#therookiefanfic

[escapismqueen]

A Chenford fic- Sick day

Synopsis: Tim wakes up feeling under the weather, but insists he can still go to work. Lucy has other ideas.

Inc: Lots and lots of fluff, and slight angst.

Warnings: Mentions of grief and Tim's Childhood abuse.

Tim wakes up with a groan, wiping the sleep from his eyes, only when he does, he notices a tension in his body that wasn’t there yesterday. As he gets up to stretch, his head begins to feel heavy, pain rushing through and sealing his eyes closed. His hands reach for his forehead, trying to ease some of the pain. He realises the warmth on his face, it’s definitely not normal temperature; he’s sick. Tim sits at the edge of the bed, and grunts lowly, trying not to wake Lucy in the process.

Lucy wriggles when she hears Tim’s voice, opening her eyes slowly. Adjusting to the lights, she blinks several times before she registers that Tim is hunched over at the edge of the bed. She wonders for a second if he’s just woken up too, but when she feels the cold on his side of the bed, she knows he must’ve been up for at least 10 minutes. “Babe, are you okay?” 

Tim lifts his head as high as he can to look towards her. “Mhmm” Lucy’s brows furrow at the definite lie. She shifts closer towards him, hands trailing up his back and down his chest. She notices the heat radiating off him and lifts her hands to check his forehead. “Tim, you’re burning up. You need to take today off” 

“No, I’ll be fine. S just a little temperature” Lucy rolls her eyes at his stubbornness, moving off of the bed and stretching her legs to stand in front of him. “Tim, you’re not going to work. And neither am I” his head snaps to hers, wincing from the clear pain it’s caused him. 

“Luce, you can’t take the day off work just because I’m sick. And besides, I won’t be here, because I’ll be at work”

At the utterance of his words, she sighs deeply and kneels in front of him, so she can face him at eye level. “Babe, you’re sick. And you’re not going to be any good to anyone at work when you’re like this. And I also know that you’re too stubborn to look after yourself so I am going to look after you. No arguments.” She leans down slightly to give him a small kiss on the cheek, pushing him gently back towards the pillows on the bed. 

“Go back to sleep. I’ll call work for both of us and I’m going to make you some soup.” Tim looks at her adoringly, lips curving into a smile with the little energy he has. “You don’t have to do that Luce. I’ll be o-“ 

“Hush, I’m doing it, now, go to bed.” He knows at this point that’s there’s no use putting up a fight. When Lucy has her mind set on something, she’s going to do it no matter what anyone says. Besides, he finds it incredibly sweet. He’s never been looked after like this before. He was once sick when he was with Ashley, but as soon as she found out, she went home and told him she’d see him when he felt better. He did however get a delivery of warm soup on his doorstep, so that was something at least. 

As Lucy leaves the bedroom, Tim rests his head back on his pillow and reaches his left arm out over Lucy’s side of the bed. It doesn’t take long before he’s back to the land of dreams. 

Lucy hums whilst in the kitchen, rooting through the cupboards for the ingredients of her famous ‘feel better soup’. That’s what Jackson named it after she made it for him when he had the flu in police academy. The memory makes her smile and clenches her heart with a bittersweet feeling. She misses him, especially on days like this; if Jackson knew she was going to make her famous soup, he’d have ran home during his lunch break and taken some with him. He’d done it once when Lucy made some for Tamara. 

Shaking her head of the memory so she doesn’t upset herself, she continues to search through the shelves, eyes scanning what’s there and what’s not. After around 5 minutes,she becomes aware that a trip to the grocery store is needed, so she gets out a small piece of paper and writes Tim a little note just in case he wakes up ‘Tim- needed to go get some more ingredients, be back soon, there’s some aspirin and a glass of water next to the bed xx’ she finishes her note by drawing a small heart below the kisses and leaves it taped to the bedroom door. 

20 minutes after Lucy left for the store, Tim wakes up to the sound of his phone vibrating on the beside table. Groaning, he leans over to his side and fumbles for his phone, not even looking to see who’s calling him. “Hello” 

“Oh my god, what happened to you?” Tim immediately recognises his sisters voice, not enjoying the teasing behind her tone. They’ve known each other for long enough to know when each other are sick, and Genny knew from the moment Tim answered the phone that he was feeling under the weather. It reminded her of when they were kids, only this memory wasn’t a particularly nostalgic one. She remembered the time that Tim got sick before a football game once; he had the flu really badly, chills, headache, his nose wouldn’t stop running and he just looked out of it. Their Dad forced him to go the game that day, telling Tim that he needed to ‘Man up’; he ended up fainting at the game and Genny never forgot about how weak and ill Tim looked. Their Dad yelled at him for ‘embarrassing’ him. 

Genny sighs regretfully at the memory, wishing she could’ve done more to help him at the time. But she was scared of her dad too, so that never ended up happening. Now feeling guilty for teasing him, she softens her tone. “Are you okay ? You’re not going into work are you ?” She worries that he’ll have forced himself to go in, something that he has done every time he’s been ill since the day their Dad tormented him for it. 

“I’m fine. Actually, Lucy has taken the day off work to look after me” the overwhelmed appearance of his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by Tim’s sister. 

“You’re telling me that Tim Bradford, my stubborn big brother has actually listened to someone and stayed off work?! Wow, Lucy deserves major props for that one” she chuckles in bewilderment, and then a comfortable, thoughtful silence falls; Tim swears he can hear the cogs spinning in Genny’s head. Before he has time to ask what she’s thinking about, she interrupts him. 

“You’re going to marry her, aren’t you ?” The smile is evident in her voice, a slight squeal of excitement releasing at the end of her sentence. Tim took a breath, turning his head to his right, eyes focusing in on a picture of him and Lucy that Lucy had framed on the shelf. It was a picture they took together on their second date after their first ‘real’ kiss. Lucy was adamant that they needed to capture the moment, and as Tim stared at the photo, he knew she was right. Every feeling he felt that night had come flooding back to him- the joy, the excitement, the laughter. The photo itself has become his favourite in the world; they’re faces are pressed so tightly together, Lucys arms wrapped around his neck lovingly, their smiles brighter than the sun- he hasn’t told Lucy yet, but he has it in the pocket of his wallet so he can look at it whenever he misses her when they’re not together. 

Tim takes no longer than a second to reply to his sister, heart full, mind calm and certain. “Yeah, I am’.

Around 15 minutes after Tim’s call had ended, Lucy’s keys jingled through the door. Flinging herself through the opening in a slight rush, she lost grip of one of the bags and the contents scattered all around her. “And of course it’s drops on the floor!” She utters with a facetious timbre in her voice. As she bends down to pick them up, she spots a pair of legs making their way to her. 

“Oh, hey handsome, how are you feeling ?” She looks up at him, her once annoyed expression dissipated and replaced with a warm, affectionate one. “I’m okay, but you’re clearly a little worse for wear” he teases her, joining her on the floor to pick up the shopping. “Timm, its not funny!" she retorts playfully "I just wanted to get back quickly so I could make you the soup. I got a bit held up though because the owner had a break in last night, so I was taking some information for him.” There it is again, he thinks. The empathy she has for other people. She could’ve easily called someone at the station, but she took the time out of her day to help him out herself. God, he loves her. 

“Anyway” she snaps him out of his daydream “you’re supposed to be resting ! I can handle all of this.” Lucy stands up, places the ingredients on the kitchen island and wipes the few creases out of her trousers that they have sustained from kneeling on the floor. 

“Yeah, I know, but you’ve already done enough for me, I just wanted to help you a little” 

Her face softens, head tilting to the side. Tim watches the way her hair falls perfectly passed her shoulders, his trance causing him to miss how slight sadness crosses her features. Done enough ? In Lucy’s book, she’s barely even scratched the surface yet. She’s got a list in her head that grows by the second of ways she plans to take care of him and bring him back to his full health. 

“Tim, you- you’ve never been properly looked after before, have you ?” He shrugs his shoulders, lips curling in an uncertain, almost numb line. “I don’t know, I mean, my dad was never affectionate in any sense of the word, and my Mom tended to just stay out of the way so he didn’t take his anger out on her.” Lucy swears she can hear her heart shatter. The thought of Tim being treated so badly has always caused her pain, but hearing even more about it just makes her want to break down into tears- he deserves the world. No words are spoken between the two of them, just knowing glances and sorrowful gazes. 

Tim looks away for a second, the reminder of his childhood causing him some anguish. He’s swept away in thought until the warmth and softness of his girlfriends arms encases him in a hug; it reminded him of the one she gave him after he confronted his father; it was the first time he’d felt actually safe in such a close vicinity to him, the first time he felt truly free to be vulnerable around him. And that was because of Lucy Chen- the one who was currently gripping him so tight that he could feel his heartbeat push into her chest.

“I’m so sorry you had to go through that. You deserve love, you deserve vulnerability, you deserve happiness” 

Tim’s eyes well up with tears, each one threatening to fall. He’s never heard such beautiful words in his life. And he’d never believed them until this moment. He sniffs slightly, the taste of salt falling into his mouth indicating that the tears did in fact, fall. Lucy wipes each one with a tender swipe of her thumb, giving him a kiss each place that his tears fell.

“You’re gonna get sick if you keep kissing me” he says, his head arching towards his shoulder, hiding the smirk that’s etched onto his face. “I don’t care, it’s worth it’ her words are shortly followed by her cupping his cheeks and planting a soft, adoring kiss to his lips. “Now go back to bed, the soup won’t take me too long.” The request couldn’t have come sooner, as much as he was loving the feel of her lips on his, his body had other plans, and they included another, much needed nap. 

Later on

“Tim, are you awake ?” 

“Mhmm, yeah” he’d clearly only just woken up, eyes still partially shut and his hair was pointing in all directions, but he already had more colour in his face so that was a good sign. Lucy giggles slightly under her breath, perching herself at Tim’s bedside, resting the tray of soup on his lap. 

Tim moans at the delicious smell travelling up to his nose, now more than ever being grateful that is girlfriend is an amazing chef. But when he looks at it, his mind starts running and his body can’t help but freeze. “Oh my god” 

“What, does it smell bad ? I didn’t change the recipe!” 

“No, no, it smells delicious, it’s just- this, this is the soup” Lucy furrows her brows in confusion, this illness of Tim’s must have really knocked him out. “Yeah, I’ve been telling you all day I was going to make it” Tim chuckles at her response, understanding that his words appeared rather vague to her. “No, I meant, this is the exact soup I had when I was last sick” Tim doesn’t miss the way Lucy’s eyes widen and how her gaze averts away from him.

“Ummm, I don’t know what you mean” 

Tim can’t help but grin widely, his brain reconnecting dots that he thought he’d already connected months ago. It wasn’t Ashley that left that soup for him when he was last sick.. it was Lucy. He knows without a doubt; the smell, the consistency, the presentation- it’s exactly how he remembers it. “It was you that left the soup for me when I was last sick. Why didn’t you tell me ? I let Ashley take the credit for it.” 

Lucy shrugs her shoulders slightly, a pink flush invading her cheeks. “I just wanted you to focus on getting better. And I told Ashley to take the credit. I bumped into her that day at the store- she told me you were sick and I figured you’d feel a bit better if you thought your girlfriend had made it for you”.

Tim can’t stop staring at her. Every day he thinks he’s gotten to grips with how big his girlfriends heart his, but everyday she just surprises him more. His fingers motion her to come closer to him. She leans forward and rests her hands upon his bare chest. Tim leans closer so their noses touch. 

“You. Are. Amazing” 

Lucy giggles, burying her head in the crook of his neck. She turns to look deeply into his eyes, the unspoken look of love dancing between them.

“So are you”

“So are you”

“So are you” 

[summerongrand]

Psyched On U: A Big Impression

Chapter summary: We’re officially in Smutsville, population: 2. Not a lot of plot here but there are a couple of nods to Eric’s heavily eyelinered role in GCB. See if you can spot them. If you’re under 18, I kindly ask that you skip this chapter and the next one. Story summary: Dr. Lucy Chen is a 37-year-old psychology professor with secrets that could change everything. Her life takes an unexpected turn when LAPD Sergeant Tim Bradford enrolls in her class, using the GI Bill as a cover to surveil her. As Lucy and Tim navigate their intertwined roles, they begin to challenge their beliefs about each other and confront some difficult truths.

[londonrih]

*Hums plastic plants* anywho…new fic alert😙 #Chenford #Chenfordfanfic #TheRookie #TheRookiefanfic 🌱🪴

[escapismqueen]

A call in the night- A Chenford fic

Tim gets a call in the middle of the night from Lucy. What could It possibly be about ? (Probably will have had to watch season 2 to to understand what’s going on.)

TW: talks of trauma and kidnapping. Allusions to a panic attack.

Inc: Angst, hurt/comfort and lots and lots of fluff

Hope you all enjoy this. Think this is the best one I’ve written so far, so let me know what you all think 🥰also, interact if you can, I’d love to know how I’m doing. love to you all xx

Tim groans and rubs the sleep from his eyes, adjusting slowly to the light, the continuous ring of his phone cutting through the silence of the room.

He shuffles in his bed to his side and reaches for his phone to see that Lucy is calling him. Brows furrowed, he wonders if she’s okay. He knows that she was working slightly later tonight, that’s why he was at his place instead of hers.

He remembers well because she told him this morning with an adorable pout on her face, insisting that she ‘wished she could cuddle on the couch with him instead’ and he’s not ashamed to admit to himself that it sent a ripple of warmth through his body. He also remembers because it’s Lucy. And there’s nothing that Lucy says that he will ever forget.

With no more than a blink, Tim grasps for the phone with rapid pace, his hands fumbling in the dark.

“Luce? You okay ?” Silence “Lucy ?” It’s now that Tim starts to hear her stuttered breathing and sniffles through the phone. There’s a pang in his heart that arises and he’s sadly familiar with the cause. Lucy Chen is hurting. He’s felt it twice before, and he’s hated every single time. The first being when he pulled Lucy from the barrel and she sobbed and shook in his arms so much that Tim thought he’d bawl from the sight. The second time was when everyone saw the video of Jackson getting shot. And although it hurt Tim to see it too, there was a feeling he couldn’t quite explain when he saw Lucy’s face. The way she gasped in horror. The way her hands reached for support because her legs were about to buckle from grief. His heart ached; and here it was again.

“Lucy, what’s happened ? Are you okay ?” He can feel his thoughts muddling and his heart running away from him, it’s beating so rapidly.

“I- I”

“Breathe with me Luce, in and out okay” his voice has softened, tone warm and comforting; the way he talks when they have their pillow talk- Lucy always tells him it relaxes her, and he can tell that’s what she needs right now.

Tim hears Lucy slowly exhale and inhale with him, her breathing becoming less stuttered by the minute. “Whenever you’re ready” he’s trying to be calm, to let her come out with it when in her own time, but all he can think about is ‘what if she’s in danger ?’ ‘What if she’s hurt ?’ His head is swimming with nothing but negativity, he can’t bare to hear Lucy cry. All he wants to do is transfer the pain to himself.

With a slightly more continuous breathing pace, still sniffling, lucy manages to speak “I erm- I had a dream; a nightmare” Tim let’s his eyes droop in relief, hand clutching at his chest, as if he had opened himself for pain and now needed to sooth himself slightly. He’s glad she’s not in imminent danger; but it doesn’t mean he’s happy. Thats clear from the way he rushes through his drawers, not even looking at what he’s picking up before he throws it over his slightly, now clammy body.

Tim thinks through what his reply should be, she’s clearly been badly affected by whatever it was, he doesn’t want to make her feel worse by immediately getting her to tell him what it was. The palms of his hands grasp at the ends of his dresser, hoping they’ll somehow offer him some words of advice.

“Okay. Do you want to talk about it sweetheart ?” His heart is clenched tight, no release until he knows that she’s okay again. “I think I need to. I just, I don’t know how to begin. It’s- I” Tim instantly notices that she’s struggling greatly with the topic of the nightmare. “Okay, okay. It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m on my way over, do you want to talk about it then ?” “Yeah, but you don’t need to Tim, it’s 3am ! We can speak about it tomorrow !” Lucy is so flattered and heartened by the way that Tim is so willing to drop everything to be there for her, that she feels herself welling up again.

“Lucy, I’m coming over, no discussion” Lucy can’t help but chuckle slightly, because Tim’s current stubbornness is reminding her of T.O Tim, and it makes her slightly giddy to think of how far they’ve come. “I’ll be there soon, okay ? Do you want me to stay on the phone?” Lucy shakes her head, before registering that Tim can’t see her. “No, I’ll be okay. See you soon” “see you soon sweetheart”

Lucy’s head shoots up, hearing Tim’s key jiggle in the door. She doesn’t have to watch it open to know it’s him. She already feels more at ease than she did before. It has to be him. She’s sure it’s some kind of message from the universe every time he’s in her presence that Tim is her person. Though she’s never needed a message, she’s known for a while; Tim Bradford is the man she’s going to marry.

Tim opens Lucy’s apartment door to find her crunched up on the couch, sleeves of her cardigan falling gracefully over the ends of her fingers. If he didn’t know she was upset, he’d think this scene was incredibly adorable. “Hi” his voice is sweet and smooth, whilst keeping it’s usual depth that Lucy loves so much.

Lucy’s glassy eyes meet his and for a split second, Tim wishes he could no longer see. His beautiful, sunshine like girlfriend, is shaking slightly, apples of her cheeks stained with tears; evidence that she’s been crying. Evidence that Tim needs to move with all speed and kneel in front of her. The inside of his palms lay softly on Lucy’s thighs, careful not to startle her, giving it a few seconds before he holds them with a more secure grip.

Lucy’s gaze flickers to Tim’s with an almost desperate plea. She needs safety and comfort right now, and the relief she feels at Tim’s presence and grip on her thighs, releases the pent up air from her lungs. “Thank you for coming” Tim gives her a smile, reaching to Lucy’s face and gently moving a piece of hair behind her ear. “You have nothing to thank me for. You need help, I’ll be here. You’re sad, I’ll be here. You want someone to tease, I’ll be here” Lucy giggles tenderly, slight crinkles forming at the sides of her eyes; he can always make her smile. She playfully pushes at his side, making him grin to know that he’s cheered her up slightly.

Lucy takes a deep breath and reaches for Tim’s hand on her thigh, rubbing her thumb back and forth gently on it, giving herself some encouragement. “I had a nightmare about Caleb” Tim’s whole body froze, face paling at even the thought. That feeling was back again. This was no standard nightmare, this was a reminder of her trauma. Tim’s expression changes from worried to devastated. He’s pained by the fact that she has to go through this again. His free hand now encompasses over Lucy’s, and he lifts it towards his lips, laying a lingering kiss on the inside of Lucy’s free hand. He feels the warmth of her skin, combined with a slight taste of salt; clearly she’s been wiping her tears a lot. “It’s okay, you’re safe. What happened in the nightmare ?”

Lucy exhales again, eyes focusing in on the reflection of light in her boyfriends eyes. “I was there again. He took me. I- I was. I was back in the barrel” her voice wavers, tears spilling delicately falling to her lips. “I kept hearing the song, over and over again, it just- it kept, it kept going and going. And I just felt this, this overwhelming sense of doom. Like that was gonna be it for me. You couldn’t get to me this time.” A sob racks from Lucy’s chest, her hand clasping tightly at Tim’s.

Tim stands up, and sits himself next to her, pulling her into his side and running his fingers comfortingly through the strands of her silky hair. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you had to go through that again” they both sit in silence for what feels like an hour, bodies just connected to each other, no single part left on it’s own. Tim’s shirt is now wet with Lucy’s tears, similar to Lucy’s hair now being frizzed and messed slightly from Tim’s touches. Tim cradles Lucy’s head in his large hands, thumbs connecting with her cheeks, wiping the tears. He slowly lifts her head and rests his forehead against hers. “Come with me” he whispers.

Tim attentively holds Lucy’s hand and leads her to her room, suggesting for her to lie down whilst he puts some low lighting on. Lucy sits looking at him adoringly, knowing that Tim Bradford would do anything for her. And that feels so special and overwhelming. Her feelings have been put second her whole life by her parents, but here is her boyfriend; doing everything in his power to acknowledge her feelings and try and lessen the weight of pain that they’re causing her. She’s so sure she’s never felt as safe as this.

Tim lights the last light, and crawls onto the bed, nearing closer up to Lucy’s face, stopping as he gets to the hem of her shirt. He slowly grasps at the ends and looks up to Lucy, eyes awaiting to see if she’s comfortable. She smiles lightly at him, trusting him completely. Tim affectionately peels Lucy’s shirt up to just below her chest; fingers grazing appreciatively along the path of her skin. His fingers inch further up until he sees it. There it is. The tattoo. Tim peers up at Lucy, noticing that she’s not uncomfortable, his green light to keep going. He leans down slowly, lips touching ever so lightly at the letters and numbers etched onto the side of her rib cage. He kisses down softly and moves effortlessly to every single part of the tattoo.

Lucy’s eyes well up, the corners of her mouth upturning slightly at Tim’s actions. He’s doing it again. Showing her that she’s a survivor. She feels his lips trace patterns over the numbers, noticing the gentle but determined nature they hold.

“You’re here” he murmurs, the vibration of his words sending butterflies through Lucy’s stomach. “You’re here and you survived. You’re a survivor Lucy.” Tim lifts his head further up, breath feathering at Lucy’s enamoured complexion. His eyes freeze when they meet hers, focusing completely on her. “He can’t hurt you anymore. And I will make sure, with everything I have in me, that it never ever happens again” Lucy’s smile grows, caressing his face lovingly. Lucy is silent for a while, taking in everything that’s just happened, revelling in the love and care that she’s just been shown. “Thank you” she utters. Placing her pouted, lightly chapped lips upon his, she feels him relax into her touch, this clearly didn’t bother just her.

Their lips dance intoxicatingly for a while, weary to let go and stop the rush of fireworks that are soaring through their veins.

Lips parted, Tim smiles and lays onto the other side of the bed, grasping needily at Lucy’s waist. He pulls her into him and lays a sweet kiss onto the top of her head. Lucy rests her head into the crook of Tim’s neck, peppering him lovingly with little kisses. And that’s where they stay for the rest of the night. Tim whispering loving words into Lucy’s ear, both feeling grateful that she’s safe and that they can have this moment together right now.

[escapismqueen]

A Chenford fic- No boundaries

Summary: Tim and Lucy get invited to a cook out with his metro co workers. But things go awry when a certain colleague ignores boundaries completely and makes a pass at Lucy.

Inspired by a prompt from the ‘chenford March madness’ list.

Incl: fluff, slight angst, protective Tim, Jealous Tim. Badass Lucy.

Warnings: swearing, and a gross misogynist 🤢suggestive language, but no actual smut

Tim was sat at his desk, rooting through some older paperwork that needed rechecking. In the boredom of reading the words on the pages, his mind wandered effortlessly to Lucy; he had to leave for work before she woke up today, so he’d missed their usual morning lie in where they just cuddle and talk, and she’d been on patrol since she first came in, meaning he hadn’t yet seen her- it was 1:30pm now, so safe to say, Tim was missing his girlfriend. Not that he was going to admit that to anyone- Angela in particular would never let him live it down. He could just hear her saying “wow, he can’t even be away from her for half a day. Has Timothy Bradford gone soft ?” With the biggest smirk on her face just to annoy him.

As he began to listen to the ticking of his wall clock to pass the time, he received a knock on his office door. “Come in”. As the door opened, one of his metro coworkers- Lucas, happily strolled in, a welcoming smile on his face. “Hey Bradford, sorry to interrupt, have you got a minute?” Tim nodded his head and set down his paperwork, hands interlacing on his stomach as he leaned back slightly on his chair. “Me and my wife are hosting a cook out at the weekend, and wanted to invite you.” Tim’s eyebrows raised in surprise- sure, he’d been starting to settle in more at metro, and his relationships with his co workers were becoming more friendly, but he wasn’t expecting to be invited to an outside event so soon, so he was a little startled.

“Oh! Wow, Thank you. I’d be honoured.” Lucas gave a little chuckle, it was clear to him that his Sarge wasn’t overly comfortable with mixing work and pleasure, but there was also a look of appreciation on his face- like he wasn’t expecting to be welcomed so easily. “It’s no sweat Sarge. We’d love to have you. I’ll text you the details.” As he turned to walk out the door, a thought entered his mind and urged him to spin back towards Tim. “Hey, Bradford- I’ve been hearing rumours you’ve got a special lady; bring her along- we’d love to meet her!” As Lucas left his office, Tim couldn’t help but think ‘of course there’s been rumours, cops are the gossipiest people on earth’ yet, as he rolled his eyes, he couldn’t help but beam in joy at the thought of taking Lucy with him.

After work, Tim drove straight to Lucy’s place; not unlike his usual day to day. However this time, he had a little request for her. One that he knew she would say yes to; one thing he can say with confidence is that his girlfriend is a people person through and through. She’s always loved get together’s and parties- shining when the moment requires it, and shining when it doesn’t. Tim admires that quality about her; it’s a natural gift that he noticed about her from the moment she became his rookie. Her presence alone radiates warmth and light that immediately makes people comfortable around her- she surfaces the best stories from everyone.

As his keys jingled in the lock, he heard sprightly footsteps rushing towards the door. His fingers were quickly released from his grip on the keys when the front door was opened with force. “Hey babe, I’ve missed you!” Lucys arms waste no time in wrapping tightly around Tims neck, lips finding home in his when she pulls away. Tim hums at the feel of them, nose nuzzling into hers adoringly. When his girlfriends lips part from his, he begins to smirk, a cosy feeling brewing in his chest- she missed him too.

“Wow, a few hours away from me and you’re all over me” Lucy scoffs playfully at Tims teasing, sending him a spirited nudge to his shoulder- She did miss him; they don’t usually go so many hours without seeing each other, but she was on a particularly difficult patrol call in the morning, and in the afternoon, Metro had to assist on an op that went sideways, so they hadn’t spoken since last night. Despite this, she wasn’t going to give Tim the pleasure in knowing that it affected her that much, especially considering that fact she was fed a little Intel that told her she may have not been alone in her feelings.

Tim was expecting one of her usual sassy remarks, but instead was met with a victorious, smug look. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion at Lucy’s reaction, until it dawned on him- he knew that look; she had something she could use against him in retaliation, and he knew she was most definitely about to use it. “Oh god, what ?” A snicker blew past Lucy’s lips at Tim’s response; he knew her too well. “Nothing !” Her grin got bigger by the second, and soon Tim’s arms had crossed over one another, encouraging her to disclose the reason for her humour.

“Luce, spit it out”

“Okay, okay. It’s just, here you are teasing me for missing you, yet, a little birdie told me that they caught you looking very longingly at a picture of us on your phone at lunch break today. So- who’s the real softie here?” Tim’s mouth opened in shock, a defensive breath of air eliciting from his mouth, accompanied by a light brush of pink on his cheeks- he’d been caught red handed.

“Oh really ? And who exactly is this little birdie ?” He purses his lips in question, eyes scanning Lucy’s for any tells that might give it away. “Oh, I’m not at liberty to say- but the intel is solid” she sends him another smirk, mirroring his stature, also crossing her arms and pursing her lips. Tim sighs in defeat- he’s lost this battle. His only option now is to swerve her attention to something else so that his embarrassment can quell. “And on that note, I have something to ask you.”

“Oh yeah? What is it ?” She asks with curiosity, shuffling towards the kitchen counter to turn the heat down on the stove. She decided to make a veggie lasagna for them both tonight- Tim had made a delicious linguine dish the other day, and Lucy wanted to return the favour the next time they had dinner. “Lucas came into my office today and invited me- well, us, to a cookout at his house this weekend” Lucy’s head snapped up, a pleased smile etching onto her features. “Awww Tim, that’s great ! That really shows you’re making an impact. Good for you babe ! So what’s the date and time ?”

He knew it, he knew she wouldn’t even have to think for a second before deciding to come with him. “Well, he texted me the details before and said that it’ll be Saturday from 1pm, but we’re ‘more than welcome to show up whenever’ but that’s ridiculous, we’ve been given a time so we will be going at 1pm”. Lucy’s lips curled into one another, suppressing a laugh at her boyfriend’s adorable control freak nature. She recalled the other other day when she’d suggested for him to come round at 7ish- he called her within two seconds to explain that ‘ish’ is not a time and she should expect him at 7. It had made her laugh for a good 10 minutes, and right now, she could feel the giggles re-emerging.

Lucy lifted her hands up in mock surrender “okay okay, 1pm it is. Should we bring something ?” Tom narrowed his eyes in uncertainty- bring something ? He wasn’t aware he had to do that. “What do you mean ? We’re the guests” Lucy raised her eyebrows, her arms freezing mid-stir. “Yesss, but it’s polite to bring something as a Thank you for inviting us. That’s what you do Babe.” His eyebrows scrunched In bewilderment, shrugging his shoulders in jest. He’s perhaps slightly new to events like this; usually any dinners or parties he does attend, are usually people who’ve known him for years and don’t expect anything from him ‘in return’.

“That seems stupid to me, but okay. What should we bring ?”

“We could bring some flowers or- oh ! We could cook something since it’s a cook out ! Yes, let’s do that.” Tim walks up to Lucy, arms wrapping comfortably around her waist, and kisses her lightly on the inside of her neck. Tim is often in awe that he can call Lucy Chen his. She’s smart, beautiful, kind, positive, badass- and in moments like this, when she’s willing to give her weekend to him because it will benefit his job and she wants to support him; moments like this is when he thinks he’s dreaming; so unused to this level of encouragement in a relationship.

“That’s very sweet Luce, but I’ll do the cooking myself, all you need to do is just show up and be your usual charming self.” He finishes his sentence with a squeeze of her hip, hoping she drops the subject and let’s him do the work. Lucy has noticed a few times now, that whenever she tries to do something to help Tim out, he looks slightly guilty- like he doesn’t deserve it. What breaks her heart is that she knows it’s because of his childhood trauma. He was never given love ‘just because’, nobody helped him- they just hurt him. ‘Love just because’ is not something that Tim Bradford is familiar with; and Lucy knows this.

“Hey, hey” Lucy gains Tim’s attention by spinning in his arms and reaching her hands to cup his cheeks gently. Her voice is soft and delicate; She angles his face towards her and looks so deeply into his eyes, that she swears she can see a glimpse of his soul. The diminutive wall of water that rests at the bottom of his eyes, clenches Lucy’s heart. You wouldn’t think that something as little as offering to help make something for a party would cause such emotion, but the psych major in her knows that his reaction runs a lot deeper than just what meets the eye.

“I know you sometimes feel uncomfortable when people help you- but just because you never used to receive it, doesn’t mean you’re not supposed to have it or that you don’t deserve it. It’s okay; I want to help.” Lucy sends her overwhelmed boyfriend an easy smile, hoping to calm the cogs that are spinning rapidly in his brain. She knows that Tim is a stubborn man- he always will be, it’s a part of him. But she also knows when his stubbornness is a facade for his fears, and she sure as hell isn’t going to feed into those.

Tim’s eyes begin to scan every feature of Lucy’s, looking for any tell of a lie. Not that he needed to- the sincerity in her voice was all he needed to know that she meant it, but sometimes the physical representation, just helps him more in pulling him out of his fog. They both recognise that no more needs to be said; knowing without a doubt what each other is thinking- it’s something they’ve always been able to do. From day one they had conversations with their eyes. Almost as if the universe was telling them ‘this. This is your person’

Tim leans down, and gives Lucy a long, intense kiss, their heartbeats syncing at the contact, conveying every emotion that he didn’t say in words- Thank you. Not just for now, but for always. Tim momentarily casts his gaze to the steaming pot on the stove, an idea rushing to the brim of his mind. “Why don’t we make your veggie lasagne ? Everyone loves that !” Lucy grins joyfully at his proposition, not only at the compliment, but because she knew he’d calmed down and gotten out of his head. “That’s a great idea ! Do you want to make it the day before or the morning of ? It probably will taste a little better if we make it in the morning.” Tim pretended to think for a moment, only he knew exactly when they’d be making the lasagne. “I think we should make it the day before. I have plans for us in the morning”

Tim sent Lucy a suggestive look along with his ‘bedroom wink’ as Lucy liked to refer to it, that drove her crazy. “Oh really ? And what might that entail?” Tim cupped his arms underneath her thighs and back and lifted her into the air, Lucy squealing in surprise as he carried her effortlessly to the bedroom. “How about I give you a preview?” The lasagne was long forgotten about.

Saturday

“Luce, it’s 1 o clock, we need to get going” Lucy rushes in, one earring in, one shoe on, and the other two in her hands. Tim raises his eyebrow humorously, an amused expression tracking his girlfriend’s every move. She usually takes a while to get ready, but Tim is maybe a little to blame in this instance- he joyfully kept his promise of ‘Saturday morning plans” and now both of them are running late.

“Okay, okay, I’ll just be a minute. Oh ! Have you got the lasagne ready ?” Tim nodded his head confidently. “Yep, it’s in the Tupperware by the door so we don’t forget it.” The organisation this time was definitely a by product of their last day out. They both went to the beach with Angela, Wesley and Jack the other day, but left their beach bags at home- Angela ended up fussing over them like a worried mother, slathering Lucy in sunscreen whilst Lucy slathered Tim in it. She then made them drink water every half an hour so they didn’t ‘dehydrate’. Tim had never regretted leaving something at home so much. Lucy however, thought it was very sweet.

“Okay, I’m ready, let’s gooo” Tim picks up the lasagne on his way out the door, quickly writing a note for Tamara if she came back from her college lecture early for whatever reason. Tim had invited Tamara almost immediately after he invited Lucy, but unfortunately she had an important talk at college to attend to; which also happened to be part of her grade. The fact that she was Invited to begin with though, was a huge deal to her, and she’d been thinking about it for days. As much as she was originally worried about having to ‘take a step back’ when Lucy and Tim started dating, she instead felt as though she had gained another family member. She’d had a little cry to Lucy about it last night, overwhelmed and overjoyed with how much her life had changed in so little time.

Lucy and Tim arrived at Lucas and Diane’s house at around 1:15pm. They’d been given a tour of the house, which was a lovely 3 bedroom suburban home with a sweet farmhouse aesthetic to it. It wasn’t much to Lucy’s taste; she was mentally painting the walls with bright colours in every room she entered- but the house gave her insight into Lucas and Diane, who happened to be a very sweet couple.

Tim found himself ‘decorating’ their house too. He actually thought that his coworkers house was very pleasant- but there was no Lucy in it. No bright colours or an overbearing array of candles. No random pieces of artwork or shelves with little trinkets scattered on them. It’s not that the house wasn’t warm, it just wasn’t what looked like home to him. He quickly established how odd this thought was considering that his own home that he bought and decorated, is very neutral and ‘minimalist’. He’s never been one to collect things that he doesn’t need- only purchasing things that he requires. That’s when he realises that home to him is now Lucy’s home. It’s wherever she is. Tim has always thought the saying ‘home is where the heart is’ was complete bull, but he’d just proven himself a fool.

“Anyway, that’s the house. We’re all set up in the garden so make yourself comfortable.” Diane (Lucas’ wife) ushered them to the outside area, seating them at one of the tables. “If you need anything, just shout.” She said before walking off to help Lucas with the cooking.

Before Lucy and Tim got a minute to talk, they were both bombarded with Tim’s metro colleagues, all wide eyed and eager to meet the woman who’d ‘stole Bradford’s heart’. Each of them had been debating about what kind of woman could make a man like their sarge crack a smile that big. Tim may have been closed off and secretive when it came to work and his personal life, but when it came to Lucy Chen, he was anything but. They’d all noticed the smiles he directed to his phone. They’d noticed the spring in his step after he’d been on patrol with his other coworkers- so they’d concluded so far that Tim Bradford was dating someone from work. But that was as far as their knowledge spread.

“No way ! You bagged Lucy Chen ? Respect sarge.” Tim looked towards his colleagues with an obvious discomfort. His personal life was now the talk of the party, and he didn’t miss the leering eyes that scanned up and down his girlfriend- he’d hoped that a lot of them would’ve had more respect than this.

The women in particular, were fascinated by Lucy and wanted to know all about her. She had a good track record within the station and her UC work in particular had made the rounds through the departments. As a woman in a male dominated field, all they wanted to do was pick her brain. ‘Can we steal your girlfriend?’ Was all Tim could hear. Lucy giggled, her head looking down in a modest, flattered manner. “Seriously though, would it be okay if we took her for a little ? I know your probably want to spend some time together but she’s awesome and we want to know everything about her”

Tim beams at the attention his girlfriend is getting, always proud when others notice her extraordinary self. “Go ahead, I don’t blame you.” He sends Lucy a loving look, winking lightly before she left to another table.

Tim’s thoughts were interrupted by his colleague Chase. Tim hated him- he thought his job was a big game and he was- to put it bluntly- a big, unbearable misogynist. “Bradford, your girls got body ! Bet it’s a treat getting to go to bed with her” Tim’s eyes narrowed in disgust, his jaw hardening at the disgusting words coming from the man. “Excuse me ?” Chase lifted his bottle to Beer to his lips, smirking as his eyes wandered over to where Lucy was sat. “I’m just saying, she’s hot. I mean, the things I’d do to her”

Tim stood up, rage fuelling his force. The rest of his colleagues were stood in shock; Chase had always been one to take it too far- but he’d just completely objectified his superiors girlfriend in front of him; what an idiot.

Tim took a deep breath, reminding himself that he was at a ‘family event’, there were children playing in the garden, and Lucas and Diane were laughing happily whilst they were plating the food, the last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene- despite how much he currently wanted to punch Chase’s lights out.

“Listen to me. I know we’re not at work right now, but I am still your superior. And not only should you not be speaking like that about your superiors girlfriend, you shouldn’t be speaking like that about any woman. Get a bit of respect.”

Chase opened his mouth in defence, always ready to bite back in any situation, never caring how wrong or disrespectful he was being. But before he could cause more trouble, he was dragged away by the collar of his shirt by one of the others and taken inside. Tim was still in shock at the recent events; if he didn’t hate Chase before, he sure did now.

“Hey Tim, I heard you’re a Rams fan, come see this !” Lucas called over to him, signalling him to follow him into the house. Lucy watched as they both went inside, curious to know what was so interesting. “Lucas has a signed shirt and ball from one of the players- he shows it to just about everyone who enters the premises” Diane, who had just joined the group stated in a playfully exasperated voice. “Oh my god, Tim will love that- he’s a massive rams fan. He’s tried to get me into it but I’m more of a baseball girl myself.”

Lucy and the group talk for another few minutes, before Lucy’s mouth begins to feel dry. Registering the empty glass in her hand, she excuses herself from the table and makes her way to the kitchen to get a refill. As she roots through the freezer for some ice, a large hand lands on the fridge door above her. She turns hesitantly to the stranger, unsure of why she’s been interrupted like this. “Can I help you ?”

“No, but I can help you. The ice is in here” he points to the fridge and presses a button, ice falling out instantaneously. “Oh, Thank you! It’s getting really hot outside- I really need that ice.” Lucy reaches kindly for the ice that the stranger is holding, slightly uncomfortable with the way his fingers linger as she picks it up. “I’m chase, by the way- I work with Tim.”

“Oh, hi, I’m Lucy, Tim’s girlfriend. I work on patrol.” Chase’s eyes fix onto her, not so subtly dropping to her chest. She shuffled uncomfortably on her feet, eager to leave and go back to the group of women who she’d been having some great conversations with. “Okay, well I’m going to go” she turned speedily towards the doorway, feet taking the control.

“Before you go, whilst we’re talking of helping you out, how would you like a little help in a different area?”

“Excuse me ?” She uttered, knitting her brows in confusion, a look of apprehension finding home in her features. What she didn’t notice, was that Tim had just turned the corner and was now hearing and seeing everything that was happening. “Well, you can’t be satisfied with Bradford. The man’s older than you, and he’s always got a face like thunder; you need someone who’s gonna make you feel good- in more ways than one- someone like me” at his proposition, Chase steps forward closer to Lucy. She looks on at him in complete disgust, not believing the words she’s hearing.

Tim watches the scene unfold with concern. His fists are clenched tightly at his sides, his breathing majorly elevated and nostrils flared. He’s clenching his fists so hard that little half moon shapes are appearing on the skin of his palm- the pain signifying him to stop, but his anger ignores the alarm bells, and he continues to press. He knows he shouldn’t interfere at this moment- Lucy can take care of herself, and she wouldn’t be happy if he came in to ‘save’ her. But he stayed at the doorway, senses heightened and guard up ‘just in case’.

“Who the hell do you think you are speaking to me like that ? You’re a disgrace, I wouldn’t even think for a second about being with you.” Lucys chest begins to heave with fury, her voice raising by the second. “I suggest you leave before I get REALLY pissed off, because it will not end well for you” the threatening tone in her voice startled chase, he may be an idiot, but he knows that Chen is a badass- one that he should definitely not mess with.

Tim’s fists loosened slightly at the remark from his girlfriend, struggling to hide the smirk that climbed onto his face. He watches as Lucy turns to the door, outrage plastered over her entire demeanour, clearly wanting to head far, far away from him. As she reaches for the handle, she freezes for a moment, fingers lingering lightly as she snapped her head back to chase. “Oh and by the way, I am MORE than satisfied thank you. And you know nothing about Tim ! He’s an amazing man with a kind heart, and he fills every single one of my days with joy. So don’t you dare stand there and try and tear him down and act as if you have him all figured out ! He’s not the one in here, hitting on someone else’s girlfriend in the creepiest, rudest, most disgusting way- you are ! And he’s got more love and respect in his pinkie than you do in your entire body, so FUCK OFF!”

At this, Lucy storms out the door and makes sure to slam it, wanting to greatly emphasise her point to Chase. Tim’s mouth opens In awe, never not surprised by the strength and power that his girlfriend holds. She just completely obliterated Chase without even a moment of hesitation- God, he loves her.

Tim spots Chase’s defeated frame head for the door- understandably embarrassed and impatient to leave. He tells himself over and over again to not make a scene, to just let him leave- Lucy handled it already. But today was not the day he was going to ignore his anger- unlucky for Chase.

Tim strolled up to him calmly, hoping that the quiet of his steps won’t give him away and that Chase will scare when he angrily yells his name. “Chase” Tim chuckles and shakes his head at the way Chase’s shoulders jump in reaction to his presence, but he composes himself rather annoyingly quickly, and sends Tim a smile that any friend would give to another friend. “Oh, hey Tim- how you doing ?”

“Don’t give me that crap.” Tim grabs Chase by the collar of his shirt, pulling him up with such force that his feet dangle faintly in the air. “If you ever, speak to Lucy like that again. If you even breathe in her company- I will make sure that your life is a living hell. Do you understand ?” Chase’s eyes widen in fear, head bobbing rapidly in agreement. Tim releases him roughly from his grip, and pushes him irately out of the door, not wasting a second to slam it in his face. Not exactly what he had in mind for a ‘family friendly cook out’.

Later at home

Lucy and Tim had arrived home hours ago now, they’d since retreated back to bed, limbs entwined in one another, Lucy’s head rested comfortably on Tim’s bare chest. The silence that surrounded them was pleasing and snug. Yet, it unfortunately dug up a moment from earlier on that had been nagging at Tim’s mind.

“Luce”

She hums in reply, an apparent wave of sleep slowly washing over her. “I overheard what Chase said to you today. I didn’t say anything because I knew you could handle yourself, but he said something that- I don’t know- I guess it just worried me a bit.” Lucy tilted her head towards him, hands stopping the backwards and forwards motion her fingers were performing on his chest. “What is it ?”

Tim sighed, annoyed at himself for even letting a prick like Chase get in his head in the first place. “It’s just, everything he said, it’s hard sometimes not to let that stuff get to you.” Lucy repositioned herself in Tim’s arms, legs now straddling his waist, and hands running gently through his hair. “Tim- you have nothing to worry about, okay ? I’ve never been happier or more satisfied with anyone than the way I am with you. And you can’t let some Jackass who has no idea of the real you, infiltrate your brain with his crappy ideas. You’re everything to me- nothing will change that.”

Tim closed his eyes in relief, the corners of his lips turning up in a smile. His hands squeezed her hips in thanks, grateful to have such an emotionally intelligent and empathetic girlfriend. He really did hit the jackpot. “You were very badass today, I must say.” Tim sent her an appreciative stare, a smirk following not long after. “Oh yeah, did it get you all hot ?” She teased him playfully. “What if it did ?” Lucy leaned down and nipped at Tim’s jaw, their breaths becoming one. “Then I’d say we should probably do something about that.” Tim laughed smoothly and flipped Lucy over with great ease. “I confidently agree”.

[escapismqueen]

Chenford (pre-relationship) + They fight about Ashley and their feelings!

So excited to see what you come up with 💜👌🏾💜

Hi, thank you so much for the request ! 🥰I hope it’s okay. Ive set this around the time that Tim had gotten his spinal surgery and then a few weeks after when Lucy was still with Chris. Hope you like it 💕

Summary: After Tim has his spinal surgery, Lucy comes and sits at his bedside. She can't help but feel like somethings just happened with Tim, but leaves it for the time being. A few weeks later when Tim is back at work, she finds out what Ashely did...

Incl: Angst, fluff

Warnings: Swearing

A Chenford pre- relationship fic- Why didn’t you like her ?

Lucy looked worriedly at Tim as he lay in the hospital bed. It hurt her to seem him like this; in pain and vulnerable. But she couldn’t help but feel like something else had happened that he hasn’t told her. She notices the crease in his forehead and the far off look that he’s holding in his eyes. Her mind is pushing her to ask him- to try and get him to talk. But she knows he’s not in the best headspace considering he’s just had major spine surgery, so leaves it a little longer, and instead thinks of a way she can raise his mood a little.

“You know, it’s a good job the surgery went well, if you had to stop working, you’d probably go crazy not seeing me everyday” Lucy smirks at him with a playful glint in her eye. Tim’s eyes flutter closed in laughter, his lips matching the same smirk that Lucy’s hold. “Yeah, lucky me” he utters sarcastically; though there’s a hint of honesty in his words- like he means it, like he wants her to know he means it.

The rest of the night ticks by, the dim and bland hospital room decorated with the smiles and laughter of the two of them. She stays by his bedside all night, never moving once unless she needed to go to the bathroom. Tim told her several times “you don’t have to stay you know?” But Lucy was having none of it; she wanted to stay, so that’s what she did. She fluffed his pillows if he was uncomfortable, she helped reposition him in the bed if his back started to hurt and he couldn’t move, she gave him water every half an hour, and she got her phone out so they could watch movies together.

As Tim woke the next morning, he felt the tension in his back; an aching and sharpness that resided there from the surgery. He could sense the pain heightening the more he tried to move, but when he notices the weight on his arm and turns his head to look, the soreness subsides almost immediately. Lucy has her head resting on Tims arm, her hands wrapped around his forearm like a koala to a tree. The sight of her messy morning hair and slight drool from her lips causes a familiar warmth to run through his body; a warmth he often felt when he was around her- and only her.

The sight of her like this made him wish it was a regular occurrence. That he could just turn over in the morning and see this exact image greeting him. For a minute, he forgets that he was even dumped by Ashley last night. And not just dumped, but dumped the moment he became conscious after surgery- ouch. It wasn’t so much Ashley breaking up with him that that caused him discomfort, but it was the fact that he’d been left- again. He’s never felt good enough for anyone; so in relationships he gives and gives, but they take and then they leave. He for once, just hoped that maybe someone would stay even if he couldn’t give them what they wanted. He hoped that someone would stay because they loved him enough to.

As he got lost in his thoughts, Lucy’s eyes began to stir. The movement of her head causes her hair to tickle Tim’s arm, so as she woke, his gaze was now cast upon her.

“Morning sleeping beauty. Comfortable there ?” Tim angles his face towards where Lucy was lay, a humorous grin painting his features. Lucy’s eyes follow Tim’s, and that’s when she registers the way she had been sleeping. Jumping up in embarrassment, she sends Tim an apologetic smile- wiping the drool from her mouth in the process. “Sorry, that must’ve happened whilst I was asleep”. But she knew it didn’t. Tim fell asleep an hour before her, understandably knocked out from the surgery. But Lucy lay awake for another hour after he’d drifted off, worrying and watching over him to make sure he was okay. She’d clung to his arm as she started to get sleepy; it made her feel more comfortable knowing she had hold of him if she wasn’t awake to check on him- she just hoped she wake up before him so that he wouldn’t see.

“No need to apologise. It was very uh- nice and-warm” The awkwardness in Tim’s voice wouldn’t have gone unheard by anyone else, but Lucy was so wrapped up in her own awkwardness that she didn’t discern it. “I think the Doctor should be in shortly, so you can go now if you want to.” Lucy looked up at Tim with a stern expression, lips pursed in thought, eyebrows scrunched in annoyance. “I don’t think so. You can try and get me to leave all you want Bradford, but someone needs to listen to what the doctor has to say about your recovery- because clearly you’re too stubborn to do as they say.”

Tim rolls his eyes and scoffs “I am not stubborn, and I’m obviously going to listen to what the doctor has to say- it would seriously impact my career if my back went kaput again.” he murmurs defensively. Lucys glare softens, but she stays firmly sat on the seat beside his bed. “Okay, well there’s nothing bad about having two sets of ears.” She leans back on her chair and crosses her arms defiantly- there is no way she is letting Tim win this battle.

Over the next couple of weeks, Lucy never left Tim’s side. She slept on Tim’s couch, and helped him with anything he needed. When she was at work, she got Tamara to check on him- He was smothered in love and concern by the two of them. He ‘complained’ about being smothered almost everyday, but secretly, he loved it. He felt wanted and cared for- something that he never felt in his childhood, and something he never truly felt in any of his relationships.

Tim was appreciative to have Lucy helping him; he may be stubborn, but even he can admit that he’s needed the help these last couple of weeks. His spinal surgery had taken more of a toll on him than he expected, but at his physiotherapy he was told that his recovery was normal ‘for a man of his age.’ Lucy teased him endlessly about it and called him ‘Old man’ for three days straight- He wouldn’t miss that part. But despite being appreciative of her, he has also found it difficult. He’s been stuck in a house with nowhere to go, with the woman he’s secretly in love with, who also has a boyfriend; it hasn’t been easy. Tim thanks the skies that he’d be back at work tomorrow.

A few weeks later

Tim walks to the break room to get a cup of coffee on his break- it’s been a pretty busy day so far, and he’s only just re acclimating after surgery, so this break was much needed. As he reaches to pour the coffee into his mug, he’s abruptly interrupted by the break room door slamming open. He turns his head, eyebrows furrowed and mouth braced to give whoever has slammed the door a talking to. His expression is very quickly softened when he notices that the person in question is Lucy. A very hurt looking, frustrated Lucy- but Lucy nonetheless.

“You okay?” Tim walks towards her hesitantly, not sure wether her mood is directed at him or elsewhere. Lucy scoffs, her foot stomping in unison. “Why didn’t you tell me ?!” Confusion flooded Tim’s face- Tell her what ? Despite Angela, he tells her more than he tells anyone; and she knows that. “What are you talking about ?” Lucy rolls her eyes so far upwards, making it more than obvious to Tim that her mood is not going to subside anytime soon.

“About Ashley !”

“What ? I told you Ashley and I broke up the other day ?” Lucy scoffed again, only this time, she didn’t look so mad; she looked upset. “Yeah, but I just found out from Angela that she broke up with you AFTER surgery ! I mean, who does that ?! What the fuck ?! I cant believe her ! Ugh, it’s just so- why didn’t you tell me ?!” Tim put the coffee pot down on the counter and turned his whole body to Lucy- glad that it was just them in the break room for this. “I don’t know. I didn’t want you to worry. And it’s fine.” Tim shrugged his shoulders, hands flailing in the air trying to emphasise his point, but Lucy wasn’t convinced.

“Fine ? Tim, it’s not even close to fine ! You had MAJOR spinal surgery. It was dangerous and it could have ended way differently. You’d just woken up and she decided that that was the time to break up with you ?! What the hell ?!!!” Lucy’s anger was increasing by the second; Her fists were tightly clenched by her sides and her cheeks had deepened from a light pink to a dark maroon. Tim stood there in silence, incredibly taken aback by Lucy’s outburst. He always knew she didn’t like Ashley- her comment about ‘breaking up with her’ because of Kojo hadn’t passed him by. But this, this seemed almost more than just a dislike for Ashley.

Tim took a deep breath, exhaling slowly out of his nostrils so that he didn’t also get pent up. “Why do you care if she broke up with me then ? We’re not together anymore so it doesn’t matter. She’s history.” Lucy begins to pace erratically up and down the room, mumbling to herself before she answers him.

“Because it’s awful Tim ! You deserve better than that ! I mean, what the hell is wrong with her ?!” Tim shuffles calmly to the break room table and seats himself slowly in one of the chairs. He motions to another chair with his head, gesturing for Lucy to sit down with him. She ponders for a second, not sure if she can calm herself down enough to; but the pleading look on Tim’s face persuades her to comply. As she sits down, Tim rests his now clasped hands on the table. His eyes focused solely on Lucy’s, his expression genuine and sincere.

“Lucy, what’s this actually about ? Because you’ve never liked Ashley anyway” Lucy’s mouth opens in defence, ready to argue with Tim and tell him that she did like her, she just didn’t like how she treated him. And it’s true, she didn’t like how Ashley treated Tim, but she can’t lie and say that she didn’t also dislike her for any other reasons. Because she did. Lucy disliked Ashley the moment she knew she was Tim’s girlfriend- it was a stupid, primal reaction, but the jealousy festered and she couldn’t bat it away.

A large sigh left Lucy’s lips, more than aware that she had no defence- Tim was right. A tension filled silence charged the room as neither of them spoke a word, just looking deeply into the others eyes, begging for them to reveal something that either of them were too afraid to admit. Tim thought and thought, his mind racing with ideas and possibilities, before he decides that he’ll break the silence first. “Lucy, what was the reason you didn’t like Ashley ? And don’t give me the Kojo story again because I know it’s more than that” his voice holds a calm sternness to it that pulls Lucy out of her trance.

“I- I don’t know, I guess she just- um- ugh, I don’t know Tim !” her voice begins to shake, the emotion in her chest rising rapidly to her throat. Her knee begins to wobble under the table, nervous about having to admit the truth. Tim recognises at once that Lucy is overwhelmed, and he’s just spotted the bouncing of her legs. He didn’t want to cause her any anguish by asking her this, he just wanted to know. He’d been feeling it since their Vegas operation- that maybe there was something there that she felt too. But he needed her confirmation before he put his heart on the line. He’s been heart broken before, but he knows with complete certainty that if Lucy Chen breaks his heart, he’s never coming back from it; it’s going to hurt like nothing else has before.

Tim reaches out and places a comforting hand on Lucy’s thigh. He’s aware that the break room in their place of work isn’t the best place for this, but the look of worry in her eyes is causing his heart to tighten, and he throws caution into the wind for a moment. At the feel of his hands, Lucy takes a shaky breath and places her hand on top of his, giving it a small squeeze in thanks. It’s not his fault that she’s crying, and she wants him to know that.

“I just- it’s because she was with-“ before she can finish, the blaring sound of her phone disturbs their heart to heart. She looks down and sighs in exasperation at the appearance of Chris’s name. Now was really not the time. She let it go to voicemail and zeroed her attention back in on Tim. As she began to say the sentence again, the ringing of her phone interrupted them once again. Tim retracted his hand from Lucy’s thigh, and buried his head into his hands, grunting at the hindrance that is Chris Sanford.

Lucy turns to him apologetically, a desperate look in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I have to take this- he’s just going to keep ringing” Tim nods in understanding, pushing away the ache that’s surrounding his heart. She was about to say “you- because she was with you” he’s sure of it- but now he can’t say anything because he can’t know for sure- and taking a risk like that whilst Lucy is still in a relationship could end very badly; which he didn’t want- he can’t bear to lose her completely, so he’ll settle for this.

As Lucy stands up and trudges to the door, she looks over her shoulder at Tim. Her eyes are filled with tears, a small but noticeable wavering of her lips. “I’m sorry” she whispers before retreating out the room. Tim feels the water gathering at the bottom of his lashes. As he lifts his hands to push them away, he can’t help but think that if they don’t do something soon, ‘this one’s going to hurt. A lot.’

[escapismqueen]

For the anon that requested a fanfic of the headcanon 🥰Here’s a little fanfic of everyone finding out about chenford. I hope it’s okay 💖it’s not the best, i won’t lie 🤣 I haven’t written in ages but I’ve given it a go. Let me know what you think 🥰

Inc: mostly just lots of fluff. Slight suggestion of smut (barely noticeable) but no actual smut or explicit mention of it.

Everyone finding out about chenford

Tim walks up to Lucy in the break room with a flustered look on his face “hey, what’s wrong ?” Lucy says, immediately noticing the change in Tim’s demeanour. Tim shuffles nervously, hands rested firmly on his belt. “I am fairly confident that Angela knows about us” Lucy stops in her tracks, coffee pot mid air “What ?! How ? We’ve been so careful !” Tim shrugs, his hands reaching for his face to try and release some of the pent up adrenaline that’s soaring through his system. “I don’t know ! We must’ve slipped up at some point.” Lucy scoffs, surely she would’ve noticed if Angela knew right ? I mean, she’s a cop for goodness sake, she figures things out for a living !. Looking up in despair, she sets the coffee pot down carefully on the counter. “No. She doesn’t” she answers in protest. Tim raises an eyebrow and a small smirk starts playing at the corner of his lips. “Then how else would you explain her asking me ‘so, whose bed’s comfier, yours or Lucy’s ?’” Lucy’s jaw drops, and with a purse of her lips, utters “okay, yeah. She knows”. Tim looks around at the empty break room with a quick glance out the windows. Stepping forward, he reaches his hand out and lightly brushes his fingers against hers. “Guess we should probably tell everyone now huh?”

“Yeah, we can do it tonight at John and Baileys game night, everyone will be there. I’ll just say it instantly, I cannot wait all night in suspense of what their reactions will be” Tim chuckles lowly to himself, but for a moment let’s fear cloud his judgment “do you not want them to know?” Lucy looks up, realising that Tim has taken her worry the wrong way. Without even a moment to think, she’s cupping his face, eyebrows furrowed and a sincerity in her eyes that is so genuine, it almost brings Tim to tears. “Of course I do ! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry. I was just getting stressed because I’ve never had to like, make an ‘announcement’ before. I mean, they know us both as ‘Lucy and Tim’ but not as ‘Lucy and Tim’ you know ?” Tim nods, a slight pent up breath leaving him. “I’m really happy with you. This is the happiest, most loving, healthiest relationship I’ve ever been in. I just want everything surrounding it to go well” He nods in understanding and this time it’s his turn to comfort Lucy. “Look. No matter what happens when we tell everyone, it won’t change anything about us. Okay ? You and me ? This isn’t gonna change.” A beaming smile erupts on Lucy’s face and she gives him a quick nudge with her hip “you know, this whole having feelings for me thing has really made you into quite the optimist” her smile very quickly turns into a playful accusatory smirk, her hands behind her back, heels smugly bobbing up and down off the floor. Tim’s eyes roll so high up to the skies that Lucy swears she can see her own reflection in the whites of them. The corners of his upturned lips give him away though, and she is absolutely certain that Tim Bradford just got caught red handed; he loves it when she messes with him. ‘Zip it Chen’ “ohhhhh, Chen now is it ? Well, well, well, suppose I should get back to work then” she leaves the room with a skip in her step, Tim looking ahead at her, eyes focused on every step she takes, thanking his lucky stars that Lucy Chen is no longer just his ‘co-worker’ although, she never really was ‘just that’ to him.

Later on that night

“Okay, let’s run through the plan again” Lucy lets out a shaky breath and turns to Tim outside Johns front door, arms resting safely on his, hoping that everything will go to plan and that they can finally just be a couple out in the open. “Luce” he reassures, bringing his hands out to slowly rest over hers, fingers grazing lightly up and down to give her some calm. He doesn’t want Lucy to get herself in a spin about it. He knows she’s worried because she greatly values the others’ opinions, and she’s always been one to care what others think. “We’ve got this. Okay ?” Her head nods rapidly in agreement , the anxiety that was bubbling in her chest almost instantly vanishing at the earnest tone in her boyfriends voice. “You’re right. We’ve got this, it’ll all be fine. I am prepared for any and all teasing that will be sent our way” she jokes. Both of them give each other a look of encouragement before gathering themselves and reaching for the door. “Oh, one more thing” Tim’s head whips round, noticing a glint in his girlfriends eyes. “What ?” He ask softly. Lucy just smile and reaches up to Tim, heels off the floor, arms now wrapped comfortably around Tim’s neck. Before he can even register what’s happening, Lucy quickly leans forward and brushes her glossy lips against his. A small moan erupts from Tim, loving the warmth that not only his lips are now feeling, but his chest too; before he can even attempt to deepen the kiss, his reason for being left flustered has already entered the Nolan residence. “Is she serious?” He mumbles lowly to himself, now questioning his choices to come tonight. why didn’t they just decide to stay home together tonight ? He sure as hell wants to be home with her now. Rallying himself together, he exhales and follows Lucy into the house.

A few hours into game night

Lucy looks to Tim, eyes darting from him to the rest of the group, signalling him it’s time. Tim sends her a quick wink, and clears his throat loudly, catching the attention of the group. “So, me and Lucy wanted to tell you all something” “is it-“ Nyla grasps Angela’s arm and shoots her a glance. The message is understood. This has to be Tim and Lucy’s announcement. Lucy dramatically lifts herself up off the couch, hands clasped together, a new confidence radiating off of her, and faces the group. Tim Bradford is the one for her. And here’s her chosen family, sat around together, in the midst of a very enjoyable (let’s not forget chaotic) game night. There couldn’t be a more prefect time to tell everyone. “Me and Tim are dating” “we have been for a few weeks actually” Tim joyously chimes in. Silence. No one utters a word, Nolan’s clock can be heard ticking in the background, mimicking the new couples tense heart rate. Before either of them get a chance to question it, Angela’s thunderous laughter breaks the quiet. Then everyone begins to laugh. Loud, happy, uproarious laughs. “Excuse me ? What’s so funny ?” Both Lucy and Tim’s eyebrows have furrowed in defensiveness, not sure what to make of this unexpected reaction. “Calm down” Angela manages to articulate, despite the giggles still leaving her mouth. “We’re only laughing because we know” “what ?” Tim’s eyebrows somehow furrow even more, eyes circling to Lucy’s noticing just as much confusion in hers. “You can’t all know already. We suspected Angela might, but there’s no way the rest of you knew” Lucy nods rapidly in agreement. Angela doesn’t let them continue their protest for a second longer. She reaches into her jeans pocket, and reveals her phone so victoriously that she looked as though she were holding a trophy. “You two, are not subtle. Like, at ALL” she takes a prideful stride towards them and open up her photos app. Lucy looks to Tim for help “what’s happening?” all he can grant her is a slight widening of his eyes and a shrug of his shoulders. Nyla starts to smirk from the couch, readjusting herself to find a comfier position “oh, this is gonna be good” she whispers to James, lifting the beer smugly to her mouth. “So here’s some pictures I’ve gathered over the last few weeks. What’s interesting about them is that, I wasn’t even trying to catch you. You just made it that easy” so much delight erupts from Angela’s voice that Lucy can’t help but release a small smile. She knows that her and Tim are about to get the teasing of a lifetime.

One picture turned into ten, pictures of them holding hands, leaning closely to one another, Angela somehow even got one of them kissing in Tim’s car at the end of shift ! Soon enough, Tim was ordering Angela to put her phone away because they ‘get the point’. “Why didn’t any of you say anything if you knew ?” It’s Aaron’s turn to speak up now “we wanted you to do it in your own time. It’s not like we didn’t see this coming, I mean, I thought you two were already together when I came to mid-Wilshire’ “yeah !” Celina interrupts, “your auras match so perfectly together and I could always sense a deep, loving connection between you two. You can’t make that stuff up. Actually, whilst we’re talking about it, can I analyse your birth charts ?” “No” “omg yes” Tim and Lucy utter in sync. Lucy looks to Tim and places her hand softly on his bicep, lightly stroking up and down. “Oh, cmon, Please ?” She pouts. Tim looks at her playful pout, and hears her plea, but all he can focus on is the way her fingers are gently caressing the hair on his arms “Okay, fine, but I don’t need to know about it” who is he kidding ? He’s going to let her tell him every little detail. “yes !, Celina, we will have our birth charts analysed please” Lucy runs over to Celina, phone in hand and smile so big and beautiful, Tim is convinced it could cure all the worlds problems. “Am I the only one confused ? I had no idea this was happening the last few weeks, this is great ! Did everyone know about this ?” Bailey turns to Nolan, surprise not concealed at all “babe, really ? It’s so obvious” she laughs, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat “it’s okay, you’ve been busy with TO work, it’s understandable you wouldn’t have noticed” another laugh escapes her. “Wouldn’t have noticed ?!” Wesley joins in, “I’m barely even at the station and I knew !” Angela looks to her husband lovingly, a smile playing at her lips “yeah, we’ve been gossiping about it together almost every day” Tim rolls his eyes, making sure to stop at Lucy on the way. He watches her, curiously leaned over her phone with Celina ‘god, she’s so amazing’ he thinks to himself. Angela quickly excuses herself from the group, and pulls Tim to one side. He looks at her in puzzlement. “I’m really happy for you, I’ve never seen you ever look this happy. You and Lucy are great together.” The two close friends smile fondly at each other, and wrap each other in a warm hug. Angela knows of Tim’s past and how much of a toll his relationship with Isabel took on him. And it doesn’t take a genius to know that Lucy Chen only ever has Tim’s best interests at heart. She’s so glad her two friends have finally admitted how they felt. “I really am” Tim beams, sneaking a glance at Lucy again, the warmth in his chest growing at the sight of her. “Oh, by the way” Angela cuts in on his thoughts “pinks a good colour on you” pink ? What is she talking about, he’s not got anything pink on. Angela notices his bewilderment and slyly points at her lips, walking away and giggling to herself again. Tim reaches up and touches his lips, surprised to feel something sticky on them. He pulls his hand away to find a pink stain with little specks of glitter swimming in it. Lucy’s kiss outside of Nolan’s door suddenly comes flooding back to him and all he can do is stand there, jaw slacked and a glare sent Lucy’s way. Lucy momentarily switches her attention from the phone to Tim for a second, eyes widening as she realises what’s going on. Her hand covers her mouth almost instantly, a smile breaking both her and Tim’s faces, laughter bubbling out not long after. Angela was right, they really aren’t that subtle.

[escapismqueen]

Chenford Pre-relationship + almost kiss!

Chenford headcanon- Pre- relationship almost kiss + heated argument.

Hi, Thankyou for the request 🥰I’ve decided to combine this request and another asking for a chenford ‘heated argument’ request. I thought they’d work well together. Let me know what you all think. Hope it’s okay ❤️

Tim is sat at Grey’s desk, watching the clock tick by; it’s been a pretty quiet day today, good for the people of LA, bad for Tim’s boredom. Grey is away for the day in court, so Tim is now in charge. Before Tim can even think about how long it’s been since his radio went off, his phone is ringing, Nyla’s name at the top. He’s immediately concerned, his heartbeat quickening rapidly, not feeling good about what Nyla has to say. He knows Nyla is riding with Lucy today, and why else would she be calling him on his personal phone during work hours if not about Lucy? His hands rush to the phone, voice pouring out in panic, not even greeting Nyla “what’s happened to Lucy ?” Nyla sighs almost regretfully, knowing that Tim’s about to go into protective mode, which Nyla happens to thinks that although it’s not surprising, is rather interesting for someone who claims to be ‘just Lucy’s T.O’. “Tim, just take a breath, it’s not that serious’ Tim let’s out an exasperated sigh, his hands clenching at the side of the desk so hard that it almost splinters. “Nyla, tell me what’s happened !” Knowing that she may as well rip off the band aid before Tim loses it, she tells him what’s going on “Okay, me and Lucy were called out to check on a domestic report, and things got a bit out of hand and the guy stabbed Lucy “

“STABBED ?! Nyla stabbed where ? Is she okay ? Is she at the hospital ?” Tim’s voice shakes, glad that he’s currently at the station helping Grey out so that he can leave right now. “If you let me finish, you would’ve heard me tell you it was in the leg. It’s not serious, the wound wasn’t that deep, she’s being checked out at the minute but they’re thinking she’ll only need stitches. She’s okay, Tim” The air is invaded with Tim’s sigh of relief, a part of him wondering why he is so worried. This happens all the time on the job, and he knows Lucy can handle herself. So why does he feel so worked up ? “I’m coming to the hospital” “No, you don’t need to. She’s okay, I just wanted to let you know th-“ “I’m coming” He abruptly hangs up the phone and makes his way to appoint Smitty as the officer in charge so that he can go and see Lucy.

Later on when Tim arrives at the hospital

“What were you thinking ?” Tim storms through Lucy’s hospital room door, clashing it against the wall with a pent up distress. “What ? Tim what are you doing here ?” Lucy crunches her eyebrows at him in confusion. “Nyla called me. And she just told me that you ran at a man twice your size who had a knife pointed at you ! That is so stupid and reckless !” Lucy’s eyebrows begin to raise, surprise flashing across her features before her eyes have returned to their original crunching, only this time, Tim sees an anger in them that wasn’t there before. “Are you kidding me ? We’re police officers. It’s our job to do things like this! He had a knife and I did what I was supposed to, to try and get it off him !” Lucy’s voice is raised with a slight disappointment wavering through; she thought Tim trusted that she was good at her job. Now she’s not so sure. Tim shakes his head, hand reaching up to pull slightly at his hair “Lucy, you made an impulse decision and ran at him! You could’ve tried to talk him down before trying that !” Lucy scoffs in disbelief “I cannot believe you right now. I’ve seen you do things so much more impulsive. I was doing my job ! You’re a cop, you know that ! Why does this matter all of a sudden ?” Tim sighs and runs his hands down his face. He doesn’t know either. He just knows that he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the idea of Lucy getting hurt, doesn’t like the idea of anything bad happening to her. What if it was worse ? The anxious thoughts begin to multiply but he’s abruptly interrupted by Lucy’s now soft voice “Tim?” The sound of her angelic voice snaps him out of his worried state. “What’s the matter ?” Silence dresses the room in an instant. The sound of Lucy’s IV drip sounding louder than ever. Tim slowly takes a step towards Lucy, reaching for the chair next to her bed and lowering himself slowly upon it. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed” Lucy’s gaze softens and her hand goes to reach for Tim’s, noticing his hunched figure. “I didn’t though. I know what I’m doing. Do you not trust me ?” Tim’s head snaps up, regret glazing over his slightly glassy pupils. “No, Lucy. Of course I trust you. You’re amazing at the job. I just, you need to be- you could’ve been killed” Lucy notices that Tim’s leg is bobbing up and down swiftly. This has bothered him a lot. She can’t stop staring at him. He looks like he’s feeling so many things, and she can’t figure out what they are. Tim breathes out softly, not enjoying the slight quiver that elicits from his throat. Lucy feels his breath on her face and they both now realise how close they are. Lucy’s breath hitches in her throat and Tim’s head lifts so achingly slowly that Lucy feels like she’s going to scream. The moment Tim’s eyes meet hers, the air changes. There’s a blur around them both. The only thing they can see is each other and they’re starting to think the only thing they want to see is each other. Their eyes wander in each others for what feels like forever, Lucy noting how Tims eyes have a little sparkle in them that she never noticed before. Tim noting how Lucy’s eyes look like a warm pot of honey in the sunlight and all he wants to do is get lost in them. Their bodies acts before their minds can and both of them nervously start to lean in, lips parting in anticipation, breaths becoming quicker. *RING, RING* the sounds of Tim’s phone going off breaks them both apart. Tim sees Smitty’s name and realises he should probably answer. His thumb hits the accept button but his eyes don’t dare falter from Lucy’s for even a second. They’re both thinking the same thing. ‘What just almost happened ?’.

[escapismqueen]

Just a little message for everyone who reads my fics and likes or reblogs or comments on them. It genuinely means so much, so Thankyou 💕I see you all and I’m incredibly grateful, and I know I speak for all writers when I say that 🥰each one gives us more inspiration to keep writing, so again, Thank you ❤️sending virtual hugs to you all 🤗

[escapismqueen]

Really fighting the urge to just completely delete and rewrite my newest fic 🤦‍♀️I’m so unhappy with it it’s not even funny 😂

[escapismqueen]

Someone at metro flirts with Lucy.. definitely need jealousy or insecurity from Tim.

Vulnerable Tim is hot!!

Absolutely ! Will for sure be writing this in 🥰

[escapismqueen]

Okay so ‘someone at a metro flirts with Lucy’ has won in the poll by quite a bit 😂so I’ll get started on that asap. If there’s anything in particular that anyone would like in the fic, then just put it in the comments and I’ll try my best to add it in 🥰💕

[escapismqueen]

I cant decide which fic to write next so I might just make a poll again and let you all decide 😂🥰also, I can’t stop thinking about the fic I posted yesterday that I hated and then deleted, I’m questioning if I even have the writing ability anymore 🫠😂

[escapismqueen]

Honestly, I apologise to anyone who has had to read that, omg 🤦‍♀️

Really fighting the urge to just completely delete and rewrite my newest fic 🤦‍♀️I’m so unhappy with it it’s not even funny 😂