Chapter Text
Lucy was walking past the staircase to see two new employees run up with their uniforms in hand and saw both Harper and Angela laughing. She walked over, coffee in hand and met them as Thorsen and Celina arrived with Nolan. All three shook their heads knowing what was happening as Nolan had recounted the stories several times regarding what Angela and Bishop had done on his first day. Lucy looked at Nolan and pointed.
“I get Pine.” She wanted Tim's boss's niece, hopefully to earn her some points in case she needed Tim off for a night.
“I get Tamara.” He told her in return, but they already knew that was a given.
Celina nodded, “I guess I get Mitchell or Lincoln.”
Angela looked at the small group. “First time having four training officers at the same time. No clue who the third is yet, but all I’m told is that she is a legend. This is going to be hilarious, however. Tell me Tim is doing the briefing for Grey.”
“Well this is a sight for sore eyes.” They all turned to see Talia Bishop walking over in uniform.
“What? It’s you?” Angela asked as Bishop grinned when they hugged. “What happened to the ATF?”
She shrugged, “bit of uh creative difference regarding some drug money. Tried the FBI and got told by an Agent Clark to give Nolan a message. Something about he’s paying for the next plane ticket. She managed to smooth this whole three-player-trade out for me. I won’t ever make detective but I’m told I'm a great T.O. and maybe that’s where I need to be.”
“Oh Simone, I told her I’d fly her out for mine and Bailey’s wedding. You know what happened so I said her next vacation I’d fly her out.”
Angela smirked, “you mean you knocked her up.”
“Obviously and as lovely as a pregnant bride you made, Bailey is a bit more vane.” He stated. "The firefighter in her."
Bishop looked at him, "sorry, you're dating a firefighter?"
"No, I married her. We have a one year old daughter, Tabitha. Which is still strange to say, especially given my grandson and daughter are the same age."
"Oh so first a cop and then a firefighter."
Angela laughed, "no, first it was Lucy, then a Fed, then a doctor, and now he finally married a firefighter."
Bishop looked at Lucy, "I hope you learned your lesson."
"Oh Lucy did worse. She married a cop." Angela told her, "but he's decent."
Lucy glared at her, "he's lucky I love him or he'd be dead after last night."
Harper held out her hand to Bishop. "Nyla Harper. I got your rookie after you left."
“Okay, how do I look?” Tamara made her way over and Lucy turned to her, reaching up to adjust her tie. “Is the bun always uncomfortable?”
Lucy nodded, “yes, but we’ll go out and get you some comfortable hair ties. You get used to it after a while.”
Tim made his way over and nodded, “looking good there, Rookie.”
“Thanks, Sergeant.” Tamara grinned and motioned between her and Lucy, “so, does this bring back flashbacks?”
“No, because Nolan will be so much nicer than I would be.” He pointed to Nolan, “she get harmed, you die. She gets shot, you die. She dies, you die, I have Celina and Angela's grandmother resurrect you and then you die all over again.” With that he walk away but came back. "If she does something stupid, I lecture you and then kill her myself." At that point he walked away in total.
Nolan looked at them, “I honestly believe him for the first time ever.”
Bishop took look at Tamara and then Lucy, “you related?”
“Oh look at that, roll call. I promised him I’d let him do the announcement” Lucy stated to Tamara even though her name tag said everything and turned at seeing her rookie walking over. “Pine, you’re late by an hour.”
The girl looked at her, “ma’am?”
“You should have been here an hour ago to select a shop, inspect it, gas it, and then be back for roll call. Should I call your aunt?”
The girl shook her head, “no ma’am, won’t happen again.”
“See that it doesn’t. If it does, you’ll be faced with your first unpleasant task of the week. Twice and I let you tell the head of Metro why you’re failing her before you’re on your third day. Get to roll call.”
The rookie scurried away and Angela nodded, “your T.O. would be impressed. I think you made her cry.”
“Please, I’m not going to have her fight a drug dealer on her first day or run into my estranged husband.” She smiled, “I’m not Tim.”
Tamara gasped and looked at Nolan, “what do you want me to do?”
“I will be nicer.” He motioned to the conference room, “get to roll call.”
Grey looked at the room and nodded. “This is pretty historic day. We have a returning training officer, two new training officers, four total training officers for the first time in Mid-Wilshire Division history, two legacies, a newly ranked officer, and I have never been prouder. Now look, I give this speech every year but I felt this year, it should come from a different voice that is deeply connected to this historic day.” He looked at Tim and motioned to the lectern.
Tim looked at the room and then at the four new rookies, “this is my first rookie day speech and trust my wife to write it for me.” Laughter ran through the room, “but like true fashion, I won’t listen to her.” More laughter rolled through the room, “look, you four have earned your right to be here by virtue of completing the academy. As a rookie, I know what you’re facing and some of you think you know, but you don’t. As a training officer, you’re only half prepared and I know the officers guiding you are some of the best I have trained and worked with. You will succeed and you’ll do it on your own merit and in your own way. As a father, I tell you what I tell my daughter and that is to do everything with the resilience and strength of those who are stronger than we were before them.” He looked at the list, “so it’s my honor to announce training officer match up. Chen, you have Pine. Juarez you have Mitchell. Bishop, you have Lincoln. Nolan, you have Bradford.” He looked over at the rookies as the room sounded in applause. “Be safe out there.”
Roll call broke up and Tamara received a bunch of hugs and fist bumps. Tim was waiting by the door as she made her way over. “So, I guess this makes you a bit concerned now that today has finally arrived.”
“Yes, and I won’t be relaxed till you walk out that door at the end of the day. I’m proud of you.” He pulled her in and hugged her.
Bishop glanced across the bullpen at the pair. “He has a kid? Did Isabel not tell him?”
“No, because Isabel isn’t her mother. I mean, technically Tim’s not her father. Father-figure yes, but even I didn’t know about the name change until today.”
Lucy walked over with a baby in her arms, “shocked us when she told him she changed her name to Bradford. I promised not to ruin the surprise.”
Bishop looked at her and grinned, “who is this precious baby?”
“Say, this is Katie.” Lucy glanced at the baby girl, who was pointing to the ceiling. “Oh, you see the lights. Yes, pretty lights.”
“Oh this makes it complete.” Tim stated as he walked over with Tamara. “Hey, if it isn’t our rookie in training.” The baby reached for him and he took her, holding her up and she giggled. “What are you looking at?” He watched her point to the ceiling lights. “Oh, you like the lights. Yeah, it’s so much brighter in here. The nursery school room is blue, no big lights for you there.”
Lucy ran her hand over Katie’s back. “Drop her off for me since I have to get Pine out in the field?”
“Yeah, of course. I heard you with Pine, great nail on your first day.”
“Well yeah, you were a great T.O. and if I want to beat you by half, I have to start out strong. I just know two things; I won’t be shot on her first day and I won’t be making her fight drug addicts and run into my estranged husband.”
Angela laughed as Tim spoke. “Oh, so he showed up after you murdered him for abandoning you at dinner last night?”
Lucy put up a finger, “take my daughter to daycare and we’re not talking today. If you’re nice, and I know that’s hard for you, maybe I’ll listen when your wife complains about you. God knows how she stands you.”
Tamara covered her mouth as they walked in opposite directions. Angela snorted and grabbed Tamara’s arm, “come on, war chests and I’m going to make sure you get the best ones. No crappy stuff for your first day.”
“What has happened while I’ve been gone?” Bishop looked at the whole situation and shook her head.
Getting to the meet up at the food trucks was tradition that even Bishop didn’t think anyone would break after all her time away. What surprised her was that the rookies and officers were sitting together instead of apart and Rookie Pine is standing there telling a story to her fellow rookies like she was the heroine of the story. Tim sat next to Angela and who she thinks is Wesley, a lawyer they barely ever spoke to if at all possible. Two kids were with Angela, the older was a boy of probably four and a baby girl of one or two. Tim held the boy and was helping him pet a nearby dog that looked distinctly like a Belgian Malinois. He spoke softly to him and Tim had always helped children but never really interacted with them beyond the job after everything with Isabel. He seemed to be happily speaking to the boy, catching his hand when the toddler tried to grab the dog’s ear, instead running his hand over the fur.
Walking over to the table, she sat down beside Angela. “Oh hey, how was your first day back as a training officer?”
“Actually strange it was a kid instead of a man older than me.”
Lucy walked over with Katie in her arms and instantly the baby was captured by Angela. “That’s my baby.”
“Look, I just want my daily baby-fix.” Angela told her, “it’s not like I’m going to steal her from you.”
“I think this child is yours.” Tim told Wesley and put him in his father’s lap.
“Thanks.” Wesley told him, “he wasn’t bothering you was he by pulling on Justice’s ears?”
Tim waved him off, “no, she’s kind of used to the kids by now.” He looked down at the K-9 who was laying at his feet, “she’s had everything pulled and the Division kids are a good teacher on patience.”
“Patience, you?” Bishop looked up at him, “since when?”
He shook his head, “good to have you back, you’ve been missed.”
“Wish I could say the same.” She motioned to him.
Lucy put a finger to her lips as she approached him and Tim closed his eyes. “Lucy, it never works. Why do you still try.”
“Huh, what?” She asked as she came to stand beside him, “were you saying something?”
He glanced at her, “really? You try this all the time and it fails. You can’t test the master and win.”
“Oh really?” She put her hand her hips. “Look, Bradford you’re not the shit anymore since you went all Metro and K9. We’re out here patrolling the streets and you’re lagging behind.”
“Really?”
“Uh huh.” He grabbed her and she screamed, laughing as he wrapped his arms around her.
Tim looked at Angela, “you have your Katie tonight.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off, “go have date night. Just remember who is returning the gesture on Friday.”
Lucy grinned, “where are you taking me?”
“Where do you want to go?” He watched her expression.
“How about that outdoor bistro that has the patio. We could take Justice with us, get her in on some socializing and maybe a doggie-ice.”
“You sold me at outdoor bistro. Kind of reminds me of our first official date."
"Second, I told you making an arrest on our first date is a better story for the grandkids."
He leaned down and kissed her, pulling back after a moment. "You hungry?"
"Yeah." Lucy laughed and kissed him again before pulling back. “Come on.” She looked back at Tamara, “get a ride home.”
“Sure. I’ll probably just invite Lydia to come over.”
“No fraternizing.” Tim told her over his shoulder and whistled softly, the dog following immediately.
Bishop looked at Angela and the woman smirked. “How long do you have because that is probably a five hour explanation.”
“That long?”
Tamara leaned in, “that’s the short department memo version. The actual story is more like a weekend explanation over wine and hard alcohol.”
“She’s not wrong.”
“Come here.” Tamara took Katie from her, “hi, you know who I am. I’m the best big sister in the whole wide world. Yes, I am.” She glanced at Angela, “I’m crashing on the couch, I’m not going back to that house tonight.”
“Fair.” Angela told her, “but you’re staying in the guest room.”