Work Text:
Tim looks around the station in hopes of seeing Lucy but she’s no where to be found. He shifts Ava in his arms and then sets her down in Lucy’s chair.
“Daddy?” Ava asks looking up at him with big blue eyes. “Mama?” Tim sighs and bends down in front of his daughter. He had gotten a call to come pick up Ava from pre-school. She was starting to get a cold and was just miserable. He thought he could get off early and take her home but he had to tie up a few loose ends.
“Mama isn’t here right now sweetie.” He tells her. “She will be back soon.” Ava pouts a little and ducks her head down. She was a daddy‘a girl most days, and even though she loved her mama she always seemed to gravitate towards Tim except when she didn’t feel well or she was sad.
“Want mama.” Ava says. Tim sighs and presses a kiss to the top of her head. He needed to get some things done and then he was going to take her home so she could just get some rest.
“I know Aves—” He starts but he’s cut off by a radio going off. He picks Ava up and starts to walk away.
“Please alert Sergeant Grey. We have a body in a alley.” A voice says. Tim freezes and slowly turns around. He didn’t like where this was going—not one bit.
He sees Grey step out of his office looking just as confused. “This is sergeant Grey.” Grey says. Tim swallows hard and turns Ava away from everything. She was only three, she didn’t need to be hearing all this.
“The body is Detective Lucy Chen.” The voice says. Tim nearly drops Ava but he manages to hold on.
“Mama?” Ava says and her voice is shaking. Tim’s not sure if she even understands what was said. “Where’s mama?”
God this was a nightmare. This wasn’t happening.
“Tim?” Tim turns on his heels and sees Angela looking concerned and worried. “Did you—” She stops when she sees Ava and her face drains of color.
“Bradford.” Someone is grabbing his arm and guiding him away. He feels Ava in his arms but it’s like he’s walking on air. He feels someone shove him down into a chair and then he looks up realizing he’s in Grey’s office. Ava is no longer in his arms and he jumps up before realizing Angela is holding her.
“What the hell is going on?” Tim snaps. “Where is Lucy? She’s not—” He can’t even finish the sentence. He can’t even finish the thought—there’s no way she’s gone. If she’s gone—if she doesn’t come back.
He’s not sure how he would explain to Ava and Daisy that their mama was never coming home.
No.
He couldn’t think like that.
“Tim. I know what you are thinking.” Angela says and he turns to look at her. “Don’t you dare go there.”
“They said it was Lucy—” Tim says and his eyes go to his daughter who is watching him with tears in her eyes. He takes a deep breath, this was an impossible situation but the fact his three year old daughter was in the mix.
“I’m trying to figure this out.” Grey says. “Just hang tight.” Tim collapses into the chair, and buries his face in his hands.
This couldn’t be happening.
“Daddy?” Tim looks up and sees Ava staring at him. She has tears in her eyes and she looks like she’s about to start sobbing. “Want mama.”
Tim doesn’t say anything, just scoops Ava up and hugs her. She is still a little stiff but she relaxes into his arms after a few minutes.
“We can’t get ahold of Lucy.” Grey says. Tim stands up and turns to face him. He feels like he’s going to collapse again and the only thing holding him up is Ava.
“Oh god.” Tim says softly. “No. No.” He feels Angela’s hand on his shoulder. He feels Ava’s steady heart beat and her soft breathing.
“Daddy?” She asks. Tim looks at her, and she still has tears in her eyes. She still looks confused and scared. She has no idea what is going on but he thinks she knows something is wrong.
“It’s okay baby.” He says. “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
It’s the first time he’s lied to his daughter and he doesn’t know what to do about it.
***
Tim paces his office—it’s been two hours since the call came in and they still don’t have answers. Lucy isn’t picking up her phone, and Tim is stuck in a limbo with the voice in his head telling him everything he doesn’t want to think about.
He pulls out his phone to dial Lucy’s number but it once again goes to voicemail. Tim makes a frustrated noise and throws his phone down on his chair.
“Daddy?” A tiny voice says from the couch. “You sad?” Tim sighs and walks over bending down in front of Ava. He was grateful Ava was here with him, even if it wasn’t ideal. He called Daisy’s daycare to make sure she was okay. And then sent a prayer up to whoever was listening to ask for Lucy to come home.
To him. To Ava. To Daisy.
“I’m okay Aves.” He says running a finger down her cheek. “I’m just waiting for mama.”
“Mama hurt?” Ava asks softly. Tim looks away from her, and he has no idea how to explain to her—
“I don’t know baby. I hope not.” He says. “I hope she’s safe.” Ava reaches out to put a tiny head on his cheek.
“I love mama.” She says. It takes everything in Tim to not let the damn break, he had to be strong for Ava and Daisy later. He had to hold it in as best he could. They couldn’t see him break down.
Not now.
“I know sweetie and mama loves you.” He says. “I love mama too.” Ava falls into his arms burying her face into his shoulder. He rubs her back up and down hoping it will soothe her.
There’s a long silence and Tim is about to say something else when there’s a voice from the doorway.
“What’s going on?” Tim jerks his head over and his jaw drops a little. Lucy is standing in the doorway looking confused.
“Mama!” Ava squeals wiggling away from Tim and running over to Lucy. She launches herself into her arms. Lucy catches her, and Ava wraps herself around her.
“Tim?” Lucy questions. Tim is frozen as he slowly stands up and stares at Lucy as if she’s a ghost. “What’s going on?”
“They said—” Tim pauses and he’s suddenly breathless. “They said they found your body and you weren’t answering your—”
“I was in area with no service.” Lucy says. She walks over with Ava still attached to her. “They said they found my body?”
“Yes.” Tim says. “But you are her and alive.” Lucy nods and comes closer to wrap him in a hug too.
“I am.”
“If it wasn’t you.” Tim says and his voice breaks a little. Lucy pulls back to look at him. “Thank god it wasn’t you.”
Lucy nods but it looks like she doesn’t know what to say. “Yeah.” She says softly. “I’m sorry you—” She stops when another voice interrupts her.
“It was Sava.” Tim looks to see Angela staring at all three of them looking relieved. “The officer who called it in didn’t know Lucy had a doppelgänger.”
“I’m going to have a word with them.” Tim says. He doesn’t care if it was a mistake. He doesn’t care because he spent a few hours thinking his wife was dead.
And that was the worst feeling in the world.
“Baby, it’s fine. I’m okay.” Lucy says putting a hand on his chest. “I’m okay.”
She’s okay. She’s okay.
And god he felt bad for Sava, he felt bad because she was finally making something of herself but good god he’s glad it’s not Lucy.
“Mama love you.” Ava says softly putting her head on Lucy’s shoulder. Lucy looks at their daughter and then back at Tim.
“Why is she here?” She asks. Tim sighs and steps away a little bit. In all the confusion he forget Ava didn’t feel well.
“She doesn’t feel well and she needed her mama.” He tells her. “And then—”
“Right.” Lucy says. She presses a kiss to the top of Ava’s head and sways her a little. “I’m okay sweet girl. Mama’s got you. She will make you feel better.”
Tim brings her back into a hug and he knows they have a lot to talk about but right now he has his wife and daughter in his arms. And later the would have their second baby girl in their arms.
And really—
Lucy is alive and she’s right here in front of him. She’s okay and he knows they would be too. Tim takes a deep breath and pulls his girls closer.
They were going to be okay.
They were going to be just fine.