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“Oh my god,” Lucy Chen audibly groans, throwing her head down onto the pile of open textbooks scattered along her kitchen island. “I think my mind is about to explode.”
“Why don’t you just take a break?” Tim Bradford suggests casually, a beer in his hand as he lounges a mere few feet away, on her sofa.
“Because the exam is in a week,” the woman explains bitingly.
“I’m aware of that,” Tim chuckles. He wraps his arm around the back of her orange couch and twists his back to face her. “But it does you no good to overwork yourself. It’s late, anyway. What are the chances that you actually retain everything that you’re reading.”
“Well, it’s better than not studying at all,” she notes.
Tim -somewhat begrudgingly- heaves himself off of the couch and paces towards a very tense Lucy. He places his hands on her stiff shoulders and begins to press down on her muscles, sending a shiver of relief down her back. She rolls her shoulders, letting him know that he can put a little more pressure down.
“You are amazing at distracting me,” she says, though her tone doesn’t indicate a wish for him to stop.
“Thank god I am,” he laughs. “You’d work yourself to the bone without me.”
“Says the one who made me walk alongside the shop to avoid a blue page,” Lucy reminds him playfully. She never seemed to let him live down his treatment during her rookie year.
“That’s different. You were in training, my job was to keep you disciplined.”
“Mission accomplished. I can’t go shoe shopping without getting triggered.”
“Come on, Luce,” Tim pleads once again. “Just take a little break. For your own sake.”
“For my sake?” she raises her brows. “Or yours.”
“If I said it was for me, would that change your mind?”
Lucy’s finger flies up to her chin; she taps it a few times to simulate the gears spinning her mind. “Hm… I guess so.”
Tim spins her barstool around so that she is facing him. He slides his hands underneath her arms and without effort, he lifts her out of the chair and twirls her around. He carries her all of the way across the room, and gently sets her down on the sofa.
“Oh, I’m getting the true princess treatment, aren’t I?” she giggles as he lays a blanket on top of her.
“And you should settle for nothing less,” he reminds her as he lays down next to her.
“Looks like I don’t have to,” Lucy points out as Tim grabs the T.V. remote and navigates to her recorded shows. He clicks on the newest episode of Top Chef as she cuddles into his chest.
Lucy falls asleep within twenty minutes of the episode. Tim doesn’t wake her up. He knows that he’s going to get an earful about it the next day, but he doesn’t mind.
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
“In an event that the watch commander suddenly calls out, who is to take over?” Tim asks sharly, his eyes carefully reading over the index card with Lucy’s sloppy writing across it.
“The Sergeant on duty with the most seniority,” Lucy answers back confidently.
“And if the Sergeant is unavailable?”
“The officer, above rank P1, who the Sergeant sees most fit to assume the responsibility for the day.”
“Nice job, baby,” Tim holds his hand up in the air; Lucy slaps it with nothing but pride.
“Maybe I’m more ready than I thought,” she hums happily, her feet swinging below her.
“Of course you are,” Tim smiles warmly. Lucy could have taken the exams weeks ago, and still aced it. Her leadership capabilities were innate, and she had watched Tim act as Sergeant for over a year. A question on a multiple choice exam couldn’t knock her down.
“I am a little more worried about the oral portion, though,” the woman admits. “You just… you never know what kind of curveball they can throw.”
Unfortunately, Lucy had fairly dry luck when it came to the oral portion of exams. No matter how hard she prepared for the Detective’s exam, Prim’s questions were unanswerable.
“There is no Lieutenant Prim on the board this time,” Tim reminds her happily.
“Thank god, because I just can’t handle another personal attack,” Lucy scoffs, leaning backward into her seat.
“The Sergeant’s Exam is nothing like the Detective’s Exam,” he assures her. “You’ll be fine. As long as you stay away from clowns for the rest of the week.
Lucy rolls her doe-like eyes at Tim, which he saw coming, and honestly deserved.
“Trust me, I’m taking it easy this week. Celina and I have been riding together, and I’m listing her as primary, so no evidence will be washed down the drain,” she promises.
“Good,” Tim nods.
“Alright, break time is over!” Lucy exclaims as she picks her pencil back up from the table. “Hit me with the next question, Sergeant!”
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
Messages
Tim
T: Lucy, where are you?
L: At the library.
T: Library??
T: It’s almost midnight!
L: Yes, and?
L: Exam in 3 days!!
T: Just come and study at home.
T: Technically, you should be asleep
L: Sleep is a waste of time
L: Plus, I heard you were slammed with OT.
L: Nothing better for me to do.
T: Sleep is vital for being alert on the job
T: Every good Sergeant knows this
L: Okay Mr. “I wake up at 5 a.m. every day.”
T: I just got off. I’m picking you up
T: Be there in 15
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
“Is your goal in life to make me as unproductive as possible?” Lucy complains from the passenger seat of Tim’s truck. Her legs are up on the dashboard, something she knows Tim hates. But today, he didn't stop her.
“My goal in life is to keep you sane,” he tells her.
“If I fail my exam, which is in 3 days, might I remind you,” she holds her finger out in an accusatory manner, “I’m blaming you.”
“Go ahead,” Tim shrugs. “But you aren’t going to fail.”
“You say that now, but…” Lucy trails off, looking out the window. “You just missed the turn into my apartment.”
“We’re not going to your apartment just yet,” Tim flashes an intriguing smirk her way.
“W- where are you taking me?” the woman furrows her brow worriedly. She attempts to look around, but she can’t deduce what route he’s taking her.
“You’ll see.”
About twenty minutes later, Tim pulls his truck into the empty parking lot of a nearby beach.
“The beach?” Lucy gawks. “At midnight?”
“I figured you needed something to distract you,” Tim explains as he shuts off the engine. “And I know that you haven’t gotten out into nature as much as you like recently, so I thought this was the next best option.”
“You’re right,” Lucy smiles. “But the ex-”
Tim cuts her off by pulling out a stack of flashcards from his pocket. “Two birds with one stone.”
“You’re the best, did you know that?” she practically melts.
“I’ve been told,” he gleams proudly.
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
“Hey, Tim,” a voice calls out from behind, causing Tim to whip his head around. He refrains from rolling his eyes; he’s barely clocked in, and the break room coffee hadn’t quite hit his system yet.
“You haven’t heard from Lucy this morning have you,” John Nolan asks, his raised eyebrows conveying his slight sense of worry.
“No, not yet,” Tim realizes. “Have you checked in with Juarez? They probably came together.”
“Celina has the day off,” Nolan tells him. “Lucy’s shift started a couple of minutes ago, and I don’t want to sound an alarm, but she’s hardly ever late.”
“I’ll call her.”
Tim dials her number three times, all of which go straight to voicemail. His heart starts beating a little faster than before. It was incredibly unlike Lucy to show up late, or not answer her phone. For good measure, he also calls Celina. She doesn’t pick up the phone either.
Tim alerts Grey, who immediately gives him permission to check on Lucy and Celina. Luckily, he has a key to her apartment, so he doesn’t need to break down the door and cause a scene.
His shoulders finally relax when he finds the pair both sleeping soundly in their beds. Lucy lays sideways; textbooks sit around two inches away from her head, and a pencil sits in her open palm.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Tim says gently, stroking his index finger against her smooth skin.
“Wha-” she jolts up, sending the pencil flying across her bedroom. “What time is it?”
“It’s 9 a.m.,” he chuckles. “You gave everyone at the station a heart attack. Gave me two of them. And an aneurysm.”
“Sorry,” she groans, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I was up late studying, and just crashed. Must have slept through my alarm.”
“Lucy,” Tim shakes his head. “Look what happens when I’m not around.”
“Cut me some slack!” she exclaims. “The exam is tomorrow! I don’t have very much time.”
“What is penal code 484?” Tim asks sharply, snapping Lucy out of her half-sleep.
“Wha- what?” she stumbles, but Tim’s strong gaze doesn’t falter.
“Penal code 484,” he repeats.
“Um.. Theft and larceny?” she responds, though more like a question.
“Exactly.” Tim’s voice is softer, now. “You know this, inside and out. You are ready for this exam.”
Lucy lets out a sigh. “I really hope so.”
“Alright.” Tim places his hands on his knees, pressing on them to stand up from the edge of Lucy’s bed. “I’ll go let the station know that you’re okay. Whenever you’re ready I can drive us back.”
“I can’t believe I did this,” she groans as she rolls out of bed. “I’m going to be mocked endlessly, aren’t I?”
“Oh, yeah. And I’ll be at the forefront of the movement.”
“You’re such an ass!”
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
“Want a beer?” Tim asks as he swings the door to Lucy’’s fridge wide open. His eyes scan the familiar shelves until they land on the 6-pack he had purchased a couple of days earlier.
“No, I shouldn’t,” Lucy remarks from the couch.
“Come on, you’re halfway done. You deserve to celebrate,” Tim argues. He grabs her a beer anyway.
“Exactly,” she huffs. “Halfway done. I still have the oral portion of the exam, which is what I’m actually worried about.”
“The oral portion isn’t about how much you studied,” he reminds her gently as he hands her the bottle. Despite her previous refusal, she takes it without hesitation. “You are the perfect candidate for Sergeant. You’ve been a Sergeant’s Aide, and an acting T.O..”
“Which they’re going to use against me,” Lucy groans, throwing her head back. “What if they pin Seth’s washing out on my capabilities as a leader?”
“Luce,” he clicks his tongue while scooting closer to her. He wraps his arm around her back and pulls her closer. “Seth’s downfall was not your fault. We have the records to prove that. Every officer in the station knows that.”
“I know,” she sighs. “It’s just… annoying, you know? I didn’t even want to be a T.O. in the first place.”
“I know that it was a… less than ideal situation, but it shows that when the department needed it, you stepped in. You handled the situation by the book, and used your best judgement to keep the station clean. If anything, it makes you a stronger candidate.”
“I mean, when you put it that way…” Lucy relaxes. Tim always knew exactly what to say to calm her down. That, or she was easily influenced by his words.
“Maybe I should just take it easy for the night,” she suggests.
“I’ve been saying that for ages,” Tim points out.
“Please put on some kind of trashy, feel-good movie before I change my mind,” Lucy pleads, and Tim does exactly that.
┈┈・୨ ✦ ୧・┈┈
The two hours Lucy spends inside of her exam room are the longest two hours of both her and Tim’s lives.
Tim waits in the downstairs lobby, his eyes fluttering closed every-so-often as he repeatedly checks the time on his cellphone. He’s unsurprised by the fact that the exam schedule was running late; Lucy texted him periodically to check-in and complain. He bit back laughter every time she sent a string of distressed emoji’s.
He is exhausted by the end of the night. So exhausted that he misses Lucy’s familiar feet face up in front of him.
“Tim!” she exclaims, jolting him out of his daydream.
“Luce,” he shakes his head, immediately standing up. “How did it go?”
Lucy takes a deep breath before smiling. “It went so well!”
“Yes!” he exclaims, a little too loudly for it being past dinner time. “Should we grab a drink to celebrate?”
“Not just yet,” she purses her lips. “Don’t wait to jinx it. But I am open to the wine in my kitchen cabinet.”
“Whatever you want, baby.”
For the first time in months, Lucy is able to relax, without an exam looming over her head. What’s done is done; she can’t change her score.
“So, what did they ask in the oral portion?” Tim asks curiously.
“They asked some simple handbook questions, which I had recited perfectly,” she gloats. “They also asked about Seth, but it wasn’t in an accusatory manner. I was able to show how the experience helped me grow as a police officer.”
“See? I told you!” Tim remarks happily.
“Thank you,” Lucy says suddenly, yet softly.
“For what?” Tim furrows his brow.
“For being with me through all of this. For helping me step away when I needed to, and for preparing me. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”
“Probably gone crazy, or overslept the morning of the exam.”
“Hey!” Lucy swats at his shoulder. “I take back the gratitude.”
“You have nothing to be grateful for, Lucy,” Tim assures her. “This was all you.”
“No, it wasn’t. But you owed me, anyway,” she winks.
“I guess we’re even now,” Tim shrugs.
“I guess so.”
Lucy leans into Tim, nuzzling herself into his side. His hands trail up and down her arm; his nails gently scratch at her skin until she falls asleep. She was so tired that she slept through Tim picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. Or she just pretended to be asleep, because she liked the attention. Tim didn’t care, either way.
Prideful didn’t begin to explain how Tim felt at this moment. Holding his old rookie in his arms was an ethereal feeling. But Lucy wasn’t just Tim’s old rookie. She was his whole life.