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Lucy doesn’t get crushes and she especially doesn’t get crushes on someone like Tim Bradford who is recently divorced from his ex wife. Who is a hard ass and she’s pretty sure he just wants Lucy gone. She is his rookie and he is her training officer and she can’t like him. She doesn’t even really like him.
It’s just a crush and even if she tells herself that she doesn’t get crushes. She is just kidding herself, Tim Bradford is infuriating and he has it out for her (she thinks or that’s just his way of training her) but still—
It’s just a crush.
It’s just a crush.
And it’s unethical, she can’t be crushing on the man who holds her life in his hands.
Those hands are big and she wonders what they can do.
Actually she knows what they can do because they pulled her from the barrel and they saved her life.
He saved her life, and that’s not the reason for this crush. Tim Bradford was infuriating and a hard ass. But yet, there was just something about him even before he pulled her out and saved her from near death.
It was just a crush.
It was just a crush.
She can’t think like this.
She needs to do something about it. She needs to do something. She takes a deep breath and goes towards Grey’s office.
This might be a rash decision but it’s the right one.
She hopes it’s the right one.
She really hopes Tim doesn’t take it personally but she really needs to do this for herself. It might be better for him too.
It would be okay.
It would be okay.
***
Tim finds out about the change before roll call. Grey calls him in and tells him that Jackson is his new rookie and Lucy is with Angela.
He’s confused and a little angry.
For one, he doesn’t like a change without any explanation because Grey couldn’t tell him why just that Lucy asked and he granted it to her. And two, he doesn’t like that he can’t finish training Lucy. She was going to be a good cop, and maybe some of his methods were… different. He didn’t doubt Angela’s abilities but he wanted to finish training Lucy.
He plans to confront Lucy about it but when he walks into roll call she’s not there.
Which is odd.
This whole thing is odd, and he can’t help but think back to the other time she didn’t show up to work.
She was kidnapped and—
“Relax Tim,” a voice says behind him. He turns to see Angela. “She’s taking a personal day.”
“Oh.” Tim says. He still feels uneasy and he looks over at Jackson who is avoiding looking at him. “Okay.”
“I think she’s struggling with something.” Angela says. “Maybe it’s still about what happened to her.”
“You are her training officer now.” Tim says drily. He doesn’t like this, he doesn’t like not seeing Lucy. He doesn’t like that her life with be in Angela’s hands.
He’s not sure what this is.
But he knows he needs to get to the bottom of it.
And soon.
***
Lucy expects Tim at her apartment later that day. She only knows because Jackson warned her that he was on his way.
(She wasn’t surprised—Grey must have told him of the change today).
But it was the right move. It was the right move.
Right?
She is in the middle of second guessing herself when there is a knock at the front door. She takes a little longer to get to it.
She knows it’s Tim, and she knows he’s not going to leave.
“Chen!” She hears his voice on the other side of the door. “Open up Boot!”
“Not your boot anymore.” She mutters. She finally makes her way over and opens the door. “Not your Boot anymore.”
“So they say.” He says gruffly. “Why did you do that? What’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She says and turns around and makes her way back into the apartment. Tim follows and she hears the door slam behind him. “It’s nothing.”
“It’s something.” Tim says. “You have been acting weird. You ask to change training officers. You take a personal day.”
“So?”
“I know you Chen.” Tim says. “Something is bothering you.”
“No you don’t know me.” Lucy says even though that’s not true. Tim did know her and it actually made her ache even more.
It’s just a crush.
It’s just a crush.
“I do.” Tim says without missing a beat. “Are you still struggling with what happened—”
“It has nothing to do with Caleb.” Lucy snaps.
“Then what?”
Lucy doesn’t reply, she doesn’t want to answer. She can’t admit to liking Tim. She just can’t—she doesn’t want to lose him. And she’s afraid that if she admits her little crush, she will lose him.
“It’s nothing Tim.” She says and his first name slips off her tongue. “Okay? I just needed a change.”
“Away from me?” Tim asks.
“No—”
“Lucy.” He says drily. “Just admit it you don’t want to be anywhere—”
“Okay it is you.” She interrupts him. “But it’s not what you think.” Tim steps closer to her, Lucy wants to step back but she’s frozen to the ground.
She can’t move.
“Then what Boot?” He asks. Lucy swallows.
“Not your boot.”
“Fine.” Tim says. “Then what Lucy?”
“It’s you. It’s all you. I keep telling myself it’s a crush but I don’t think it is and I can’t handle being stuck in a vehicle with you—” She says and swallows harder when he steps even closer. She can practically reach out and pull him in.
“Really?” Tim asks his lips turning into a smirk. “A crush?”
“Shut up.” She mutters feeling her cheeks heat up. “I just—ever since that day.” Tim nods, the smirk fading a little.
“Is it because I saved you?”
“No not at all.” Lucy says. “I just— I can’t explain it. And it’s wrong. I know it’s wrong but I can’t help myself.”
“Really?”
“Stop being smug Bradford.” She snaps. “I know it’s stupid.”
“Maybe it’s not.” Tim says and that gives Lucy pause. She stares at him and then shakes her head.
He can’t be serious.
He can’t be serious.
“What?”
“I mean maybe not now but in the future.” Tim says. He steps closer to her and pulls her in before she can stop him.
“What?”
She doesn’t know what is happening until he presses his lips to hers and she loses all sense of anything.
She kisses him back, and then he pulls away. “Sorry I couldn’t help myself.” He mutters.
“No don’t apologize.” She says. Tim presses his forehead against hers. “We can’t—”
“I know.” Tim says and he looks serious. He would never cross a line, but they just did and she knows he won’t do anything more. “But when we can. When it’s appropriate I’m going to do that again.”
“You better.”
“I promise.” He says his voice a little wispy. “I promise.” Lucy nods and she believes him. She knows it’s going to be hard but it’s going to be worth it in the end.
So, so worth it.
***
An appropriate amount of time later:
It happens two weeks after Lucy graduates from the FTO program. Tim has been planning this since the minute he kissed her and promised her he would find a way for them.
He had been planning a move away from her chain of command.
And he did it.
He didn’t tell her, but he did meet her in the parking lot. “Hey,” she says with her bag over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“I was going to wait until after work.” He says and he did have a whole plan. But he couldn’t wait, he had enough waiting.
“But?”
“I want to ask you out on a date.” He says.
“What?” Lucy asks. “But you—”
“Are no longer in your chain of command.” He says. Her eyes widen a little and it’s going to take a little more explaining and he would.
But right now—
“How?”
“I will explain that on our date.” He says. “So what do you say?” Lucy blinks at him and then a smile breaks across her face.
“Yes.” She says. He can’t help but smile. “I would love to go on a date with you.”
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.