Chapter Text
Tim is protective by nature, everyone knows that. He is protective of those he loves. And he’s not afraid to show it. He has done it his whole life especially with his sister and his mom. He would stand in front of them when their dad was angry. He would take the beatings instead of them.
He was just a boy, but he would do anything to protect Genny and his mom.
He would do it again and again.
He tried to protect Isabel. He tried to make sure she stayed out of trouble but it didn’t work. He let her go.
And he was okay with it, Isabel and him were toxic for one another they would never work out.
And that was okay.
He was protective of Lucy too, he has been since she got kidnapped by Caleb and almost died. He doesn’t like to show it much, he doesn’t want her to get a big head but—
She’s different.
She always has been and he just feels drawn to her. So when she calls him from the DA’s office in a panic he’s on alert.
“What’s wrong?” He asks. “What happened?” Lucy is silent and Tim pulls the phone back to look at it.
“Chris—” Lucy starts and Tim rolls his eyes. Chris Sanford was the bane of his existence. He’s not sure why Lucy was going out with him. “He uh hummed the song.”
“The song?” Tim asks and then he realizes and it’s like a gut punch. “That song?”
“Yes.”
“Son of a bitch.” Tim mutters. Lucy sighs over the phone and every bone in his body is telling him to get to her. “What did you do?”
“He apologized. He didn’t realize he was doing it.” Lucy says. Tim rolls his eyes again, and he wants to have a few words with Sanford. He wants to tell Lucy to dump him and not look back. But that’s not his place.
“Thats—”
“I know Tim.” Lucy says. “I just needed to hear a familiar voice.” Tim feels his shoulders slump a little.
“Where are you?” He asks. He feels the hairs on his arms standing up. “I’ll come to you.” He wants to just pull her into a hug. He wants to protect her from idiots like Chris Sanford who were suppose to care about her not hurt her.
“Outside the station.” Lucy says. “Tim—” But Tim is already walking towards the doors. He spots her in the parking lot and hangs up. He makes his way towards her.
She’s tough.
She has always been tough, but someone bringing up the song that she hummed while in the barrel.
It was almost too much.
“Come here.” Tim says and she walks into his arms. He wraps a protective arm around her. He’s not sure what she’s going to do about Sanford but for right now this is okay.
She’s safe.
She’s protected.
That’s all that matters.
***
Tim knows the switch from Lucy being his partner on the job to his girlfriend was going to be different. He knows that he’s going to have put a line in the sand while at work and while at home.
But his protective nature never leaves him. He can’t help it, especially now that Lucy is his to protect and no one could give him weird looks for it. It happens when he hears rumblings after he finds out Lucy helped get him into metro.
He appreciates it, he does but she put her career on the line for him. He hears it one day in the locker room.
It’s just a few words but then they say her name and his hackles are up.
“I bet Chen did a lot more than move people around.” A man’s voice says. Tim freezes. “I bet she slept with a few to get Bradford the position.”
Tim throws down the shirt he’s holding and walks around the corner. The two idiots are in a corner with smirks on their faces. They don’t notice Tim standing there.
“I would do it.” The other man says. “She’s—”
“She’s what?” Tim says and both men freeze. They slowly turn so they are facing him. “You need to have some damn respect when talking about a fellow officer especially one that is ten times better than you.”
“Sir—”
“Officer Chen did not sleep with anyone to get me into metro and it would be a good idea to keep your mouth shut about things you have no right to talk about.” Tim says and he’s breathing hard. His chest hurts a little, he would do anything to protect Lucy from these idiots. He’s sure she would have a few things to say to them herself but—
“Sir—” the first man says. Tim glares at him and he sinks back. “Yes sir. We are sorry.” Tim stands there until they scramble off.
Tim takes a deep breath trying to calm down himself. He hears footsteps and then Lucy appears, she’s already changed out and has a soft smile on her face.
“You good?” She asks. He nods and she reaches out to touch his arm. “Two officers came out and it looked like they saw a ghost.
“Good.”
Lucy gives him an amused look. “What happened?” She asks. Tim sighs and motions her to follow him.
“It doesn’t matter.” He says. “They learned not to speak on things they don’t know anything about.”
“Mmm.” Lucy says but she sounds unsure. “Tim.” But Tim turns to face her, and pulls her in. He brushes some hair out of her face.
“Lucy.” He shoots back. “You shouldn’t be in here. I’ll be out in a minute.” Lucy nods and leans up to press a kiss to his cheek.
“Okay.” She says. “I’ll see you out there.” Tim nods and watches her go, he’s not sure he would ever not be protective of her.
They just started dating but some how his whole world revolved around her.
And he doesn’t hate it at all.
***
Tim knows he made a mistake the minute he walks away, actually he knew it when the words left his mouth.
The look on her face, the way she just seemed to crumble in front of him. He broke her heart but he was protecting her from himself.
Tim never thought that he would be the one to do it. To protect the woman he loves more than anything from himself.
He was a mess, a total and complete mess.
He was protective by nature, and he is going to protect her still. But it wasn’t an outside force, or some idiots in the locker room.
It’s him.
She deserves so much more than what he can give her. Even if walking away was the hardest thing he ever had to do.
It was the right thing.
She was better off without him, but was he really better off without her?
No.
But he made his bed, and now—
This was for the best.
He watches as Lucy leaves the station with Celina. They used to leave the station together, just the two of them.
He messed up.
His protective nature got him in trouble, he was punishing himself. He deserves this, he deserves the pain. The ache.
“Are you okay?” Tim looks and sees Grey, and Tim realizes he’s just staring at where Lucy disappeared from awhile ago.
“I’m fine.” Tim says. It’s a lie, he’s far from fine and because of him he lost the best thing that has ever happened to him.
Great.
Just great.
***
Lucy going from his girlfriend to his ex girlfriend to just friends is hard. (Although just friends is questionable at the moment.)
Now they have gotten to the point where they are friends. They slept together, survived a fire together and now are just on the edge of that and something much more.
It’s teetering but it’s there.
And really they are friends. Tim will never admit it out loud (or to Angela) but she is his best friend. The one he always goes to, the one he relies on.
So when he hears that the dream team is giving her a hard time he doesn’t waste anytime putting them straight.
He catches one of them as he’s coming in for the day. The man doesn’t even look tired. He looks completely normal. Not like he had a hard shift at all, all while Lucy always looks exhausted.
“Officer Newton?” Tim says stepping in front of him. The man tilts his head at him.
“Yes?”
“How is the night shift going?” Tim asks.
“It’s good. Nothing much happens.” The man says and he looks smug. Tim wants to slap him.
“Sergeant Chen says it’s been a little tough.” Tim says narrowing his eyes at the man in front of him. “It seems she’s making all the arrests.”
“She—Bradford right?” Newton asks. “You are her old training officer.”
“Yes,” Tim says and he doesn’t like this man. He’s acting like Lucy doing all the work isn’t a big, that being lazy is part of the job. Lucy deserves better, she deserves respect and he’s going to make sure she gets it. “But that doesn’t matter. She is a good sergeant with or without me. She deserves respect and she deserves a good team.”
“Sergeant—-” Newton starts but he’s cut off by another voice.
“Tim?” Tim freezes and slowly turns around. Lucy is standing there with her bag on her shoulder. “Officer Newton.”
“Ma’am.” Newton says. “Good work last night.” Lucy rolls her eyes and Tim watches the man scramble off. Lucy turns to Tim with a suspicious look in her eyes.
“Why are you—”
“I heard they were giving you trouble.” Tim says. He relaxes a little with Lucy in front of him but she once again looks exhausted.
“I can handle them Tim.”
“Oh I know you can.” Tim says. “But you deserve respect and doing everyone’s job for them is not okay.”
“I agree.” Lucy says. “I’m coming up with a plan. You don’t need to be so protective.”
“I can’t help it.”
“I’m sure.” Lucy says and she starts walking towards the elevator. “I’ll see you later Tim.” Tim nods and watches her go.
It’s not perfect but they are getting there.
They are getting there.
***
Tim goes from boyfriend to fiancé pretty quickly. The minute he slides that ring onto her finger it’s different.
And the fact that he wakes up in a tiny cell and not their bed wrapped around his fiancée rubs him the wrong way.
The fact that he has no idea where Lucy is or if she’s hurt or not.
He hates it.
The hairs on his neck are standing up at all times. He wishes he could have done something, he wishes he could have pushed her out of the way.
(She probably would have killed him for that but still—)
He doesn’t know where she is and the protective part of him is itching to find her.
“Where is she?” Tim asks the man who drops a plate of food in front of him. “Where is Lucy?”
“She’s being taken care of.” The man says with a smug look. Tim stands up, and every part of him wants to punch this man. He moves towards him but the man steps out of the cell and closes the door.
“Just let her go,” Tim says. “You want me. Not her.”
“She is part of the plan.” The man says. “If we let her go, we will kill you.”
Tim’s heart sinks and he has a feeling this won’t end well. But he’s not going to give up, he’s going to protect Lucy even if it’s from afar.
“She has nothing to do with this.” Tim says. The man studies him for a moment, like he’s wondering why he’s so insistent.
“She’s connected to you.” The man says. “She’s your fiancée right?” Tim flinches and closes his eyes thinking of the moment she said yes.
She said yes.
“Leave her—”
“Tim?” A voice says and he knows who it is. He hasn’t heard his first name out loud, let alone her voice.
He looks up and sees her. The very person he’s trying to protect. She looks pale, and her eyes are bloodshot but she rushes over and kneels down. He pulls her in and presses a kiss to her forehead.
“I’m here.” He says. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve been better.” Lucy replies putting her hand on his cheek. “You?”
“Same. I’m trying to—” He glances up to see the man staring at him. He turns back to Lucy and lowers his voice. “I will get you out of here.”
“What about you?” Lucy asks.
“Don’t worry about me.” Tim says. Lucy frowns a little.
“I am going to worry.” Lucy says. “You are my fiancé. And we will both get out of here.” It was in that moment that Tim realizes Lucy is just as protective as he is.
And they both would try and get each other out.
No matter what.
***
Tim thought being protective as a fiancé was intense. He thought getting Lucy out of that hell hole was going to be the worst of it.
And it was at least for awhile.
But then they got called to a hostage situation where Lucy—his wife—was right in the middle of it. She was inside the bank because she insisted that she needed to stop by this morning.
He didn’t think much of it, just gave her a kiss and a smile and told her he would see her at work.
It all happened so fast, and now Tim felt like he was about to crawl out of his skin.
“Bradford you cannot be anywhere near this.” Grey says.
“My wife is in there.” Tim says. Grey gives him a look like that is exactly his point.
“That’s why you can’t go anywhere near this.” Grey says. “The last thing we need is both our sergeants out again.”
Tim sighs and he’s right but it doesn’t take away the panic he feels. The feeling of wanting to rush into the bank and pull her out.
“Fine.” Tim says and he’s might not to be able to work this but he’s not going anywhere. Not until Lucy is out of there and safe in his arms. “I’m not leaving.”
“Didn’t expect you to.” Grey says. “We will get her out Tim.” Tim nods but this couldn’t be happening again.
They had only been married 3 months, and while the lead up to the wedding was stressful (for many different reasons), it was also amazing. And he couldn’t imagine it any other way.
They were just getting started on their life together. Tim wants to protect that, he wants to protect their future.
But yet—
She’s in there and he’s out here.
“Sir.” Tim looks over to see an officer he doesn’t recognize looking at Grey. “Sergeant Chen is on the line. She wants to talk to her husband.” Tim is on the move before he can say anything.
“Of course she does,” Grey says and he’s looks at Tim. “Go ahead.” Tim picks up the phone and blows out a breath.
“Lucy.”
“Tim, don’t you dare try and come in here.” Lucy says in lieu of a greeting. Tim raises his eyebrows.
“I wasn’t going to.” Tim lies. He can practically see her rolling her eyes.
“Right, I know you.” Lucy says. “I married you. You would jump in front of a bullet for me.”
Damn right he would.
He takes a deep breath and recenters himself. He needs to stay calm, even if his heart is pounding hard inside his chest.
“Are you okay?” Tim asks. “What’s going on in there?” Someone takes the phone out of his hand. It’s Grey.
“Nice try Bradford.” Grey says and then he’s turning away from him.
Great.
Just great.
***
It’s two hours, two agonizing hours later and the hostages are released. Lucy is the last to come out, of course she is. She probably wanted to make sure everyone got out alright.
He sees her walking and she doesn’t look injured.
Just tired and beat.
He meets her halfway and she practically falls into his arms. He holds her tightly to him, and presses a kiss to the top of her head.
He doesn’t say anything and neither does she. He just feels himself relax and right now everything is okay.
***
“I wanted to rush in,” Tim says later that night. “You were right.” Lucy is curled up with a blanket and tea. She is leaning against Tim and he never wants to let her go. It’s like having her in that bank ignited something in him.
He’s protective, he’s always been protective and he would be until the day he dies. He will be protective when they have kids.
But today was something different—maybe because that was his wife. Maybe it was because he vowed to protect and love her.
“I was scared.” Lucy admits. “But I was afraid you were going to rush in and then you would get hurt.”
“So basically we would risk our lives for each other? And we can’t be stopped?” Tim asks.
Lucy furrows her eyebrows and then nods.
“Yes.”
“When I found out it was that bank and you were inside.” Tim says and shakes his head. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well luckily you won’t have to find out.” Lucy says and she presses a kiss to his cheek. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Me neither.” Tim says and he’s so grateful for her. For his wife. The love of his life. He’s grateful they have each other.
Always.
And no matter what he would be protective of her. No matter if it was back when they were partners or dating or even when they were friends.
No matter what.
It was just in his nature, and he didn’t mind it one bit.
“I love you.” Lucy says and Tim looks down at her. She loves him. They were married. They were living this life together.
“I love you too.”