Work Text:
“Daddy?” Says a tiny voice besides him. Tim looks up from the sofa to see his four year old daughter Ava looking up at him with big blue eyes, her hair in the pigtails she had begged Lucy for this morning.
“Hi baby.” Tim says reaching for her, she comes immediately and climbs up on his lap. There is silence for a few minutes as Ava adjusts herself on his lap.
“I have a question.” She says seriously. Tim raises his eyebrows at her. Usually Ava would be bouncing around the house or chasing Kojo around the yard like the chaotic child she was. But she seemed perfectly calm which had Tim suspicious and wary.
“What’s that?” He asks her. She looks up at him, her cheeks red and her eyes wide.
“How did you and mommy get together?” She asks. Tim tilts his head at curiously wondering where this came from.
“Why do you want to know that Aves?” He asks her. Ava shrugs her shoulders and then plays with his shirt a little bit.
“My friend Lacey was telling me how her parents got together and then she asked me and I didn’t know.” She says mournfully. “It made me sad.” Tim’s heart clenches a little and he kisses the top of her head ready to tell her anything she wanted to know but before he could even say a word the front door opens. Ava is off his lap in seconds yelling “mommy mommy!” As she runs to greet her.
Tim shakes his head in amusement as Lucy comes in the room with two year old Daisy on her hip and Ava at her side. Ava hops back onto Tim’s lap and then looks at him expectantly. Lucy just laughs as she bends down to kiss his cheek and puts Daisy on his other leg.
“Ava said you are going to tell her how we got together.” Lucy says in amusement. Tim nods and looks at his oldest daughter who hasn’t taken her eyes off of him.
“Well let’s start from when we realized we liked each other.” he begins looking up at Lucy. “It started with this undercover operation.” Lucy snorts from where she is sitting next to him and he quickly turns to look at her.
“What?” He asks a little puzzled. She rolls her eyes at him.
“C’mon Tim it started way before that.” She says. And okay maybe she is right, maybe they didn’t get together until later but their feelings- well at least his feelings started before Vegas.
“Do you want to tell the story?” He asks her. She shakes her head.
“No. You got this.” She says and waves him on to continue. He sighs and looks between his two daughters who are both staring at him.
“Okay fine. Your mom is right, our feelings for each other started before the UC op. For me it really started when I saw her in this beautiful green dress at your Aunt Angela’s non wedding.” Tim says and Ava’s eyes light up.
“Mommy still has that dress. It was the one you wore the other night and the next morning it was on the hallway floor.” Ava says proudly. Lucy coughs in amusement and Tim’s eyes widen in surprise that Ava even noticed that.
“Right.” Says Lucy. “Daddy couldn’t wait to take it—” Tim gives her a half amused half exasperated look. And he wonders where Ava gets it from.
“Anyway.” Says Tim quickly before Ava or Lucy could say anything more. “I told mommy to save me a dance but unfortunately Aunt Angela got kidnapped.”
“What’s kidnapped?” Daisy asks. “Auntie Angela isn’t kid.” Ava rolls her eyes at her little sister.
“You don’t have to be a kid to be kidnapped Daisy. Anyone can be kidnapped. That’s why daddy doesn’t want us ever running off and we always have to hold mommy and daddy’s hands.” She says looking at Tim for confirmation. Tim beams at her in pride and gives her a quick kiss.
“Your sissy is right baby.” He tells Daisy gently. “Aunt Angela was kidnapped and then she was rescued but then—” He looks at Lucy to see if she wants to say the next part about Jackson. She shakes her head and Tim reaches around Daisy and squeezes her hands.
“Mommy’s friend Jackson was— he was hurt really badly and he..” Tim pauses not sure what to say to a five and three year old about someone being killed.
“He died.” Says Lucy quietly. “And daddy didn’t want me to be alone so he invited me to stay with him.”
Ava looks somber as she looks between her two parents. “I’m sorry mommy. My friend Lacey’s grandpa died too.” She says softly. Lucy looks at him and then at Ava and kisses her on her cheek.
“It’s okay sweetie. I miss him everyday and I wish you could have met him.” She says. Tim blinks at his wife. He knows she still struggles with Jackson’s death and missing him. He missed Jackson too in a weird way. He wonders what the younger man would have thought about him and Lucy getting together and living the life they both always wanted.
“Then what?” Daisy asks. “Did you kiss?” Tim snorts and shakes his head.
“No. Not yet but we did hug. And it felt..” He says and looks up to see Lucy smiling softly at him.
“Different.” Lucy finishes for him. “It felt different.”
Tim nods in agreement because it did feel different and he felt like if the phone hadn’t rang he would have kissed her.
“But we rescued Aunt Angela and then went on with our lives.” Tim says. “Then I met—” He glances at Lucy seeing if she wanted him to bring up their exes.
She nods. “It’s part of our story Tim.” She says softly. “And honestly they are one of the reasons we realized our feelings for each other. So it is important.” Tim nods his head in agreement once again knowing she is right. “I met Ashley and mommy met this man named Chris and—” He says but Ava cuts him off.
“You dated someone else other than mommy?” She asks aghast and then turns to Lucy a frown on her face.
“You said daddy was the love of your life!” She says tears welling up in her eyes. “Why—” Lucy laughs and pulls Ava off Tim’s lap and onto to hers she runs her hand soothingly through her pigtails.
“Baby, daddy is the love of my life. But sometimes you have to be with someone else to find the love of your life. It doesn’t just happen magically.” She says softly. “It’s part of falling in love.” Ava nods and lays her head on Lucy’s shoulder and then looks up at Tim.
“What happened after that daddy?” She asks eagerly. Tim huffs out a laugh and pulls Daisy so she’s more on his lap.
“Well daddy and mommy dated Chris and Ashley for awhile. And it was.. fine. We liked them both a lot. And then the UC operation happened.” Tim says. “And we had to pretend to be a couple.”
“Like Daisy and I pretend to play house?” Ava asks. “That’s silly.” Tim looks at his daughter in amusement.
“It is a Little silly. But it was part of our jobs.” Tim says. “And so we had to practice kissing.” Ava lets out an excited squeal. “You practiced kissing? You didn’t know how to—” She says and Tim glances at Lucy who is smirking at him and then Ava.
“No. We both knew how to kiss Ava. But we had to pretend to be together so we needed to kiss each other.” He says. “And so I—”
“Your dad gave me this weak little peck on the lips.” Lucy says cutting him off and Tim makes an indignant noise.
“If you are going to criticize my kiss.” He grumbles but Lucy just laughs reaching over to pat his hand.
“It’s okay babe. You got better.” She says smirking again at him. He rolls his eyes and adjusted Daisy on his lap. Her head was on his shoulder but she was still staring wide eyed at him.
“And then your mom kissed me and well—” He says smiling at the memory of their first kiss even if it was for practice. It made him short circuit for a minute, and it made him realized he wanted to do kiss Lucy again.
“And then Aunt Tamara came in.” Says Lucy. “And we jumped apart.”
“Cause it was just pretend?” Ava asks and Tim looks at Lucy who nods solemnly.
“Yes. It was for work.” She says. “Your daddy left and aunt Tamara teased me and then—”
“And then the next day at work I was going to say something but I chickened out.” Tim says not looking at Lucy.
She makes a soft noise. “You were going to say something?” She asks in surprise.
“Well yeah Luce. I was but I didn’t want to—” Tim says shrugging his shoulders. “Were you going to say anything?”
Lucy bites the inside of her cheek and nods. “I was scared. About what it all meant.” Tim nods in understanding and continues. “Anyway we went undercover to Vegas and we were on a airplane. And we got news a very bad woman had escaped.” He says glancing at Lucy. “And so we went into the bathroom to uh—” He hesitates not sure how to continue. “We went to the bathroom to wash our hands.” He finishes lamely and Lucy gives him an exasperated look.
“We were supposed to be uh—” Lucy says. “It doesn’t matter. I kissed daddy and broke his brain again.” She says teasingly and Ava giggles.
“Daddy’s brain breaks a lot when he’s around you mommy. I have seen it.” Ava says.
Tim sighs closing his eyes for just a minute, hearing Lucy’s laughter besides him. “Anyway.” He says. “A lot of stuff happened and then we were in the hotel room and—”
“Some bad guys came to the door and we fought them. And I saved daddy’s butt.” Lucy’s says scooting over so her shoulder is touching his. Tim rolls his eyes once again at her in fond exasperation.
“Mommy has saved you a lot huh daddy?” Ava says and Tim looks over at Lucy who smiles softly.
“Yeah she has.” He says and it’s true and in ways his daughters wouldn’t even understand right now.
“He has saved me too.” Says Lucy and Tim hears what she’s not saying. He literally brought her back to life after pulling her out of the barrel.
“Then what happened?” Ava asks Tim “After mommy saved you.” Tim looks down at Daisy who was still looking up at him. She was the more serious one, more like him but she was Lucy’s twin.
“Well we came back home and well.” Tim says. “Someone was hurt on the sofa and—” He trails off his mind wondering to that night. He always wonders what would happen if Chris hadn’t been bleeding on the couch.
“It became awkward and then daddy sent me to UC school and—” Lucy says. “And we didn’t talk for awhile and then daddy got hurt.”
Ava blows out a breath and looks between her parents. “Then what? Did you talk?”
“I gotten broken up in the hospital.” Says Tim not looking at Ava or Lucy who were staring at him.
“The other woman broke up with you when you were hurt?” Ava asks. “What a—”
Tim turns to look at his daughter. “Ava Bradford do not finish that sentence.” He says sternly. “Yes. She did. But then your mom came and sat with me.” He says and Ava looks up at her mother.
“And then I pulled a prank on daddy. And things were normal for a little bit.” Lucy says reaching over to run her fingers through his hair. Tim smiles at her softly.
“And then we had to ride together and well.. mommy’s friend Chris was being..” He starts and raises his eyebrows at Lucy.
“He was being a little annoying.” She says hesitantly. Ava sits up a little.
“Like how Daisy is when she wants to borrow my toys.” Ava says. Lucy snorts a little bit.
“Yes except you love your sister Aves. And you know how to share.” She says. Ava knows how to take a hint too. Chris didn’t Tim thinks.
“I told mommy she deserved someone who was worth the effort and we talked some more after work..” Tim says continuing the story. “And we came to the conclusion we wanted to give us a chance.”
“Because it was worth the risk.” Lucy says. Tim nods and shifts Daisy on his lap. He looks down at his youngest daughter and smiles. Her eyes are now closed and she’s clutching his shirt like she did when she was a baby.
“I broke up with Chris.” Says Lucy. “And then daddy ask me out.”
“And that’s it? It took that long to get together?” Ava asks. Tim laughs and reaches over to tug on one of her pigtails.
“Yes. But it was worth it and sometimes finding your true love takes awhile Aves.” He says. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Ava signs a deep sigh. “So I guess Colin isn’t my true love?” She asks him. Lucy covers her mouth but not before she let out a loud laugh.
Tim gapes at her. “Who is Colin?” He asks. Ava shrugs her shoulders.
“I thought he was the love of my life but I guess not.” Ava says nonchalantly. “I guess I will have to keep looking. Sam shared his snacks with me the other day.” Tim thanks the lord that he’s holding Daisy otherwise he would be on the floor from a heart attack.
“Baby you are five you don’t need to find your true love right now.” Says Lucy her shoulders shaking with laughter. Ava bites her lip and shrugs sliding off Lucy’s lap.
“Well at least I know what not to do. Don’t short circuit like daddy.” She says and then turns and skips away.
“Where did she come from?” Tim asks in disbelief. Lucy laughs as she leans over to kiss him.
“She’s a free spirit Tim with no filter.” Lucy says and then bends down to move Daisy from his lap. “You know I haven’t thought about how we got together in a long time. It was nice talking about it.” Tim smiles at her as she stands up.
“I love you. You know that right? No matter how long it took.” He says and Lucy smiles at him and he continues. “It was worth it.”
Lucy looks at Daisy who is sleeping soundly on her shoulder. “Oh it was definitely worth it. I couldn’t imagine anything better than what we have right now.” She says. “I love you too Tim.”
Tim shakes his head fondly as he watches her walk away to put Daisy in her bed.
He is so damn lucky. He has the life he always wanted.
***
Later that night, their bedroom door creeps open and Tim sits up to see two small figures in the doorway. He looks over at Lucy but she’s sound asleep. He waves his arms to the two figures and Ava and Daisy make their way over and climb over him, settling in the middle.
“Daddy?” Ava says. Tim looks over at his oldest her blue eyes wide.
“Yeah baby?” He asks quietly. Ava lays her head on his chest.
“I’m so glad you took a chance with mommy.” She says. Tim smiles and kisses her hair.
“Me too Aves. Me too.” He says softly and looks over at Daisy who is cuddled into Lucy’s side and then at Ava who is cuddle into his and yeah this is perfect.