Work Text:
Heart racing.
Chest pounding.
Thoughts running.
Walls closing in.
The panic sets in, and as much as she doesn’t want to feel a sense of shame in her anxiety, she does.
She wishes she was just “over it” by now.
Logically, she knows that this will always be with her in one way or another and that all the therapy, and self-help books, and all of her wonderful friendships can’t erase the trauma of her captivity.
She knows that she is a survivor.
She understands that she is alive.
She understands that Caleb is dead.
She also understands that none of that matters when it comes to the human body’s response to trauma.
She is the daughter of two incredibly science-forward individuals, she knows the science behind trauma.
Hell, she has studied the science herself. She knows why she can’t just “get over it.”
So she understands it all.
Still, all that understanding and knowledge of the psychology behind the anxiety doesn’t stop the panic from setting in or the absolute dread she feels whenever she is in an enclosed space, unable to free herself.
Usually, she is able to handle a few moments of dread and panic before she is able to extract herself from the cause.
Usually.
Unlike now.
Currently, she is stuck in an apartment building and trapped in an unmoving elevator.
With Tim.
She had responded to a domestic call a couple of hours earlier. The situation ended up taking a dangerous turn, requiring backup assistance and an ambulance. Tim and Aaron arrived on the scene minutes after her backup request was communicated over the radio.
Though they’ve kept their distance since her return from UC school, sparing each other only stolen glances and loaded stares, she found herself grateful for it to be him that responded to her request.
With Aaron? Yes, but still….
He came.
And he looked at her, really looked at her. He asked if she was alright. He spoke to her. She found herself coming to the realization that this was the most they’d spoken since the night he came to her apartment to tell her to take the opportunity and move on in her career.
And move on from what they almost did.
And move on from the possibility of the two of them.
And move on from all they felt in Las Vegas.
And so she did, take the opportunity that is.
And now she is back.
And she is with Chris.
And he is with Ashley.
But still…
Hours later, after everything was wrapped up, Lucy and Tim found themselves awkwardly, silently riding the steel cage down to their shops when the elevator suddenly came to an abrupt and jolting stop.
“What’s going on? Why aren’t we moving,” Lucy says, looking around frantically as if to will the confined space of the elevator to expand.
“We’re stuck,” he says as he takes in their situation, radioing down to Aaron to call in LAFD for assistance.
“I kinda figured that, Tim,” she says in a whisper as she feels her heart start to race, feeling herself starting to panic as the walls of the elevator feel impossibly tighter.
“This can’t be happening,” she whispers mostly to herself as her breathing becomes more shallow.
“Hey,” he says as he comes near her, placing a warm and steady hand on her shoulder, causing her to startle and her eyes dart to his face.
He sees it then.
The panic.
The anxiety.
The absolute terror.
Not of the elevator crashing but of the emotions and trauma that the enclosed space is bringing rearing back. She doesn’t have to say it.
He knows it.
And once again, she is grateful for him. She is grateful for their connection, for him being the person in this elevator with her as she is going through this panic. She is grateful because he knows what she needs. She is grateful because he won’t judge her for the reaction even if it’s more than two damn years after.
She is grateful when he catches her as she falls to the elevator ground. And even more grateful when he joins her, holding her hands to his chest and keeping her steady.
She is grateful when he pulls her to him, his arms coming around her waist, her back to his chest. She is grateful when he matches her breathing, attempting to keep her anxiety at bay. She is grateful that he doesn’t explain what’s happening because they both know the cause of her reaction.
She is grateful for the words of comfort he whispers in her ear as he holds her and rocks her back and forth, so similar to the ones he murmured to her years ago when he pulled her out of that bin.
“You are safe, Luce. I’ve got you,” he says over and over.
She knows she is.
She knows with him, she’s more than safe… she is known.
And though that thought scares her more than anything, she’s grateful to be known by him, never more than in this moment, she thinks as she feels him press a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Her breathing has calmed and the near tears have subsided, but he is still holding her and she is still letting him.
They are silent, sharing a moment of connection that is so rare now after Vegas.
She misses him.
He misses her.
It isn’t until a near twenty minutes later, when they hear the LAFD start to pry open the elevator doors, that they separate from each other’s arms.
Within seconds, three LAFD members and Aaron are approaching them, inquiring how they are.
Tim and Lucy share a look as Aaron asks Lucy if she is alright.
“Yeah,” she says as she stares at Tim, “I’m safe and sound.”
“You all feel like lunch?” Aaron asks as they all walk out of the building together.
“Yeah,” she states a second later, “Veggie Burger and fries.”
Tim and Lucy share a look, completely unaware of Aaron.
“Extra pickles,” they both say at the same time.