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Lucy’s opportunity arrives early one morning.
She feels Tim stir in the bed beside her. The alarm hasn’t even gone off yet and she blinks sleep out of her eyes as she turns to him in question. They normally get up together and take Kojo for a walk before work, since their shifts start at the same time, despite Tim having moved up to sergeant and Lucy still on patrol.
“Got an early meeting today,” Tim tells her, reaching over to stroke her hair and place a soft kiss to her temple before throwing back the covers and getting out of bed. “You want to come with or-”
“Oh, I am not getting up out of this bed until I absolutely have to,” she mumbles half into her pillow.
“Something tire you out last night?” Tim asks with a teasing tone to his voice.
Lucy looks up at him through sleepy lids and rolls her eyes. The man does not need any more ego-stroking.
“Do you want me to let Kojo out before I go?”
“Nah, I’ll take him. See you later.”
“Love you,” Tim tells her, before making his way out of the room to get ready for the day.
“Love you, too,” Lucy answers, her eyes already slipping back shut.
The sound of the door closing causes Lucy to again be drawn from her slumber, but this time, instead of going back to sleep, the thought dawns on her - she’s alone in the house for the first time in what seems like forever.
She can’t let this chance go to waste.
Making note of the time, she clambers out of bed, rushes through her morning routine, and gets dressed. She opens the door to the backyard to let Kojo out just in case she runs out of time for a walk, and debates where to begin her search.
Being a cop, in a relationship with another cop, meant it was hard to surprise one another. Especially as the two of them work similar hours in the same precinct, live together, and spend most of their free time together, there isn’t much opportunity to keep things from each other.
But it also makes things all the more fun and interesting when they do try to do something without the other knowing. Planning date nights, buying birthday and anniversary gifts - it always involves one of them trying to be sneaky while the other tries their hardest to guess what's coming.
And this situation is no different.
Because Lucy Chen has it on good authority that Tim Bradford had been ring shopping for her.
Engagement ring shopping.
They’d had the marriage conversation relatively early on in their relationship. It was clear from the moment they got together that this thing between them was deeper and more real than any other relationship Lucy had ever had. At this point, she knows it’s only a matter of when , not if , Tim is planning to propose.
And in true Tim form, he’s been using the opportunity to keep her on her toes. Her rookie year had been full of Tim Tests, which she’d retaliated with pranks of her own, and now they still play tricks on each other every so often, especially when trying to keep something a secret. So these past few weeks Tim has been keeping her on high alert, shamelessly leading her to think he’s going to propose, when instead he’s just bending down to tie his shoe, asking her to pass the salt, or just rambling on about things he loves about her without actually popping the question.
She hasn’t seen it but she knows he has a ring and is just trying to throw her off the scent of his true proposal plans. But Lucy has had enough. If she can just find where he’s been hiding the ring - he’ll have no choice but to propose to her already. If it were her, she probably wouldn’t hide the ring in their house - but for that very reason, she has a sneaking suspicion that’s exactly why he’d choose to keep it here, in the last place she’d expect. Besides, she’s already grilled all of their friends and family and although she knows it’s in most of their job descriptions to be good liars, they’ve all claimed not to know anything, and she’s got to start somewhere.
What would Tim Bradford do…? She spins around their living room, deep in thought. She’s suddenly struck by a memory of one of their first days on the job. Think like a crook. You ever heard of the DEAR method?
Deception. Elusion. Access. Repulsive.
Well, it’s a start.
With a grimace, Lucy decides to start with R and makes her way to the first place she can think of - the water tank of the master bathroom toilet.
Her jaw practically drops in shock when she sees a plastic bag taped to the inside of the tank. Inside, there’s no mistaking the look of a square, black velvet box. She fishes it out, washes her hands, and sits on her bed to open it. She feels almost guilty for what she’s about to do, but her curiosity gets the better of her. She’ll just have a peak - she’s dying to know what kind of ring Tim had picked out - and then she’ll put it right back where she found it. Opening the box with a snap, Lucy furrows her brow in confusion when she sees a slip of paper where a ring should be sitting. Opening it, she sees Tim’s familiar handwriting, spelling out, ‘You didn’t think I’d actually hide it here, did you?’
Lucy lets out a laugh that’s part amusement and part frustration. Of course he’d have a decoy. She’s transported right back to when she tried to open her evaluation before the end of her Plain Clothes Day shift.
So now the question is - does this mean the ring isn’t here at all, or should she keep looking for other hiding spots?
She decides to check just a few more places before work.
Using the remaining letters of the DEAR method, she finds three more boxes and debates if she should even bother opening them. This is clearly all a ploy planned by Tim; none of the hiding spots had been particularly difficult to find. Although...what if they’re not all decoys?
On an impulse, she picks up one box that feels heavier than the others, and flips it open.
She realizes her mistake a split second too late.
White powder explodes out of the ring box, instantly coating her face and shirt.
She should have known better.
Suddenly, the sound of the back door opening startles her. She reaches for her side piece before she hears the pitter-patter of Kojo’s feet and registers--
“ Tim? ”
“I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.” Her boyfriend grins mischievously at her, as he holds out his phone and snaps a shot of her in her dusted glory.
Lucy sighs. There’s really no hiding what she’d done with the evidence all over her face. “Wait, what happened to your meeting?”
“There was no meeting,” Tim tells her, pocketing his phone and moving closer to her, “I just told you there was because I knew as soon as you thought you were alone you’d go looking for something you seem to think I might have hid in here… I was waiting outside just out of sight. Kojo kept me company, didn’t you, boy?” Their dog trots over when he hears his name, looking as if he wants a front ring seat to whatever’s about to go down.
“Alright, well, you got me, Tim. You know me well.” Lucy throws her hands up in defeat. “I better go clean up before shift.” She starts heading to the bathroom.
“Hey, Luce?” Tim calls out, and she turns back to see him reach into his pocket. Then there’s a glint of light flying towards her through the air. “This what you were looking for?”
She instinctively puts her hands out to catch what he’s thrown and her breath catches as she realizes what it is.
“Uhh,” Lucy is speechless as she eyes the diamond ring in her hands. It’s stunning, a princess cut diamond in the center flanked by a series of diamonds on either side, set in a thin platinum band. It’s beautiful without being overly ostentatious, and she immediately loves it. The meaning behind him throwing the ring to her is not lost to her, and her eyes tear up as she remembers what he said to her on that day only a few short years ago.
It’s the first day of the rest of your life.
And now they’re here, with a different ring, marking the start of yet another stage of their lives.
While she’s been reminiscing and tearing up, Tim has lowered himself down on one knee. He reaches out to grab her hand and she meets his blue eyes, which are watery as well.
“Lucy,” he starts, “when we first met, all I ever planned was to teach you how to be a good cop. But with your kindness, your tenacity, and your light, you wove your way into my heart. You became my partner, my confidant, and my best friend. You challenge and inspire me every day to be a better man and all I want is to know you’ll always be at my side. Lucy Chen, will you marry me?”
Tears are falling freely now, as Lucy nods her response. “Yes!”
He stands up and reaches over to take the ring from her and slip it on her finger. She throws her arms around him and their lips meet in a passionate kiss.
The kiss quickly comes to an end as they both end up with a mouthful of the white substance, and they pull apart with a laugh, still wrapped up in each other’s arms.
“I can’t believe you proposed to me with my face covered in powder, in the middle of our living room, fifteen minutes before we have to be on shift.” Lucy shakes her head, still reeling at the fact that this had actually happened.
“Were you hoping for something else?” Tim looks concerned, “Fancy dinner, rose petals, band serenading?”
“Nah,” Lucy smiles, “This was perfect. It’s us .”
Tim’s smile returns. “By the way, I called Grey yesterday, put in for personal days for both of us. So if you need any help getting washed up...”
“Oh, I love you, Tim Bradford!” Lucy gives him a quick peck on the lips. A day off, just the two of them and Kojo, celebrating their engagement, sounds like the best plan ever. Maybe later tonight they can meet the rest of their friends for drinks and share their news.
“I love you, too, Lucy.” Tim’s voice is soft as he returns the sentiment, and he reaches down to entwine the fingers of her left hand with his own. They head towards the shower, hand in hand, but before they reach the bathroom, Lucy turns to face her fiance.
“Oh, but Tim?” She gives him a pointed look, “We’re now 2 to 1 on the powder bombs, so you better watch out.”
Tim just chuckles. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”