Work Text:
It was another busy day at Mid Wilshire. It seemed as though the closer they got to Halloween, the stranger
the calls were. Lucy hadn't seen Tim around the station much today. He was busy with his new Rookie, Miles. Sometimes she missed those days when Tim was her Training Officer. He trained her well, and she was confident he would be great with Miles too. Things were slowly getting better between her and Tim after their breakup, but had not made the leap to dating again yet.
Finally, she had a chance to talk to Tim as they left work at the end of their shift. "Tim, wait up," she called out to him. "How was your day? Want to grab a coffee?"
"Sounds great," he said. "Why don't we drop your car off at your apartment and take my truck?"
"Sure. I just remembered my jacket is still in my locker. I should go back and get it. Meet me at my building in about 1/2 hour," said Lucy.
Tim picked her up right on time. He looked like he had changed after he left work, and she could smell his cologne. Lucy still felt butterflies when she was around him outside of work, and hoped that one day they would give their relationship another try, but for now she was just happy that they were spending time together and actually talking.
Tim was the first to speak. "There's a new cafe near Venice Beach. I've heard people talking about it and I've been wanting to try it out. How does that sound?"
"Perfect," said Lucy.
As they drove, they sang along to the music on the radio, and laughed like old times. Lucy missed this. She missed him. She missed them, but she wanted to give Tim the space he needed to work through the issues that had caused their breakup.
Tim felt much the same way. He loved spending time with Lucy. Whatever they did, whenever they spent time together, it made him wonder if she was open to giving their relationship another try. He was afraid to push things too fast, though, for fear of scaring her away again. When she suggested going for coffee this evening, he jumped at the chance.
At the cafe, Tim jumped out, went around to Lucy's side of the truck, and opened the door. "Thank you, Tim," she said, as she smiled.
They both decided to try something new once they saw the menu, and then they could share. There was so much to choose from and it all looked and smelled so good.
"So, Lucy, how was your day?," Tim asked her.
Lucy told him a little about her day and he, in return, shared a little with her about the case he was on today. "I would have loved to have you working with me, though," said Tim. "Myles is ok, but I'm not too sure about him truthfully. He's not like you. I won't be surprised if he washes out. I miss working with you. I miss spending time with you after work. I was so glad when you asked about coffee this evening." He paused, feeling like he was saying too much.
"I miss you too, Tim," said Lucy. "Let's make an effort to spend more time together from now on. For now, let's just enjoy this evening."
After their coffee, they decided to take a stroll along Venice Beach. It was such a beautiful evening, and it was too early to go home. They decided to stop at a bench near the water and just listen to the waves.
They tried not to talk too much more about work. Instead, Lucy wanted to hear how he was doing. Tim told her a little about his therapy sessions, now that he seeing a new counselor. "He is good at what he does," said Tim. "He has even asked me a few questions about you, and suggested that he would like to meet you sometime if you were comfortable attending even one session with me. I know it's a lot to ask, but what would you think of that, Lucy? Are you up to it? If you aren't comfortable, no worries."
Lucy was surprised. Yet, she was encouraged. "Yes, certainly, Tim. I've told you many times that I'm here for you. I still mean that. If you would like me to go with you, count me in."
Tim couldn't believe his ears. "Do you mean that, Lucy? You would actually go with me? It would mean the world to me." He reached out and took her hand. "My next appointment is tomorrow evening. I know it's spur of the moment. If you want, you can wait until next time."
Lucy was thankful for this opportunity. "I'm free tomorrow evening. What time? I can meet you there if you'd like."
"It's right after work," said Tim. "You can leave work with me, and we'll circle back and get your car after the appointment. You ok with that?"
"Certainly," she said.
They enjoyed another hour together at the beach before deciding to head home. As Tim was dropping her off, Lucy asked him if he had any plans to to go to the station's Halloween party this year.
"I'm really not sure," said Tim. "I'm not good with costumes. Besides, I have an appointment that evening. If I do decide to go to the party, I will likely show up late. Are you planning on going?"
"I haven't decided. I may go. I can't decide on my costume either," she said.
"Let's think of something we can do together, or skip the party altogether and just go somewhere after my therapy session next Wednesday evening," Tim said with a twinkle in his eye.
This sounded like a great idea to Lucy. She said, "Let's see how your appointment goes tomorrow evening. We'll share any ideas we have afterwards."
Tim leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Let me walk you up to your apartment. It's getting late, but I hate for the evening to end."
It was like old times. Lucy struggled to find the words outside her door. "Do you want to come in, Tim?
Tim smiled. "I shouldn't, Lucy. It's late. We have an early morning tomorrow. What the heck! Sure, I'll come in for a while. Is Celina home?"
"No. She is out with friends this evening. She likely won't be home until after midnight," said Lucy. She opened the door, hoping she was right about what she had just said. Thankfully, Celina was still out. Lucy wasn't sure what Celina would think about Tim coming home with her.
"I like the changes you've made to your apartment," Tim said, while looking around.
"Thanks, Tim. Come over and sit down. Can I get you something to drink?," she asked.
"No, thanks," said Tim. "I miss this, Lucy. I miss you."
"You are welcome anytime," Lucy said. "I miss you too."
Tim couldn't help but smile. Maybe it was time to start to rebuild their relationship. Hopefully they would talk more about it after the appointment with the counselor.
They talked for maybe another hour until Tim started to yawn. "I guess I should get going. I'll see you in the morning. We'll talk more tomorrow night." He reached out and hugged her. "Thank you, Lucy," he said. "It's been a great evening."
"Thank you, Tim. I've enjoyed it too. See you in the morning. Sweet dreams," she said.
Lucy slept better than she had in months, knowing that they were finally in a place where they could talk openly and spend time together again.
Tim, on the other hand, was very restless. He still loved Lucy. He wanted them to be together, yet he was nervous. Was he able to be the man she needed him to be? He hated leaving her apartment earlier. He missed her so much, especially at night. Yet jumping back into bed together before they were ready for a committed relationship was not the best plan. Eventually, his eyes closed, but he saw her, felt her, and even smelled her as he held her in his dreams.
They saw each other in the morning, just after the work day began, and then several times throughout the day. The day went slowly, but both Tim and Lucy were looking forward to getting off work this evening.
The appointment with the counselor went well. Lucy could see why Tim found it beneficial. The counselor was able to reach Tim and help him open up. The session gave them both a lot of food for thought, and they walked away with more hope than they had in a long time. Lucy also agreed to attend other sessions with Tim to help rebuild the foundation that had crumbled.
Back in Tim's truck after the appointment, Tim reached over and took Lucy's hand. "Thank you, Lucy. You will never know how much it means to me that you were willing to come with me this evening."
Lucy started to sniffle. "Tim, truthfully, it's what I've wanted all along. Thank you for including me. It means more to me than you realize that you want us to work through this together."
Lucy was surprised when Tim didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he just sat there staring at her. Eventually he came out of his trance. "Would you like to go out for dinner, Lucy? If you are free this evening, let's spend the evening together."
"I'd love that," she replied.
"I know just the place," said Tim as he started the truck. He still held her hand, as if he was afraid to let go.
They took a drive along the coast and ate at one of their old haunts, a food truck. It was a nice evening with not a cloud in the sky so they took a little hike. At the peak, they just stood admiring the view. Lucy loved the night sky, and she found herself wishing on the first star she saw.
"A penny for your thoughts," said Tim, as he gently touched her arm.
Lucy felt a little shy all of a sudden, but decided to be as honest as possible with him, knowing she was about to lay her heart on the line again. "I was just looking at the stars. Tim, you have no idea how many evenings I've wished on stars, wondering if we'd ever get a chance like this again."
Tim put his arm around her shoulders. "Lucy, I really had no idea if you would ever give me a chance again. I know how much I hurt you. I didn't think I deserved another chance. You deserved much better."
Lucy turned and looked at him. "Tim, what hurt me the most was that you froze me out. You stopped talking to me. You obviously didn't trust me. I thought we should be able to get through anything if we faced it together. I've never stopped loving you, and I don't think I ever will."
Tim pulled her into his arms, and cradled the back of her head in his hand. "I still love you too, Lucy. I have been trying to work on myself. I want to be the man you deserve. I know I'm still not perfect, but I don't want to spend one more day without you. I am sorry for the way I've treated you. Can you forgive me? Do you think you could give me a second chance?"
Lucy didn't hesitate. "I'd love to. All I ask is that you trust me with your heart, Tim. Please don't push me away when things get tough. In those times, hold me tighter. Know that I'm with you no matter what comes our way."
Tim traced her jawline and touched her lips with his finger. He was lost in her eyes. He finally found his way home again. He lowered his head, pulled her closer, and his lips met hers. Neither Tim nor Lucy wanted to pull away. They just made up for lost time, completely intoxicated by each other.
Finally, Tim spoke. "Lucy, you have no idea how badly I've wanted to do that. As you've seen, it's not going to be an easy road, but I can only do this with you by my side."
By now, Lucy was crying tears of joy. "You've got me. I've been here all along, but you couldn't see it. I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I was thinking that we should do couples counseling to make sure we build a strong foundation as we start over. What do you think of that, Tim?"
"Let's talk about it the next time you come to my counseling session. Maybe Dr. Matthews can point us in the right direction," said Tim.
Lucy smiled. "I think he already has. He has given us some homework, things we can discuss and work on. It's just the first step, but I look forward to taking each step with you."
They retraced their steps back to the parking lot, surprised at how quickly it has gotten so dark. Along the way, they had taken several breaks to make out along the trail. Finally back at the truck, Tim pinned her against the passenger door. "Lucy, God how I've missed you," he whispered, as his lips kissed her head, her neck, her cheek, her nose, and finally her lips. This was not a chaste kiss, as his hands traced her body and finally rested under her jacket on her breasts. I just want us to crawl in the back of the truck right now, and do what I've been dreaming of for months but I can't do that. I want us to start things right. Let's plan to get away next weekend, just you and me. I need you, Lucy."
"There's no rush, Tim. I'm here. Let's focus on communication. I am looking forward to a weekend away with you, though. It's been far too long," she replied.
As promised, they stopped at the station to pick up Lucy's car and then Tim followed her home. When they got back to Lucy's apartment, Tim walked her to the door and she invited him in. Thankful to have the place to themselves, they snuggled on the couch and watched TV until Celina came home. Surprised to see them together, she teased them and said, "I knew this was coming. What took you guys so long? I'm going to bed. See you in the morning. By the way, I won't give away your secret. That's up to you, but
just know that everyone will be happy for you."
"I guess that's my hint to go," said Tim. He kissed Lucy again, wishing he could stay. "I'll be seeing you in my dreams, and counting down the hours until I see you again."
As she walked him to the door, Lucy felt like she was on a cloud. "Good night, Tim. Sweet dreams. You'll certainly be in mine."
As she closed and locked the door behind him, she looked heavenward. "Thank you," she whispered. For the first time in months, she looked to the future with hope.