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I.
Tim and Lucy stood side by side, shoulders stiff, as Grey stared them down from behind his desk. The silence stretched uncomfortably, but neither officer dared to speak first. Grey’s expression was calm, but his eyes flashed with irritation.
“So,” Grey began slowly, his tone like a loaded weapon, “Ridley just told me that his training officer made him write down the entire penal code catalouge. By hand. During his off time,” his gaze flicked to Lucy, who flushed and shifted on her feet.
“I thought it would help him remember them better,” Lucy offered weakly, but Grey didn’t look convinced.
“And Penn? Apparently, his training officer made him run the driving course repeatedly yesterday because he didn’t make his turns ‘tight enough.’” He turned to Tim. “Does that sound about right?”
“He needs to work on precision.” Tim shrugged, his expression unreadable.
“He said you timed him like it was the Indy 500, Bradford.” Grey’s voice sharpened. Lucy fought back a smirk but quickly wiped it away when Grey’s eyes snapped to her.
“I thought it would push them to perform better,” Tim said, his tone calm and measured. “And for the record, there was no bet involved….”
“Don’t even try it,” Grey interrupted, holding up a hand. “I know all about the bet. Ridley and Penn were happy to fill me in after hearing you bicker about it for a good 15 minutes. Let me get this straight: You two decided it would be a good idea to make your rookies compete so you could prove who’s the better trainer?”
“It wasn’t about competing, Sir. It was about… healthy motivation,” Lucy tried to explain, looking over at Tim, who nodded his head.
“Healthy motivation? Ridley is so stressed out he forgot his badge this morning, and Penn thinks he’s training for NASCAR. That’s not healthy: it’s chaos.” Grey’s tone was bordering annoyance as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“With all due respect, Sir, they need to be prepared for the realities of the job,” Tim said, and Grey stared at him.
“This isn’t about high standards!” Grey’s voice rose, and both officers stood a little straighter. “It’s about turning your rookies into pawns in whatever ridiculous competition you two have going on. You’re not supposed to work them until they’re too exhausted to think straight. You’re supposed to be teaching them how to be officers. Role models. Leaders. Does any of that sound familiar?”
“Yes, sir,” Lucy mumbled, avoiding eye contact. Grey leaned back in his chair, his expression exasperated.
“And then there’s the bet itself. What exactly did you win out of all this?” He asked, and Tim cleared his throat.
“We didn’t even get that far,” Lucy said, and Tim gave her some side eyes.
“I really don’t know what to do with you two,” Grey cut her off. “Here’s what’s going to happen. From this moment on, the bet is over. No more competitions, no more making your rookies compete, and no more of this nonsense. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” they both said at the same time. Tim and Lucy had to repress a smile.
“Good. Get out of my office,” Grey said, leaning back with a sigh. They turned to leave, but Grey’s voice stopped them at the door.
“And Chen? Bradford?”
They turned back reluctantly.
“Grow up.” As soon as they were out of Grey’s office, Lucy let out a loud exhale. She ran her hands over her pants and rested them back on her duty belt, turning towards Tim.
He’s right, we should stop.” She bites her lip, and Tim nods but then pauses.
“Or we see how long we can keep this up without anyone knowing?” He raises an eyebrow, and Lucy rolls her eyes, turning away to walk away, but she stops after a few feet, and Tim chuckles.
“We need some ground rules.”
-
II.
“Let me make sure I have this straight,” Grey began, his tone sharp. “Bradford, you decided it was a good idea to ‘suggest’ how Chen should handle her robbery case. And Chen, you took it upon yourself to ‘offer advice’ on how Bradford should handle his domestic dispute case?”
“I wasn’t suggesting anything, Sir. I was pointing out that her suspect’s timeline didn’t match up with the security footage.” Tim straightened, his tone defensive. Lucy immediately shot him a glare.
“Which I already knew and was going to address, thank you very much.”
“Right. After you spent half an hour chasing the wrong lead,” Tim quipped, folding his arms. Lucy turned to him now, her eyes narrowing.
“Oh, because you’re never wrong, Mr. Perfect? Maybe if you’d listened to me, you would’ve realized the wife wasn’t lying about her husband’s alibi.” That made Tim scoff, and he rolled his eyes.
“I didn’t need to listen because I already knew the husband was guilty. He slipped up as soon as I started questioning him.”
“You got lucky,” Lucy shot back, her tone biting.
“Enough!” Grey barked, and both officers immediately fell silent, though their glares didn’t waver. Grey rubbed his temples, clearly rethinking his life choices of keeping those two at his station. “Do you two even hear yourselves? You’re arguing like this is some petty high school drama. Meanwhile, your rookies are standing around watching you undermine each other, wondering which one of you they’re supposed to listen to.”
Tim opened his mouth to respond, but Grey cut him off with a pointed look. He was not going to take any arguing over this from them.
“Let me make something very clear,” Grey continued, his voice low and dangerous. “You’re not partners anymore. You’re training officers. Your job is to teach, guide, and support your rookies, not to micromanage each other’s cases.”
“It wasn’t about micromanaging, Sir. I was just…”
“Interrupting,” Grey finished for Lucy, and her face flushed. Tim smirked at that, and Grey’s glare shifted to him.
“And you,” Grey said sharply, “for someone who claims to know everything, you seem to have forgotten the number-one rule of leadership: stay in your lane.”
“Yes, sir.” Tim’s smirk disappeared. Grey leaned back in his chair, his expression hard.
“I don’t care if you disagree with how the other handles their case. I don’t care if you think you’re right and they’re wrong. What I care about is that your rookies learn how to handle cases without you two swooping in like some kind of dysfunctional tag team. Do you understand me?” Grey sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“Yes, sir,” they chorused.
“From now on, Bradford will work on his cases, and Chen will work on hers. No advice, no suggestions, no meddling unless asked. And if I so much as hear about you two stepping on each other’s toes again, I’ll assign you both to the evidence room for a month. Together.”
“Understood, sir,” Tim said, and Lucy nodded along with him.
“Good,” Grey said, pointing toward the door. “And try not to embarrass me again.”
“This is all your fault,” Lucy hissed as the door closed and Tim rolled his eyes.
“How is it my fault? You were the one butting into my case.”
“I was trying to help!” Lucy glared at him.
“By accusing the husband of lying about his alibi?” Tim raised an eyebrow. “Some help.”
“Well, maybe if you weren’t so stubborn, you’d realize I’m right most of the time,” Lucy shot back.
“Most of the time? That’s generous,” he teased, and Lucy groaned.
“Unbelievable,” Lucy mumbled as she walked into the bullpen, Lucy grabbed a file off her desk. “I’m going to work on my case now, without interference, thank you very much.”
“Good,” Tim called after her, and Lucy turned back to glare at him. “Let me know if you need help fixing it later.”
“I’ll be sure to call anyone but you.”
-
III.
The silence in Grey’s office was deafening. Tim and Lucy stood at attention, trying not to make eye contact with their glowering lieutenant. His look was steely, and Lucy shifted from one foot to another, biting her lip to persuade Grey to lessen the blow.
“Would either of you care to explain why your rookies were left in the dust while you two played superhero tag team?” Grey’s voice was deceptively calm, the kind of calm that promised consequences. Lucy glanced nervously at Tim, who stood with his arms crossed, looking unbothered.
“They weren’t that far behind,” she offered weakly. Grey raised an eyebrow, his expression unamused as he mirrored Tim’s stance.
“Not that far behind? They had to ask bystanders for directions to catch up. One of them flagged down a dog walker to point them your way!” Grey said and raised an eyebrow.
“In our defense,” Lucy tried to explain but winced when Grey cut her off with a sharp look.
“In your defense? You’re supposed to be training them, not turning every chase into your own personal Olympics!” He blew out frustratedly, and Tim cleared his throat, his tone as casual as ever.
“Sir, with all due respect, we apprehended the suspect quickly. Efficiency matters…”
“Don’t,” Grey interrupted, raising a hand to stop him. “I don’t need a lecture on efficiency from you, Sergeant Bradford. You’re training rookies, not competing for the next department highlight reel.”
Lucy bit her lip, fighting a smile at Grey’s choice of words. Tim noticed and shot her a warning look, so Lucy lowered her eyebrows and fought to keep the corners of her mouth down. She dug her fingers into her duty belt and kept quiet.
“And you,” Grey turned to Lucy, who straightened immediately, “you’re supposed to be the balance here. But instead, you’re encouraging him.”
“I’m not….,” she tried to say, but Grey cut her off once more.
“Yes, you do. Like turning this into a competition and betting on who gets the collar first?”
“How did you….” Lucy’s jaw dropped at that. She had said that too before they even approached the damn suspect.
“Harper,” Grey replied, cutting her off again. “She was more than happy to share.”
“I don’t see what the big deal is. The job got done, no one got hurt, and…” Tim interjected, but Grey wasn't having it.
“Except for your rookies’ confidence!” Grey’s voice rose slightly, and Lucy flinched while Tim hardened his face. “Do you know what Harper said to me when she came in here? She said, and I quote, ‘They looked like idiots chasing after them.’ That’s what you’re teaching them? To feel like idiots?”
“That’s not what we meant to do, Sir,” Lucy murmured as she shifted uncomfortably. Grey leaned back in his chair, shaking his head.
“Intentions don’t matter here. Results do. And the result is that your rookies feel like they’re being set up to fail while you two are off playing your games,” he sighed. Tim looked like he was about to argue again, but Lucy nudged him slightly with her elbow.
“We understand, Sir. It won’t happen again,” she reassures him, and Grey nods.
“It better not,” Grey said firmly. He pointed a finger at them. “From now on, no bets, no competitions, and no abandoning your rookies during a chase. Understood?”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused, albeit reluctantly.
“You’re dismissed. And Bradford, Chen?” Grey sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. They paused at the door, turning back.
“Next time you screw up, I’m putting one of you on the night shift.” He gave them a look, and Tim and Lucy looked at each other. They paused and then nodded.
“You’re dismissed.” The two left the office, and the threat hung in the air as they walked further into the bullpen. As soon as the door closed behind them, Lucy exhaled loudly.
“Well, that could’ve gone worse,” Tim smirked at Lucy, shrugging his shoulders.
“You mean he didn’t revoke your allowance after you lost the bet?” Tim teased, and Lucy glared at him.
“I didn’t lose….”
“Bradford! Chen!” Grey’s voice boomed from behind the door, and they exchanged a panicked look before hurrying down the hallway, stifling laughter.
-
IV.
Grey sat in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose as Tim and Lucy stood in his office again, and he seriously tried to figure out how to strangle them. They two were bickering like an old married couple, talking over each other, and it was getting ridiculous.
“I’m just saying, maybe if you’d stop interrupting me in front of everyone, we wouldn’t be here,” Lucy said, her arms crossed.
“I’m not interrupting you; I’m correcting you,” Tim replied his tone calm but pointed. “You’d thank me if you actually listened once in a while.”
Lucy turned to him, incredulous. The nerve he had.
“Oh, right, because you always know better? You undermined me in front of Seth when he was perfectly handling that traffic stop!” She hissed and crossed her arms, face hardening as Tim huffed.
“I corrected him because he was about to let a driver go with a warning when she had an unpaid warrant,” Tim shot back. “You’re welcome, by the way.”
“She was scared and didn’t realize she had a warrant! He was handling it with compassion. Something you might want to try sometime.” Lucy rolled her eyes, and Tim shrugged his shoulders.
“Compassion doesn’t get the job done, Chen. Following the law does,” he retorted. Lucy wanted to say something, but Grey’s sharp voice cut through their bickering like a knife.
“ENOUGH.” Both Tim and Lucy immediately snapped to attention, falling silent. Grey leaned forward, his elbows resting on his desk.
“Do you two even hear yourselves? You’re bickering like teenagers who can’t share the front seat. Meanwhile, the entire station gets to enjoy the show. Do you know how many people have come to me complaining about your spirited disagreements?” H sighed, and Tim and Lucy glanced at each other sheepishly.
“Four,” Grey answered his own question, holding up the corresponding number of fingers. “Four people. In one day.”
“In our defense…”
“There is no defense,” Grey interrupted. “Not for arguing about how to train your rookies in the middle of the bullpen like you’re auditioning for a reality show.”
“I mean, technically….”
“Don’t! Not another word,” Grey said sharply, pointing a finger at Tim, who pressed his lips together, but Lucy couldn’t help herself.
“Sir, it’s just that Tim…”
“Both of you, zip it.” Grey’s voice was a growl now, and they fell silent again. He rubbed his temples, clearly debating whether it was worth it to keep going.
“You’re supposed to be role models,” he said finally, his tone lower but no less irritated. “I thought after you two broke up, we might have a problem with you not working together. Yet here we are, and you’re worse than before.”
“At least we get along,” Lucy said quickly.
“Yeah, we do!” Tim added. Grey’s eyebrow shot up.
“Oh, really? Then why did dispatch tell me you two argued for fifteen minutes about which radio channel to use during a patrol?” He looks at them, and Lucy’s face flushed, drawing her lip between her teeth.
“That was… different.”
“It was protocol,” Tim muttered under his breath.
“Protocol my…,” Lucy snapped.
“Enough!” Grey barked, and the room fell silent again. He sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair.
“Here’s how this is going to go,” Grey said, pinning them both with a stern look. “From now on, you don’t argue, not in the bullpen, not in front of your rookies, and definitely not in front of me. If you have a disagreement, you settle it in private, quietly, like adults. Because if I have to call you in here one more time, you both won’t be working together ever again. Are we clear?”
“Yes, sir,” they chorused, looking appropriately chastened. Grey sighed and pointed toward the door.
“Get out of my office. And if I so much as hear a whisper about you two arguing again, I will reassign your rookies and have you work the graveyard shift for the rest of the year.” They quickly nodded and left the office, the door clicking shut behind them. As soon as they were out of earshot, Lucy rounded on Tim.
“This is your fault.”
“My fault?” Tim replied incredulously. “You’re the one who couldn’t let Ridley handle a simple traffic stop without getting defensive.”
“You undermined me, Bradford. Again. Why can’t you just trust me for once?” Lucy rolled her eyes.
“Because I’m usually right.”
“Unbelievable. You’re impossible.” Lucy threw up her hands in frustration, and Tim smirked.
“And yet, here we are.” He looked at her for a moment, and Lucy unclenched her fist, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
“You owe me a coffee for this,” she mutters and turns to walk down the hallway, Tim following her.
“Not a chance,” he argued back.
And from inside his office, Grey pinched the bridge of his nose.
“I need a vacation.”
-
V.
Tim’s truck cruised down the quiet streets, the city just starting to wake up. Lucy sat in the passenger seat, chewing her bottom lip, her hands fidgeting with the strap of her bag. Her leg was nervously tapping, and Tim reached out to put a hand on her knee.
“You’re going to make me nervous if you keep that up,” Tim said, glancing over at her. She shot him a quick look, her brows furrowed.
“I can’t help it, Tim. I mean, he’s not going to be happy about this. The last time, you requested to be put out of my chain of command. This time, we have two rookies to think about. What if he’s going to give us an ultimatum? I don’t want to transfer.” Lucy said nervously, and Tim squeezed her knee.
“What if he’s already noticed and doesn’t care?” Tim raised his eyebrow, and Lucy blinked at him.
“Do you think he knows?” she asked. Tim shrugged, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Grey’s sharp. He probably noticed something was different the second we walked into the bullpen after that weekend in Tahoe.” Lucy’s cheeks flushed at the memory, and she clenched her thighs a little.
It had been a good weekend. Very good. Exceptionally good.
“We were careful!”
“Careful-ish,” Tim corrected. “But look, Babe, you’re worrying about nothing. Grey’s not unreasonable. He knows we’re good at what we do, and he’s not going to throw that away because.
“I know, I just…” She bites her thumbnail, and Tim moves to grab her hand, pulling her finger out of her mouth and lacing them together.
“We’ll deal with it. Together. But I don’t think anything’s going to happen. Grey trusts us, and we’ve done nothing to prove him wrong. Have we?” She hesitated, her lips quirking in a half-smile.
“Unless you count the betting, bickering, and occasional out-of-protocol teamwork,” Lucy snorted, and Tim chuckled.
“We’re not that bad.” Lucy gave him a side-eye.
“We’ve been called to his office four times in six weeks.“
“Okay, fine, but none of that had anything to do with us being a couple,” Tim pointed out. “Grey’s not going to care about us dating as long as we don’t screw up our jobs. And we won’t.”
“You’re right. We can handle this.” Lucy exhaled slowly, nodding. Tim smiled as they pulled into the precinct parking lot. He parked the car, squeezing her hand before pulling her into a soft kiss.
“That’s my girl,” he praises, and Lucy’s cheeks flush. “Now, let’s go get it over with.”
After they both changed into their uniforms, they both met at Lucy’s desk. They looked at each other and nodded, Lucy walking ahead of Tim towards Grey’s office. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer, the two stepping in. Grey looked up from his desk as they walked in, his expression neutral but vaguely suspicious.
“What now?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. Tim and Lucy exchanged a glance before Lucy stepped forward, her hands clasped in front of her.
“Uh, sir, we need to talk to you about something.” Grey raised an eyebrow.
“Should I be worried?”
“No,” Tim said quickly. Then, after a beat, “Maybe.”
“What he means is… it’s not bad, but it’s something you should know.” Grey’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he put down his pen.
“Go on,” he nodded at them. Lucy took a deep breath, her voice steady despite the nerves bubbling inside her.
“Tim and I are… together. As a couple. Again”
“We’ve been seeing each other for a while now, and we thought it was important to be upfront with you about it. We don’t want to hide anything.” Grey’s expression didn’t change immediately, which made Lucy’s stomach twist. He stared at them for a long moment before leaning forward, clasping his hands on the desk.
“Is that all?” he asked. Lucy blinked.
“Uh… yes?”
Grey exhaled, leaning back in his chair with what sounded suspiciously like relief; Tim and Lucy looked at each other rather confused.
“Thank God.”
“Sir?” Tim frowned, but Grey waved a hand dismissively.
“I’ve been waiting for this. You two have been dancing around each other since the break-up, and frankly, it was exhausting to watch. Maybe now that you’re together, you’ll stop with all the shenanigans and actually act like adults at work.” Lucy’s jaw dropped at that, and she clenched her fists, glancing at Tim, who mirrored her expression.
“Wait, you’re not mad?”
“Mad?” Grey repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Why would I be mad? As long as you don’t let it interfere with your jobs, which, let’s be honest, you’ve been doing perfectly well even with all the… whatever that was before. You’re fine. Just keep it professional on the clock and fill out all the paperwork with HR.”
“So, you’re saying nothing changes?”
“Exactly,” Grey said firmly. “Except maybe now I won’t have to deal with your constant bickering. Or bets. Or competitions. Or whatever nonsense you two usually cook up.”
“We’re not that bad…” Lucy flushed, suddenly sheepish. Grey gave her a pointed look.
“Do you want me to pull up the list of times I’ve had to call you into this office?” Tim and Lucy exchanged a glance, then quickly shook their heads.
“Good,” Grey said, standing and gesturing toward the door. “Then get out of my office and go do your jobs. And, for the love of God, keep your personal life out of my precinct.”
“Understood,” the two said and left the office. Lucy looked over her shoulder at Tim, cheeks flushed.
“That went better than expected.” She grinned, and Tim nodded.
“Yeah, just now, we need to act professional,” he says and puts a hand on her arm.
“I can,” Lucy mused and let her eyes roam his body. “I don’t know if you can.”
“Wanna bet? You’re going to be the first one to break over wanting to kiss me during working hours.” Tim smirked, and Lucy’s eyes widened. She didn’t want to take the bait, but….
“What does the winner get?” She raises an eyebrow, and Tim taps his chin, pretending to think.
“Chose a date of their liking, and the other has to go along with it,” he grins, and Lucy outstretches her hand.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Bradford,” she grins as Tim shakes her hand. “And already buy yourself a yoga mat.”
“Hot yoga?” He groans and walks after Lucy, who laughs while walking down the hall. At the very same moment, the door to Grey’s office opens, and he sticks his head out, watching after Tim and Lucy with an annoyed expression.
FIN