chennsbradford

[chennsbradford]

I love your work! Any fics by other writers you recommend?

Thank you, Anon! I appreciate your kindness as well as the question.

I will admit that I don’t read as much now that I’ve started writing. But here are a few of my favorites:

1- @makeitastrength adina_rachelle

She’s my absolute favorite. It was because of her writing that I started reading fanfiction. Prior to ever reading any fanfiction, I made an incorrect and ignorant assumption that fanfiction would be poor quality, and her work is anything but. She particularly loves to write the missing scenes/in between moments. Her grammar is perfect. She writes very in character scenes that you can totally see play out in your mind.

2- @girlintotv

She’s written a lot of great AU. Her plot lines are well planned out and intricate. Her descriptions are beautiful. “Let’s Get Together” she recently finished, and it’s soooo much better than Parent Trap movies.

3- @ellitheria

She would be considered the queen of the Chenford fanfiction kingdom. She needs no further introduction.

4- MeadowWard

It was her work that convinced me to start reading AU. This is my absolute favorite story of hers.

5- TheChandom

They have several good stories and a series of in between moments that are great.

6- moonycpd

Their “Darling, Let’s Run” is one of my favorite AU stories.

7- PiperElizabeth

She has a few AUs that are great. “Someday” is my favorite of hers.

8- wisedgirl

“After The Tone” is one I’ve read at least three times. So good!

9- @centralperkchenford naimsagram

She has a CONSTANT flow of stories that I can barely keep up with to feed the fandom.

10- ginger_dame

She did a long series of in between moments that was amazing.

11- murphalo

“Plus One” is hilarious and a great read.

12- lucychens

“Christmas With The Bradfords” is my favorite.

14 - @silverskull

You can *feel* what they write. Amazing. Very poetic and verbose.

15 - @thisnightissparkling089

I’ve recently started reading her works. She has a story she’s recently started about infertility that’s very heartfelt. You can really feel the emotions of the characters.

16 - @queseraone

Several great stories to choose from.

17 - @wanna-be-bold

“With This Ring” is a great one, but they have several great stories.

18 - @chenfordspiral

I’m super behind on my reading on this one, but her “Little Bit of Love” is amazing.

19 - Cleromanticon

They have a story called “Omne Malum ab Homine” that is like watching an intense The Rookie movie. I hope they come back to finish it soon.

20 - breebaqbooks

“Where Our Hearts Meet” is an amazing soulmate AU. I was skeptical about soulmate AUs until I read this. So good!

Well, Anon, that was probably more than you wanted from your simple question. But if you read my stories, you know I’m a bit long-winded. 😬🤫 So perhaps this is what you expected all along. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks for question. Perhaps it will help someone else find a new story or writer they love. This list is definitely not complete. There are a lot of other writers out there that are great.

Feel free to browse my bookmarks on AO3 if you’d like some more recommendations. That’s how I found a lot of my favorite writers and stories.

[chennsbradford]

[chennsbradford]

The Rookie cast celebrates filming 100 Episodes!

Love love LOVE this cast!! 100 episodes and counting!!!

#the rookie #chenford #lucy x tim #tim bradford #lucy chen #nathan fillion #eric winter #melissa o'neil #alyssa diaz #mekia cox #richard t jones #jenna dewan #tru valentino #lisseth chavez #the rookie season 6

[chennsbradford]

5x13 | 5x14

[chennsbradford]

Thank you all for your participation in Chenford Week 2023! Seeing the turnout this year was genuinely incredible; the love for our favorite ship led to nearly 300 creations, including fanfics, gifsets, edits, and fanvideos and playlists. 

With so many creations, there was no way for everyone to keep up throughout the week, so we put together a master list of all the Chenford Week 2023 content.

The list is organized by day and content type; we hope it helps navigate the amazing content created for the event. If we’re missing your entry or any links don’t work, please let us know. 

Thank you all for your incredible Chenford Week work this year!

Keep reading

[chennsbradford]

Why do you think Tim kept his breakup with Ashely a “secret” from Lucy? Like why didn’t he want to tell her?

My guess is that, at first, he probably didn't want to talk about it. At all. Tim is already not the type of person to easily open up on the best of days, and this wasn't a good day. So I can see why he would not want to have this conversation, especially while he was at the hospital. There was no way to escape which put him in an extremely vulnerable position. Besides, he most likely needed time to process the break-up too. He was just waking up from a major surgery, still feeling the effects of the anesthesia, when Ashley decided to call it quits, and Lucy showed up a few hours later. It was too fresh. He needed some time for himself, to lick his wounds so to speak. On top of that, he was also having a moment with Lucy : it was the closest they got to normal since Vegas. I can understand the instinct to stay on safer topics and the desire to linger in that moment. Talking about the break-up could have made things awkward again, forced them to acknowledge the elephant in the room and honestly, I doubt he was ready for that.

As for later, once he was back at work… Well, the fact that they were at the station couldn't have helped… it's hardly the most private place. It's one thing to talk about personal matters in the shop : there's still a sense of privacy - despite the cameras. But at the station : decidedly not. Which brings us to the other issue : the first time he saw Lucy at work, she was laughing with Chris. Judging from the way he greeted them, it's clear that he shut down. This encounter just brought back so many things to the surface that he didn't want to deal with. Hence the extra grumpiness. There was a moment later in the episode, when he confronted Lucy in the bullpen : it looked like she was getting through to him. But he chickened out. And we come to the crux of the matter. Telling Lucy meant coming to terms with his feelings for her. He could no longer hide behind his "I'm with Ashley so I can't have feelings for Lucy" any longer. He was pining and was trying to hold on to his denial as long as possible. And there might have been a bit of fear in the mix. Because what if he tells her and that changes everything? Or what if he tells her and it doesn't change anything?

It is extremely telling that in the end, he did fess up, but only once Lucy admitted feeling like she had overstepped his boundaries. The scavenger hunt was her way of trying to reach out and cheer him up, despite not knowing why he was upset, and I think that a part of him actually enjoyed this little game between them. As the senior officer, he could have just ordered her to give him back his radio otherwise. But the second she became unsure, he told her about the break-up and promptly reassured her that she didn't overstep anything, that he was touched by her attention - and intention… And that's the irony : all this time, he didn't want to talk about it, only for him to practically treat it as an afterthought. In that moment, he was more focused on making sure Lucy knew how much he appreciated her gesture. I'll always be curious as to what he was going to say before Chris' interruption by the way. But in any case, his defeated posture when he saw Lucy leave with her boyfriend makes me believe that this was precisely why he was keeping it a secret.

And lastly, in terms of storytelling, it was a way to showcase how Tim and Lucy's dynamic was still a bit off-balance. They were tiptoeing around the other, and while they had made headway at the hospital, things were still awkward between them. At least, that's how I interpreted it :)

[chennsbradford]

Third date.

The door, quietly, clicked shut behind Lucy as she finally made it home.

It must be at least 1am, she hadn’t been keeping track, the apartment was dark and still. Tamara hopefully tucked up peacefully in bed, none the wiser and Lucy’s secret in tact.

A shiver of excitement ran down her spine as she thought back over the last few hours, without thinking her fingers traces over her lips. Feeling the, still slightly swollen, skin all traces of lipstick long since gone.

Her night had started hours before.

She had changed out after her shift was done, she had brought a simple T-shirt and a well worn pair of jeans. Showered, put them on and pulled a drag of lipstick across her lips.

“Any plans tonight, Lucy?” Angela had asked as Lucy had walked out of the locker room, casually swinging her bag over her shoulder.

“Probably just laundry and an early night” she had effortlessly lied and her friend had no reason not to believe her. She had smiled and told Angela to kiss Jack goodnight for her and carried on her way. Out the door and to the parking garage.

She wound her way through the structure, nodding greetings to familiar faces as she made her way to a dark corner. Her heart rate soared as she spotted the truck she was looking for and as she locked eyes with the driver a grin split across her face, she stopped in her tracks before taking a deep breath and carrying on.

Lucy opened the passenger side door and climbed in, immediately turning to face the driver.

“Hi” he reached over and took the bag from her arm. His fingers burned as they trailed down her skin, he leant over and carefully put it on a back seat.

“Hi” she breathed.

Tim was still for a moment as they just smiled at each other “Good day at work?” He asked and she laughed.

“Hmmm I guess, this guy I work with can be a bit of a jerk sometimes though”

“Oh really? How so?”

“He has all these tests for me, he’s not even my training officer any more”

“Well he sound great” Tim puffs out his chest “and very handsome”

Lucy makes an unconvinced sound and Tim pretends to be offended

“He’s alright, I guess” the truck is so large that when she reaches across to kiss him quickly she needs to place her hand on his thigh for balance and it’s not lost on her when a murmur escapes his lips before she closes the gap and lays her gently on his.

But the parking garage at their shared place of work is not the place for this, so she pulls back, sits down and puts her seat belt on.

“So, what are you making me for dinner?”

The journey to Tim’s house isn’t long and they chat easily about their day, funny things Angela has said about her mother in law and how Nolan’s rookie is doing. Being driven around by Tim feels so comfortable and familiar that she forgets that they are actually on their way to their third date until he is pulling up outside his house.

She has been to his house before, of course. As a colleague, as a friend even but never as… as…

Could she think of herself as his girlfriend? He hadn’t called her that yet so maybe she shouldn’t either.

They weren’t friends with benefits, they hadn’t slept together yet.

But you don’t make out with friends for hours and talk about having grandkids together.

Tim opening the car door for her brought her back to the present

“Everything ok?” Tim’s piercing eyes locked with hers as she lowered herself out of the truck

“Yep” she smiled brightly “just thinking about something, ill get your thoughts after dinner though. I’m starving”

Tim led the way into the house and through to the kitchen, stopping to make a quick fuss of the dog before getting two wine glasses out of the cupboard and placing them on the counter.

“Reds in the rack” he says gesturing to his left “whites in the fridge, you choose” as he gets to work readying their meal.

Lucy pours them both a large glass of red wine, she doesn’t ask what they’re eating and instead goes with Tim’s favourite as he is driving her home later and will only get the one glass.

She sits on the sofa, Kojo’s head on her lap, she could fall asleep listening to Tim’s busy sounds from the kitchen and for a moment she lets her eyes close. She lets her imagination wonder, picturing this very scene. Picturing it as her reality everyday, coming home together, taking it in turns to cook. But in her imagination Tim can have a second glass of wine, there’s no need to drive her home, she is home.

She’s lost in her thoughts until Tim plants a gentle kiss on her forehead

“Are you that tired? I can just take you home if you need to get to sleep” she opens her eyes into his concerned face.

“Not at all!” She insists, then blushes slightly “I was actually just imagining what it would be like to do this more often”

“Sleep on the sofa?” He teases

“No” she rolls her eyes “come home with you, cook together, curl up on the sofa and watch a film with a bottle of wine”

“That does sound nice” he comes round to sit next to her, gently pulling her up against him “maybe staying the night”

“Definitely staying the night”

All thoughts of dinner are forgotten until Lucy finally notices a timer going off in the kitchen. She slides both her hands up to his shoulders and pushes as firmly as she can, from underneath him. She may have suggested they wait a while for ‘naked time’ but in the meantime they are finding plenty of ways to occupy their time. And their hands.

Tim groans as he peals himself off of Lucy and sits back up, her t shirt is rucked up and his large hands had covered the warm skin. Lucy pulls it back down as she sits up.

“Dinner ready?” She asks, a blush spreads rapidly over her face as she realises Tim is still sitting, near motionless, on the sofa. He’s clearly taking a moment to compose himself before going to deal with the timer and she relishes the effect she has had on him.

Dinner is delicious. The meal Tim has produced is quite simple but it’s just what she needs. They talk about their plans for the week, a case that has Tim stumped and a new sushi restaurant that Lucy is dying to try. She finishes off a second glass of wine and watches as Tim pours her another. She thinks about teasing him that he’s trying to get her drunk but he’s so respectful of her choice to wait that she doesn’t want to seem mean.

Together, they clean away the dishes and once again Lucy gets caught up in the effortless domesticity of the moment. As they move easily around each other she can’t help but watch his body, how tall he is, how strong his arms are. Ok maybe she is feeling a little tipsy.

“So what we’re you thinking about in the car earlier?” He breaks her reverie

“The car?”

“You said you’d tell me after you’d eaten” he pressed

“Oh yes!” Trills Lucy, emboldened by the wine “I was thinking about what I am”

Tim raised an eyebrow are her, tilting his head “a police officer?” He asked clearly confused.

“No!” She laughed “ to you”

“To me?” No idea what she was talking about

“What I should call myself”

“Other than Lucy?…” his eyes widen, just barely “what you should call yourself”

“I know we aren’t going public yet” Tim opens his mouth to interject but Lucy carries on “which is absolutely what we both want” then quickly “right?”

Tim nods, knowing she hasn’t finished yet “but I was thinking”

“Lucy” Tim, interrupting firmly this time with a hand placed on her shoulder “you’re my girlfriend. Unless you don’t want to be?” The grin on her face tells him everything he needs to know “Drunk girlfriend Lucy is hard work” a devilish smile spread across his face as his girlfriend hits him on the shoulder.

“I can leave you know”

“But I don’t think you want to” which earns him a second punch to the shoulder.

They curl up together on the sofa, they tease each other and they kiss. They talk work and family and even a little about past relationships.

Until Tim finally notices the time 11:30pm, time to get Lucy home.

“Lucy” he brushes a stead of hair from her face and behind her ear and she sighs happily “it’s time I drove you home”

She begins to protest but Tim simply points to the clock and the words die in her mouth. They quietly gather up her things, so as not to wake the sleeping canine, Tim slips on a hoodie and grabs his keys.

The journey back to Lucy’s apartment is mostly quiet, a full day at work and the late hour seemingly catching up with them both. Tim pulls up out side and turns off the engine, neither make a move to leave the car. Wanting to eek out as much time alone, together, as possible.

Tim watches as she leans across the centre console, placing a small hand on either side of his face and kissing him deeply, she pulls back a little and her eyes bore into his soul

“Thank you for tonight, it’s been…” she searches for words for a brief moment “perfect” she leans in once again to place a gentle kiss to his lips but his hand rises and winds through her hair and it’s like that they are lost.

It’s at least 20 minutes before Lucy breaks the kiss and they surface, properly, for air. Both taking shuddering breaths, Lucy rubbing her leg. It had not been the most comfortable position but they both seemed to think it was worth it.

“I should go”

“Yes” Tim agrees resolutely, pushing the truck door open and meeting Lucy at her side of the truck “do you want me to walk you up to your door?”

“No, I’m fine. Anyway, I’d probably end up inviting you in and then we’d be having a really awkward conversation with Tamara in the morning!” Tim couldn’t help the groan that escaped his lips “and you didn’t have to deal with her after she walked in on our ‘practice’ kiss so I’d leave you to do all the talking”

“Ok,ok!” And he smiled as Lucy laughed, this may only be date three but they both new Lucy was going to win all their fights “I’ll say good night to you here then” with a wicked smile on his face he crowds her against the truck door and it’s another 20 minutes before they once again finally emerge from the kiss.

As Lucy lies in her bed, oblivious to the eyes that saw just enough of her goodbye with Tim to put everything together, she thinks about the next date and the one after that. The 100th date and 1,000th.

She finally falls asleep with a contented smile on her face.

[chennsbradford]

Their birthday week is officially over😭🫶

Happy 35th Bday Melissa and Happy 47th Bday Eric!! 🥳

#the rookie #chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #eric winter #melissa o’neil #lucy x tim #tim x lucy #chenfordweek23

[chennsbradford]

i'll make it through if i stick to you (cover your body in superglue)

Fandom: The Rookie

Ship: Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen

Rating: E

The longer they went without knowing about Aaron, the more eerily familiar it all felt. It was the thing they weren’t saying: that last time this happened, they lost someone. Last time this happened, it had taken everything in her to get back up again.

So he’s doing everything he wanted to do for her, last time. Pulling her into his arms, pressing his face into her hair, not letting go unless he absolutely has to – because this time is different, in some ways. This time, he can be there for her.

This time, they have each other.

[ Read on AO3 ]

[chennsbradford]

Welcome to CHENFORD WEEK 2023!

In collaboration with @chenfordsource, @sgtbradfords, and @theawkwardanglophile, join us from July 11th-17th in celebrating dating era Chenford and Chenford Week 2023! 

All content is welcome, whether it’s gifs, fanfic, graphics, moodboards, playlists, videos… anything, as long as it’s of your own making! There are 3 options per day - you can focus on one or mix 2 or 3 together. Remember to tag us in your creations using #chenfordweek23

Click “keep reading” below to see a list of all prompts for each day - if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We can’t wait to see your creations!!

Keep reading

[chennsbradford]

Happy 10 Years to the 7 boys that saved my life💜🫶💜

#bts #bangtan #bangtan boys #bangtan sonyeondan #10 years of bts #bts festa #kim namjoon #kim seokjin #min yoongi #jung hoseok #park jimim #kim taehyung #jeon jungkook

[chennsbradford]

Timothy “Thigh Man” Bradford

#chenford #tim bradford #lucy chen #lucy x tim #the rookie #tim x lucy #eric winter #melissa o’neil

[chennsbradford]

#he certainly did #this episode lives in my mind that i can even watch it staring at a wall lol 😮‍💨

[chennsbradford]

It's my 5 year anniversary on Tumblr 🥳

#5 year tumblrversary #tumblr milestone

[chennsbradford]

Chenford prompt + Tim accidentally calls Lucy baby at the station and Angela teases them.

My house of stone, your ivy grows. And now I'm covered in you

Chenford prompt + Tim accidentally calls Lucy baby at the station and Angela teases them.

3 times Tim almost calls Lucy baby at work + 1 time he does

This is honestly just pure fluff 🤷🏼‍♀️. I hope you like it!

1.

Tim wakes up next to Lucy, she’s still asleep and he smiles as leans over to kiss her on the forehead and then he rolls out of bed. Lucy stirs and opens her eyes. She makes a needy sound trying to get him back in bed.

“Sorry baby.” He says and he is sorry. “I have to go into work early today.” Lucy pouts and Tim almost says fuck it and climbs back into bed.

“I’ll see you at the station.” He says shaking his head laughing. She pouts again and then swings her legs out of bed and makes her way over to him.

“Okay. Be safe.” She says standing up on her tippy toes to kiss him.

“Always am.” He says. And he kisses her for a moment longer, just wanting to linger in her presence.

Tim doesn’t see Lucy until much much later and he misses her. He’s sitting in his office finishing up paperwork when there’s a knock.

“Come in.” He calls out and the door opens. He glances up briefly to see its Angela.

“Hey.” He says and Angela steps fully into his office and sits down. He raises an eyebrow at her but she doesn’t seem to notice.

“How is it going?” She asks and he shrugs.

“It’s paperwork. It’s fine.”

Angela laughs a little and then smiles at him. “You’re happy.”

“I’m always happy.” He grumbles and Angela snorts.

“Good one Tim. But I mean you are full on happy.”

It’s true. Tim is happy and it’s most definitely because of Lucy. And going to bed and waking up with her everyday is better than waking up alone.

“I am happy.” He tells Angela. He puts down and his pen and leans back in his chair. “First time I have been happy in a long time.”

“I’m glad.” Angela says. “You deserve it. So does Lucy.”

Tim is about to reply but then there’s another knock. This time though the person doesn’t wait for him to say come in. The door swings open revealing Lucy and Tim smiles at her.

“Hey ba—Lucy.” He says awkwardly catching himself before he said baby. Angela looks at him weirdly. Lucy smirks a little.

“Tim. Angela.” She says. Angela stands up still giving Tim a weird look.

“I have to go.” She says backing out. “I’ll see you guys later.” Lucy says bye and Tim mutters something he thinks is bye.

“Tim!” Lucy exclaims as soon as the door shuts. “Way to make that sound weird.”

Tim sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry Luce. I’m so used to calling you that at home.. I didn’t..”

Lucy reaches out to touch his hand. “Tim, relax we are still getting used to be a couple. She probably didn’t even realize what you were going to say. ”

Tim rolls his eyes and squeezes Lucy’s hand. “I’m about done. Are you ready to go?”

Lucy nods. “Yep! I just have to change out. I’ll meet you at home?”

Tim nods forgetting about his almost slip up, hoping Angela does too.

(She doesn’t).

2.

The next time Tim almost slips up is when Lucy comes limping back into the station after a tough call. She’s bruised and sore but she insists she’s fine. Tim narrows his eyes at her not quite believing her.

He follows her to the hallway and backs her against the wall. He touches her face gently so not to irritate the bruise on her cheek.

“Lucy. Did you get checked out?”

She nods and moves away from the wall. “It’s just bruised Tim nothing they can do.” Tim sighs and he knows she’s right but that doesn’t stop him from frowning and reaching for her hand.

“Are you changing out?” He asks. She nods and he squeezes her hand.

“I’ll wait for you.” He promises. She nods slowly as if the motion hurts her and then she heads into the locker room.

Angela comes around the corner frowning at Tim.

“Are you just lurking outside the locker rooms Timothy?”

“Lucy got hurt.” He explains. “I’m just waiting for her.”

There’s a loud crash inside the women’s locker room and Tim calls out without thinking

“Bab— Officer Chen?” He stops himself yet again. Angela doesn’t seem to hear him though as she rushes into the locker room.

Tim waits nervously and then they finally emerge.

Lucy is leaning on Angela.

“Are you okay?” He asks biting his tongue to not add the last word baby.

She nods. “I just need help getting undressed and dressed apparently.”

“I think Tim will be happy to help you with that.” Says Angela a smirk on her face. And while she’s not wrong. Tim still glares at her nonetheless. Angela just smirks and helps Lucy get to Tim.

Tim wraps his arms around her hyper aware of her bruises. “I got you Luce.” He mutters.

Lucy buries her head into Tim’s chest and mutters something incoherent. Tim leads Lucy away from the hallway and Angela. He doesn’t realize Angela is staring at them go, a sly smile playing on her lips.

3.

The third time Tim almost slips up at the station is outside. Tim is staring at Lucy with a bemused expression on his face. Lucy is leaning against his truck, which he never lets anyone do. Except maybe Lucy. Lucy is on her phone scrolling, and looks up and grins at the look on Tim’s face.

“One more time Tim please.” She begs and Tim looks away from her. Lucy is trying to teach him some trendy dance that he apparently needs to know if next game night. Tim really isn’t into all the dances and stuff that’s on social media but he did it because he was tired of seeing the arrogant look on Bailey and Nolan’s faces. Plus it made Lucy happy, and Tim would do anything to keep her smiling like that. But it still felt helpless, like Tim just couldn’t learn the moves.

“This is the fifth time Lucy. If I can’t get it now…”

Lucy huffs out and laugh and peels herself away from his truck so she’s standing in front of him.

“I’ll show you again Tim but I know you can do this.” Tim looks at her now, and a smile plays on his lips.

“Do you really want Bailey and Nolan to win again next game night?”

Tim shakes his head because no he really really didn’t.

“Focus Tim.” Lucy tells him and then she does some move that has Tim scratching his head and wondering why they were doing this outside of work. Where anyone could see them.

Lucy looks up to see Tim not paying attention and she groans.

“Tim!”

“Luce we are at work. Can’t we do this at home?”

Lucy sighs in frustration. “Game night is tonight so no we can’t Tim.”

Just then Tim sees Angela making her way towards them. She has a grin on her face and she’s focused in on Tim. He groans and Lucy rolls her eyes.

“What are you doing Timothy?” She asks and she looks at Lucy who just shakes her head.

“She’s trying to teach me a dance.” He mutters and Angela bursts out laughing.

“What..?” Angela says through her laughter.

“It’s for game night.” Says Lucy coming up besides Tim. “We are tired of Bailey and Nolan winning because apparently Bailey was also a dancer. So I’m helping Tim in case this comes up.”

Angela stares at her. “Oh my god that’s actually really smart.”

Tim rolls his eyes at his friend. Because yes it is smart even if he’s a hopeless dancer. He turns to Lucy and he knows he’s wearing a sappy fond expression on his face that Angela will tease him about but he finds he just doesn’t care.

“Bab-Lucy we need to get inside to work.” Lucy’s eyebrows shoot up at his almost slip up. He flushes red but then composes himself. “We can finish this later. I’ll practice I promise.”

Lucy nods and squeezes his hand gently. “You better or I might team up with James or Wesley.”

Tim rolls his eyes. There is no way in hell that would ever happen. One, Tim and Lucy were a great team and two other than Bailey, Lucy knew a lot. She may not have done all the things but she had knowledge about them so they always go at least second place. And three, Tim wanted her on his team next to him. There really was no other way to put it.

Lucy heads into the station and Tim is left alone with Angela.

“What?”

“You are in love.” She says. “Like truly and fully in love.”

Tim wants to protest but he doesn’t because she’s right.

“How do you know that?” He asks her.

“Learning a dance? Letting her lean on your truck. Almost calling her—”

Angela stops herself. “It’s not a bad thing you know. Lucy loves you too.”

Tim smiles at her and realizes she’s right. He does love Lucy, and he knows she loves him.

“I do love her.” He admits. “She’s everything I never knew I wanted but always needed.”

Angela just shakes her head. “Well it’s nice you know? Seeing you like this. I’m glad you have her Tim.”

Tim nods and he can’t help the smile on his face. “Thank you. Now I have to get to work.” Angela laughs but follows Tim back into the station.

(Tim and Lucy end up winning game night that night; Lucy is very happy).

+1

When Tim actually calls Lucy baby work, it’s an accident. But he has so much pent up emotion that he just can’t help it. They are both coming in from a close call, where a house full of hostages turned into a blood bath. Lucy had run into the house before Tim and his team had arrived and she had emerged with two scared, little girls and then all hell broke loose.Tim is furious, at her and after being at the scene for longer than they were needed Tim is finally getting it all out. In the middle of the station no less.

“How could you be so stupid?” He growls at her and as usual Lucy isn’t deterred by his growly attitude. She merely just goes to sit down at one of the desks.

“Tim I’m fine. The girls are fine. I had to do something, if I hadn’t gone in they would be dead.”

And while that is true, Tim can’t shake the feeling if she hasn’t come out when she did she would be here right now.

“I trained you better than that Chen.” He snaps and Lucy leans back in her seat giving him a withering look.

“I assessed the situation. I knew what I was doing Sergeant.” Tim winces at the way she says Sergeant, it’s too formal, too unlike the Lucy he knows and loves.

“I have no doubt but you still should have waited.” He says it firmly so there’s no room to argue.

Lucy does argue, she is Lucy after all. Always challenging him.

“There wasn’t time to wait. I assessed and I went in.” She says stubbornly. Tim sighs and runs his hand over his face. People are staring now, and he knows he has to end this. They can talk later, when they aren’t in the middle of the bullpen.

“I was terrified baby. When I didn’t see you on scene. And then you emerged from the house and all the shooting started..”

He pauses because now everyone is staring, especially Angela who has a familiar smirk on her face. Lucy ducks her head down and then stands up and tugs on Tim’s arm.

“What?” He asks and she pulls him away. Angela follows the smirk never leaving her face.

“You.. you called me baby.” Lucy says quietly but she doesn’t seem mad or upset.

Shit.

Tim takes over and herds Lucy into his office with Angela close behind.

“Luce, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to just slip out. I just—” he says stumbling over his words.

Lucy just shakes her head. “I like it when you could me that Tim just maybe not a work?”

Tim huffs out a laugh and then turns to Angela who is still wearing a smirk.

“You are such a softie Tim Bradford.” She says teasingly.

“I am not!” Tim protests. He turns to his girlfriend to back him up but she just shrugs.

“No, you definitely are a softie.” She says but she’s smiling softly at him. “You don’t want anyone to know that under your hard exterior. But you are a softie.”

“Only for you.” He mutters. And it’s true, he may act tough on the outside but when he’s with Lucy he just softens up just a little bit.

“Even if it’s only for me. I like it.” Lucy tells him. “But you gotta trust me Tim, I knew what I was doing. And I came out okay.”

Tim nods and then gathers her in his arms feeling the stress of the day melt out of him.

He looks over to see Angela rolling her eyes at them. “You both are disgustingly sweet and it’s nauseating.”

She walks out of the office but neither of them notice. Lucy pulls back to look at him, her eyes full of love.

“You make me happy.” She says.

Tim swoops down to kiss her. Trying to show her exactly how he feels about her. And she eagerly kisses back before pulling away.

“What happen to Mr. I hate PDA?”

“I guess you bring it out in me Luce. Being a big softie and everything.”

Lucy laughs and reaches up to kiss him again.

“Yea but you are my softie.”

And well Tim couldn’t really argue with that.

[chennsbradford]

When your dreams are better than reality... THE ROOKIE (2018) – 5x01 // 4x22

[chennsbradford]