Work Text:
Aaron radios, "7-Lincoln-7, I found a body. It's Sergeant Tim Bradford."
Debriefing her recent horrific undercover operation in the interrogation rooms, Lucy overhears Aaron on Nyla's radio. She feels dizzy as her eyes turn inexpressive and blank. Nyla holds Lucy's hand with hers, which she had placed on the desk.
Lucy knows Tim went missing; that happened under her watch. And she can't blame herself enough for that. But she is certain that he is not dead.
He can't. How could he when she is still alive and breathing? She is sure that she would have fallen, too, if something had happened to Tim. She cannot possibly be alive in a world where Tim isn’t. Her heart still beats, so definitely, Tim’s does too. She thinks.
Lucy then closes her eyes and utters Tim's name like a silent prayer. And as if on cue, Tim enters the interrogation room.
Lucy opens her eyes and sees Tim standing before her. She smiles as tears roll down her cheeks. Then she almost leaps into his arms. He holds her in his arms as she wraps herself around his body like an octopus. She kisses him passionately on the mouth, which he enthusiastically reciprocates. She then breaks their kiss and takes a long breath. She finally takes her mouth near his ears and whispers, "I knew it, Tim. I was sure it wasn’t you. There was no way you were dead when I was still alive. If something had happened to you, my soul would have left my body as well. It’s not just me who loves you. My soul loves your soul. There is no universe in infinity where Lucy Chen exists without Tim Bradford. We are soulbound, baby."
It is the first time Lucy verbally confesses her love for Tim. Tim is flooded with feelings he did not know he had. He manages to murmur, "I love you too," in response to her emotional declaration.
When Nyla clears her throat to draw their attention toward her. Lucy and Tim turn their heads toward her, with Lucy still holding onto Tim. She informs, "The body Aaron found is Jake's. There's also another piece of news: when Nolan and Celina went to notify Sava of Jake's death, they found her dead as well, with no trace of injury on her. They believe it was a heart attack. Anyhow, an autopsy will reveal her true cause of death." With these words, she leaves the interrogation room to give Lucy and Tim some privacy.
Lucy silently prays for the souls of Jake and Sava, because although they were criminals, they did not deserve to die so young. They too deserved to live their lives to the fullest. She then looks into Tim's eyes with a bittersweet expression, for she is now sure she is right about them being soulbound. Even their doppelgangers were soulbound, one could not survive without the other.
Tim embraces her tighter, if that's even possible. He has been one of those who has prided himself on being in perfect control of his emotions. Nevertheless, Lucy's words and Jake-Sava's whole incident overwhelm him beyond words. He then thinks. He's not sure what he's done in his life to deserve Lucy. Maybe it's not him who deserves her, but his soul does. He has always been a pragmatic person who has laughed at people who believed in concepts like soulmates. Yet here he is, with this wonderful woman in his arms. At this moment, he can only do one thing: express his gratitude to God or the universe, or whoever decided to connect his soul to hers.