s age filled the doorway and Tim folded his arms. “You know the rules and you know why.”
“Fine.” She turned to her friends. “Sorry, but you guys have to leave.”
Lucy shook her head. “No, you’re fine. Just next time, let one of us know.”
There was guilt on Tamara’s face so Tim spoke with a softer tone. “Just remember you got an exam in the morning. Not too late and not too loud.”
“Will do.”
As Tim and Lucy headed to the master bedroom, Lucy held in her laughter as she heard one of the girls ask about Tim. “You never said your dad was hot.”
“He’s not my dad. Even still, gross.”
Once inside, Tim shut the door until it was cracked a few inches. “Our kids will never bring people over without permission.”
“Our kids will definitely do that.” Lucy told him as she started removing the decorative pillows off the bed. “I had boys over without my parents finding out and I know you had at least one girl over.”
Tim looked at her from where he sat on the bed removing his shoes. “Not with my home life the way it was. Although I did climb in and out of the window of my girlfriend’s house when I was sixteen.”
“Are you going to tell me what Reese whispered to you?” Lucy moved to the dresser to remove leggings and a shirt from inside.
“He asked me when I was going to ask you to marry me.” Tim saw Lucy turn towards him. “It’s hard telling a child that relationships aren’t like the movies. Especially when that’s what they’ve been exposed to. Genny told them that their father had to work overseas. Instead of telling them he didn’t want them.”
Lucy smiled and reached out to put her hand on Tim’s shoulder, stepping between his legs after throwing the clothes on the bed. “I always hated how shows and movies present a fairy tale when life is so much messier.” She ran her fingers through his short hair. “So, judging by your answer, you want to marry me one day?”
Tim watched her face as his hands sat at her waist. “Without a doubt, you’re it for me Lucy Chen.”
“Good, I want to marry you too.” She leaned down and kissed him, smiling afterwards. “They asked if I’m their aunt while I was helping with homework.”
Tim stood up and cupped her face. “I know, I saw it all. One day, you’re going to make the best mother.”
“Really?” She ran her hand across his chest while looking down before looking back up. “You think so?”
“I know so.” Tim pulled her into a hug and held onto the petite cop. “I definitely wouldn’t be able to do what you did when dealing with homework.”
Lucy pulled back and smiled at him. “Don’t short your abilities. You did amazing teaching me; you can teach about rain.” She grabbed her clothes and headed around the bed to change. Tamara had guests and while the teen would put in headphones in every night, her friends wouldn’t so it didn’t do well to have Tim within inches of her unclothed body.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled it into the charger by the bed after setting the alarm. “Teaching a rookie police officer, piece of cake for me. Teaching about the weather, not my area.” He pointed at her after watching Lucy pull on the over-sized shirt. “Is that my shirt?”
Lucy grinned. “Maybe.”
“That’s like the fifth you’ve stolen.”
“Tenth but who’s counting.”
Tim shook his head and watched her head into the bathroom. “How’s that new med working?”
“Better than the Zoloft.” Lucy stated as she stood in the doorway with her toothbrush in one hand and toothpaste in the other. “A lot better than the Remeron. I’ve lost some of the weight I gained on the Remeron. That makes me feel a lot better.”
“Weight gain or loss, I’ve noticed you’re more upbeat and happier. More so than usual, at least.” He walked around the bed and over to the bathroom. “Remember when you and Aaron rode together last week?”
“Yeah.” It was said around brushing her teeth and looked at him through the mirror as he leaned in the doorway.
“He asked if you were okay. Said you were chattier than normal and hyper. I unfortunately asked for specifics and he went on for an hour about some of the things you talked about. I told him that was you as a rookie before everything happened. Also, you blew up my phone with dog memes the last few days. Definitely pre-barrel Lucy.”
After spitting, the petite officer put her toothbrush in the cup by the sink. “That’s good though.”
“It is. Just not for my phone battery.” He smiled at her, “normally, I wouldn’t care but Pine called just as it went dead. You can imagine how that ended.”
Lucy winced. “Oof, I’m sorry. What did you tell her?”
“That my phone battery is shot and I’d be replacing it immediately. Best I could come up with at a moment’s notice.”
“Did she believe you?” Lucy asked as she neared him. “Because I love you, but you can’t lie to save your life.”
He nodded, “she did, and given there have been several articles about the model losing battery life very quickly, she’d have no reason to think otherwise.” He watched her bite her lip and shuffle her feet for a few moments. “Baby, what’s wrong? You’re clearly nervous over something.”
“I kind of want to ask you something but I’m pretty sure you’re going to tell me ‘no’ when I do ask.” She met his eyes.
Tim got concerned and took her hands. “Ask me and you never know, I might surprise you.”
“Go to therapy with me this week?” She bit her lip again before rushing to speak. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Forget I said anything.”
“Tuesday at ten, right?” He saw eyes look up after looking down. “The only therapy I’m familiar with is the psych evals necessary to return to work. That said, I wouldn’t miss it. I’ll put in a med appointment request tomorrow. Pine approves time off instantly for such appointments.”
Lucy leaned up on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you.”
“Your health is priority one for me. No compromise, not ever.” He brushed hair behind her ear and nodded. “If you want me to come to therapy, I may balk at times but I’ll be there.”
Happy, she moved past him and headed to push back covers to climb into bed. “Oh, and I need one more favor.”
Tim turned around and looked at her. “Now I’m concerned. Especially given how you’re looking at me right now.” Her expression was one of happiness and eagerness.
“I checked policies and rank structure.”
“Okay, a little elaboration would be nice.”
Lucy smiled at him. “I’m asking for help this time, from you.”
“You can’t retake the Detective’s Exam for another two years.”
“True, but I do qualify to take the Sergeant’s Exam.” Lucy put on the puppy dog eyes that he was not immune to any longer. “Please?”
Tim pointed at her. “If you’re serious…”
“I am.” Seeing he wasn’t finished, she nodded. “Sorry, you weren’t done.”
“If you’re serious, it’s not going to be easy. I won’t make it easy.” He walked towards where she sat on the bed under the covers. “I also need to know you won’t think I’m undermining you if I give you an order.”
Lucy nodded. “Yeah, I thought about that whole situation when I considered studying for the exam. I know sometimes your orders are just that, orders as a sergeant. I’ve never apologized and I should have. I’m sorry for how I acted.”
“You were in your own head. You think you have to study for every little thing when a lot of times, it’s not that simple. I blame your mother for that fact.” He knew her mother was a handful and hadn’t met the woman only because he’d probably strangle her for how she treated Lucy. “As for the apology, thank you.”
She reached out and touched his arm. “It’s been hard getting through this rough patch, but we’ll come out the other side stronger.”
“I know that. Anyone else and I’d have taken a step back to prevent an argument or fight.” Tim took two steps to the bed and placed a gentle hand on the back of her head, bending over to kiss her crown. “But you’re worth the effort and worth the fight. Worth every bad moment and every tear.”
Lucy nodded and looked up to meet his eyes. “I feel the same. Now get ready for bed because I know you have training in the morning and I want cuddles.”
“Yes ma’am. I wouldn’t want you to be starved of cuddles.”
“You’re an ass.” She told him as he headed into the bedroom, smiling as she heard him laugh at her comment.