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Chapter Text

Lucy found herself making dinner as Tim walked into the apartment looking exhausted. He’d gone to his usual bi-weekly Metro training, then responded to not one but two armed conflict situations, had to head to the doctor for his yearly physical on his lunch break, and then had an after-school safety briefing he’d volunteered to give the PTA at Tyler’s school. Her day had been a breeze in comparison, even if she and Aaron had found themselves on the end of a stand-off.

“Hey.” He spoke softly as he locked the door behind himself. Tamara was staying over at her classmate’s house, the plan to study and have a sleepover. Lucy had encouraged it since the girl hadn’t had the chance to do it before as a homeless teen.

“Hey.” Lucy watched him put the mail he’d picked up from his PO Box on the table by the door alongside his keys.

Tim placed his hands on her hips and kissed her head. “What can I help with?”

“You can do nothing.” Lucy told him and pointed to the bedroom. “Go get a shower and relax while I make dinner. You’ve had a day from Hell.”

“It hasn’t been a day from Hell.” He spoke and then saw her ‘excuse me’ expression as she turned to him. It was one that he ran from because Lucy as his subordinate giving that expression and his girlfriend giving that expression meant a fine line between the silent treatment and his possible death. “No, no you’re right. It’s been a very hard day and I’m going to do exactly as I’ve been instructed to do.”

“Thank you.”

Tim kissed her temple. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

Just as she was plating up dinner, enchiladas and rice and beans, Tim came out of the bedroom in sweats and a grey undershirt. “I should listen to you more, that’s exactly what I needed.”

“Can I get that in writing?” She smiled as she heard him open the drawer to pull out cutlery.

“No.” He set the forks and spoons by their plates. “I’m not providing written evidence for you to throw at me any chance you get.”

Lucy smirked as she ran her hand down his arm. “One of these days I’m going to get it in writing.” She put a finger to her mouth, “I know you’ll be giving me that in writing someday soon.”

Tim sat down at the bar and pulled her close by her hips. “I love you but no, not a chance.”

“You will.” She leaned in and kissed him, grinning as they pulled apart.

“No I won’t.”

Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, “you will.”

“No I won’t.” His argument seemed to get weaker every time he spoke.

“You will.” She pulled away from him and rounded the counter to grab two glasses of lemonade that sat nearby.

Tim took one glass from her and sat down, “just think we have one more day until we’re off for the weekend.”

“Weekend of crazy.” Lucy shook her head, “Saturday we have the wedding and then Sunday we promised to watch Jackson and Hope. Angela hasn’t told Nolan yet but his old T.O. RSVPed, figured he’d like another surprise.”

“Talia is showing up? She didn’t RSVP for Angela’s wedding, well before everything got minimized then went to shit.”

Lucy nodded, “a fact Angela stated not once but three times when making the seating chart with Bailey. I was asked to supervise that arrival because the bride doesn’t want an argument to break out between the two.”

“Look, if Talia and Angela get into it, don’t interfere. Everything in you is going to want to jump into that mess but those two have been competing since the academy. It’s a mess you don’t want a piece in.”

“I’m only supervising, if it breaks into a fight then I’m just going to record the whole thing from a distance.” Lucy stated finitely. “I have my own bone to pick with Bishop when she didn’t show up for Jackson’s funeral.”

Tim nodded, “don’t bother, I will be talking to her about that.”

“Tim, I’m not a rookie anymore. I can handle her.”

“This isn’t about you not being able to handle her because I trust you can do that one hundred percent. I’m stepping in because she was there for a portion of his training and even did some work with him. It wasn’t as much as the rest of us but it was enough she should have at least sent flowers or a card, something.” He glanced at Lucy and saw her moving her fork through her rice. “You trust me?”

Lucy nodded, “of course I do.”

“Then let me handle this.” He reached for her hand and brought it up to kiss the back of it. “The only thing you need to do on Saturday is focus on Bailey and save a dance for me.”

“I’ve saved all of them for you, everyone else is on a case by case basis. Except Nolan, all of us girls have saved one for him and Bailey is doing the same with the guys.”

Tim chuckled, “I’m not dancing with Bailey.”

“How happy are you that her bridesmaid colors fit that green dress you love me in?”

“Entirely too happy.” He confessed, “means you didn’t have to buy a three hundred dollar dress that would get worn once.”

Lucy shook her head. “How your mind works makes no sense to me. You planned Angela’s wedding.”

“I did and that is why I encouraged her not to have bridesmaids. I saw the prices of those dresses and knew it was unnecessary.”

“Okay, and if I want bridesmaids?” Lucy looked at him, “what are you going to tell me?”

He looked to the side at her and set down his fork to turn completely towards her. “What’s going on? You’ve been fine until I mentioned unnecessary wedding costs. Do you think I’m going to limit what you want at our wedding?”

“There may not even be a wedding.” Lucy dropped her fork on her plate and sighed, “I’ve just been thinking about that fact all day.”

“Luce.” He took a deep breath, “why would you think that? Do you not want to get married?”

“I do, but things change all the time.”

Raising her chin with his forefinger, he met her eyes. “Why do you think…”

“I’m late.” It came out of her in a rush. “I’m late and I’m scared.”

“How long is late?”

Lucy shrugged, “at least two weeks. You know I changed from one implant to another in attempt to break some of the weight. I was cleaning the bathroom and found it under the bathroom rug. It’s rare but sometimes they fall out and we forgot condoms twice the first month post change. I reassured myself it was fine, but now…”

Tim stood and immediately wrapped her into his arms, holding her. “One step at a time. Have you taken a test?”

“No, I haven’t had a reason to buy any and I was scared to say anything.”

“Hey, look at me.” Eventually she lifted her head and met his eyes. “A baby isn’t a bad thing. I know it messes with plans but I’d love nothing more than to have a baby with you.”

Lucy’s eyes teared. “Really?”

“Without a doubt. Plus, remember you got told UC wasn’t an option anymore due to those stupid crime documentaries, so that’s one fear gone. I’ll be here for every single moment, good or bad.” He rubbed her back, “come on, you need to eat because I know you didn’t eat with that stand off today. After, I’ll go to the store and we can go from there.” Rubbing away tears with his thumb, Tim kissed her forehead. “Come on, we both need food.”

An hour later Lucy left the bedroom with her phone in hand and sat beside him on the bed. He pulled her in and wrapped his arm around her, kissing her head. Lucy looked at the timer on her phone, gnawing on her lip as she did so. “Did you and Isabel have any scares?”

“No, but there was pregnancy at one point in the months leading up to her disappearing. I have no proof and I never asked for her to explain it but I strongly suspect that she had abortion. She had appointment planned but she didn’t let me go with her. When I spoke to her again at home, she said it was non-viable, but I found paperwork after she disappeared. The doctor was part of Planned Parenthood and wasn’t that of her gynecologist. Part of me hopes she knew what the drugs would do and just didn't have the heart to tell me about any of it.”

Lucy pulled away and looked at him. “I’d never do that to you.”

“I know that. There’s always been more open communication between us and the only big thing kept was your five-player-trade.”

Looking at the timer, she sighed. “You’re really okay with this?”

“More than.” He nipped her chin with his finger, “so our plans get rearranged but the most important thing is that it’s you and me together. My question is, are you okay with this?”

Lucy shrugged, “I’ve been freaking out all afternoon about your reaction that I didn’t think about what it means to me. I mean, we’ve spoken about kids since the early days of dating. I want kids with you and you’re right, it’s not a bad thing. Then while you were gone to the store, I thought about it and I’m kind of okay with it. Not totally yet, but for now, yeah.”

Her phone went off and Lucy looked at the device, her lip between her teeth. “Do you want me to check it?”

“Please.”

Tim stood up and made his way into the bathroom to see both tests that came in the box on the counter. Picking up both, he looked at the tests and then at the door as he heard Lucy walk towards him. “You’re going to have to go to the doctor. One is positive and the other negative.”

Lucy nodded, “that night clinic on Melrose takes our insurance. Go with me?”

“Yeah, I’ll drive.”

Chapter Text

The sound of loud talking in the bullpen made Lucy pause on her way to roll call. She found Aaron and Celina by the Mid-Wilshire sign just watching and paused to stand with them. Tim joined them not even two minutes later to stand watching as people met with Talia Bishop as she stood speaking to everyone. The weird part was the LAPD patrol uniform she wore, which confused Lucy as last she knew the woman was ATF.

“Who is she?”

“Hey did you hear?” Angela made her way over, “someone worked on a joint mission between LAPD and ATF three months back. Golden Ticketed her way back to LAPD with help from IA, meaning she’s now a detective. Grey said she wanted to surprise everyone; well he told me after I threatened him with barring him from the wedding.”

Aaron looked at the woman, “that’s pure blackmail.”

“I know, I use what I can.”

As if hearing her name, Talia Bishop saw the four and made her way over. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Angela hugged her. “So excited you’re back. Trust me, you’re going to love the random rotation Caradine has going. Harper, she’s another detective, we all work amazing together.”

“Thanks, it’s good to be back. You thought the LAPD was a boys club, join the feds.” Bishop looked at Tim. “Tim Bradford, wish I could say the same. You’d fit in there.”

He nodded, “thanks, I think.”

“You missed Officer West’s funeral.” Lucy was blunt, “why?”

Bishop looked straight at her, “still overly curious, Chen.”

Lucy took a step forward and Tim pulled her back by her duty belt. It physically pulled her back a fraction of a step. “No, go to roll call before I have a brawl I have to explain.” Lucy glared at him before leaving the four. “Thorsen.” Tim looked at the man.

Aaron nodded, “yep, we’re going.” He pulled Celina with him before she could say a word.

“She’s got a point; you didn’t show up for his funeral.” Tim glanced at his longtime friend. “Why?”

“Five month undercover op. It was four months after when I got word, I called his family and apologized. Didn’t realized I’d have to tell other officers also.” She chuckled, “my question is, did you really just pull her back by her belt?”

Angela laughed, “oh that, yeah that’s a go to move. Lucy Chen is a force of nature and one hell of an officer. Don’t let her size fool you because she once put Nick Foster in the hospital after he touched her inappropriately. The guys didn’t even get a chance before she was handling it herself.”

“Nick Foster is taller and bigger than Bradford here.”

“Exactly.”

Grey made his way towards roll call, waving his hand at the three. “If you three don’t mind joining us.”

“Shall we?” Tim started over with the two women following up.

Roll call was filled the brim and everyone took a stand that wasn’t already sitting down. Tim took up the spot beside Grey and the watch commander looked at the group that was in the room. “Alright, let’s get the surprise out of the way. Talia Bishop has rejoined us but finds herself a detective. However, as per HR she is going to be riding with a TO for a bit before she’s back on individual duty. Thus comes the irony, T.O. Nolan, you’ll be riding with your former T.O. for the next three months. To be clear, you aren’t her training officer and she isn’t yours so please be partners.”

Nolan nodded, “sir, my honeymoon is all next week so that presents a bit of an issue for the first week. Plus, I still have a rookie of my own.

“Exactly. Which is why Officer Juarez will be riding with me until further notice.” He looked at the rookie officer, “Officer Juarez, I hope that’s okay with you.”

“Yes sir, more than fine.” She smiled at him.

Lucy put up her hand, “sir, I’d be more than willing to ride with her until Nolan can take her back.”

“Thank you, Officer Chen for that offer.” He put his hands on the lecturn and nodded, “okay, Juarez you are all Chen’s starting Monday. For today take the front desk.”

“Sir, I’m confused.” Bishop spoke, “I thought rookies required a T.O. or they are forced to work the front desk.”

Tim was the one to speak. “Officer Chen is Acting Watch Commander if Sergeant Grey or I are unavailable, per the Comms Supervisor. That unofficially accords her some leeway in various situations.”

“That is true. Alright, so let’s get onto today’s agenda. K9 has an open spot and I have been politely asked by Lieutenant Pine to inquire whether anyone wants it. I know Officer Yancy’s passing has been rough on the unit and the need for new blood is an unfortunate part of an officer passing. If anyone wants to know if they qualify, see Bradford. That’s all I got today. Stay safe out there everyone.”

Lucy found Bishop at the window with Nolan. “Hey, so did you ever find out how much that property down the street from you was asking for?”

Nolan looked up, “I did and it was in your range. I’ll send you guys the realtor’s number.”

“Thanks.”

“You ready to go Boot?” Tim caught her attention, “I already got the shop standing by, gear inside.”

She nodded and pointed at him, “you’re riding with me today?”

“Pine’s been using me all week and I still have stats I have to meet.” Tim motioned to himself, “I could take Thorsen if you’d rather ride alone.”

“Not a chance.” Lucy smiled at him, “but the whole calling me ‘Boot’ has to go.”

He shook his head despite laughing silently. “Come on, you’re up.” He threw her the keys and she caught them.

“They’re friendly.” Bishop stated as Nolan grabbed the bags.

“Yeah, after you left someone had to step up as his friend.” He told her. “Plus, well Lucy has been through Hell and he was there for the fallout.”

“What happened?” Bishop asked as she accepted the rifles.

Nolan sighed, “Rosalind Dyer’s protégé kidnapped Lucy and buried her alive in a barrel. She slowly died; we were lucky to find her just as she ran out of air. CPR had to be administered and we revived her but the comeback was hard, at least to those that knew her.”

“God, anyone else would have quit.”

“She was a rookie when it happened.” Nolan stated, “Tim was there in the aftermath. He pushed her some days and others was patient with her. Then she was training to be a UC, managed to make it to UC school and all before the department said it was a no go due to several documentary interviews. So now she’s looking at being a training officer and considering Tim is Metro now, we could use another one.”

Bishop paused, “whoa, hold up. Bradford moved to Metro?”

“Yeah, last year.”

“Why?”

Nolan shook his head, “no idea. I mean, he’s not big on sharing personal decisions.” He decided to share with Angela and Tim via text that Bishop was sniffing around his Metro decision. Angela would get it but he hoped Tim could head it off to save Bishop on them like she had when he and Lucy had been together.

Chapter Text

Lucy watched Tim run several tags as they drive but none came back stolen and none so far warranted a citation. After a few moments, she spoke softly. “You’re quiet, why?”

“Nolan texted me.” He glanced at her, “Bishop is sniffing around my Metro transfer.”

“Already? She hasn’t even been here a day yet.” Lucy saw a car weave ahead of them in and out of traffic, “hang on, you just got your first citation.” She hit the lights and siren, moving in a similar movement till they were pulling up behind the vehicle who made the original motion.

Tim motioned between them, “I’ll approach.”

“I’m not doing your work for you.” Lucy chuckled softly before controlling her face as they exited the vehicle.

With Lucy on the other side of the vehicle, he walked up to the driver’s side. “Sir, do you know why we pulled you over?”

“Officer, I do, I really do.” The man looked at Tim from his hands on the steering wheel. “It’s my wife, she’s having a baby.”

Tim looked past the man to where the woman in the passenger side was groaning. “Okay, put your hands outside the window and step out as I open the door. My partner is going to open her door and check on her.”

Lucy put her gun up and opened the door to the vehicle, “ma’am, my name is Lucy and I’m going to ask you some questions. What’s your name?”

“Lina.” The woman cried before groaning, holding onto her seat.

“Lina, okay hey we’re going to help you. My partner is radioing an ambulance as we speak. How old are you?”

“Twenty.”

Lucy nodded, “how far along are you?”

“Forty weeks.” The woman shook her head as she groaned, “the baby’s coming.”

“Okay.” Lucy pulled on the gloves that had been in her pocket. “Lina, can I look between your legs?” Getting a nod followed by a groan and cry, Lucy paused. “Lina, I’ve delivered one baby so far and it looks like yours is going to be my second. Tim!”

He showed up with the dad seconds later, “what?”

“I need the emergency blanket and first aid kit.” She spoke calmly and looked at him, “this baby is coming now. Sir, if you could come hold your wife’s hand, we’re going to be having this baby in a matter of moments.” Reaching out, she removed the woman’s seatbelt. “Lina, I need you to angle yourself to the side just a fraction.” The woman started moving and Lucy put her hand out. “Right there.”

“Have you delivered a baby before?” The woman’s husband asked her.

“Yes, I have and you’re going to help me deliver your baby.” She pushed the woman’s skirt up and reached up when Tim returned with the blanket. Putting it on Lina, she smiled at her. “Lina, this baby is coming fast so I want you to push when you feel like you have to. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Lucy found herself coaching the woman through a delivery as Tim guided people away from the vehicle along the sidewalk. It was an attempt at privacy but it was useless beyond the emotional comfort it provided. “Almost there Lina, one more push. I can hear the ambulance heading this way.”

“That’s it baby.” The man was trying to encourage his wife.

The sound of a cry made all the people gathering clap and Lucy laid the baby on her chest. The ambulance was pulling up at that moment. “It’s a girl, you did amazing Lina.”

“A girl, I wanted a girl.” Lina looked at the baby.

Lucy took a step back as two paramedics bent down beside them. “Twenty year old female, full term pregnancy. Healthy delivery of a newborn girl. Lina these are my friends, they’re going to take care of you and get you three to the hospital.”

“What’s your name?” The father looked at her.

“Lucy sir. Congratulations on your daughter.” She told him and tapped his shoulder after peeling off her gloves.

Meeting Tim at the back of the vehicle, she grinned at him. He nodded at her, “two for two.”

“Next one you’re delivering.” She told him. “We’ll get Bailey to get you up to speed on what to do.”

“As long as its not ours, I’m fine with that.” He stated as they headed back to the shop.

Lucy looked down when her phone rang, “Tim, it’s the clinic.” He joined her at the side of the shop. She answered the call and put it on speaker. “Hello?”

“This is Melrose Health Clinic. I’m trying to reach Lucy Chen.”

“This is her.”

“Miss Chen this is Lauren Rhodes, a nurse here at the clinic. Do I have permission to speak to you about your test results over the phone?”

Glancing at Tim, Lucy nodded. “Yes.”

“Miss Chen, we just got your lab results back regarding your visit. You were in regarding potential pregnancy, specifically your home test was inconclusive. It does seem you are pregnant and based on your hCG levels in your urine screen, you’re about ten weeks. Do you need a referral for an obstetrician?”

“No, I have one. Thank you.”

“Of course, if you need to come back and see us for any reason, we’ll be here.”

The call ended and Lucy met Tim’s eyes. “So, it looks like we’re having a baby.”

“We are.” He soaked in that reality. “Maybe I should take the K9 position. More regular hours, less Pine calling me up at any second and I’d still be on Patrol outside of your chain of command.”

Lucy glanced at him, “let’s figure all this out before we start making changes to things. First thing is we need to get you your twos and then tell Grey. It’s not like he’ll be shocked after Angela and Harper.”

“I think he may have the division water tested at the very least.” He held out his hand, “keys please. This has taught us today that I need to be driving.”

“Fine.” She tossed them to him as he walked around the car. “What are we going to do about Bishop? I can’t have her doing with us what she did when I was with Nolan.”

Tim looked straight at Lucy as they got buckled in. “Invite her to dinner, tonight. Show her we’re not you and Nolan.”

“Babe, that is exactly what we’d be doing.”

He pulled out into the traffic after a moment of checking mirrors. “No it isn’t. We live together, we have a teenager in the apartment with us, we work together but our relationship is on file, I’m not in your chain of command, and we’re not a momentary fling.”

“We weren’t a fling. True it wasn’t the smartest relationship and maybe I was a little naïve but it wasn’t a fling.”

Tim sighed, “okay, it wasn’t a fling.”

Lucy laughed before she sobered. “Oh God, this means I have to let my mother know I’m dating a cop.”

“That’s your worry in all this?’

“Look, my mother could deal with me living with a boyfriend. She could even deal with the fact I’m pregnant. The whole dealbreaker is that you’re a cop.” She put a hand up, “sorry, that’s not true. The dealbreaker is you’re my ex-training officer who is a cop that I’m dating.”

Tim glanced her way, “that’s the dealbreaker? How is that any different from her actions with your biological father?”

“Thank God, you found some way to shut her up when she starts on a roll.”

“I’m more than okay with you freezing your mother out for the entirety of this child’s life. She made yours an absolute hell from what you’ve told me. Your father on the other hand, he’s fine.”

Lucy glanced at him. “Where is your mother?”

“My mother doesn’t talk to me because I stopped taking my father threw at me. She talks to Genny because my sister is a lot more forgiving than I am.”

Chapter Text

The food trucks were hit for lunch and it was crowded but full of friendly faces. At least all but Celina, but she’d be out on patrol the next week. Lucy found herself sitting with Nolan and Angela, who was out doing an investigation. Harper pulled in and made her way over to sit with them while others were getting food. “Hey, so what’s so urgent that I needed to show up?”

“We need all three of you intimidating any cop that Bishop would talk to about Tim and Lucy.” Nolan stated and looked at the three women. “Between you, Lucy, and Angela, no one will say a damn thing.”

Harper waved her hand, “okay, back up. Why are they an issue?”

“You know Nolan and I dated when we were trainees.” Lucy told the detective, “Bishop sniffed it out first day and rode my ass about it more than his. The last thing we need right now is her riding my ass again. Tim is doing great with Pine but the chance my five-player-trade comes to light due to the endless questions is bad. Primm told Tim and also made my chances at making detective near impossible. That said, he kept it pretty under wraps. If everyone who shifted find out who actually moved them, it will put Tim in a bad position.”

The woman pointed to her. “I warned you it would upset people.”

“I know you did but this is different. Angela said there was a scandal with Bishop’s training officer during their rookie days and that caused a lot of issues surrounding the idea of dating cops. At least for her it does. I’ve already gone through this and I’m not ready to deal with it again. I have enough to worry about right now.”

Angela looked right at Lucy. “What does that mean? You sound like you and Tim are in a major fight.”

“You can’t say anything, at least until we tell Grey.” She sighed, “I’m pregnant. It’s unplanned and it’s a lot for me to deal with right now mentally.”

A hand went to her arm and Angela smiled a fraction. “Is it an issue between you guys?”

“No, Tim’s been great helping me realize it’s not a bad thing. It just rearranged a lot of our plans and that’s the hard part.”

“You do like your plans.” Nolan stated and she pointed to him. “Probably insensitive to ask but are you guys keeping it?”

Lucy pulled her head back and looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. “How can you ask that? It’s our child, not a pet.”

“I didn’t mean it that way.” He sighed and waved his hand. “I’m sorry, it came out wrong. I’m just trying to stay a supportive friend is all. I didn’t know where I needed to stand on the subject is all. I’m sorry.”

Harper nodded. “Okay, how about this. How about we ask Grey to do his yearly fraternization speech. You know how he goes on about filing it with the department, not spreading other people’s information, and that PDA limitation for those in department sanctioned relationships. He hasn’t given it yet this year.”

“That could work.” Nolan stated, “probably the best option and if it doesn’t work, the three of you can enjoy a day of intimidating the department.” He glanced up, “heads up, here they come.”

Tim, Bishop, and Aaron made their way over with food. The youngest of the officers put down a tray of street tacos in front of Angela before setting his food down. “What do you want?” He asked Harper, “it’s on me today.”

“Chorizo tacos with extra hot sauce.”

The man nodded, “heartburn special coming up. Give me five minutes.”

Tim put a burger and fries down in front of Lucy. “Veggie burger with extra pickles.”

Lucy smiled, “thanks, did you…” He set down the can of lemonade, “thank you.”

“Yep.” He sat down with his tacos.

Harper smiled at Bishop, “Nyla Harper, I’m a detective under Caradine. I was Nolan’s training officer after you shifted to ATF.”

Bishop took her hand, “Talia Bishop.”

Nolan glanced up as Bishop pushed a tray of tacos at him as all their phones beeped. “Thanks, is it another abduction?” He pulled his phone and glanced at it, “oh great, Grey is giving out his fraternization speech after shift.”

Angela shook her head, “whoever messed around this time will get my glare for a week. Who do you think it was this time?” She’d texted the man and stressed the speech had to happen.

Bishop glanced at them. “Whoever it was, it’ll be the female officer who gets the bad end.”

“Unless it’s another female-female relationship.” Lucy stated as she popped the can of lemonade. “Still remember DeMarco and Wexler’s relationship being discovered, especially after Officer Taylor’s speech about females getting the bad end of the deal. He ate his words for sure when Angela asked him which one should get the bad end.”

Angela laughed, “you remember his answer?”

“The men of the department.” All but Tim and Bishop spoke before laughing.

Harper waved her hand, “at least it wasn’t the situation with Miller, Wright, and Parsons. No one knew what to do with that.”

“Maybe I’m too old to understand but how does a cop sleep with not one but two officers without it being discovered? It was by pure chance Miller and Wright were spotted by Parsons in public.” Nolan told them. “It went on for months and no one knew.”

Angela looked at the group around the table. “Doesn’t matter what the profession is, one guy is enough for me.” Aaron returned with Harper’s meal and sat down at the table.

“Same.” Lucy and Harper spoke together before smiling and pointing at each other.

After a few moments Bishop asked a question. “How many unsanctioned relationships have happened since I left?”

Lucy started counting on her fingers silently before glancing at the woman. “Ten, well technically eleven, but Raj transferred to West Los Angeles to continue dating Ruger. They broke up three months later and from what I understand, it was messy.”

“Aren’t you glad that I broke you two up?” Bishop asked Lucy and Nolan.

“Absolutely.” Nolan stated.

Lucy nodded, “yes, we were meant for other people.”

Tim’s phone rang and he glanced at it before answering. “Tamara, you’re on speaker.”

“I need you to come get me from West Los Angeles Division. The drug dog alerted to my bag during a random search and I swear nothing was in it but they didn’t believe me. Even after they searched it and I told them my family was LAPD, they still arrested me.”

Tim glanced at Lucy, “it was probably alerted to the fact you have my old bag and it likely has particles from my pain medicine from after my shooting. Drug dogs can alert to stuff like that. Don’t worry, I’m going to call the captain and come pick you up.”

“Thanks. I have to go since my phone call is up.”

As soon as the call ended, Tim dialed a number and stood up while looking at Aaron. “Thorsen, with me.”

The man nodded and laid his keys by Lucy’s arm. “On it.”

“Captain Parks, this is Sergeant Tim Bradford with Mid-Wilshire Division. You have a member of my family in your holding cell. Tamara Collins, she was arrested on a drug alert even though she had nothing found on her person. No, I’m on my way right now.” He hung up and turned back to the table. “Angela call Wesley and have him meet me at West LA.”

Angela immediately picked up her phone from beside her hand. “You got it.”

Tim tore open the door to the shop and got in while Aaron got in as the engine was started. It pulled out of the parking area with lights and sirens going, weaving around one car. Bishop pointed to where they just came from. “Who is Tamara?”

“Tim’s puppy.” Angela stated, “well she was Lucy’s at one point but then Tim got invested far more than Lucy did. She’s a former homeless teen who is going to school for social work and you’ll see her around the division often. She has a permanent visitor badge.”

Lucy nodded, “he’d move heaven and earth for her.”

“So he’s dating her?”

“Uh no.” Harper put up her hand. “That’s akin to incest, that girl is more like a younger sister or perhaps even his kid. There’s only a few people Tim Bradford would turn on lights and sirens for. Most are at this table while the others are Tamara or our kids. My daughters and Angela’s son and daughter.”

Lucy pulled her phone from her pocket and opened it to pull open a video. She laid it on the table and pressed play so Bishop could watch it.

Tim sat doing paperwork at a desk in what was clearly Mid-Wilshire as Tamara sat on the same desk with her phone in hand. Tim glanced up at the teen and spoke softly.

“Year of American Revolution?” He grabbed her phone, “no cheating. What is the year?”

“1776.” Tamara stated as she looked at him.

“Wrong, that’s the year the Declaration of Independence was written. Try again.”

Tamara groaned, “why do I have to know this? It’s ancient history.”

“Because you’re required to take this course.” The man pushed back his chair and looked straight at the teen. “If you want, I can send you to Lucy to study for your psychology course.”

The teen waved her hands. “No, no, not that. She drills me more than my professor does.”

“Alright, so again, what is the year of the American Revolution?”

A shrug was followed by her swinging her legs. “I’ll study my chapter when I get home. Next question, please.”

Tim pulled his chair closer to the desk and started back on his paperwork. “First three presidents of the United States were?”

“Washington, Adams, and Jefferson.”

“Which Adams?”

Tamara quirked her lips, “John Adams, his son was president later on.”

Tim glanced up with a smile. “Correct. Phrase ‘Join or Die’ comes from?”

“It was a picture about the colonies. I can’t remember what it meant.”

The video ended and Lucy put up her phone as Bishop met her eyes. “Grey is okay with her just sitting around on desks next to files?”

“He gave her the permanent visitor badge.” Angela looked at her friend, “she’s been around officers so long now that she doesn’t snoop or break laws.”

Nolan smirked, “unless you count that time she stole Lucy’s car.”

The officer in question put up her hand. “That’s how I we met her. We don’t count that as a crime since I didn’t press charges. Besides, Tamara knows if she gets into trouble she can call any of us.” She pointed to Nolan, “although she may call you if she’s drunk at a party. Tim would show up and arrest everyone of legal age on scene and I’d lecture her on responsibility. Harper would do some damage and Angela would bring Wesley along to threaten everyone.”

“Good to know.”

Harper went wide-eyed. “I hope whoever the arresting officer is, he’s prepared to clean out his desk. The minute Tamara had cuffs put on her was the last minute of his job.”

“That’s if he doesn’t pull the man’s intestines out through his mouth.” Angela commented. “Personally, I’d love to go watch that show.”

“True that.” Harper pointed at her.

Bishop looked up at them from placing her water bottle down. “I think you guys are confusing him with another guy.”

“Oh you’d be surprised.” Nolan looked up at the woman. “He’s changed a lot since you left.”

Chapter Text

Returning at the end of shift, the return of supplies and weapons was met by Grey standing on the stairs looking at everyone. Everyone moved to stand in the bullpen, Lucy saw Tim at a desk doing paperwork with Tamara sitting on the desk next to him reading a book. Once everyone was gathered, no need to call as Grey could command the room by just standing in a single place. “Okay, so everyone is here. I do this every year and I’ve failed to do it this year so here it comes.”

“Who got stupid?” Angela asked.

Grey sighed, “no one as of yet, Detective Lopez. Fraternization is as followed: engaging in a physical or emotional relationship with another officer. That includes kissing and hugging so watch yourselves. Unsanctioned relationships, otherwise known as relationships of unequal rank, sex exchanged for jobs or promotions, and the ever problematic sneaking around, aren’t tolerated. To have a sanctioned relationship then you must be of equal rank or you serve in separate departments or divisions. As a general reminder, you must notify HR if you plan to engage in a relationship with a fellow officer. It has been requested that I inform you that you can’t ask about relationships as it can be seen as accusing someone of being in an unsanctioned relationship. That invites investigations and potential repercussions. If you have suspicions, you are to bring it to me or another ranking officer. Even if a relationship is common knowledge, you aren’t allowed to discuss it, or should we have another Hornbull and Wei situation?” No one said anything. “Okay, either get to work or head home. Stay safe.”

Lucy made her way over to Grey. “Sir, can I talk to you?”

Grey nodded, “let’s talk in my office.”

Lucy followed him into the office and closed the door behind herself. He watched her sit down in the chair across from his desk. The officer’s nervousness was followed by omnious words. “Sir, I have something I need to tell you.”

Grey focused on her. “Should I be concerned? You guys didn’t get in a fight and break up during shift, did you?”

“No.” Lucy told him.

“Before you begin, I have something for you.” The watch commander picked up something from his desk. It was a card and the cop took it, opening it to reveal a physical photograph of a baby. “That is the baby you delivered today.”

Lucy smiled, “she’s much cuter dressed in a bow.”

“Turn it over.”

At Grey’s instruction, she turned the photo over and gasped. “They named her after me?”

“Lucy Dana Melville. Dad dropped that off and said to tell you that’s why he asked your name. As if he could send updates every now and then. I knew you wouldn’t mind so I gave him your card. I’m sure Miss Melville is going to meeting her name sake sometime soon. Now be careful because that may end up with you watching the baby at least once.”

Lucy put the photo back in the card. “I wouldn’t mind.”

“What was it that you wanted to tell me? Are you guys engaged?”

“Eventually.” Lucy looked up at her supervisor. “No, I’m pregnant. About ten weeks.”

Grey chuckled, “I figured that was coming sometime soon. First Lopez, then Harper, I expected you next.” He held up his hand, “just take care of yourself and when you feel like being on patrol isn’t doable anymore, come see me. We’ll figure something out. Now, I just have one piece of information.” He leaned in slightly, “when he starts trying to tell you want to do, come see me and I’ll definitely find something for him to do.”

Lucy laughed softly. “Tim knows better sir, he’s always been somewhat progressive when it comes to women.”

“Are we talking about the same man?”

“Trust me, he’s more enlightened then you’d think.”

Grey stood up and she followed. “Congratulations both of you. I know you’re going to make great parents, considering you haven’t killed the teen living with you. Keep me up to date and I hope I’m one of the first to meet our newest rookie in training.” He held out his hand and she took it.

“Thank you, sir.” Lucy smiled as she spoke.

Lucy approached the desk where Tim and Tamara were. The teen stood up and hugged her, which Lucy returned the hug immediately. She pulled back and looked the teen up and down and side to side, seeing her no worse for wear for her time at the other division.

“I’m okay. Tim smoothed it all over.”

“I bet he did. I’m sorry that happened to you and to solve it from happening again, we’re going to get you a new school bag.”

Tamara smiled at her. “Tim already did. Took me to the store and picked up all new supplies so that none of it has traces of any type of drug.”

Lucy looked around for a moment. “We’re not discussing our relationship at work. I’ll explain more later on.”

“Silence, got it.”

Bishop made her way over and seemed to look Tamara up and down. “I hear you’re Bradford’s puppy.”

“Yep and proud of it.” Tamara told her and held out her hand. “I’m Tamara Collins, you must be Detective Bishop.”

“Talia Bishop, trained rookies with Bradford and Lopez.”

“Cool.”

Tim stood up with several files in hand. “Alright, I’m going to place these in my office and then we’ll head out for the night.”

“I think all of us want to go home. It’s been a long day.” She held up the card in her hands, “I delivered a baby and she was named after me.”

Tamara grinned. “Seriously?”

“Yep.” Lucy pulled the picture out of the card and held it up. “Meet Baby Lucy.”

“So cute.”

Bishop nodded to them. “I guess I’ll see you guys at the wedding tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Lucy told her.

“See you then.” Tim spoke to her as he logged out of the computer terminal.

Chapter Text

The outdoor setting was full as the countdown to the wedding ceremony became shorter and shorter. Talia Bishop found a seat beside Luna Grey and a few firefighters. The beautiful Mission Hills locale had been reserved almost as soon as a date was decided on and it was a very beautiful choice. The room was a mix of military, LAPD, and LAFD and it had been at Bailey’s insistence that division be non-existent.

“Oh boy.” Luna stated as she saw Nolan standing at the altar with his son, Henry, and Wade Grey.

Bishop glanced at the woman, “what’s wrong?”

“He’s hyperventilating.”

A few waves from his wife got Wade Grey’s attention and then pointing towards the groom had the man nodding. He spoke to Nolan quietly till the man was nodding and closing his eyes to take moment. Once his eyes were opened again, he seemed calm and okay. Just as he did music began to play and everyone turned around to see the wedding party starting towards the front.

“They spent a lot.”

Luna nodded to Bishop. “Bailey wanted a big wedding and John delivered. Oh that bridesmaid color is perfect for a September wedding.” Lucy and Tim started down the aisle arm in arm, followed by Harper and James. The ladies all wore a hunter green wrap dress while tuxes were the go to for men not in uniform.

“Uniforms?” Two women from LAFD walked up the aisle with Army officers in uniform.

“John chose it for the guys in the LAPD and LAFD. Bailey followed up with her Army buddies doing the same. Wade said its meant to show that their lives are a mix of civil and military service.” Smiles seem to blanket the room as the bridesmaids and best men made their way up. “Oh, Angela looks beautiful in that dress. She hated the design in the beginning I’m told.”

Angela and Wesley walked up the aisle with Tamara behind them pushing a small wagon covered in flowers. In it was Leah Murray and the Evers kids, which caused a ton of adorable statements and grins. The teen made a quick exit once past the bridesmaids, the kids wouldn’t do with a long ceremony and everyone knew it. Luckily, they had the best babysitter in the business as multiple people in attendance would testify. The sound of the wedding march was hard and everyone rose and turned to see Bailey dressed in white. With her arm in that of a fellow firefighter’s, she started down the aisle.

“Oh boy.” Nolan stated and Grey put his hand on the man’s arm. “I got this.”

“Yes, you do.” Grey stated patting his arm. He glanced at Tim and whispered, “you better not be six ways to passing out on your big day.”

Tim waved him off as he spoke low due to attention needing to be on Bailey, “I’ll be fine. I got a thicker skin and stronger stomach than Nolan. I have to with Lucy or I’d be eaten alive anytime I say anything that contradicts her wishes. Bailey may be a firefighter and a national reservist but she’s a lot less explosive.”

All Grey did was partially nod because it was true. “Understood.”

The bride handed off her bouquet to Angela and Nolan shook the firefighter’s hand. As they turned to each other, Nolan took her hands. “Hi.”

“Hi.”

The officiant looked at the two he was marrying. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Of course.” Both spoke at once and everyone laughed softly.

With the couple ready, the officiant opened the book in his hands. “To those present, we are gathered here today to witness the marriage of John and Bailey. Today is a day of happiness, of joy, of growth.” The man looked at the two and smiled. “John will you please repeat after me.” He got the groom’s attention from his focus on the bride. “I, John, take thee, Bailey, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

Nolan squeezed Bailey’s hands. “I, John, take thee, Bailey, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

The officiant looked to Bailey. “Bailey, please repeat after me. I, Bailey, take thee, John, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

Squeezing his hand back, she spoke the vows. “I, Bailey, take thee, John, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

The officiant looked to Henry as he stood behind his father, “the rings.”

“Yes, here.” Henry pulled nearly identical gold bands out of his pocket.

Holding out his hand so the rings lay flat on them, he looked to his father. The soon-to-be husband took Bailey’s ring and held it as he removed her engagement ring. Working each one on her finger in order, he spoke “I give you this ring with a promise to dodge bullets and fire with you from today until our deaths.” A small half laugh went through the room.

Picking up Nolan’s ring, Bailey slid it onto his finger. “I give you this ring with a promise to dodge fire and bullets with you from today until our deaths.” The switch had been on purpose and both smiled at each other as the promise was spoken.

“It is with great pleasure that on behalf of Los Angeles County and the State of California, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Nolan cupped Bailey’s face gently and pulled her in for a kiss, cheers rolling through the attendants.

Smiling at Nolan, Bailey whispered to him. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I am so glad you’re my wife.” Claps resounded around the room as the couple turned to those present.

The reception was in full swing as the sun was setting and the central group was either dancing or speaking at one of the tables. Silas was DJing for the reception and Angela had put together with Lucy and Tamara’s help a very extensive love song list. Intermixed were a list of songs that were perfect for a party and everyone was getting crazy with. Lucy found herself dancing a lot of night and moving around between partners. Several people had asked to dance with her and she’d accepted an offer when it came.

“Okay, I don’t understand how anyone could stay on their feet half the day in heels like she is.” Harper stated to group as she joined them after dancing with James.

Angela laughed, “because she’s wearing flats, not heels.”

“Oh, well I wish someone would have told me that was option.”

“Plus, she’s enjoying herself.” Grey stated, “I think we can all agree that not bothering her is in our best interest.”

Bishop glanced at the group. “Are all of you afraid of Chen?”

Everyone glanced at her before speaking. “Yes.”

“To a certain degree.” Angela pointed to Grey, “Grey is the one least likely to have his head handed to him while depending on the reason, Tim is the most likely. He made a very insensitive comment about her weight one day and I swear we were all backing away slowly.”

Tim put up his hand, “it wasn’t insensitive and it wasn’t about her weight. I merely told her ‘yes’ when she asked if she looked bad in the dress she wore. She did look bad in it.”

“You never say ‘yes’ without expecting the chance you could die. Women don't ask those questions expecting an answer.” Harper told him, “the fact she hasn’t murdered you in revenge for her rookie days and the shit you put her through can only be deemed a miracle.”

“She appreciates what I put her through.” He looked at the group. “Just ask her.”

Harper nodded, “sure, you’re funeral for the reminder though.”

The man stood up and put his champagne glass down. “I’m going to go peel that firefighter off her before he touches her inappropriately due to being halfway drunk and a brawl breaks out.”

“Please. The last thing we need is a three-way fight between LAPD, LAFD, and the military present.” Grey shook his head at the idea of a three-way fight, “I don’t want to explain to the police when they come to break it up.”

Tim walked over to Lucy and the firefighter, “Milton, may I steal her?”

“Yes, you may.” Lucy told him and smiled at the man. “Thank you for the dance.” As the firefighter walked away, she slipped into Tim’s arms. “How’d you know?”

He shrugged slightly, “I didn’t but I saw he was being a bit jerky so I knew he wasn’t completely sober. I didn’t want you kicking his ass if his hand ended up in the wrong place. We’d have a three-way fight between LAPD, LAFD, and the military. We’d all be on Bailey’s wrong side immediately and that’s close to three hundred people.”

“I haven’t danced with you at all. I know I said I’d save all my dances for you.”

Tim smiled softly. “All I need is one or two. If I want to dance with you more than I can do it at home.”

“Yeah, you can.”

“You’ve been on your feet all night. How are you doing?”

Lucy quirked her lips for a second. “I’m okay. Not really having any symptoms yet, but the real killer is that there is a full blown open bar and I can’t drink.”

“Alright, starting tomorrow I’ll join you in sobriety.” He saw her smile brighten. “Is that okay?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to but yes, I’d love that.”

Nodding at the thought, Tim continued. “Least I can do and trust me, the list of things I’m going to be doing is going to grow. Midnight food runs and foot rubs every night included.”

“Grey thought you’d be telling me what to do eventually. I had to tell him you’re a lot more progressive than people think.”

Tilting his head side to side, Tim finally agreed. “I think the hardass persona leads to that but my units overseas had at least two women in them every time. Then my academy class was almost split even. After that I was married, so over time I got a very blunt and through education.”

“By ‘blunt’ you mean very detailed, don’t you?” She asked with humor on her face.

“Very.” He glanced down at her dress, “you’re wearing that dress very well.”

Lucy laughed and tried to control her grin. “You’re only saying that because it’s your favorite.”

“No, you wear a lot of things well. The only bad thing I’ve ever seen you in was that orange dress monstrosity.”

“You know you almost died that day, don’t you?”

He laughed and nodded. “I’m very aware of that fact. You wouldn’t talk to me for a week unless it was directly related to work and I had to sleep over at Angela and Wesley’s because my house had been sold a month before.”

“You learned your lesson though. You stay silent if I look horrible in something.” Lucy glanced at his uniform. “I haven’t seen this uniform since your award ceremony a couple years ago. You’re very handsome in it.”

“I’m handsome in everything.”

Her expression was one of exasperation. “Can you not do that? I was trying to give you a compliment and your ego just took over.”

“Alright, thank you for the compliment.”

“You’re welcome.” Her grin returned, “my only question is if you find long sleeves as irritating as I did.”

“Yes, without a doubt. Watch out.” He twirled her and she came back, grinning as she did.

Lucy pulled away, “I’m thirsty and I need to pee.”

“Take care of the second aspect of that and I’ll take care of the first. What do you want?”

“Virgin mojito.” Tim nodded at her request and let her go.

Tim found himself at the bar and the bartender glanced at him. “What can I get you?”

“A virgin mojito and a champagne.”

“Coming right up.” The bartender moved away and Tim looked to the side when Bishop sidled up to him.

“Come to ask for a dance?” He looked at his long-time friend.

“No, I’m coming to ask how you could screw your rookie over.”

Tim turned his attention to Bishop, “what?”

“I don’t want to have to go to Grey, I don’t Tim. She’s a P2, barely out of the training and you’re putting her in a bad position. I expected this of everyone else but finding out you’re acting like this is surprising.”

“Whoa, what the hell are you talking about?”

Bishop looked to the side before lowering her voice. “You’re screwing Chen. It doesn’t take a genius to spot the signs and I ask you end it before she suffers. If you care for her at all, which I know you do, end it. She doesn’t need to suffer the consequences of your bad decisions because she probably feels like she can’t say no to a superior officer. To her former training officer.”

Tim was silent before he spoke. “Talia, mind your own damn business.” With that he walked away from the bar without the drinks.

Angela glanced up as Tim walked towards the table, Bishop not but a few feet away. “Hey.”

“Hey, can you do clean up without Lucy?”

“Yeah, she not feeling well?”

He nodded, “yeah. If I leave Tamara, can you drop her off at home?”

“Yeah, absolutely. I’ll speak to Luna and see if she can do the cleanup in Lucy’s place. Don’t worry about Tamara, I’ll just keep her so she can watch Jack and Hope instead tomorrow.”

“Thanks.” He put a hand to Angela’s shoulder as Bishop sat down at the table.

"No problem. Just take her home and make sure she's okay."

Tim stood straight, "that an order?"

"You better believe it."

Lucy found Tim waiting close to the bathrooms and looked at him curiously. “Hey, what are you doing waiting here? The men’s room has no line.”

“I spoke to Angela and Luna’s going to take over your clean up tasks.” He put a hand on her back and pulled her gently. “Talia basically cornered me and accused me of sleeping with you unsanctioned. Demanded I end it and I’m not up for dealing with her so with it getting later, figured we just go home.”

“Yeah, definitely.” Lucy sighed, “I warned you.”

He nodded, “I know you did.”

Lucy paused, “maybe I should go talk to her.”

“No, she’ll assume you’re covering for me. It’ll make her dig in deeper or made comments to you and that’s the last thing I want. You two in a verbal fight is the last thing we need right now.”

“She’s yet to deal with me.”

Tim nodded as he kissed her temple. “I know and its better it happens when you’re not tired. You get vicious when you are and it’d take half the military present to pull you off with what is bound to happen.”

“Did you tell her anything.”

“Yeah, I told her to mind her own damn business. Probably not the best thing to say but it was either that or worse.”

Chapter Text

Lucy woke Monday morning after a day of lounging around the apartment and didn’t want to get out of bed. Groaning, she reached for her phone and felt paper so she opened her eyes to find where her phone was. Propped up on an elbow, she found a note on a post-it on top of the ringing phone alarm. Once the nightstand light was on, she read the note and smiled seeing it was from Tim. The silence in the apartment told her Tamara was still asleep and Tim wasn’t making breakfast so the note made sense.

Lucy,

Pine called at 5 for early morning situation.

You were too beautiful sleeping for me to

wake you. See you later.

ILY.

Getting ready for work, she left the bathroom as Tamara’s sleepy ‘good morning’ was heard from the living room. The girl was opening the fridge when Lucy came out dressed and bag in her hand. Setting her bag by the door, Lucy moved to the kitchen to pour herself a single cup of coffee. Angela gave her a list of things to do in early pregnancy until her obstetric appointment at the end of the week.

“You have classes today?”

“No and I called my jobs so I can sleep today.” Tamara was half asleep as she sat at the bar with yogurt.

Lucy nodded as she pulled out containers to make lunch for both herself and Tim. “I hope you’re not mad about yesterday.”

“No, I would have called them even if I was off yesterday.”

“Look, there’s this whole situation at work…”

Tamara glanced at her, “Tim told me last night. When you were in the shower and we were playing Uno.”

“Oh. Okay, well then, no need for me to explain.”

The sound of knocking made Tamara get off the bar. “I’ll get it.”

Lucy smiled, “we’ll take Jack and Hope this Saturday so you can have it off.”

“Thanks. I could use the day off.” Tamara opened the door and found Bishop. “Detective Bishop, what brings you to my door?”

“Lucy lives here, right?”

Tamara nodded, “yeah, she’s my roommate.”

Lucy moved to the door, “Bishop, you’re here early in the morning.”

“I’ll go to my room.” Tamara told them and headed to her room, the door shutting as Bishop made her way in the apartment.

“Why are you here?” Lucy asked while opening the fridge to pull out the lasagna she’d made the night before.

Bishop shoved her hands in her pockets. “I wanted to talk to you about Bradford. Is he forcing you to be in a relationship?”

“Umm, no.” Lucy told her as she opened the food containers. “Why do you think there’s something going on?”

“Don’t insult my intelligence, Lucy. I saw you two dancing and the friendliness is not just co-worker friendliness.” The younger of the two cops put two slices of lasagna in two separate containers.

Lucy chuckled, “you should ask Harper about her wedding, we were the same way and dating people. I don’t expect you to understand but there was a whole situation when I was a rookie.”

“Nolan mentioned something about Rosalind Dyer and a barrel.” The woman watched Lucy’s hands still for a second.

“He had no right.” Lucy stated and closed the food container housing the large portion of lasagna. “Everyone wants to talk about it and doesn’t respect my request to leave it alone.” She put both hands on the counter and took a breath before pushing away tears.

Bishop nodded, “I don’t think he did it maliciously.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Lucy took the main container to the fridge and shoved it inside. “No one should be discussing what happened without my permission.”

“Look, I just need you to know that if you’re being forced by Bradford, I’m here for you.”

Lucy looked at the woman. “He’s not forcing me to do anything of the sort.”

“So it’s by choice. Lucy, after everything with Nolan why did you do this? Especially your training officer.”

“Look.” Lucy looked at the woman. “He’s my best friend and I don’t know how you and your best friend act together, but we’re different. You saw how we acted at Harper’s wedding and would have acted at Angela’s if it hadn’t ended tragically. Even those we date see what you did.” It wasn't a lie and even if it was, the woman would never know.

Bishop finally spoke. “Okay, sorry I said anything.”

“Okay.”

Lucy found herself enjoying the day working with Celina, the girl was more than capable and Nolan had been doing an amazing job. The supernatural connects she made were a little bit more than Lucy was used to dealing with but she decided to just go with it. Eight hours in a shop ended with one arrest, five citations, and searching for a lost puppy with a little girl who had been crying. That alone was more than Lucy had been looking for when she pulled out of the division that day.

“I need a hot bath and a good meal.” Lucy told the girl as they returned weapons and supplies.

Celina nodded, “my mom is coming over to my place for dinner for the first time. Any advice?”

“My mom is a nightmare while yours is amazing. Just know she’s going to comment about everything and have opinions she wants you to follow. Nod to what she says and plan to drink at least half a bottle of wine after she leaves.” She paused, “you can’t drink, can you?”

“Not yet but I substitute it with spending money on my D&D account.”

Lucy pointed at her, “drinking will be cheaper one day, trust me.”

“Is it cheaper if you do it regularly?”

“Not really no. My house is going to be dry for a while and that’ll help cover some expenses.”

Celina grinned, “Aaron told me, congrats. I’ll be able to tell more about a baby the closer it gets to the birth. When I get my reading, I’ll totally tell you.”

“I’m not sure I need that but thanks.”

“Chen.” They turned to see Grey in the doorway to his office, he waved his hand.

Celina pointed, “that sounds bad.”

Lucy nodded, “probably is. He usually just texts us if he needs to see one of us. I hope it’s not about that painter.”

“Yikes, want me to go with you?”

“It’s fine. When was the last time I got into some real trouble?” She put up her hand, “don’t answer that.”

“I was going to say Nick Foster but this could beat it.”

Entering Grey’s office, she found Tim in his Metro uniform on one side and Bishop on the other. “Is everything alright?”

“Come in and shut the door please.” The man at the desk requested as she entered the doorway. Doing so, she stood only a foot from Tim and waited for Grey to speak. “Detective Bishop has asked that you two be here for when she talks to me. Now that we’re all here please talk Bishop.”

Bishop looked straight at Grey. “You said come to you if we have suspicions. I have a strong suspicion that Bradford is forcing Chen into an unsanctioned relationship. I’ve tried talking to them separately and it’s failed so it’s time for you to step in.”

Grey looked at the two standing close to each other. “Did she talk to you?”

“Yes sir, at the wedding.” Tim told the man.

“This morning at my apartment.” Lucy added.

“Then why the hell are you two waiting for this to be brought to me?” He shook his head, “I don’t get paid enough for this.”

Bishop looked at the two. “I had no choice and I’m worried for Lucy’s standing once it’s known.”

Lucy and Tim glanced at each other before Lucy took a step forward. Grey put up a hand, “stop, this isn’t going to end in a fight.” Lucy took a step back, “Detective Bishop, let me be clear here. I spoke about this on Friday and you’re in here pointing fingers not even three days later.”

“Sir, Bradford can handle himself but the outlook for Chen is bound to push her behind at the very least. Destroy her career at most.”

“Sergeant Bradford, would you please put Detective Bishop’s fears to rest.” Grey motioned with his hand.

Tim took a breath and looked at Lucy, nodding to the door. She glanced at the three in the office and left the office, door closing behind her. “Lucy…”

“Don’t tell me she isn’t being impacted because we both know that isn’t true.” Bishop told the man who she thought a friend.

“Detective Bishop, let him speak.” Grey stood up. “Please.”

Folding his arms, Tim began again. “Lucy and I are in a sanctioned relationship and HR is aware. It’s why I shifted to Metro, so she wasn’t negatively impacted when it came down to it. It’s been ongoing for about ten months and we just found out we’re expecting. A lot of people know about it but we like to keep things professional at the station. You’ve been sniffing around my transfer and after how you handled things between her and Nolan, she’s been nervous. You did exactly the same thing as you did before and while meant to help, it’s caused a lot of issues. Just leave it alone.” He bore into the woman, “don’t talk to me or Lucy about our relationship. Talia, you have always been a friend but I will choose my family over you if I need to. The next time you broach it, I will report you to Grey and he in turn will deal with you. This is your only warning.”

Bishop nodded. “I see.”

“Are you happy with that?” Grey looked at the woman. “Back off, that comes from me. I only have one, one, professional across the board cop couple in this division and you’re the only one who has ever dug her nose into the relationship. The only reason he and Chen can work together is because they keep it behind closed doors to enough of a degree I don’t have to worry about the public or them regarding the job. Now, both of you go home.”

As they left, she looked at him. “Tim…”

He put up a hand, “not today. I have been up since five dealing with one problem after another regarding Metro. I’ve had to go out and meet my stats because the likelihood of me not meeting them this week is high, and my girlfriend is rattled. She is pregnant, Talia. So not only do I have to worry to the normal degree but now my worry is heightened. I have to deal with the result  of Nolan speaking about her trauma because it is repetitive nights of nightmares when it happens. You sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong doesn’t help either. Not today, maybe we can speak about this tomorrow.”

“Tim.” He turned his head and saw Lucy standing nearby in her normal clothes, his bag from his office over her shoulder.

A glance at Bishop and he shook his head before walking to Lucy, accepting his bag from her and then reaching for her own. “You ready to go home?”

“Yeah, did you eat the lunch I packed or is dinner going to be big?” It was asked as they walked towards the roll call conference room to exit the building.

He kissed her head, “I didn’t have time. Why don’t we pick up Tamara and go out. I know she’s probably slept all day.”

“She’d probably like that.”

Chapter Text

The sound of talking filled the conference room as several officers slipped into chairs right before Grey was due to walk in the room. Lucy made her way over to Celina and slid in between her and Aaron. The three started talking but the room quieted as Tim made his way up to the lectern with a clipboard in hand. A few bodies slipped into the room as he waited for the clock to turn, glancing at his watch for a few seconds before looking back up.

“Grey is out for today thanks to some bad Chinese. First mix up is Keller and Roman will take on the meet up with Vice regarding the Belmont investigation, your contact is Detective Constantine. Halloween Playdrive sign up is being posted tomorrow and we need a total of six officers. Please remember if you’ve served in the last five years, you are exempt no exceptions. Smitty is exempt forever following the scary story episode. The K9 position is still open and Officer Ragland has put in his retirement papers. Party is to be determined. Any questions?”

An officer in the back put up her hand. “Has the flyers for the Breast Cancer Run gone up, sir?”

“It’s on the professional portal. Same for the DV clothing drive.” He looked around, “anything else?” With silence, he nodded. “Stay safe out there.”

The room began to disperse and Tim moved to catch up with Aaron. “Yes sir?” The man asked as soon as Tim was close to him.

“I want you and Bishop together today.”

“Sure.” He looked around and saw the newest detective standing near the doors looking around at various officers. “You tell her?”

Tim waved his hand for Aaron to follow but not before tapping Lucy’s arm gently. She smiled and headed out of the room with Celina. “Bishop.” The woman walked over to him. “This is Aaron Thorsen, you’ll ride with him today since I’m acting Watch Commander.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Come on, we’ll collect our bags and weapons.” Aaron told her as Tim moved past them. “I’ll even let you tell some stories because I’ve heard you came up with Lopez and Bradford. That must have been a riot.”

They caught up to the supply room as everyone else was preparing to collect gear. Lucy found herself listening as Celina was telling her all about her mother coming over for dinner. The younger of the two women finally took a moment to breath and inquired about Lucy’s own evening. “Tell me everything.”

“Not much to tell. We picked up Tamara and went to that Italian bistro off La Brea.” Lucy signed the log as Celina checked the bags.

“Wait, the new one?”

Lucy nodded. “Their manicotti is amazing.”

“No joke, she’s serious.” Aaron commented to them. “Was like melt in your mouth.”

“Okay, I need to go there. How’s the prices?”

Lucy winced, “above a P1 for sure.”

“Don’t worry.” Aaron put a hand on Celina’s arm. “Me, you, and your mom this weekend.”

“Thank you.” Celina accepted the rifles handed over. “Why don’t you invite your mom too.”

Aaron’s look made Celina paused. “Your mother gets the whole not dating because of astrology. My mother would think it’s a precursor to an engagement.”

“We’re not doing that.” Celina pointed at him.

“Don’t forget trivia is this Saturday.” Lucy told them before sighing. “Never mind, we won’t be there. Tamara took Sunday so we’re taking Jack and Hope on Saturday.”

“Why is someone always taking those two. Can’t Angela and Wesley watch their own kids?”

Lucy shrugged, “guess we’ll find out in eight months why the desire to have friends watch your kids on the weekend exists.”

“I feel sorry for your kid.” Aaron stated, “between you being all sunshine incarnate and Tim being, well, Tim, this kid is going to have some type of complex.”

“Good thing I know about ninety percent of all psych conditions and the signs of them.” She told him and picked up the bags. “We can start therapy early.”

Celina smirked, “she has a point.”

“I still feel sorry for them. Do tell, does he want a boy?”

Lucy laughed, “oh I don’t think he cares, more focused on healthy.”

Aaron took the bags after signing the log. “Because I’ve seen him with Tamara, I feel sorry for any male that thinks he can date her. If it’s another, you can kiss ever having a son-in-law. Boy would be best for your own sanity.”

“He’s right.” Celina interjected. “However, point in his direction because we all know how much he loves you. He’d love a little girl just as much, if not more.”

Lucy nodded, “yeah but that was up to him and it’s a done deal.”

“First, gross.” Aaron pointed to her, “second, point made.”

Celina held out her fist and Aaron hit it. “See you after work, D&D?”

“Yes, my place or yours?”

“Mine, it’s clean since my mother just came over.”

“Then dinner is on me.”

Lucy grabbed Celina’s arm, “come on, time to patrol.”

Tim glanced up halfway through shift to see Angela in the doorway with a lunch bag in hand. He sighed knowing why the woman was there considering it was his lunch from the day before that he’d left and forgotten. Lucy had texted her and ask he be made to eat no doubt. It was a habit if he was taking over for Grey that his other half would give instructions to Angela or Harper.

“Lucy text you?”

“Yeah, how else would I know there was even food in the fridge for you.” She set the bag down on the desk and sat on the other side. “So, Talia called me last night.”

Tim opened the bag and found a hot container full of food inside. “She overstepped.”

“I agree but you didn’t have to be an ass about it.” She shrugged, “look, I get it. When it comes to Lucy, you’re overprotective to a certain degree.”

He set the container on the desk. “Nolan opened his mouth to her and then she dug where she shouldn’t have. I’m combating my own worry for my girlfriend and child on top of my job and now returned nightmares. I put my foot down, my family over my friends. Toe the line or lose it.”

“The nightmares returned?” A nod from Tim made her sigh, “fair enough. What are you going to do?”

Tim picked up the food container again and reached into the bag to pull out a fork he knew was inside. “Nothing. It’s already been handled. As long as she doesn’t do anything else, life can go on. I have her with Aaron today and barring my need per Pine, I’ll ride with her the rest of the week. Hopefully that can smooth some of it over.”

“You should take the K9 position. You’d still be under Pine but more regular hours and technically you’d still be on patrol.”

“I said the same thing to Lucy and she said we needed to figure things out before making changes.”

Angela smiled at him. “You happy about this baby?”

“Is it too soon? Yes. Am I happy? Yes. I just worry because Lucy and I haven’t even been dating a year and now we have a kid on the way. You and Wesley at least got that far.”

“That’s true but you guys are solid. I think that the fact you have been beside her since day one and equally in turn, she with you, is what makes things so great between you. I want you to think of what other cop couples have been through, even you and Isabel. There’s been issues and break down at various points. You and Lucy have the communication, the understanding of what the other is going through, and the knowledge you can get through anything with work. Besides, one thing that you guys have said from day one is no secrets and no lies. Granted there was that whole five-player-trade but you made it out of that disaster intact.”

Tim chuckled softly under his breath. “You’re right.”

“I know I am. You guys are going to make it and one day stories are going to be told about you.” She pointed at him, “mark my words, fifty years easily.”

“Grey did say we’re one of the only functioning cop couples he has.”

Angela started laughing, “please, you’re the only one he has. No other couple can work together and it be functional. I mean, even if Wesley was a cop, we’d never be able to ride together. Do you remember that whole situation with Arnev and Kowalski last year? We thought they were functional but they fought in the middle of a shootout. You guys took on all of Luke Moran’s crazy assassins and lived with some cuts and bruises. Those two would have been dead two seconds in.”

“Because we fight in sync.”

“Exactly.” She checked her watch. “Well my break is up.”

Tim smiled at his friend. “Thanks Ange.”

“Yep.” She left the office.

Evening came and finding themselves at home with Tamara, Lucy set about making dinner for the three while Tim quizzed Tamara on her upcoming exam. The teen looked five seconds from having a breakdown as she had to take a test on history and it was her worst subject. She excelled at STEM subjects but history and languages were her kryptonite. Lucy knew Tim was very patient, probably too patient, with her. He’d move on if she didn’t know it and usually it helped.

“I don’t know it.” Tamara finally stated and pulled her legs up, resting her lips against her bent knees. “I don’t.”

“Okay. We’ll stop tonight and let you study. The test isn’t until next week and we started early to figure out what you do and don’t know.” He reached over and closed the textbook. “Tamara, it’s not that big a deal.”

She nodded, “okay.”

“Hey, look at me.” She looked up, “usually you aren’t this stressed on a subject. What’s wrong?” A shrug made Tim lift her chin up with his forefinger. “What’s wrong?”

“My friends think it’s weird you guys help me study.”

Tim sighed, “what are their grades like?”

“Bad, sort of. Maria has straight As but her parents always put too much pressure on her. Lily and Micah make Cs and Ds, I don’t know how they’ll pass our classes.”

“Sounds to me like they’re jealous.” Lucy said from her spot at the counter. “You know, if we can help you learn, maybe you could help them.”

Tamara looked up at her. “They also said something else and I told them it wouldn’t happen, but they said I’m delusional.”

“What did they say?” Tim inquired softly as she let her legs fall, crossing them as her hand dropped in her lap.

“You’re going to make me move out to make room for the baby.”

Tim glanced at Lucy before looking at the girl beside him on the couch. “You know that’s not going to happen.”

“I know, but Micah, his dad made him move out when he and his stepmom got married. They think its weird I’m living with a couple that isn’t my family.”

“We’re not your family?” Tim glanced at Lucy, “she doesn’t think we’re her family.”

Lucy smiled, “you’re not getting rid of us.”

“You’re not.” Tim stated while pointing at Lucy, “you’re going to be living at home until you’re married.”

“No I won’t.”

He nodded, “you are. That’s just how it is with families. You’re living at home until you’re married, it’s decided. What’s your opinion, Baby?”

“Definitely.” Lucy told her, “and probably longer since Tim will make every boyfriend or girlfriend go on ride-alongs with him.”

“Stop!” She stated and found herself laughing with them.

The sound of knocking made Tim stand up but Lucy beat him. “Don’t hate me.”

“What did you do?” He made his way over to her.

“We’re going to work on your response to that statement.” She told him and opened the door, smiling as Bishop stood on the other side. “Hey, you made it.”

She nodded, “you asked me to come over.”

“I did, you’re invited for dinner.” Lucy took a step back and opened the door wider to let her in.

Tim glanced at Lucy, “what are you doing?”

“Inviting your friend over for dinner.” She made her way back to where she was in the kitchen to open the fridge. “Beer? Wine? Something different?”

“I’m fine, thanks.” The woman told her before pointing over her shoulder while looking at Tim. “What is going on with her?”

Tamara smirked, “you’ve been hit with sunshine bomb. Just going with it is your best bet.”

Tim gave her a nod, “is this why you bought the table?” His question was directed at his other half.

“Hey, I’m all for the table.” Tamara told them, “no more odd-person standing or eating in the living room.”

Lucy smiled, “four mouths to feed at two place settings is going to be tricky.”

“Alright.” He smiled at Talia, “come sit while Tamara helps Lucy.”

“But…” The teen groaned as she moved around the living room into the kitchen, “I hate cooking.”

Lucy chuckled, “you won’t learn how to make good food if you stick to frozen or ClipTalk recipes.”

“Studying history is easier than cooking and I hate studying history.” She started washing her hands at the sink.

“Hey.” Tim got her attention and pointed at her. “How old are you?”

“Nineteen.”

“Then act nineteen. Right now you’re acting more like Tyler does and he’s ten.”

Tamara nodded, “yes sir.”

Bishop gave him a look of impressiveness as he sat down beside her. “You sure she isn’t yours.”

“Genetically, not related. Unfortunately, Lucy likes to say we’re related via geographical osmosis. Don’t ask what it means because I don’t even know.”

“It just means I absorb traits due to being geographically close to you.” Tamara told him as she took over stirring a pot from Lucy at her direction.

Lucy grinned. “Very good.”

“It’s all science. Science I get, history not at all.”

Tim glanced at Bishop. “I get why you did what you did and as her former training officer I’m grateful. There was just a lot that happened after you left to both of us. Bonded us over some things, we became protective over others, but at the end of the day I appreciate you trying to look out for her. Just know I’d set fire to my own career before I let her suffer what Cox went through.”

Bishop waved her hand. “Cox put herself in that position by not saying ‘no’ to Mills. Mills was a P2, baby cop, and she said ‘yes’ to his offer when she had a responsibility to say no.”

“Yet Mills is a Sergeant and Cox is working in Sacramento in private security. At the end of the day, you’re right that females get the bad end of the deal when it should be the men who suffer equally, if not more so.”

“Excuse me?” Bishop moved closer, “did I just hear you right?” She glanced over at Lucy, “this all your doing?”

Lucy smiled as she closed the fridge from getting a pack of chicken out, “no, he’s always been progressive towards women and female rights. You just never asked his point of view before, plus the hardass persona gets in the way of people seeing it.”

“Huh, Angela and I used to rag on you a ton for something stupid you’d say. I come back and you’re spouting enlightenment like Buddha.”

“Okay that’s a bit far.”

Tamara hissed and sucked her thumb. “Why did I touch a hot pan? I don’t know why I did that.”

“At this rate you will be living with us till you’re thirty.” Lucy told her as she pointed to the counter. “Put the chicken in the pan while handle the stove.”

“Wash your hand first.” Bishop told her, “you just sucked your finger. Maybe they don’t mind your germs, but I don’t know you.”

When she looked at Tim, he shot the teen a look. “Why are you looking at me? Do you think I want your germs? I love you Tamara but I don’t love you that much.”

“Right, sink.” She turned and started washing her hands.

Bishop chuckled, “look at you, parenting a teen. I don’t know whether to laugh at you or pity you.”

“Both on a bad day.”

“You seen Isabel since the divorce?”

He nodded, “yeah, Lucy helped her with a case earlier in the year.”

“Hold on.” The woman shot the man an exasperated expression. “Your ex-wife and current girlfriend worked together on a case? And Lucy is still with you?”

“I turned off my mic and we talked shit about him.” Lucy told her and grinned. “She’s move on, he’s move on, we’re all good.”

Tim pointed at her over the couch. “You still aren’t telling me everything.”

“I’m not but there’s secrets between Isabel and I that don’t concern you in any context. That doesn’t fall under our rules.”

Bishop grinned, “so there are rules in this relationship.”

“No secrets…” Lucy started.

“And no lies.” Tim finished for her. “Well after that big one she thought she got away with.”

“I did until Primm got jealous and told you.”

Seeing his friend’s silent asking what Lucy was speaking about, he sighed. “I took the court liaison position to move out of her chain of command.”

“I thought you moved to Metro.”

He nodded, “I did, once she managed to get Smitty’s help in getting Fujii to retire and then a five-player-trade happened.”

Bishop looked straight at Lucy. “You conducted a five-player-trade as a P2?”

“I did.” She nodded as she poured sauce from the pot over the chicken in the pan. “He was miserable and it was to save him from himself. Made him mad an entire shift that I did it but we settled our differences.” She put the pan in the oven. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen.”

Tim chuckled, “she’s impossible to stay mad at. She’s like a puppy.”

“Hey! I’m the puppy.” Tamara looked between them with a look of betrayal. “Does this mean I’m no longer the puppy?”

“You are the puppy, I just meant that she’s too adorable to stay mad at.”

Tamara smiled, “good. I like being the puppy.”

Bishop started laughing and shook her head. “Tim Bradford, what the hell has happened to your life?”

“You figure it out please let me know.”

Chapter Text

Lucy found herself sitting in the doctor’s office and was continuously looking at her phone. Tim had promised to meet her if he was able and she was pretty sure he’d run into a situation that prevented it. She’d already been checked in, gotten labs done, spoken with the physician assistant about her history, seen the obstetrician with the plan of an vaginal ultrasound but the appointment had paused because the woman had to step out due to an emergency.

A knock on the door made her look up from the phone. “Come in.” She didn’t know why she’d said that given she was undressed from the waist down with only a sheet covering her.

“Hey.” The nurse smiled at her as she opened the door. “Someone showed up and I figured since we’re pausing, I’d let him in.” She opened the door wider and Tim slipped in, duty belt and all. “I’m going to go check on the situation with the doctor.”

As soon as the door shut, he crossed to her and she hugged him. “I’m so sorry, Luce. We were at a stand-off so I couldn’t text.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled at him, “I got all the labs and medical history taken care of. We were going to go over questions and ultrasound when she got called away. Bishop isn’t waiting outside, is she?”

“She’s getting lunch down the street and I already let Grey know where I was. He told me to focus on my family and he’d take this as my lunch. If Bishop has to respond, she’ll respond.” He sat down in the chair right beside her. “How are you doing?” He took the phone from her hand knowing why she was holding it.

Lucy laughed slightly. “I’m better now that you’re here. I know I could do it alone but I kind of wanted to do this together.”

“We are doing this together.” He took her hand. “I know we talked about looking at everything but I’m going to take the K9 position. I don’t like waking up at random hours and being called up when I least expect it. I already told Pine and she said she respects my choice because she’d made the hard call once in her early days. Family over work. Plus, it’ll be easier in the next couple of months as it’ll be a puppy. Yancy’s family wanted Rumer and considering he was injured, LAPD is letting them have him.”

“You know this means we have to get a house. The three of us plus a baby and K9 is too much for the apartment.”

Tim nodded, “which is why I called the realtor that Nolan sent us the number for. I asked if we could come by tomorrow and she agreed.”

“I’d like that.”

There was a knock at the door and it opened to show the doctor. “I am sorry I had to run out of here. Another patient was being very unprofessional and I had to deal with her because she was getting violent with my staff.” She turned from where she was washing her hands. “Is this Dad or just work partner?”

“Both depending on the day.” Lucy told her.

“Tim Bradford.” He waved at the woman since she’d pulled on gloves.

“I’m Dr. Lilian Shaffer. I’m sure Lucy has told you about me.” She rolled over, “okay, before we get to ultrasound, I wanted to just give you an overview of the first trimester. I know I was talking to you about some of it during the pelvic before I had to leave. The health clinic sent over their work up and test results so we have those. Given that both blood and urine do estimate around ten weeks and with the IUD loss issue, we’re going to go based on conception date. You told Amelia you have two dates in mind and given they’re close enough together, we’ll go with the later date so you’re looking at an estimated due date of May 3rd. You’re looking at a spring baby.”

Tim glanced at Lucy, “seems so far away.”

“It does sound like it but trust me, it’s going to be here quicker than you’d think. Now, I’m going to go over some general first trimester symptoms for now as I know you’re absorbing this still. I’m going to have you come back in about four weeks and I’m sure you’re going to have a lot of questions at that time. I like to tell my patients that you could have all of these symptoms or none of them. The usual common ones are morning sickness, tender breasts, mood changes, body aches, weight gain, some gassiness and bloating, possible bowel changes. There could be some spotting but if it's more than a pantiliner, I want you to come back in. Other things I want you in for are heavy cramping, not one or two here or there. Also, vision changes, fever, painful urination, and edema are automatic ER visit.” Seeing their concerned expressions, she smiled. “It’s just a precaution I tell people about these so don’t get too scared. I promise you’ve probably seen a lot scarier things at work.”

Lucy nodded, “and about work? Am I on desk duty?”

“Not for now. I have several officers as patients even if it seems like a handful is a lot, the LAPD and private security all have a good amount of female officers. For now, as long as you feel comfortable, you can still work your patrol routes. The only exception is that you need to have a partner, no solo duty. I’d say the closer you get to twenty weeks, that’s when you should scale back if you feel like you need to. I know this probably doesn’t help Dad’s comfort level but I had one officer go till she was thirty weeks.”

Placing a hand on Tim’s shoulder, Lucy looked at him. “You have any questions?”

“Not right now. I’m sure next visit I’ll have a book’s worth.”

“Oh so you’re one of those dads. I’ll be sure to be ready.” Shaffer told him, “alright, go ahead and lay on back and put those legs in the stir-ups.”

Laying back after doing as instructed, Lucy looked at the ultrasound machine. “What will we see?”

“If you look at the wall behind me, you can watch it.” She stated and looked at Lucy, “I’m going to place the ultrasound probe now, you okay?”

“Yeah.” Lucy nodded and looked at Tim when his hand took hers. “Nervous?”

Tim met her eyes. “Wesley said it hits like a ton of bricks seeing your kid for the first time.”

“As opposed to the one that made you question your life choices last night when you asked if she needed help studying for her history exam.”

“Tamara’s grown and she’s not my kid, maybe a kid sister.”

The doctor looked over at the two. “I don’t want to alarm you but you’ll see a surprise on the screen.” Both looked at the screen, “Baby A and Baby B are right there.”

Lucy gasped at him, “twins.”

“Twins, you’re having two.” The doctor looked at both, “you guys doing okay?”

“We’re definitely meeting with the realtor tomorrow.” Tim told her.

Reaching up, Lucy wiped away tears. “Yeah.”

“Oh Luce.” Tim stood up and took ahold of her hand with his free and used the other to wipe her eyes. “Don’t cry, we’ll figure this out.”

She waved his off, “happy tears.”

“I’m seeing healthy babies right now. I’m going to take some measurements and let you hear the heartbeat.”

Dinner was at Angela and Wesley’s that night and everyone was around the table. The nanny had both kids so it was all adults, even Tamara had been invited but she’d begged off. She was going to catch a movie with Celina. James and Wesley were at the community center together so it left only the cops. Laughter was clearly heard as Aaron was telling them about this call he’d gotten regarding vicious dogs but when checking it out, he had to run back to the shop and climb on the roof of the vehicle not the hood.

“Rookie mistake.” Tim told him, “you call animal control first.”

“How was I supposed to know that? My training officer didn’t go over how to respond to vicious dogs.” He pointed at Harper, “this is your fault.”

Harper found herself laughing. “I don’t do vicious animals. If it ain’t a felony, I don’t get out of the vehicle.”

“Lucy once got off the back of a car with a venomous snake on the ground, picked it up with a rod of metal, and captured it.” Tim told him, “she was rookie, you’re a P2, what’s your excuse.”

Aaron waved his hand, “and I’m sure you told her to do it.”

“No, I told her not to do it.”

“Well it’s not my fault you trained her to be better prepared that the freaking Boy Scouts. I have heard the horror stories, but does she call the horror stories? NO, they’re freaking Tim Tests like she’s studying for algebra.”

Angela waved her hands. “Okay, this has got to be asked. Lucy, do you appreciate everything he put you through? I don’t mean the normal stuff either, I mean the insane stuff.”

“Yeah, I do.” She smirked before continuing. “Okay, but I’m going to be honest that it’s in hind’s sight. When it was happening, I would have throttled him if I wouldn’t have gotten a blue page for it. It’d be one after the other bam-bam-bam, and then silent and I was left dreading what he had around the corner. I remember telling Nolan once when Tim went two weeks without one that the next one would probably kill me.”

“I wouldn’t have killed you.” He told her before shrugging. “That would have been a waste of resources at that point. You only kill them in the first two days.”

Harper put up a hand. “Okay, let’s settle down. Lucy, how was first look at baby?”

“It went well.” She pointed to Tim, “he’s in deep water with me right now.”

“I know he showed up.” Bishop told her, “I dropped him off.”

Lucy put up two fingers, “twins.”

Silence went around the table and Angela asked the question. “Just to ask, did you say twins?”

“Twins.”

“Well I could have told you that.” Angela stated and motioned to Tim. “You don’t look like him and not finish the job.”

Harper laughed, “she’s not wrong. Sucks to be you Tim.”

“No, we’re happy.” Lucy stated as she rubbed Tim’s arm. “You wanna tell them your news.”

He nodded, “I’m taking the K9 position. Pine has given her blessing.”

“That comes with a dog.” Aaron told him. “Now, I’m not saying anything about what type of home you should keep, but three people, two babies, and a dog doesn’t sound too comfortable in the apartment.”

“We have an appointment with a realtor in the morning. We have a property we’re looking at and if its what we want, we’ll have Nolan take a look. If it needs work, we can negotiate down a price.”

Angela leaned forward. “If academy you could see you now. Dating your former rookie, giving a former homeless teen a home, have two babies on the way, and becoming a K9 cop. You would have blown your own mind.”

“Or worse.” Bishop told him, “but no, you’ve done good for yourself.”

Tim looked at them. “Well, I know who is owed my thanks.” He pointed to Lucy, “this one, for making me realize the job isn’t everything.”

“Aww, you love me.” She told him while smiling.

“Yes, I do.” He took her hand in his.

Chapter Text

Roll call was full of talking officers and detectives, all waiting for the report that would be given. It was the best day of the year and everyone was lining the walls to wait to see what new blood would be introduced to the division. Lucy found herself sitting between Celina and Aaron as the three new rookies sat at in the front. She was assisting Grey until she gave birth and could return to patrol after maternity leave. She’d been forced to remove herself from patrol at twenty weeks. Two weeks into assisting Grey with whatever he needed and it wasn’t too bad a job, especially given Tim spent all day at the K9 Training Program learning what I meant to be a handler.

“Lucy?”

Lucy turned her head to see an old academy classmate. He’d been lightyears ahead of them three and had first pick of his division due to having the Chief of Police as an uncle. He’d tried to get Jackson to join him saying he could get him transferred to but it hadn’t taken. “Greg Scott, what are you doing here?” She didn’t bother getting up, halfway through her pregnancy and she didn’t want to move unless necessary.

“Got transferred in, I’m one of the new training officers.”

Nolan turned and looked at him, “Greg Scott.”

“Hey if it isn’t John Nolan. I heard you’re one of the training officers.”

He nodded, “I am, man it’s been years since we saw you. How was Pacific?”

“Great until I saw the disaster that was the training year last time around. Figured I’d attend T.O. School and asked to be sent where the successes are. Have to say, heard massive about Bradford being a hardass. Which officer is he?”

“Funny story about that.” Nolan told him, “he’s a K9 officer now. However, you want to meet the best rookie he’s ever trained.”

Scott nodded, “yeah, is he here?”

“She is and she’s right here.” Nolan motioned to Lucy and she waved. “Lucy survived it all and more than she needed to. He did this thing where he trained her sort of between LAPD and the military. This woman has done it all, like it all. First day on the job he gets shot, she grabs him, pulls him behind the shop and then returns fire.”

“You had Bradford and survived?”

A voice made them turn to see Tim in his Metro-K9 uniform which looked no different from his original Metro uniform. “She did.”

Lucy smiled at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Surveying the new blood. So these are the new rookies.” He moved to one and the woman stood. “Katie, how are you?”

She nodded, “ready for round two.”

“Good, Nolan is going to have you.” He motioned for Nolan, “Nolan this is Katie Barnes, Katie this is Nolan. She’s one of mine so...”

Nolan nodded, “you got it, my special brand of training. Katie, I’m John and off the job, call me my name. This is my former rookie, Celina.” Celina stood up and held out her hand. “You two talk because I know you guys are going to be fast friends.”

“Celina Juarez.”

Katie took her hand, “Katie Barnes.”

Greg Scott nodded to Bradford. “Sir, I’m Greg Scott. I’m…”

“Former Chief of Police’s nephew, I’m aware. I may not be a training officer anymore but I keep my feet wet.”

The man nodded, “I’d love any advice you got. Perhaps over a beer after work.”

“I’m at home most nights, got one in college and my other half works patrol. I spend my day at the K9 Training Center and then I go home. However, if you want some insight talk to Chen. She knows all my tricks and she knows it from that of the rookie point of view too.”

Lucy smirked, “so I tank his rookie in a week?”

“First one out of the gate is always a little wonky. Look at Juarez here.”

Celina pointed at him, “supernatural wonky, not failure wonky.”

“Wonky is wonky.” He told the girl and she nodded in understanding. “My advice is to use what they taught you and mix it with your own way of doing things.”

“Sergeant Bradford,” Grey spoke as he entered, “come to see the new blood?”

Tim turned to him, “yes sir.”

“Good, I had thought to ask if you now preferred dogs to people.” Those that knew him chuckled, “guess I know that isn’t true.”

“Not entirely sir, but the dogs are pretty cute.”

Grey shook his head, “why do I bother? Okay, settle down, settle down.” He made his way up to the lectern, “Bradford sit down before I have you running around this building like you’re being chased by a damn K9.” Celina moved back a chair and Tim sat down beside Lucy. “We have new blood today. Get up all of you.” Every single rookie stood up, “now, after six months together at the academy, you’ve earned the right to be here. However, you’ll have to prove yourself to stay. The way we do things matters. Protocol and tradition are the metal from which every cop in this city is forged. Understand?”

“Yes sir.”

“Good, now onto our brand new training officers. Nolan ignore me.”

He nodded, “yes sir.”

“This division isn’t like the divisions you came from because I run mine differently. We maybe LAPD but we’re Mid-Wilshire, so here is what you need to know. I am Sergeant Wade Grey, your watch commander, and I have under me five roving sergeants covering this damn near impossible stretch of the city. We conduct ourselves with honor here above everything else. The term ‘we are family’ can be a toxic phrase in the workplace. However, we are a family here. We move together and never against each other. I don’t tolerate bullying or accusations. If I find out you are harming a fellow officer either mentally or physically, you will be gone.” He pointed to Lucy, “Officer Chen is my acting sergeant when I’m not here. I don’t make the rules, the Comm Supervisor made that call because she managed this division when me and my in-house sergeant were out. She was a P2, newly graduated rookie, and she held this place together. If it doesn’t go through me, it goes through her. Word to wise, don’t piss that woman off and I say that as her boss. I have seen her have to be forcefully held back by her duty belt and take down a man twice her height and three times her weight. That’s forgetting the fact she’s pregnant currently.” He walked up to the lectern and paused, “Chen where is my clipboard?”

“Your office sir. I know the names off the top of my head.”

“Of course you do. Come on up.”

She pushed off the table and brushed past Tim after he stood up, walking to the front of the room. She wore maternity slacks issued by the LAPD and a maternity top that administrators wore, a more flowing P1 top that wasn’t tucked in and only had her badge and name tag on it. “Training officer match-up is as goes: Nolan has Barnes, Scott has Milo, and Taggart has Bristow.”

Grey glanced at her, “announcements?”

“None currently.”

“You heard her. Stay safe out there.”

Lucy turned to Grey fully. "I have the papers for your meeting. Is there anything else you need at the moment?"

He shook his head and held out his hands towards her belly. “I wish you would just go home. Take half days, please.”

“I’m not even to thirty weeks.”

Grey motioned to her belly, “you got two in there. Harper and Lopez only had one.”

“My obstetrician has told me that I have no restrictions except I can’t patrol.”

“What about my blood pressure?” He shook his head, “never mind. I don’t know why I bother. God knows you get the damn mentality from you stubborn, hardass training officer. It was a bad idea when Anderson told me you’d be the next female captain if I gave you to Bradford. Look where it has me, five seconds from a stroke.”

Tim made his way over. “You okay?”

“Someone is being dramatic.” She spoke while looking at Grey, “and I say that as someone that has been known to be dramatic.”

“Tell her to go home. She’s on her feet all day and ignores me when I tell her to take a break.”

The younger of the two sergeants looked at him. “You think she’ll listen to me?”

“I’d prefer to be on patrol but that’s not an option. You wanted me to help you and I’m helping you.”

Grey pointed to the door, “I’m going to my office to contemplate why I thought that was a great idea. You have the division for the next ten minutes.”

Tim looked straight at Lucy, “is he alright?”

“He was fine this morning. I think it stresses him anytime I’m on my feet. As if my water is going to break from just standing straight up.” Lucy smiled, “you to K9 Training? I know you came in before heading over.”

“Yeah.”

Lucy put a hand on his arm, “you have fun with the dogs.”

“It’s very hard police work.”

“Yeah, but there’s dogs. So while it’s work, it’s also fun. Don’t tell me you haven’t already looked at one and said ‘you’re mine’ to it at least in your head.”

Tim folded his arms, “I haven’t.”

“You have. I see it in your eyes.”

“I have to go. Enjoy helping Grey.”

Chapter Text

Tim found himself lying in bed watching Lucy sleep as the sun hit the window of their bedroom. Moving into the house had been easy with the help of their friends the day before. At twenty-eight weeks pregnant, he’d allowed her to direct the move while everyone else pushed, pulled, lifted, and dropped items. The master bedroom was perfect for them and had been one of the selling features for the house. Large with enough room for the California king bed that had been delivered and they were sleeping in. The ensuite bathroom had a shower separate from the tub and the walk-in closet had made Lucy happy.

Watching her sleep only brought a smile to his face because she slept on her side in the comfort of a pregnancy body pillow. Tim reached out a hand to her belly and laid it flat, receiving a kick within a matter of seconds. The babies were active mostly when Lucy was sleeping and content to sleep when she worked. It amazed him that in a matter of months he’d have two more mouths to feed. They’d opted for being surprised instead of finding out the genders. There was a list of names they made for both girls and boys and all of them he loves.

“Hey.” Her voice made him look up to see her watching him with sleep still in her eyes. His attention had been on her belly so he didn’t see her wake up. “What are you doing?”

“I’m bonding with the twins.” It was a silly and erroneous statement but he felt like he had been. His hand on her belly feeling them move made him feel connected to them. Focusing on her, he reached out and brushed back her hair. “How did you sleep?”

Lucy smiled as she stayed laying comfortably. “Better than last night. I actually feel rested instead of just getting sleep and it having no effect.”

“Good, you deserve sleep considering you’re doing all the work.” Leaning down, he kissed her softly and pulled away as her hand ran from the back of his neck down his arm. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“The kitchen is still in boxes.”

Nodding, he played with the ends of a lock of her hair. “I was going to order food. What do you want?”

“French toast sounds amazing right now.” She sighed, “but first I need to pee because your children like to kick my bladder like it’s a soccer ball.”

“Need help?”

Lucy started to sit up and paused, “probably.”

Sitting at the kitchen table, half of which was covered in boxes, the two ate the food that had been ordered. Tamara had taken hers and headed out into the backyard to relax in the sun. Halfway through breakfast, Lucy watched Tim redirect his K9, Nox. The pure black Belgian Malinois was a year and half and was amazing at her job but at home she was a big baby. She’d jump on the couch to cuddle and seemed to always want to play even when it wasn’t time to play. They’d survived having Nox at the apartment for the last three weeks they were there. When Genny and the boys had moved to LA, Kojo had been a hit with the two boys. Tim had realized that the dog was better suited to a home with lots of yard and rowdy boys to play with him instead of a home where he spent twelve hours alone. That was why when Tim moved in with Lucy and Tamara, the dog hadn't moved with him. Nox was definitely better trained than Kojo so three weeks with him had been easier.

“Kennel.” Tim told the dog firmly and she turned around to go to kennel. Laying on the bedding, the dog started chewing on her toy. The kennel was never shut or locked, it always lay open.

“I think we should get married.” The comment gained Tim’s attention.

“You want to get married?” It was kind of surprising to him that she was bringing up because every time he mentioned getting married, she’d divert away from the topic.

Lucy nodded as she picked up her orange juice. “Just at the courthouse. I don’t want a wedding, at least right now. We can have a wedding later on down the road.”

“Are you absolutely sure about this choice?” He didn’t want her to feel pressured. “We can wait until a different time.”

A smile crossed her face, “I want to get married. Do you want to get married?”

“Name the day and time.” He had no way of concealing the smile on his face as he spoke.

“Alright. Well we’ll need to apply for a license and to do that we need our IDs and your final divorce dissolution paperwork.”

Tim looked at her surprised, “why do you need the final divorce dissolution paperwork.”

“We may not need it because of how long it’s been but there’s a chance we will. It’s to prove we’re both single and eligible to get married.”

He let out a deep breath. “I’m going to have to search for that paperwork. If we don’t find it by the end of the week, I’ll call the divorce attorney.”

“Do you want a pre-nup?” Lucy asked seriously.

“No, I understand why people get one but no, I don’t want one. We’re level-headed enough to handle all custody arrangements and divorce matters if we God-forbid don’t make it. I don’t want to think about that though because that’s not in the plans we have. I want to be married to you until we die because you’re my forever. I can’t imagine a moment without you.”

Lucy reached out and took his hand. “Me too.”

“Once she’s finished with her food, we’re going to get started on unpacking this house. The couch is being delivered today along with the fridge and it is physically impossible for them to get into this house.”

“First thing I want to do once we get the boxes cleared away is to get started on the nursery. I haven’t even looked at anything due to the move so I’ll be surfing the web tonight likely.”

Tim nodded, “we could do a moon and stars theme.”

“We could, is Daddy getting into the nursery decorating too?”

Standing with their styrofoam containers, empty of food, he smiled at her. “Of course. I’m going to be assembling furniture so it’s probably best I get involved.”

Lucy found herself watching him throw the containers into an empty trash bag. “I can’t wait to see you hold them. You love them so much already and I know the minute they’re in your arms, you’re going to be in awe.”

“We need to start on a birth plan.” He told her as he walked back to the table. “We haven’t done that yet.”

“Well, I don’t want to be on my back. I’d prefer giving birth either squatting or on all fours. I want to let gravity help me give birth. I also don’t want drugs.”

He pushed the empty chairs in. “Probably a stupid question, but are you sure you don’t want an epidural?”

Lucy nodded, “no drugs. You know my pain tolerance is extremely high so it’ll still hurt but I suspect I’ll be able to push past the pain. I know for sure I want to labor at home for as long as I can.”

“Okay. No drugs, squatting or on all fours, and laboring at home as long as possible. Anything else?”

“I only want you in the room with me. We started this journey together and we’ll end it that way.” Lucy watched him watch her.

Tim leaned down and kissed her. “I’d like that also. I want to be there to support you, but to also make sure what you want is being enforced. There’s not much I can do besides hold your hand and that makes my job as your advocate all that more important.”

“I have no doubt you’ll be advocating for me.” She ran her hand up and down his arm. “If there is one thing I can always count on, it’s that you’ll support me with anything I want or need.”

“That’s my job as your fiancé.”

A grin crossed her face, “I like the sound of that.”

“You do?” He asked her playfully.

“Yeah, but it’ll be better when you’re calling yourself my husband.”

“Back at you.” He kissed her again.

Friday afternoon was requested off by Lucy after telling Grey that she and Tim were going to the courthouse to get married. He’d nodded to her with a smile on his face before asking who was invited. She made it known that she and Tim wanted for it to just be them and Tamara because a wedding would be later on in the future. The watch commander had just said ‘okay’ and seemed all to thrilled that she was taking the day off.

Arriving at the courthouse in maternity jeans and a white blouse, she found Tim waiting in his uniform. Tamara was wearing a dress for the first time, but it suited her. The woman who would be performing the civil marriage was waiting patiently as they joined her at a lectern. She said nothing and seemed to be waiting for something that never came. Tim realized she was waiting to see if there were other people coming besides Tamara.

The officiant looked at the two. “Are we ready to begin?”

“We are.” Tim stated and reached out to take Lucy’s hands.

“Timothy will you please repeat after me.” She got Tim’s attention. “I, Timothy, take thee, Lucy, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

Tim squeezed Lucy’s hands. “I, Timothy, take thee, Lucy, to be my wife. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

The officiant looked to Lucy. “Lucy, please repeat after me. I, Lucy, take thee, Timothy, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

Squeezing his hand back, she spoke the vows. “I, Lucy, take thee, Timothy, to be my husband. To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or worse, for richer or for poor and in sickness and in health.”

The officiant looked to Tamara as she stood behind Lucy, “the rings.”

“Right.” Tamara handed off the two rose gold wedding bands and the small diamond ring that would go with the wedding band that was specifically for Lucy.

Holding out her hand so the rings lay flat on them, she looked to Tim. The soon-to-be husband took Lucy’s rings and held them as he worked each one on her finger in order, he spoke “I give you this ring with a promise to love and partnership from today until our deaths.”

Picking up Tim’s ring, Lucy slid it onto his finger. “I give you this ring with a promise to love and partnership from today until our deaths.”

“It is with great pleasure that on behalf of Los Angeles County and the State of California, I pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” Tim cupped Lucy’s face gently and pulled her in for a kiss.

Smiling at Tim, Lucy whispered to him. “I love you.”

“I love you too. I am so glad you’re my wife.”

“Same, in reverse.” Lucy stated and he leaned down to kiss her again.

Chapter Text

There was a migraine in her future as Lucy sat on the phone with a detective from Vice. There had been an op that had happened and it had pulled officers from patrol near the location. Usually that wouldn’t be a problem but the issue lay with the op not having gotten approval. Grey was out for the day due to his daughter being in town for Luna’s birthday. At thirty weeks she was feeling the limited space the twins had and the fact that sometimes it felt hard to breath but that was just normal compression on her lungs.

“…no Detective Rice, it’s not that I’m saying the op wasn’t necessary, it’s that you failed to submit notice to the Watch Commander. Just because Sergeant Grey is out doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want. I am here to handle such matters and if you’d just filed the intent for the op, it wouldn’t be an issue.” A knock made her put up a finger despite not looking up as she was looking at the computer screen. “Just submit the paperwork and I’ll notate that you filed the paperwork late due to a need for intel. Next time remember to file before you go in. I have to write up the fact that I had not one but three shops responding to an unfiled op. Thank you.” She hung up and put her fingers to her temple. “End of shift is denied.”

“Lucy?” Her head popped up and she found Chris with another man.

She smiled tightly. “Chris, what are you doing here?”

“When did you become Watch Commander?”

“When Sergeant Grey and the in-house sergeant are out, I’m acting sergeant. It comes from the Comms Supervisor since he only trust a handful of people. Apparently, I’m one of those people. What are you doing here?”

He motioned to the man next to him. “This is Ryan Brennan, he’s a new ADA and I’ve been tasked with introducing him to all the stations. I was coming to talk to Sergeant Grey about giving him a tour.”

“That’s fine.” She waved him off.

The man moved into the office and held out his hand. “Ryan Brennan, and you are?”

Chris started to speak for her but his words fell away as she stood up, her belly on full display. “This is Lucy…”

Lucy took the man’s hand. “Officer Lucy Bradford, I hope you’re not planning on giving us more paperwork.”

Brennan laughed softly. “No more than the usual. I just hope I can help your precinct in any way necessary.”

“Let me guess, you’re from New York.”

He nodded, “yeah, how did you know?”

“We don’t call them precincts here. They’re called divisions and we have twenty that encompass the city. You’re currently at Mid-Wilshire Division.”

“Divisions, thank you for the correction.”

Her cell rang and she glanced at it to see it was Pine. “I’m sorry, but I have a lot going on or I’d take more time to talk. Chris can show you around the division and introduce you to the detectives you’ll mainly be working with.” She picked up the cell, “Bradford. Yes ma’am, I am in charge today. If you could give me two seconds.” She smiled at Brennan as she put the cell to her shoulder, “welcome to Mid-Wilshire.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too.” She removed the cell from her shoulder and continued talking as the two men left the office. “What type of assistance do you need? I have four units patrolling near that area of the city. Do you need me to alert K9? Understood, I can do that. Give me five, ten at most. Thank you, ma’am.” She hung up and sat down while grabbing her radio. “Seven-Adam-Seventeen, Seven-Adam-Nineteen, Seven-Adam-Twenty, and Seven-Adam-One Hundred please go to channel five.”

Technically his K9 wasn’t supposed to be in the division building but Tim didn’t care. It was nearly lunch time and he’d picked up lunch for Lucy so she could eat. She’d packed her lunch but he knew she would be hungry again so he picked up food when he got some for himself. Nox stayed by his right leg and didn’t stray, probably because she was very familiar with how to act when she has her vest on. It was as if a switch was flipped as soon as the dog was in her vest and collar notating her as a LAPD K9.

He knocked on Grey’s door and she looked up from the paperwork she was working on. A smile crossed her face as he walked over with the food he had in hand. Nox followed and she reached out to pet the dog’s back even if technically she wasn’t supposed to while the dog was on duty. Almost immediately the dog laid down at Tim’s feet and looked at them both from the floor. Lucy accepted the food that Tim held out. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I figured you’d be hungry again so I got you bowl from the Mac and Cheese truck.” Tim placed a hand on the back of her head and leaned over to kiss her crown. When he pulled back, he knelt down to press a hand to her belly. “Are they behaving?”

“For now.”

“Daddy loves you.” He spoke to her belly as he ran a hand over it. “And I love you.”

Lucy grinned, “I love you too.”

Standing back up, he glanced at the desk to see notes and paperwork across the surface. “How are things coming here?”

“They’re coming. I had to reprimand Rice on failing to get his op notice submitted. Pine needed units to her locale but didn’t need K9.” She smiled at him, “and my ex showed up with a new ADA that required visiting all divisions.”

Tim nodded as he folded his arms. “Did he say anything?”

“No, but I think it’s the shock of how pregnant I am and my new surname. He said nothing so I didn’t say anything in return.”

“Smart.” Tim looked down at Nox. “We should get back out to patrolling. See you tonight at home.”

Lucy nodded, “yes you will.”

Tim leaned over and kissed her, “try not to get a migraine.”

“Already too late.” She watched him walk to the door and Nox immediately was up and over to him. “You guys stay safe out there.”

He turned at the door. “Don’t forget we have dinner with your mother tonight.”

“Don’t remind me please. The lecture to come is worse than you think. I didn’t consult her on moving, getting married, or being pregnant so she’s going to be offended. Can we just say I’m twenty-five weeks so she doesn’t show up to the hospital when I’m in labor?”

Tim nodded, “if that’ll help things, we can do that.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Tim rounded the corner to head towards the door to the garage and found Chris and who he assumed was the new ADA talking. Lucy’s ex glanced his way and paused his conversation with the new guy to talk to Tim. Nox brushed up against Tim’s leg and sat when Tim tapped her head twice. His patrol uniform was the same as always except he had K-9 on the pocket under his badge.

“Tim.”

“Chris.” He started to move past but was stopped by the man. “I don’t have time for this. I have to get back out on patrol.”

Chris nodded, “just answer one question. How quickly did you start dating after she broke up with me?”

“Two days.” He spoke firmly, “I have to get back out on patrol. Nox, hier.” He told the dog to come, or follow, in German and she did.

The restaurant was mildly full for a weekday evening when Lucy and Tim arrived. Luckily, Lucy had made a reservation and so it was easy for them to be seated rather quickly. Lucy’s parents were already there and she knew from their expressions that seeing her pregnant was a shock to the system. Tim pulled out her chair and pushed her in a fraction once she was seated before sitting down himself. Tamara was at home with Nox, curled up on the couch together much to Tim’s displeasure about the dog being on the couch.

“This is a surprise.” Vanessa stated plainly. “You’re pregnant, how far along?”

Lucy played with the straw that had been next to her hand. “Twins, twenty-five weeks.”

She pointed to Tim, “I assume he’s the father.”

Tim held out his hand to Vanessa and she looked straight at him. “I’m Tim Bradford ma’am, Lucy’s husband.”

Vanessa ignored his hand and bore into her daughter. “Husband, you got married without telling us?”

“I’ve done a lot of things without telling you. Everything is a challenge and I had to disconnect for my own mental health. Tim and I would like for you to be part of our lives, to be part of the babies’ lives. However, we are the parents and we make the decisions. Toe the line or be frozen again.”

Patrick took Lucy’s hand. “Are you happy? Does he make you happy?”

Lucy couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face. “More than you know, Dad. The feelings I have when we’re together is indescribable, whether we’re at work or decorating the nursery at home.”

“Good, that is all that matters. Now, do I have a granddaughters or grandsons?”

Tim spoke instead of Lucy. “We want to be surprised. We’ll know when Lucy gives birth.”

“You mentioned working, are you a cop also?”

Facing her mother he nodded a fraction. “Yes, I’m a K9 patrol officer and Lucy is currently division bound. She’s helping our watch commander with any and all issues that arise in the day. Essentially, she’s doing my old job since I move to our tactical team and then K9. It’s going to be a big help when she applies to be Captain in the future.”

Vanessa nodded, “so you’re still hung up on being a cop?”

“I bleed blue, Mom. I won’t step down from being a cop until I retire or I die.”

“And who will watch the babies since you’ll be working?”

Lucy picked up the glass of water in front of her. “There’s a daycare around the corner from the division and a lot of cop kids go there. We’d drop them off at seven in the morning and pick them up at five in the afternoon. We’re close enough that one of us will always be able to pick them up or even stop and see them throughout the day.”

“You should be a home with them.”

“I will be as I have a very generous parental leave policy. I’ll be home with them for three months and then they’ll start at the daycare. If they’re sick, they’ll stay home with Tamara.”

“Who is Tamara?”

Tim answered the woman’s question. “She’s a homeless teen that we gave a place to stay. Now she’s focused on schoolwork to become a social worker and babysits to earn money on the side.”

Vanessa’s comment was pointed to Lucy. “So a complete stranger is leaving with you. How can you think that’s safe?”

“Tamara has been living with me since Jackson died. She’s not a stranger, she’s now part of our family.

Patrick looked at his wife. “Giving a homeless teen a home is honorable and kind. I’m proud of Lucy for doing so.”

“Thanks Dad.” Lucy told her father. “You’d love her if you met her.”

Chapter Text

Tim Bradford woke to a hand shaking him so he turned over to see Lucy leaning against the side of the bed. The expression on her face spelled pain so he knew instantly that she gone into labor. He quickly got out of bed and moved around to her.

“Contraction?” She didn’t respond but nodded and he saw the app she planned to use for contractions open beside her hand. Taking her hand, he held it and felt her squeeze hard as she moaned softly. “I’m here Luce, just squeeze my hand.”

Soon she let go of his hand and he ran his free one down her back. Waiting for her to speak, she finally did. “They’re six minutes apart.” She pushed her phone away and he picked it up to scroll down to the start of the recording.

“You’ve been laboring the whole day.” It was almost five in the morning, his usual wake up time. He’d gone to bed about ten because of exhaustion and her telling him she’d come to bed once she finished the episode of whatever HGTV show she’d been watching. The contractions seemed to have been mild throughout the previous day and evening but were ramping up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

The look she gave him made him want to scream because it was full of love. “You were exhausted after the manhunt yesterday.”

Tim knelt beside the bed next to her. “Baby, that doesn’t matter. This is more important than sleep.”

“Are you mad?”

“No, I’m just worried.” He brushed her hair back from her face and he notices she was sweating a little. “I’m going to go wake up Tamara and let her know what is going on and then I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Knocking on Tamara’s door, he opened it and saw the now twenty year old sleeping. Shaking her lightly, she groaned and opened her eyes. “What?”

“Lucy’s in labor and I’m taking her to the hospital.”

That seemed to wake the girl up and she sat up while rubbing her eyes. He figured she’d gotten in late because he hadn’t seen her before he’d gone to bed. “What do you need me to do?” The question was interrupted by a yawn.

“I’m going to call Pine when its closer to my time for work. You know how to feed Nox so do that. I’ll call if anything changes or when the babies get here.”

“Yeah.” She quickly got out of bed and seemed to follow him down the hall towards the living room. The master bedroom and other bedrooms were on separate ends of the house with the kitchen and living room in the middle. He heard the TV turn on and knew Tamara was going to keep herself awake. Despite repeatedly telling her that his K9 wasn’t allowed on the couch, he heard the Belgian Malinois jump up next to Tamara.

Lucy was in the middle of another contraction when he entered the master bedroom. Immediately, he was over holding her hand and brushing back her hair. It seemed to last forever in his mind so he knew she was definitely feeling it. Lucy had a high tolerance for pain but knew the closer the contractions got, the more painful it was. All she was doing was moaning and squeezing his hand, which amazed him. “That’s it, Luce. Squeeze my hand, break it if you need to.”

Once the contraction was over, he knew he needed to get her to the car before the next one hit. Her hospital bag was in the car, packed by Angela once Lucy hit thirty weeks. The woman had labored twice so she knew what was needed and he was thankful. He’d heard several Instagram and ClipTalk stories because the closer Lucy got to full-term, the more she watched those about labor and delivery.

He got her standing, “Tamara?”

“On the couch with Nox. I told her I’d call if anything changes or the babies arrive.” He made sure to grab the keys for their car instead of the shop that stayed at home due to it being for a K9 and handler. His truck also wasn’t a good idea due to the height. He double checked the keys were correct as they passed thru the kitchen to head to the garage.

Getting to the hospital, Tim helped Lucy with everything from paperwork to changing into a hospital gown. She was having contractions during everything and the nurse assigned to help her check in was very patient. It took a couple contractions to get an IV line in and draw labs, monitors were being placed during a contraction due to Lucy’s focus being on holding the bed’s handle and his hand. When it came time for checking dilation, he was shocked by what the nurse told them.

“Lucy, you’re at six centimeters. You’ve done amazing laboring at home.” She stripped off her gloves and proceeded to wash her hands. “Usually I have first time moms coming in at one or two centimeters. Now, are we doing pain meds or not? Just know you can change your mind if you need to. Our anesthesiologists like to be wild and cut off epidurals at seven centimeters instead of four like those at my last hospital. We also have gas or IV meds, but I will tell you we prefer not to give IV meds.”

“No drugs.” She told the woman as she watched the nurse write on her small clipboard.

Tim brushed Lucy’s hair from her cheek. “Anything we need to worry about because its twins?”

“Everything is looking go right now. Heart rates are good and steady, if one or both drop, we’ll start worrying then.” She moved to the dry erase board in the room and started writing all the medical staff that would be part of Lucy’s care. “Do we know gender and names?” She waited patiently as Lucy went through her contraction.

As the contraction ended, Lucy spoke softly. “We’re waiting.”

“Oh, so we’re going to get some surprises in a few hours?”

Tim watched the nurse write ‘Surprise A’ and ‘Surprise B’ on the whiteboard. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“You can call me Laura.” She smiled as she grabbed the door handle. “I’m going to bring you some ice chips. Do you need anything else?”

Lucy nodded, “do you have a medicine ball?”

“We do, I’ll bring it for you.”

Tim found himself supporting Lucy as she rocked on the medicine ball in front of him. One arm was around his neck while he held her free hand. He knew she was a warrior before she even got pregnant but he couldn’t believe what she was doing. He knew the science and the birthing process from at least a dozen videos he’d watched, but seeing her go through it was something else entirely. He would take it all from her if he was able. “That’s it, Baby. Squeeze my hand.” Kissing her brow, he closed his eyes. “You’re doing so good. If I could take all the pain from you, I would. I really would.”

“You wouldn’t survive a second.” She said as a contraction ended.

A laugh escaped him. “You’re probably right, but I’d still take it.” Opening his eyes, he saw her head on his shoulder and felt weak. “I feel useless right now. You’re doing all the work and I’m just sitting here holding your hand.”

“That’s all I need.”

“Okay.”

A knock came on the door after a few minutes and he looked up to see Laura and another nurse. “How are we doing in here?”

Lucy felt the next contraction and squeezed Tim’s hand so he spoke. “She’s having another contraction.”

“Any urge to push yet?” The two nurses walked over, “we’ll wait. You doing okay there, Dad? Do you need anything?”

Tim shook his head. “I’m fine. Lucy and the babies are all that matter right now.”

“We’ll get you some water at the very least. Last thing she needs is you passing out on her.”

The contraction ended eventually and Lucy picked up her head. “Are they alright? The heart rates?”

“Yes, babies are fine. We’re just having shift change and Megan is going to be your new nurse. I’ve already filled her in on everything that has happened since you arrived four hours ago.”

Megan smiled, “hello Lucy. I was wondering if you’ve been feeling any pressure to push.”

“Some, not a lot.”

“Are you okay with me doing a cervical check?” Lucy nodded. “Okay, let’s get into bed.”

It was between two contractions that the nurse performed the cervical check much to Lucy’s discomfort. Tim didn’t even know how to comprehend the discomfort he saw her going through so he just held her hand. Megan peeled off her gloves and pulled the sheet down. She rubbed Lucy’s leg as she went through a contraction, so Tim glanced at her. “She wants to give birth either squatting or on all fours, she doesn’t want to be on her back. How can we make that happen?”

“Our beds can convert so I’ll bring in a squat bar.” Megan smiled as she wrote down information on her clipboard. “You’re nine centimeters, almost there. First baby will come with some pushing and I suspect the second will come between fifteen and twenty minutes after the first. This is a marathon and we’re almost to the midway point.”

“Thank you.” He looked down at Lucy and used his free hand to brush back her hair, she refused to let him put it in a ponytail or braid it.

Two hours was all it took before Tim was watching Lucy squat on the bed while leaning against the bar. Shaffer, who by some miracle was on call that day, and two nurses were working to help her give birth. He stood beside the bed trying to encourage because Lucy had asked him not to touch her already once. He suspected she was overwhelmed and sensitive.

“That’s it Lucy.” Shaffer nodded, “head is out so next push we’re going to get one shoulder and then the second.”

Megan glanced at him. “You alright there, Dad?”

“I’m fine, focus on Lucy.” It annoyed him that they kept asking how he was periodically since they’d walked in the door in the early morning. “You got this, Baby. First one is almost here.”

Shaffer nodded as Lucy bore down and the nurse started counting to ten again. “Good Lucy, that’s very good. You’re a natural at this.” She reached in to slip a finger under the second shoulder. The baby came quickly afterwards. “And here’s Baby A.” She watched as one of the nurses helped Lucy lay back to rest during the transition from first baby to second. Baby went straight onto Lucy’s chest, crying as it’s rubbed. “It’s a girl.”

Lucy found herself crying as she held her daughter and Tim moved to stand beside them. “A girl, we have a daughter.” He smiled and reached up to wipe away her tears. “We have a little girl.”

She only nodded as she looked at the baby. “She’s perfect.”

“Yeah, she is.” He kissed her and took the little hand on Lucy’s chest.

As expected, Lucy found herself pushing again within fifteen minutes and it seemed almost quicker than the first. Unlike the first where she was squatting, having shivers made it hard to deliver in any position other than her back. Tim watched from across the room as he stood with their daughter, he knew Lucy was pushing but he wasn’t going to let their daughter out of his sight. Having worked an infant abduction from a hospital before, he wasn’t taking any chances.

“One more big push on the next contraction.” Shaffer looked at her, “we only got the shoulders once again. You do this and you’ve finished the marathon. You’ll have two babies and I know everyone in this room is dying to find out if we got a little boy or another little girl.”

“That’s it Lucy.” Megan smiled at her, “one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten.”

A cry moments later was heard as the second baby was put on Lucy’s chest, rubbed vigorously. Shaffer smiled as she watched her patient admire the bundle. “It’s a boy, you have one of each.”

“A boy.” Lucy was shaking but she held onto the baby as Tim walked over holding their swaddled daughter. “We have a boy.”

He nodded as he kissed her. “You did something amazing and I don’t know what else to say.”

Resting after delivery, Lucy found herself amazed as she held her daughter in her arms. Tim sat in the nearby chair with their son, just gazing at him. Her meal was on the tray next to the bed, she’d been hungry and she’d shown it by eating everything on the plate. Tim’s plate was nearly full since he was more focused on the baby in his arms. She understood because she was amazed with herself but even more so with the babies. She finally understood what Angela and Harper meant when they said there was no feeling like motherhood.

A knock on the door made them both look up and saw Tamara enter the room. “I left everyone else downstairs.” She walked over to Lucy and grinned, “girl or boy?”

“The giant bow on her hat should have been a giveaway.”

“Hey, you never know now days. She’s so cute.”

Lucy patted the bed and Tamara sat down, finding herself with an arm full of baby seconds later. “This is Zoe Lucy Bradford.”

“Tim insisted her middle name be after you?” Tamara looked up with a smirk.

“He wore me down. We’re calling her Zoe after Captain Anderson; up until she died, she would always match training officers and rookies. She made the decision to match us and she was one of the bravest and honorable women we knew. We want Zoe to have those qualities also.”

Tim stood up and moved to the bed, “this is Theo Colin Bradford. Theo after Jackson’s middle name and after you.”

“After me?”

“We couldn’t decide on a middle name and you came in one day joking about calling the baby after you if it’s a girl. It made the decision easy. We had names prepared for two of each, but making the decision on which to use was too easy.”

A knock was followed by Megan entering the room. “I see Big Sister has arrived. What do you think of these two?”

“They’re cute.” Tamara ignored the ‘big sister’ comment. “Something tells me no one is getting sleep anytime soon.”

“I’m just going to squeeze in and take your vitals.” She told Lucy, “how are you feeling?”

Lucy sighed, “happy and tired.”

“You did double the work the last nine months and then giving birth. You deserve to be tired.”

Tim nodded as he exchanged babies with Tamara, almost too expertly. “When we get home the only thing you’ll be focusing on is the twins. Tamara and I will take care of the rest.”

“You have to get back to work.” She told him.

“I spoke with Pine and Grey and I submitted my paternity leave request. We both know I have more paid leave available then one should, so taking off also isn’t a problem. You worked up until last week so you have enough also. Nox will just be off duty with me. Remember that Pine brought on more than one K9 so it won’t be an issue. I have that statement from both of them.”

Tamara looked up from Theo, “I’m not cooking.”

“We’d starve if you cook.” Tim told her, “I’ll be cooking.”

“Do you know how to cook?”

The look of exasperation on his face made Lucy hold in a laugh. “Yes, I know how to cook. How do you think I fed myself before dating Lucy?”

“I don’t know, stories say you could be a Terminator.”

Lucy could help but laughing and glanced at Megan. “I’m so sorry for them. They’re not related but they’re related.”

“I can tell. My son and husband are the same way.” Megan undid the blood pressure cuff. “All that matters is that you’re family.”

Lucy looked at the four in front of her. “Yeah, that’s what matters.”

Chapter Text

The sound of the garage door made Lucy look up from where she sat on the floor of the living room with the twins. The first to head over to them was Nox and the dog instantly laid down next to them. A wet nose sniffed each of the twins before laying down on paws. Lucy saw Tim in the kitchen, he was rinsing out his lunch containers and putting them in the dishwasher. The appliance closing was followed by him walking over to sit down beside them.

“Hey Baby.” He kissed her shoulder before looking down at the four month olds who were under a play gym. “They look and sound better than this morning.”

Lucy nodded, “ear infections, both of them. Pediatrician put them on antibiotics and a follow up in a week.”

“I’ll take them next week since you’re returning to patrol.” Leaning over Zoe, he rubbed her belly gently. “How’s my girl doing?” A small smile filled the infant’s face as Tim picked her up gently, kissing her cheek as he did. “Have you been behaving for Mommy?”

“Besides getting impatient for her bottle around lunch, she’s been a model citizen.”

Tim looked at his daughter, “good, we can’t have her breaking the law so early.”

A laugh escaped Lucy as she took Zoe from him. “Or ever.” She watched Tim pick up Theo and kiss his head, taking his tiny hand in his own. “How’s it feel coming home to them after a hard day?”

“Magical.” Tim watched her watch him while holding Zoe close. “I can’t imagine not coming home to you three, Tamara too depending on the day.”

“You think I’ll feel the same?”

He thought before speaking. “To a degree. The anxiety is going to be at the back of your mind for the first two or three days. You’ll want to race to the daycare and hold them before reminding yourself they’re safe.”

Lucy nodded, “I’m kind of dreading Monday.”

“Why is that?” Tim rubbed Theo’s back as he watched Lucy speak, seeing the apprehension on her face.

“I go back to my form-fitting uniform instead of leggings and over-sized shirts.”

Knowing her self-consciousness was rising again as it had periodically in the three months since giving birth. No matter how much he reassured her or she spoke to Angela about the issue, the fear rose frequently. “Luce…”

“I know what you’re going to say.” She told him before kissing Zoe’s head. “Knowing the truth doesn’t mean I stop feeling self-conscious.”

“Okay.” He backed off the issue as he knew rehashing a topic didn’t help either of them. “Anything I can do to help?”

Lucy shrugged, “not really. Thank you though.”

“Anything for you.” He looked at Theo to see the baby boy smiling. “Are you smiling at Mama?”

“My mom called me today. She demanded to know why I didn’t call when I gave birth and I told her it was because I wanted a peaceful birth with just us present. She didn’t like the answer I gave her. She wants to see the twins and I’m not eager for that visit anytime soon.”

Tim nodded, “I’m behind you when it comes to how you handle your mother.”

“Maybe we should have a barbeque or something, get everyone together. If we have everyone present then my mother will be less likely to go a little crazy.” She laid Zoe back down under the gym and he followed with Theo.

“If that’s what you want to do, then we’ll do that.” Tim pulled on her arm gently and she found herself in his arms. Leaning against his side, she closed her eyes for a few moments. “You’re an amazing mom, Luce.”

“I’ve made a dozen mistakes.”

“So have I. We’re learning though and changing so we don’t repeat the mistakes. At the end of the day, how we parent the twins is no one’s business. If someone says something then ignore them.”

Lucy pulled her head back and smiled at him. “How do you know what to say to squash all my fears?”

“Practice.”

Walking into roll call for her first time in four months, Lucy found a seat beside Celina and Aaron. Tim was already out patrolling with Nox, as was normal with K9 handlers. The younger of the two women instantly inquired about pictures of the twins and Lucy pulled her phone out to show her several.

“So cute.”

Aaron leaned over. “They’re bigger.”

“They grew.” Lucy told him, “as is par for the course with babies.”

“Still sleepless?” Celina asked her, “Tamara said she isn’t getting woken up anymore.”

Lucy locked her phone as she met the girl’s eyes. “No, they’re sleeping through the night now.”

“Eager to get back to patrol?” Aaron asked while leaning in. “Trust me, we could use another levelheaded cop. Milo washed out while you’ve been gone. Failed Plain Clothes Day and Scott is a bit too caviler for my tastes.”

“You have no idea. I haven’t been out for months and it makes me eager to get out into the field.”

Grey walked into the room with a clipboard in hand. “Alright, alright. Settle down please. Officer Bradford, we welcome you back from maternity leave.”

“It’s good to be back, sir.”

“Come see me afterwards.” His words sounded ominous but Lucy knew if it was really bad, he wouldn’t have said anything until after roll call. “Alright, so no staffing changes as of yet. Today is the start of school so that means we have people left and right who are going to be breaking the law in school zones. If you’re near a school zone when they let out, you know the drill regarding speed checks. I’d like to remind you that there is still an open sergeant position and I know there are several of you who qualify. Other than that, have a good day. Stay safe out there.”

Everyone moved to file out and Lucy made her way up to the front of the room. “Sir?”

“Sergeant’s Exam is in December and I expect to see your name on the list. I know you aimed to be a detective and that fell through due to several factors, but this is a definite step towards your future.”

Lucy nodded, “Tim still has all the materials so I’ll raid the boxes to find them. It'll be a rough two months with the T.O. Program and now the exam, but I'm up for the challenge.”

“Good. You want to ride with someone today? First day back probably has you desiring to run down the street and see those two.”

“Yes sir. As for riding with someone, whoever is available.”

Grey put up a hand. “Just know if you have to find a time to pump, you don’t have to tell anyone anything. Just find a quiet office upstairs and do what you need to do.”

“They’re formula fed sir but thank you for looking out for me.”

“Always here to help my people. Ride with Scott today, his rookie washed out on Plain Clothes Day.”

Lucy nodded, “yes sir.”

Getting into the shop beside Greg Scott made Lucy take a second to watch him. He put on his seatbelt and proceeded to pick up the radio. Lucy grabbed the radio from his hand before he could raise the radio to his face.

“Shop cams are turned on first and field computer signed in before alerting to our departure.” She let the radio go and reached out to turn on her own. “One, two, and three are on. You should have four through six.”

The man reached forward to turn on the cameras before looking at her. “Happy?”

“Sure.” She logged onto the field computer before reaching for the radio. “Seven-Adam-Eleven to Control. Show us departing Mid-Wilshire, code four.”

“Control to Seven-Adam-Eleven. Showing departure of Mid-Wilshire garage.”

Within ten minutes of leaving the division, Scott looked her way. “So, you and your former training officer. Very taboo from what I understand.”

“I don’t expect you to understand.” Lucy told him before looking ahead out the front window.

“What’s there to understand. He knocks you up and you guys get married before the kids are born. The one thing they drilled into us in Torenell’s Police Hierarchy course was that sleeping with those above and below us is taboo and inexcusable.”

Lucy looked over at the man. “So you just think it was all a rushed, obligatory attempt to protect me?”

“Obviously. Why else would the man go from training officer to K9? He had to move out of your command structure due to the bad PR that would result. He’s a hardass and well known as the training officer that either turns you into a great cop or is the reason you fail.” He glanced her way, “so was it drunken stupidity?”

She waved her hand, “I’m not discussing this with you. Frankly, it’s none of your damn business.”

“Just be prepared for it to fall apart later on down the road. Rushed actions covered up by more rushed actions.”

Lucy looked out the window and stayed silent until a call came over the radio. “Control to Seven-Adam-Eleven. Current assault in progress, multiple suspects and officer pinned. Warehouse 9 at corner of Crocker and Agatha. You are the closest unit to respond.”

“Seven-Adam-Eleven to Control. Show us responding, code three.” She put the radio down and reached up to turn on the lights and sirens. “We’ll cut the sirens when we get a mile out.”

Pulling up outside the warehouse, Lucy felt shock go through her at seeing the shop not even ten feet away. “It’s Tim’s shop.”

“You don’t know that.”

Lucy turned to Scott, “I do. I know that exempt plate by heart and the fact it’s a K9 vehicle.”

“Are you going to get emotional or can you handle this?” Scott looked her straight in the eyes when he asked. “Do I need to call for another unit?”

Ignoring the man, she got out of the shop and headed to the back. Pulling open her shirt, Lucy put the armor plate inside before buttoning it again. Once her shirt was buttoned, Lucy pulled on her tactical vest and checked her service weapon and the shotgun. She’d done all that by the time Scott got around to the back of the vehicle. He glanced at her in confusion. “What?” She asked as she double checked she had everything.

“Little excessive, don’t you think.”

“Oh my God, if I have to explain all the shit I’ve seen and been through then you’d want the tactical attire. Just get changed. Armor plate inside your vest, tactical vest, double check your weapon.”

Scott looked at her confused, “what armor plate?”

She reached into the war bags and pulled out a second armor plate before slapping it at his chest. “Goes inside the slot on your vest under your shirt. You may never have needed it in Pacific, but Mid-Wilshire is different. Get used to using that as it’ll be your best friend.”

“You act like we’re going into a war zone.”

“Might as well.” Lucy told him and shut the shop’s rear hatch once he had his tactical vest.

Moving to the door, she held her weapon and knew Scott was doing the same beside her. Pulling open the door, she held up her hand before signaling to go forward. They moved into the warehouse before Lucy pulled the door shut, placing a foot in the space so it didn’t slam. Once closed quietly, she noticed Scott was waiting for her and he motioned for her to go ahead of him. The warehouse was full of wooden boxes used for moving goods. Moving around the edge of one box, she saw and heard nothing but the sound of multiple gunshots made them look up to see there was a second level that overlooked the main warehouse.

Signaling for Scott to go back where they came from, she motioned for him to take a left instead of going straight. The two moved towards the corner of the warehouse floor where a set of stairs were. Opening the door, Scott motioned for her to go ahead and she went in front of him. Moving cautiously up the stairs, quietly stepping one each concrete step, the two made their way upstairs and right before the top of their heads would come into view, Lucy put up a fist and leaned forward against the stairs. Seeing men in the hallway, she pulled the shotgun from her back and laid it on the top step after cocking it. The sound of gunfire again made her take aim and fire.

Two men fell, one after the other as she fired a second time. Standing, the brunette motioned with her hand and Scott followed her just as the sound of boots after a heavy metal door made them look back at the stairs. “That’s not good.”

Lucy was five seconds from punching her fellow officer. “I couldn’t tell. Down the hall.”

They moved down the hall and cleared the offices as quickly as possible as the sound of more people coming urged them on. Getting to the backroom, Lucy dropped her weapon as Tim stood up from an overturned metal desk, bullet ricochet marks were seen on the surface. “Lucy?”

“Hold that thought because we got a lot of boots coming.”

Tim nodded as he moved towards them, “I couldn’t tell.”

“Where is Nox?”

“In the shop. It was supposed to be just a simple tripped alarm, but turned into me being pinned.” He glanced past her to Scott. “Where is his rookie?”

“Plain Clothes Day failure.”

Tim nodded and checked his weapon to count bullets. “I have five.”

She handed off one of her magazines. “Violent?”

“Don’t know, I’ve been pelted with gunfire. I’m just lucky this old desk can take a beating.”

Scott raised his weapon as the sound of boots got louder. “Guys, they’re coming.”

Lucy took up one side of the doorway while Tim took the other, he motioned for Scott to backup out of sight a few feet from him. Deciding to attempt some sense of talking, Tim spoke loudly. “Two of your men are already dead. Killing three cops won’t earn you any points with LAPD, instead you’ll be shot on sight. It’s just best you lower the weapons and surrender or leave the warehouse.” He backed up when rounds of gunfire hit the doorframe, door, metal desk, and the walls and windows behind the desk. “I attempted to give them a choice.”

Thinking, she caught his attention. “Waterfall then Moran?”

Tim gave her a nod, “waterfall then Moran.”

“Look, if you let us go then we’ll be on our way.” Lucy tried and they all leaned back as the gunfire came again. When it quieted, she started talking again. “Look, I’ve killed your friends. We can do this all night so its best you give up.”

A second hail of bullets came and Lucy waited until it was silent again to look around the corner very slowly. She was noticed because she pulled back right as the gunshots began again. Tim sent her a sign from American Sign Language that meant ‘question mark’ and she moved her hand side to side that meant the weapons were semi-automatic. Tim quickly did the math in his head and mouthed ‘A-K’ in asking if they were AK-47s or AR-15s but she shook her head. She held up her gun and he gave her a thumbs up before doing the math on the weapons.

Glancing at the doorway, Tim spoke. “You only have a few rounds left in those weapons. If my math is correct, you have ten to twelve left each. Fifty rounds in total.” As if proving his right, another hail of bullets filled the space. “You’re just proving my point.”

A fourth hail was fired and Lucy used a hand to edge towards her belt where she kept her spare notepad. Holding it up for Tim to see, she waited to throw it. “Look, if you leave now we have no way of identifying you. You could get away with LAPD none the wiser.”

Only half the number of bullets were fired and Lucy tossed the notepad into the hall only to hear nothing. She put up three fingers towards Tim and he nodded as her fingers counted to one before both fired into the hallway towards the men. The gunmen seemed to take a few to the chest but none fell, their bulletproof vests all the protection they needed. Whether ignorant or insane, they started trying to move towards the two.

“Moran.” Tim told her and they put their weapons in their holster while grabbing their batons.

Scott watched in horror as the two went for the six men in the hall, no guns were used and instead it was hand to hand. They seemed to fight in sync, using the batons along with their hands. The sound of sirens were heard in the background and in what should have been longer, the two had six men on the floor of the hallway in what had to be ten minutes. Lucy looked up at him, “throw me your cuffs, disposable also.”

He helped them restraint the six men that survived just as the sound of boots were heard. They quickly grabbed weapons but familiar faces to Tim made him hold out a hand to Lucy for her to lower her weapon. “Wilcox, took you long enough.”

The three Metro officers took steps onto the landing and Wilcox looked at Tim. “So you had all the fun.”

“Didn’t feel like fun.” He took the man’s hand. “Who called you?”

“Control got a call your shop was stationary at this warehouse. Probably one of the two next to you.”

Tim nodded, “they responded to me being pinned.”

Wilcox nodded to Lucy and Scott. “Officer Fred Wilcox, Metro.”

“Officer Lucy Bradford, Patrol.” She motioned to Scott, “Officer Greg Scott, Training Officer.”

Wilcox nodded towards Lucy when talking to Tim. “Your missus?”

“Yeah.” Tim put his hands on his belt. “She’s also the other fifty percent of why you were left with no work.”

“Damn.” A man behind Wilcox stated. “You two did all this?”

Lucy nodded, “we make a pretty good team.”

There was no other way to phrase the feeling her body was enduring other than exhaustion. Returning to patrol after two hours at the warehouse seemed way too dull but it was the life of a patrol officer. Silence filled the vehicle for a while until Scott spoke despite the desire he stay quiet. She was still upset for how he spoke about her and Tim before the warehouse but also because he wasn’t prepared for what had transpired.  

“That was unbelievable. It was like two ice skaters matching move for move; how do you even gain the ability to do that?”

“He was my training officer and he put me through the ringer.” Lucy stated, “we had to fight assassins before together so this was a Tuesday for us.”

Scott nodded, “what did you mean by ‘waterfall then Moran’ because that made no sense.”

“Makes perfect sense when you have a sort of shorthand with another person.” She looked out the window. “We’re the only couple at Mid-Wilshire who can work together because we can stay professional even in the thick of shit like that. So next time, I’d appreciate it if you don’t ask me if I can stay professional.” She shook her head, “especially since you aren’t prepared for a gun battle.”

“Look, I’m only trying to help you.”

Lucy aimed her glare at him. “Your ‘help’ isn’t helpful. If I need help, I can ask multiple people in the division that aren’t you. You don’t know me or any of the shit I’ve been through so don’t start acting like you’re my best friend. Especially after you alienated everyone in our academy class. You used your uncle’s name as a steppingstone every step of the way while the rest of us barely had our heads above water a lot of the time. Also, I know about you and Edison so don’t be so hypocritical. At least I waited till after I wasn’t in the training program anymore.”

“There was nothing between me and Edison.”

“Like hell there wasn’t. We all saw it, everyone saw it. I left my phone in the gym one night and I went back to grab it but I left as quickly as I walked in. It’s kind of hard to say there was nothing when you were both stripped down. Don’t worry though, females get it worse than the males and I didn’t want her to suffer so I kept my mouth shut.”

Scott looked at her, “like you weren’t screwing Nolan. Everyone knew it.”

“A fellow cadet, not my instructor.” She shook her head as she looked out the window.

Lucy sat doing paperwork when the sound of claws on the concrete floor of Mid-Wilshire seemed to grow. She looked down when a dog laid down beside her and she reached over to run her hand through Nox’s fur. She returned to the paperwork as cops finished their own and vacated a desk and another officer took their place. Eventually with her paperwork finished, she stood up and Nox immediately followed her. She saw Grey leaving his office and he pointed to her as he did.

“Yes sir?”

“You aren’t a K9 officer so why is that K9 following you?”

She smiled at him, “do I really need to answer that question?”

He pulled his office door closed. “No, no you do not. He in the locker room?”

“Yes sir.”

“Makes sense now. I wanted to tell you great job on that warehouse job earlier today.”

Lucy nodded, “thank you sir.”

“How’s Scott working out?” She saw his attention on the officer who was standing near a desk talking to another officer.

“That’s a conversation best waited until tomorrow, sir.”

Grey tapped her arm. “You guys get out of here sometime soon so you can snuggle those babies. Trust me when I tell you, you’re going to not want to leave home in the morning.”

Tim made his way over with his bag in hand, “you’re up Luce.”

She nodded to Grey, “goodnight, sir.”

“Goodnight.”

Lucy came back from the locker room within ten minutes and Tim reached down to take her bag in his own hand. “You don’t have to keep doing that.”

“I know I don’t.” He smiled at her. “However, I like doing little things like this for you. Part of being your husband.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m your wife.” She stated taking his arm, Nox walked on his right side. “I was thinking that we never really had a honeymoon so maybe we could take a four-day weekend in January. Second anniversary, maybe just a weekend away from the city. I know the beach is a no-go for you but what about wine country?”  

Tim nodded, “I like the sound of that. Finding childcare is our issue.”

“Nolan and Bailey would be child free and I know Tamara would help. They did offer when the twins were born. I just, I need time away after attending the T.O. Program in November and studying for the upcoming Sergeant’s Exam that is in December. Plus, we never really had some us-time.”

“You’re taking the Sergeant’s Exam?”

She shrugged, “Grey said it’s the next step and I agree. I’d go from P2 Patrol to another roving sergeant. I checked and while I can’t advance to P3 for another year, I do qualify to become a sergeant. I just have to pass the test. So, do you still have all those books I made into audio books?”

“I do and just know I expect you to score higher than I did.”

“Of course. You can take the rookie away from the training officer but not the training officer from the rookie.” She laughed softly as she held his arm. “I’ll do my best. Now, I want to see my babies.”

“Same. You’re not going to want to put them down when we get home. Just fair warning.” He leaned over and kissed her head.

Lucy nodded, “I need some cuddle time with them, a good meal, a shower, and my bed. I could sleep for a week after today.”

“Hmm, we could shower together.” He offered as they walked slowly down the hall to the front desk area.

“Not yet.” Lucy stated, “I’m not there yet.”

“Hey.” He stopped walking and turned to face her. “Do you know why I test the waters?”

Lucy shook her head. “Why?”

“To gauge your comfort level. Not to push or influence. You’re still healing so I let you lead.” Rubbing her arm, he smiled. “Be it three weeks or three years, I’ll still be right here beside you.”

“God, I don’t deserve you.” She said and shook her head as they started walking again. “Be honest, how did my uniform look?”

He shrugged, “little too busy not being shot at to look.” She slapped his arm and pointed at him in warning. “Old uniform or new uniform?”

“Old, but I need your honest assessment. I may need to get the next size up if it looks bad.”

“Honestly, I didn’t see a difference. How did it feel?”

Lucy smiled at him. “Kind of tight around my duty belt but I think that’s probably me adjusting to the weight of it again.”

“If it’s too tight, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up another pair of pants.”

“Yes, but that will take two days since I have to have them hemmed.” Seeing his confusion, she chuckled softly. “I’m short, okay. I have to have my pants hemmed before I can wear them.”

Tim pulled his arm from her grasp and put his arm around her. “You’re not short. You’re just the perfect height.”

“For you maybe. My pants length say otherwise.” They exited the building and Tim headed to his shop with Nox behind him.

“I’ll see you at home.” He told her over the roof of her car.

Lucy smiled at him, “yeah, you will.”

Chapter Text

Tim Bradford looked up when the door to the garage opened and closed and found Lucy looking exhausted. He’d taken a half-day to take the twins to the pediatrician while Lucy found herself patrolling with Greg Scott. Day two and she looked like she wanted to quit work and never go back to the division. It meant it was a bad day for her and so he stopped working on dinner and turned to her as she rinsed her lunch containers out to put in the dishwasher.

“You want a bath?” He inquired softly while reaching out to brush back her hair from her face.

Lucy nodded, “I may kill him tomorrow. If I commit murder, will you help me hide the body?”

“What body?” He asked while kissing her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Running a hand over her back, he nodded. “I just fed the twins and they’re down for a nap so you have at least a few hours to relax and decompress. After your bath we’ll put on some HGTV and let you cuddle up with Nox on the couch.”

“Thanks.”

Tim pulled her into his arms and held her, kissing her crown as he did. “Want me to invite him to the gym and kick his ass?”

“No.”

“Okay.” Kissing her head for a third time, he let her go. “I’ll go run your bath.”

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the bath but Lucy only left the water when it was too cool for her liking. Pulling the drain plug, she pushed off the side of the tub and stood up. A towel lay nearby and she instantly wrapped herself in the soft cotton. Curiosity got the better of her and she pulled the cotton away from her body to look at herself in the full body mirror that lay on the closet door. She ran her hand over her belly, it was covered in stretch marks and some of her skin was loose. Exercising and getting back into shape after the babies had helped strengthened the muscles and tighten the skin, even if her doctor said she needed time to heal.

“Luce, dinner is ready.” Tim knocked on the door as he spoke because it was closed. “Baby, can I come in?”

Swallowing her self-consciousness, she nodded despite him not seeing her. “Yeah.”

The door opened and Tim filled the doorway. “You okay?”

She shrugged and pulled the towel around her body. “Still trying to come to terms with my body. It took a long while to not feel self-conscious about my weight after I gained following Jackson’s death.” Glancing up at him, she asked a damning question. “You just saw me, so what’s your opinion?”

“Luce.” He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. “Baby, I didn’t start dating and marry you for your body. I knew your body would change after the twins. Having them present and loving them is some type of miracle. I know women give birth to babies every day but sometimes pregnancies don’t go smoothly. It’s because of that I find them a miracle and you having done something impossible.” Kissing her head, he ran his hand over her towel clad back. “I love you for you, Lucy Bradford.”

Nodding, she smiled at him. “I love you too.”

“Dinner is ready and I have House Hunters International paused.”

“You know me so well.” It was said around a smile.

He kissed her forehead before letting her go. “It’s my job.”

Sitting on the couch after dinner and some HGTV, Lucy found Tim rubbing her feet as she talked about her day. It had been rough and full of writing people up for small little things. Also, she was teaching procedure that should have been learned during the rookie year.

“…never had to teach someone how to properly secure a vehicle and where safe bathrooms are in the city. I had to steal his duty belt from a non-secure bathroom for him to understand why it can’t be used. I feel like I’m a T.O. training a rookie.”

Tim decided to think about what she was saying before speaking. “Do you think that’s why Grey has him riding with you? Perhaps he knows that Pacific didn’t train Scott properly.”

“Maybe, I’m not sure of anything regarding Pacific. If he wasn’t trained properly then there was falsification. His T.O. didn’t do what was required under the new LAPD training program.” Sighing, she continued. “I have issues with him because he feels pretentious. Yesterday we got into a tense conversation about something that happened at the academy. I nailed him with the fact I knew about what he did and he wasn’t happy about that.”

“What happened at the academy?”

Lucy shook her head. “I can’t say because you’d report it.”

“Luce, you can tell me. Whatever we talk about at home doesn’t leave the property.”

Locking eyes with him, Lucy bit the edge of her lip before speaking. “Do you know Instructor Edison?”

“I do, she taught Firearms Training.”

“He and Edison slept together at least once but I suspect it went on for a while.”

Tim took a breath. “Do you think he passed the course because of that?”

“I don’t know, but I hope not. I guess what I’m feeling is anger because he excelled or used his uncle as a steppingstone. Everyone else had to tread water the entire six months.”

“Okay.” He moved a fraction so her knees were in his lap instead of her feet. He spoke while rubbing her legs. “I know you find this whole situation tedious but it’ll be beneficial when you get into the T.O. Program. You’ll be ahead of everyone and in the end, you’ll be the star student.”

Lucy nodded as she soaked in what he was saying. “Any chance you could write down some Tim Test scenarios to use to train him?”

“I’ll make a list and email it to you so you have it in your phone.”

The baby monitor reminded them they had two four month olds. One of the twins started crying. “I’ll get her.” Lucy extracted herself from the couch and Tim.

“How do you know it’s Zoe?”

Seeing him confused, she decided to take pity on him. “I know their cries. I spent four months and that allowed me to learn which cry is which.”

Knocking on Grey’s door before shift had the man glancing up to see Tim standing in the doorway with Nox on his right side. The watch commander waved for him to come in and he did, closing the door after he and Nox were both inside the office. Taking a moment, Tim looked at Nox.

“Platz.” Nox laid down on the floor and put her head on her paws. With the dog taken care of, Tim looked to the man he looked up to. “Sorry sir.”

“A closed door has me a little concerned. Is everything okay with Lucy?”

Tim nodded. “Yes sir. I’m actually here to ask if Scott can ride with me today. Lucy mentioned that he’s got a lot to learn.”

“He does have a lot to learn. I called IA and they’re reviewing the paperwork regarding his training. From the outside we see he passed the rookie training program, but IA is finding that he didn’t pass about ninety percent of his training based on reviewing body cam, shop cams, and Pacific Division. What concerns the higher ups is that he shouldn’t have gotten into the T.O. program. They're contacting Thomas Milo to inform him he has the option to come back and redo the program due to extenuating circumstances. None of this is Officer Scott's fault because the paperwork regarding his training was signed by his T.O. and she is the one who will take the hit. It's looking like he's going to have to start back at square one except he'll remain a P2."

“Why put him with Lucy?”

Grey sat back and put the pen he had in hand on the desk. “Because she has the patience to teach him. She’s not in T.O. School yet, but she’s set to go in November. Another training officer will take over at that point so she's available to become a roving sergeant when she passes the test.” There was no doubt in either of their minds regarding Lucy passing the Sergeant's Exam. “I understand he puts her on edge, but that’s a common trait of rookies regarding their T.O.s.”

“Can I have him for today?”

“Go ahead, but report anything you see.”

Tim stood up and glanced at Nox. “Steh Nox, steh.” The dog stood up at the command. “Thank you, sir.”

Chapter Text

Lucy found herself surprised that Tim was sitting down in a chair at roll call as he usually was already out patrolling when it happened. Nox sat at his feet with her head on her paws, not bothering to pay attention to the cops entering the room. Her usual location was between Celina and Aaron, she touched Tim’s shoulder as she passed him and he smiled at her. Celina instantly engaged with Lucy once she was seated, asking about the barbeque she’d sent out notice on in the group text.

“Do we bring anything or do we give you guys money?”

Lucy shrugged, “still working on plans. Right now, all we have nailed down is the date.”

Celina nodded, “okay, I’ll be there for sure.”

“Your mom is welcome also.”

Upon the invitation, Celina grinned. “Thanks, she’ll like that.”

Aaron got into the conversation quickly. “So, just let me know if you need my organizer to set something up for you guys. New parents to twins, I can totally hook you up so you don’t have to do anything.”

“I think we can handle setting up a barbeque, but thanks for the offer.”

The man shrugged, “just let me know if you change your mind.”

“I will.” She looked around and saw Katie at the rookie table along with Thomas Milo. “Officer Milo is back.”

Aaron leaned back a fraction, “yep, definitely him. He washed out during Plain Clothes Day so why is he here?”

“I don’t know but Scott just noticed him.” Lucy stated as Scott entered the room, paused at seeing the rookie table before moving on to sit down.

Grey walked into the room with his clipboard and moved to the lectern. “Alright, settle down. Settle down people.” He looked at the room, “a few things to review before we get everyone on their way. Officer Milo has rejoined us after IA reviewed his Plain Clothes Day media. He has been cleared and will be continuing on in the Rookie Training Program. He’ll be working the front desk until his new T.O. arrives from Hollywood Division next Monday.” He looked down at the clipboard. “I want everyone to be aware that the list for the Sergeant’s Exam has been published. We have two of our very own taking the exam so be patient as they start running into desks or windows while studying. Officer Nguyen, I wish you luck and I expect a high score.”

Nguyen nodded, “yes sir. Top ten for sure.”

“Don’t bite off more than you can chew, son.”

Looking up at the room, Grey shook his head. “Officer Bradford, I see that you’re trying to one-up your husband by becoming the first officer to become both a Training Officer and a Sergeant not even five years out of the academy.”

“Yes sir.” Lucy couldn’t help the grin that crossed her face.

“She knows not being in the top five will have her back at the academy training course in the rain.” Tim stated firmly.

The watch commander merely looked at them both. “How you two have stayed together I will never know. If I threatened my wife with a training course in the rain, she’d have murdered me on the spot.”

“Oh I think a little motivation is a good thing.” Lucy stated, “he just didn’t know till this moment that he’d be running it with me.”

Laughter filled the room and Lucy looked back at Tim, who only pointed at the desk and turned his finger in a circle. It was meant to tell her to turn around and she did. Grey nodded while silently chuckling at their antics because sometimes the two were the laugh you needed. “Moving on, I’m still waiting for two more officers to sign up for the Halloween Playdrive. Remember if you have served in the last five years, you are exempt no exceptions. Hollis, Wheaton stop asking if you can participate because the answer is no. Going forward, all food in the fridge requires your name and the date you brought or bought it. Officer Jenkins and Ramiro mixed up their food containers and it ended in Jenkins being sent to the hospital due to an allergic reaction.” Tapping the lectern, he stood up straight. “Stay safe out there.”

Lucy made her way to Tim immediately despite the room breaking up. “What are you doing here? Usually you’re out on patrol.”

“I’m taking Scott for the day.” He rested his hands on the front of his duty belt. “Grey already cleared it.”

“Really?” Lucy asked around a smile. “If I didn’t love you before, I definitely do now. No cooking tonight; it’ll just be you and me and Top Chef with some sushi after we get the twins down.”

Tim smiled at her before waving his hand. “That’s not necessary.”

“Are you sure?” Lucy took a step forward. “Because we know what happened on sushi nights once upon a time. I was thinking we could start that tradition up again.” She ran her finger across the back of his hand before pulling back and shrugging. “But if you’ve changed your mind, fine by me.” She backed up and grinned as she saw him trying to control his facial features. “Got to go on patrol, you have a great day. Stay safe out there.”

“Real mature pulling that stunt.” He called after her.

“Uh huh.” The reply was thrown over her shoulder. “Totally serious about it too. Give me your answer by shift’s end.”

Tim found himself waiting patiently by the window for Scott and after looking at his watch for the fifth time, the man finally showed up. He was clearly looking for Lucy but she’d already left. Nox was sitting beside Tim’s right side, clearly just as patient as her handler. Listening to Scott inquired about Lucy to the supply clerk, he knew the man wasn’t prepared to be in a shop with anyone else.

“Officer Bradford left ten minutes ago.” Tim told the man and Scott turned to see him. “Due to the information that IA and Grey has clearly shared with you, he asked that I take you today. I’ll be assessing some necessary actions you are required to know. Be aware that Grey is expecting a report at the end of the day. From this moment on, everything is a test and I don’t give partial credit. You either pass or fail, never in-between.” He motioned to the supply clerk, “get the gear.”

Watching Scott gathering the war bags and rifles, Tim made note the clerk reminded him he had to sign the record log. That was strike one in Tim’s book. He joined Tim in the garage where they put the items in the back of the shop. Nox stayed at Tim’s right the whole time he observed Scott check the shop for damage and the front seats for anything abnormal. He even searched the kennel for anything harmful. Once complete, Scott looked to Tim.

“Shop is damage free and nothing is present that needs to be cataloged.”

Pressing the door release on his belt, Tim looked down at Nox. “Zwinger Nox, zwinger.” The dog jumped into the kennel immediately.

As they both got into the shop and the doors were shut, Tim observed from the driver’s seat how Scott reached for the radio first. “Seven-Adam-Fifteen to Control. Show us departing Mid-Wilshire, code four.”

“Control to Seven-Adam-Fifteen, acknowledged. Showing departure from Mid-Wilshire.”

Placing the radio down, Scott looked to Tim when the vehicle didn’t move. Tim reached out and took the radio from him. “K9 Nox to Control, show K9 unit taking Seven-Adam-Fifteen route for the day. Delayed departure for vehicle check.”

“Control to K9 Nox, departure delayed acknowledged.”

Tim dropped the radio and looked straight at Scott. “Want to tell me what five actions you’ve failed to enact in just the last ten minutes?”

“Sir?”

Tim ticked each answer with a finger. “You didn’t sign the supply log until prompted. You checked the vehicle but failed to check the war bags and weapons. You made a radio call before knowing what route you’ll be on or what call sign the vehicle is under. You didn’t turn on the interior shop cams. Finally, you’ve failed to log into the field computer. I know at least two of those you were reprimanded on two days ago. You want to fail this second chance at being an officer? You’re being given a chance that frankly you don’t deserve. You fail this second chance and you’re out of the LAPD with no recourse. I want your notepad and pen in your hands at all times.”

Scott pulled his pen and notepad out of his pocket. “Anything else?”

“Yeah, be prepared for a test by the end of shift and I’ve yet to decide what it will be.” Tim reached for his interior cameras and logged into the field computer. “Turn on your damn cameras before I make it two tests.”

The ride was silent for the first hour as Tim drove and honestly, he was missing Lucy’s early days incessant talking. At least then he’d have some form of distraction. As they reached the second hour of silence, Scott asked a question. “I’ll have a new training officer no doubt. Any idea who?”

“Yes and no. Officer Bradford will be your T.O. until November when she goes to the T.O. Program. They’ll bring in another training officer at that point.”

Scott looked over at him, “why not continue when she gets back?”

“Because she takes the Sergeant’s Exam in December and when she passes, she’ll become a roving Sergeant.”

“How are you sure she’ll pass?”

Tim squeezed the steering wheel not to go off on the guy. “Because she doesn’t do things by half. She’s the best I’ve ever trained and trust me, when she was assigned to me at first I couldn’t stand her. I had to teach her that the world is a scary place and that not everyone can be trusted. How she didn’t wash herself out is a question I still ask myself.”

“You think I can be as good as her?”

“No.”

Scott turned to him for a fraction. “Are you just saying that because she’s your wife?”

“No, I’m saying it because she’s the best I’ve ever trained.” He moved his hand as he spoke, punctuating at each ‘test’ he said. “I put her through test after test after test and when other people would have walked around, she ran towards the danger. Get through this next year and maybe you’ll become half the cop she’s become.”

“Okay.”

Silence stretched for another ten minutes before Tim reached beside him to slid the kennel door back a faction just big enough for his hand. He felt Nox laying down so he grabbed her vest handle and held it as he slammed on the breaks. “Where are we?”

“What?” Scott’s expression was bewilderment.

“I’m bleeding to death and you have to call for help. Where are you?”

Scott looked ahead and then did the same as Lucy had day one and pulled the belt back to look out the vehicle. “Um…”

Tim shut the kennel after letting Nox go. “Now I’m dead and it’s your fault. Get out.”

“Sir?”

“Get out and walk. You can get back in when you know where you are.” He just stared at the man. “Get out and walk.”

"Sir that's not protocol."

Tim pointed to the door. "You don't know what protocol is, that's why you're going through a year's worth of training once again. Get out and walk."

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the vehicle, closing the door. "How long?"

"Until you can find a location marker and tell me where you are. While you're walking, you can tell me the proper way to respond to scenarios. Get one wrong and you'll be studying all weekend."

Lunch was interesting because unlike years before, everyone sat together. The foot trucks were parked along the edge of a city park so Tim took time to reward Nox. Her favorite toy was a Kong on a rope and she’d speed after it was released from his hands. Lunch meant that he had to eat so he took the toy and held it. A kid was standing nearby and Tim smiled at him.

“Can I pet your dog?”

Tim knelt down beside Nox. “You can.”

The kid moved over and reached a hand towards Nox to pet the soft black fur. “What’s his name?”

“Her name is Nox, it’s Latin for ‘night’ and I think it’s the perfect name for her. What do you think?” Tim saw him nod, “what’s your name?”

“Elliot.”

Tim held out his hand, “well Elliot, my name is Tim.

Elliot shook his hand, “nice to meet you.”

“I see someone is enjoying that pretty face.” Tim looked up to see Lucy standing nearby with a smile on her face. “I mean, those puppy eyes would make anyone fall in love.”

Tim shook his head at her double entendre, “Officer Bradford, this is Elliot.”

“Hi there, I’m Lucy.” Lucy knelt down beside the three and Elliot shook her hand also. “She’s a pretty great dog, huh?”

“I wish I had a dog. My dad is allergic so we can’t have dogs, cats only.” Elliot continued to rub Nox’s back. “Do you have a dog?” It was directed towards Lucy.

Lucy nodded, “sort of. See, police officers who are part of the K9 team take their dogs home at the end of the night. They’re not pets, they’re working animals so we have to treat them a certain way. Sure, they’re great for cuddling on the couch but they leave in the morning and return at night. Since that’s so, the cuddles end when the sun rises.” Lucy reached out and scratched under Nox’s chin. “Nox takes up a whole couch cushion and loves having her belly rubbed. Sometimes I think she prefers belly rubs to her ball.”

“You live together?”

Tim pointed to Lucy, “she’s my wife, would be weird if we didn’t.”

“Cops can marry cops?” Elliot looked at them with a look of skepticism.

“Fun fact, he was my training officer.” Lucy told Elliot, “means he taught me how to be a cop. He was really mean too.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “I wasn’t mean.”

“You were mean.” Lucy smiled at the boy, “but he’s so much better now. He trained me and didn’t realize I was training him also.”

A woman called out the boy’s name. “Elliot, come on. We got to go if we’re going to make the aquarium.” She walked over and sighed, “I hope he wasn’t disturbing you officers. He’s like this with any dog he sees. I know he shouldn’t be touching a police dog and for that I apologize.”

Tim put up a hand as they both stood up. “He’s fine, we’re on a lunch break so Nox is taking a break too.  Have fun at the aquarium.”

“Thanks for letting me meet your dog.”

Once the two left, Lucy smiled at Tim while holding her duty belt. “So, how is training going?”

“I knocked him down a few pegs and did the whole ‘where are you’ scenario. Took him twice as long to find a location marker than you did.”

Lucy chuckled as they headed back towards the group. “How many mistakes has he made?”

“More than I’d like. Five before we even left Mid-Wilshire and another five before lunch. I dread after lunch.” Tim glanced at her, “so, about tonight…”

As he trailed off, Lucy looked to him. “What about tonight?”

“I’m not comfortable going that far yet.” He saw her open her mouth but stopped her. “No, hear me out before you start. You’re still struggling and while I love returning to tradition, I only want that when you’re ready. Not partially but completely.”

Lucy couldn’t help but nod. “Can we still have mini date? Dinner and TV?”

Nodding, he glanced at her. “Of course.”

“Can we get a bit crazy and have breakfast for dinner? Pancakes or French toast? Some amazing carb-filled meal that will make me just fall into a coma. After the morning I had responding to that woman on a ledge, I need some good food.”

“I’ll pick up the groceries.”

“Yeah, you will.” She grinned and fell into step with him as they neared the table, Nox right beside Tim’s right leg. “God, it must be so weird for Milo and Scott, especially since they were T.O. and rookie not even a few months ago.”

Tim sighed. “Technically with my four tens, I could use a fifth day for some overtime. I was going to suggest to Grey that once a week having him ride with me would be beneficial. You’re doing amazing handling him given the circumstances but I think he needs a dose of reality at least once a week.”

Lucy motioned to herself. “I give doses of reality.”

“Of course you do, but not in the way he needs it. Like with the military, he needs to be stripped down and built back up. Nepotism created an ego that he can’t get past so cold reality is necessary.”

“That’s fair.”

Sitting down with food, they listened as Nolan started telling them about Katie’s four-in-one crime collection for her required stats. It was praised and then Lucy talked about her down to the wire six-in-one.

“Wait, so you got the last requirement before you would have failed?” Milo was the one to ask.

Lucy nodded, “literally before the night ended, it was three minutes to midnight when I made the arrest. Let me tell you that I ugly cried when I got home that night. It was practically a miracle.” She motioned to Tim, “I was ready to throw in the towel and my training officer was not having it. Probably because it would have looked bad that two rookies washed out back to back. If you have three back to back, you can’t be a training officer anymore.”

“It wasn’t about me looking bad.” Lucy turned her head to look straight at him. It was enough that Tim backtracked. “Alright, maybe about a fraction of it was me looking bad.” Still receiving the stare that could destroy him, he shrugged. “Half of it was about me looking bad.”

Katie glanced at Nolan. “How many more stats do I have to meet?”

“About twenty but you’ve got weeks until the deadline.” Nolan glanced at Milo, “I can’t make any promises, but I’m going to try to rotate you guys. See if Grey will let me alternate days that way you both can get in the work you need to learn and prefect what you already are learning.”

Milo nodded, “thank you sir.”

Tim looked at Nox, “you ready to go girl?” The K9 just wagged her tail at his question. “Scott, let’s go.”

Lucy stood also. “Milo, let’s head out.”

Turning in war bags and rifles at the end of the day had Lucy narrowing her eyes when Tim walked in with Nox beside him. Scott looked halfway dead on his feet and she knew instantly what had happened. Tim had probably called one of his Cis and had Scott attempt to fight them, which meant Scott hadn’t learned where she had. She’d come out on top of Ghost Head, even without the complication of Isabel, but Scott looked like he’d have a black eye in the morning.

“Yikes.” Celina stated, “looks like he barely survived riding with Tim.”

Lucy nodded, “yeah, been there and it’s rough the first few days.”

Scott walked over with the war bags and rifles. “Your husband is insane.”

“Yeah, that’s the first few months of riding with him.” Lucy winced, “I’d say I’m sorry but I know in the end you’ll be better for it.”

Nolan’s eyes got wide. “Red alert, Grey’s office.”

Everyone looked towards Grey’s office to see Tim speaking to Grey and the fact he was pointing in their direction didn’t mean anything good. Grey stood up and put up his hands towards Tim before the K9 officer lowered his arm, folding them instead. Whatever the conversation was about seemed to blow over after a few minutes and both men shook hands. Grey even reached down to rub Nox’s head before leaving his office, Tim behind him.

“Officer Scott.” Grey shook his head at the sight of Scott as he came to stand near them. “Sergeant Bradford has managed to convince me you’re not a total waste.”

Scott looked at Tim while speaking to Grey. “Today was a test.” It was a statement not a question.

“Everything is a test, Officer Scott.” Tim told him despite folded arms. “As for today, you failed in every regard. That said, your ass is mine the first of the three days I’m off duty. I’m going to be pulling OT to get your ass in working order for your T.O. next month. Don’t make me regret it.” He also motioned to Lucy, “she’s also going to be testing you off my regime. If you survive, you might make a half-decent cop at the end of the next year.”

Grey nodded, “that work for the three of you? Good, hopefully by the end I’ll have three cops and not just two.

Once Grey walked away, Scott looked at Tim. “No offense sir, but you’re a pain in the ass.”

“My job, get used to it. Now go home and rest because tomorrow is going to hit you faster than a runaway train.” He motioned to Scott’s eye, “ice and heat, alternating fifteen minutes. Won’t help the color but it’ll make it go away faster.”

Nolan leaned into Lucy, “how close to your early days?”

“Near identical.”

As they all moved towards the locker room, Tim glanced at his wife. “You or me first?”

“Me today.” She glanced over her shoulder to see Celina speaking with Scott. “Who did you have him fight?”

“Hard Luck.” Tim told her, “he can’t block effectively in non-controlled settings, which has me concerned. Whatever Dornett had him doing wasn’t anything beyond what the academy taught him.”

Lucy nodded, “yeah, I’m noticing it. I’m guessing our mini date is going to be over Chinese and a training program schedule.”

“Guess so.”

“Sucks for us.” She told him reluctantly.

Tim shook his head a fraction. “Sucks for him, he’s got two training officers at the moment. No one can claim that fact. Even worse, both of them are named Bradford.”

“He heard stories about you and now he’s probably regretting that fact.”

“Blessing and a curse.”

Lucy smirked. “My blessing, his curse.”

Chapter Text

Lucy found herself driving a shop after she’d had a very tense conversation with Scott about his actions at an arrest not even twenty minutes beforehand. The shop was quiet but not empty because she was a professional, at least as much as she could be. Tim was doing his best to work with her in dealing with Scott but any improvement was miniscule at best. Now at that point, she wondered if she shouldn’t just go to Grey and tell him it wasn’t working.

She’d come back from the Training Officer Program to find the training officer that was supposed to show up to take Scott had backed out due to personal reasons. She’d been reassured it had to do with the officer’s home life, but it also meant she had to take on Scott. Between her and Nolan, they had three rookies being trained and Grey had been impressed by the rotation schedule the two had come up with. She’d take the day off previous to take the Sergeant’s Exam and hoped it would be a good day. Apparently, she couldn’t even get one day of calm.

“Ma’am.” At least he’d stopped calling her by her name by the end of the first week. “What can I do now?”

“Observe.” Lucy told him, “because right now that’s all I can trust you to do. I thought you could arrest a simple pickpocket but instead, I’m going to have a mountain of paperwork dealing with the situation you caused. I’m going to be going home late tonight and my children will be asleep when I step through the door. I’ve never questioned what it means to be a cop or what I’m capable of bringing to the force as a training officer.” She looked over at him, “today I finally have. If I can’t get it through your stubborn brain that to be a good cop is to listen to those around you about things they know better than you, why am I training you?”

“Seven-Adam-Seventeen suspicious person. Unknown male sitting in a tan sedan. Possible casing outside 1440 South Mansfield Avenue.”

Lucy picked up the radio. “Seven-Adam-Seventeen show us responding.”

By the time they arrived at the location, Lucy sounded the siren just enough to give the owner of vehicle notice they were cops. Scott looked at her, “so do I wait here?”

“No, you back me up while I approach.” She opened the door and stepped out.

“Yes ma’am.”

Lucy approached the car but paused at the edge of the car. “Let’s talk on the sidewalk, please. Nice and easy, open the door and get out of the vehicle with your hands in sight.”

The door opened and the man that got out made her roll her eyes and holster her gun. Scott backed her up by nearing her. “Everything alright, ma’am?”

Lucy held out her hand, “pass it over Rex, we went over this a few years ago and I thought we understood each other.”

“Now the Boot has one of her own.” He reached inside the vehicle and pulled out paperwork inside. “Don’t worry, this one is harmless.”

Taking the paperwork, she reviewed it. “White collar, here I only thought you’d aim for assault or higher.” She handed the paperwork back over.

“His bounty will make me enough to retire.” He nodded to her, “what’s Tim up to these days?”

“Fatherhood, marriage, the usual life for cops after a decade or more under the belt.”

Rex looked at Scott, “how’s this one as a training officer?”

Lucy glanced at Scott. “Do not answer that.” She looked back at Rex, “he’s on observation restriction at the moment. He’s not answering your questions and you sure aren’t asking him any. This is between you and me.”

“That so?” He scratched the side of his face. “You know you sound more like Tim the longer we talk. Except he allowed you to speak where this one is tight-lipped.”

Lucy nodded, “call the next one in or I'll block you from ever being able to collect a bounty in LAPD jurisdiction. Have a good day, Rex.” She turned around, “shop now before I find a reason to test you.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Once inside the shop, Lucy pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. She instantly heard Tim’s voice. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“You’re on speaker. You need to have a word with your buddy, Rex. Second time he hasn’t called in a bounty he’s tracking. You cut him a break last time but he’s going to probably call you soon and tell you how much of a hardass I am. I promised to block him from collecting in LAPD jurisdiction if he did it again.”

She heard a ping and knew it was on Tim’s side. “Yeah, he just texted me. Said I trained you too well and that I shouldn't have created another Tim Bradford. You didn’t by chance tell him I married you, did you?”

“Hell no, God knows where his brain would go given how Talia acted. Sure my name tag was right there but it wasn’t as if he was reading it.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

Lucy sighed, “he’ll do it again, you know that right?”

“I do.”

“Technically I could cite him for not notifying law enforcement as is required, but I know he’s an old colleague.”

Tim was quiet for a moment. “Yeah, I know. Thanks Luce.”

“See you later tonight. Love you.”

“Love you too.” The call ended and Lucy started the shop to pull away.

Tamara looked up when an older man stepped up close to the desk. His vest told her he was a bounty hunter, she’d seen them looking for people who jumped bail often as a homeless teen. She smiled at him, “welcome to Mid-Wilshire Division, how can I help you?”

“How old are you? Are you even a cop?”

“No, but I do work here.” Tamara stated, “what can I help you with?”

The man nodded, “I need to speak to Officer Bradford.”

“Officer Bradford or Sergeant Bradford?” Tamara needed clarification because the guy could mean either.

“Tim Bradford. Tell him Rex Donovan is here to see him, I’m retired LAPD.”

Tamara smiled at him. “Have a seat while I call to see if he’s available.”

Ten minutes passed before Tim showed up and put a hand on Tamara’s shoulder. “Where is he?”

“Sitting down.” She pointed and Tim followed her finger.

Leaving the desk, Tim headed over to Rex. “Rex?”

The man stood up and nodded to him. “Good to see you, Tim. Any chance we can talk?”

“I’m acting watch commander today and I have two meetings back to back in ten minutes.” He pulled a business card from his breast pocket and held it out. “Address is on the back; you’re invited to dinner.”

“Kid over there mentioned another Bradford, I thought Isabel was fired.”

Tim nodded, “she was. I remarried and our twins are seven months old. My wife is making her famous chicken marsala for dinner and trust me that it isn’t one to miss.”

Rex looked at the card. “Sure, why not. Beats fast food.”

“Alright, see you at seven.”

Lucy was making dinner while Tim tidied the house just enough to make it presentable for guests. She'd managed to get all the paperwork done with time to spare. The cops had learned that having babies allowed you a free pass at one’s house not looking like a furniture catalog. It was kept clean most days and they’d set up the Christmas tree two days before on Sunday. Tamara was on the floor with the twins, they’d chosen not to get a coffee table and stick with side tables so they had room on the floor to play with the twins. Nox was laying down with Zoe laying against her with a toy in hand.

The sound of the doorbell made Tim pause in his efforts to pick up the toys laying beyond the washable infant rug that covered the hardwood floor. “Tamara, pick these toys up.”

“Yeah.” She put down the soft blocks she had in hand and stood up to pick up the toys laying beyond the rug.

Tim walked to the front door and found Rex looking more put together than he’d had been that afternoon. “I see you cleaned yourself up.”

“Well, Lydia would have a fit if I was invited to dinner and looked like I’d been Code five for two days.” He stepped in as soon as the door was opened wider. “Nice house, much nicer than the other one.”

“Higher price tag too. We were able to negotiate down the price due to some of the work it needed. Fellow cop lives down the road and was a contractor before joining the force. He managed to find everything wrong to the point we could get it for half of asking price. After my dad died, my sister and I fixed up his house and sold it for a good price. I sold the other house and paid the mortgage. We had enough to buy this place straight out and still pay for some of the bigger renovation projects.”

Rex nodded as he looked around, “open concept, seems to be what everyone is going for now.” His eyes moved to Tamara and the twins, “wait, she was at the front desk.”

“Tamara works part-time at the Division since babysitting gigs are few right now due to the holiday season. She’s putting herself through college.”

“Don’t tell me she’s the wife.”

Tamara turned to look at him. “Gross, he’s pretty much my big brother.”

Theo started crawling over to Tim and he bent over to pick him up. “What are you doing? Huh?” He lifted Theo in the air and got a laugh as a response. “You’re just like your mother, full of laughter and sunshine.”

“Guess I should meet the missus.” Rex stated and Tim nodded.

“Lucy is in the kitchen around the corner.” He said as he headed towards the kitchen and Rex followed.

Lucy knelt by the bottom cabinet holding pots and pans. “Hey Babe, where is the deep pot I used last night?”

Tim knew exactly where it was because he’d cleaned up after dinner the night before. “Trade you Theo.”

She stood up as he walked around the counter and she took the baby boy. “I wish you hadn’t started crawling yet. Thank God your sister is taking her time or I’d lose my mind.” She kissed the boy’s cheek as she watched Tim pulled the pot expertly from the back of the cabinet. “Thanks.”

He took their son back from her. “I’ll take him since you’re heating oil.”

“Hence the pot instead of the pan.” She looked up at Rex and smiled. “Can I get you anything? We have beer, wine, and a thousand other things.”

Tamara put her hand up. “I’ll take wine.”

“You’re not old enough to drink.” Tim stated from his spot at the edge of the kitchen.

“Technically I can if I’m in the house.” She tried to reason.

He glanced her way, “no.”

“Fine.” She stood up and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to pull out a soda. “Should have figured you’d take exterior laws and apply them internally.”

Rex pointed to Lucy, “you seem familiar but I’m having trouble placing you.”

“Considering I promised to block you from being able to collect a bounty in LAPD jurisdiction if you fail to call in your next bounty, I’d hope I’m familiar.” She pulled open the pantry to remove the bin of flour. “I still will too. I didn’t cite you as a favor to Tim, but next time you won’t be so lucky.” She said as she scooped two cups of flour into a deep bowl.

The man looked to Tim to see him speaking softly to the baby in his arms. “You married your rookie?”

“She hasn’t been my rookie for a long time. Lucy is a training officer and yesterday she took the Sergeant’s Exam. She took and passed the Detective’s exam but there were factors as to why she turned down the position.” Tim looked to his friend. “She’s also acting sergeant when Grey or I are unavailable. When her score comes back, she’ll probably take my place as in-house sergeant since I’m technically covering three positions at the moment.” A smile crossed his face when he looked over at Lucy. “All at five years post-academy graduation.”

Rex actually looked at her impressed. “You’re an overachiever.”

“On a good day.” Lucy started breading the flayed chicken in flour. “I’m the only one who has ever done what I’ve done. Sergeant Grey likes to say I do it just to one-up Tim. I mean, I graduated the DEA Covert Ops Program also, but due to three documentaries I’ve taken part in on behalf of the division, IA and HR have said it’s too risky for me to become a UC like I originally planned.”

Tim chuckled, “I’m still serious about you running the academy training course in the rain if you don’t make top five.”

“And you’ll be running it with me.” Lucy looked up at him, “and you know you can’t talk your way out of it. You kind of gave up your right at ordering me around when you married me. I mean, dating me it was possible when we’re working together. Marriage pretty much made it impossible without putting your life on the line.”

“I am aware.” He told her as he shifted Theo to his opposite hip. “I also know to keep my mouth shut when you hit hurricane status.”

Lucy smirked at him. “Oh you’re guilty of opening your mouth.” She walked to him and took Theo, “go visit with your friend and allow me to cook.”

Chapter Text

Lucy woke to fingers brushing her cheek as her hair was brushed aside. Groaning, she opened her eyes to see Tim sitting beside her in bed. His eyes were full of love and adoration, a bit of awe was mixed in also. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face because the date was their second anniversary. Two years together after him asking her out in the Watch Commander’s office. Two years of memories and happiness and the start of forever. Yawning made her cover her mouth before stretching.

“Good morning.” Tim was clearly wide-awake.

“Morning.” Lucy glanced at the clock on her nightstand. “You’re usually gone by now.”

He nodded as she sat up in bed, holding out a cup of coffee for her. “It’s our second anniversary so I thought I’d take care of the twins and let you sleep. Besides, I have Scott today so heading in for patrol means I’m on your schedule not my usual one.”

“Second anniversary, has it been that long since you asked me out?”

“It has and I have to confess something.”

Lucy looked up from her coffee. “What haven’t you told me?”

“I fall more in love with you each day.” Reaching out, Tim pushed her hair behind her ear. “Fifty years won’t be enough time with you. I feel like even a hundred years would be too little time.”

“Yeah, I feel the same.” Lucy smiled at him. “I never told you but I almost went to Grey and requested a new T.O. at one point. I’m glad I didn’t because I became someone you could trust and rely on without judgement. If I had, I doubt we’d be here today.”

Tim reached for her hand. “I think we’d be here but the journey would have been different. I know that absolutely because there isn’t a world where I don’t fall in love with you.”  

“You’re such a sap.”

“Maybe, but that’s between us.” He leaned in and kissed her. “I love you.”

Lucy pulled away as air was needed and smiled sweetly at him. “I love you too.”

Tim Bradford found himself driving a division route with Nox in her kennel and Greg Scott beside him. Due to the day he felt like being laid back in the regard he wasn’t going to give the man any tests. Scott kept looking his way but he didn’t pay him no mind, as silence was a good method of keeping rookies on edge and alert. Scott would keep thinking there would be tests or lessons despite none coming. The man had learned that he would be tested daily but the really big tests came on the day Tim had him.

“Control to K9 Nox, domestic disturbance at 1600 Meadowbrook Avenue. Neighbor stated that the couple were having a physical altercation in the back alley but went inside. Claims there was something that sounded like weapon discharge but can’t be sure.”

Tim picked up the radio. “Show us responding. Code 2-High. Have the nearest unit meet us at the location.”

“Seven-Adam-Sixteen is closest unit and has been notified to meet you at location. Be advised I had to explain why a K9 unit was responding to a domestic disturbance.”

Chuckling sarcastically under his breath, he asked the most important question in the exchange. “Who are the responding officers?”

“That would be Officers Brown and Lin.”

“What is the second closest unit?” Tim waited for the response. “Not to be picky regarding units but if they’re asking why a K9 unit is responding to a domestic disturbance, they need to realize that wasn’t the most important aspect in the whole exchange.”

Control came back with the answer to his question. “Seven-Adam-Thirteen, Officers Nolan and Barnes.”

Tim felt like that was the best choice. “Have both respond and if the Watch Commander has questions, I’ll answer them.”

“Request acknowledged.”

Dropping the radio down where it belonged, he reached for the lights to turn them on. “You checked off a domestic disturbance with Officer Bradford yet?”

“No sir.”

“Good, this is an ideal time to access your listening and observation skills. What’s the first thing we’re going to do first?”

Scott was quiet while thinking. “Observe the property and what is visible and not. We’ll approach and knock, question the occupants framed in a way that makes them think it’s about a noise complaint.”

“Not exactly how I’d go about it, but it’s a good tactic.” Tim nodded as he spoke. “You’re not leading but we’ll use your method for now.”

“Sir, can I ask what is probably a stupid question?”

Glancing at the man, Tim focused back on the road. “What the hell, sure.”

“Why do you call your wife ‘Officer Bradford’ instead of her name?”

“Professionalism. Just because you know who she is doesn’t mean I’m going to be casual with you. She’s your training officer and that means professionalism is required.”

Knocking on the door to the residence in question, the door opened to a large muscled Hispanic male. “What the fuck.” He looked back into the house towards the woman in the room. “You called the cops, bitch?”

“Sir, we were called by your neighbor.” Tim told him, “they called regarding the loud argument you were having. According to city policies, loud fighting or argument and potential weapon-like sounds meets the requirements for noise disturbance. I’m just here to inform you of the noise level and to check on the occupants of the house.”

“We’re fine.”

Tim motioned to the woman inside. “Sir, I’ll need all the occupants to verify they’re doing well themselves. I see the young woman with you, are there any more people inside the house?”

“None.” He looked at the woman. “Get over here and speak to the officer.”

The woman made her way to the door and Tim noticed her wrists had bruises and there was a large bruise on her collarbone. “Ma’am, are you alright? Do you feel safe?”

“We’re fine.” She told him, “we just got into an argument over me losing my job.”

“Alright, then we’ll be on our way.” Tim told them. “I apologize for disrupting your day. Just do mind the volume level, that’s all we ask.”

The man ushered the woman inside. “Who called in the complaint?”

“Sir, I have no way of knowing that information. Dispatched directed us to the location with limited information.”

“Probably that bitch across the alley, always sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Scott nodded to him. “Have a good day, sir.”

As they neared the shop, Tim spoke softly. “Did you notice anything about either?”

“No sir, not besides the man being controlling.”

“The lady had bruises on her arms and chest. We’re waiting for the additional units but that man is being arrested. Domestic disturbance is a mandatory arrest so one of them is getting arrested.”

The sound of weapons being discharged made both look around while grabbing their own. “Sounds like its behind us.”

“Back alley.” Tim pressed the button on his belt and the door to the shop opened, Nox jumping out. He slammed the door shut before running with Scott behind him, Nox keeping to his side.

Getting around to the back alley, they slowed their approach and found it empty. Another weapons discharge followed the ones from previous and as they walked slowly towards the sound, Nox switched from his right side to between his legs. Tim and Scott both watched as the man from earlier walked through the back fence of the house opposite of his. The shotgun in his hand was enough that Tim knew they should have brought their own that was located in the trunk of the shop.

“Drop the shotgun and keep hands in the air.” Tim yelled and the man startled at seeing them.

“Do it.” Scott followed up, “drop the weapon and kick it towards us.” The man raised the gun and before either could fire, they were fired on.

“Fass!” The command from Tim had Nox charging at the man, jumping up to bite his arm so the gun fell away. Scott fired into the man’s shoulder at the same time Tim commanded Nox, so the man’s arm was bit despite having been shot in the shoulder. "Aus." Nox moved away at the command, softer than usual.

Scott looked to Tim as he moved to handcuff the man only to see his training officer fall down. It was at that moment that a shop came into the alley and Nox abandoned her prey for her handler, licking his face with no response. Reaching for his radio, he called into it. “This is K9 Nox. Officer down. Shots fired and suspect apprehended. Send RA to my location, officer down.”

The sound of slamming doors and running made Scott look up to see Nolan and Katie rushing over. The older of the cops bent down next to Tim and press his fingers to his neck. “He’s got a pulse, call an RA immediately.”

“I did.” Scott told him.

Nolan unhooked Tim’s duty belt and unbuttoned his shirt to see the vest riddled with buckshot. He looked and felt around to see bleeding at the edge of the vest, bleeding that was growing. “Katie, get me the first aid kit in the back of the shop. Greg put that suspect in my shop now.” He tore the Velcro straps holding Tim’s vest to his chest and pushed it back to blood stains on the edge of the where the vest had sat on both sides and at the edge of the armhole. Pulling the undershirt up as Katie came running over, he saw several wounds from buckshot. “I need something to plug the wounds. Gauze or wound packing, something.”

Katie opened the first aid kit and searched through, opening the pack of wound packing. “Packing, here.”

“Thanks.” Nolan stuffed pieces of the material into the multiple wounds.

The sound of sirens was heard and they knew it was a RA on the way. The sound of Tim’s name made Nolan look up to see Lucy running from her shop that was parked behind not one but two other shops. She fell to the ground beside the two and Tim. “What happened?” Lucy locked on to Scott, “what happened?”

“Suspect had a weapon and we were telling him to put it down but he fired on us. The K9 was given the command to attack while I fired also. I didn’t think anything was wrong until I turned to see him falling. It didn’t seem like he was hit at first.”

Nolan glanced up at Lucy, “I’ve packed the wounds, we just need to wait for the RA.”

“They’re here.” Katie stated and Lucy looked reached out to grab Nox as the dog licked Tim’s face repeatedly.

“Platz.” Lucy told the dog despite knowing the command would probably not be followed from her. To her surprise Nox laid down on top of Tim’s legs, whimpering as she did and licked his hand.

The RA pulled up behind the various shops and within seconds they were over with bags and a backboard. Lucy glanced up to see it was Bailey but also Emmett, she’d known he’d moved to the 113 due to his engine reshuffling after a change in captains. She only knew because Bailey had mentioned getting two new EMTs and after finding out their names, she’d asked her friend not to mention her. Bad break-up over text being the reason and Bailey had fumed after learning about that.

“Forty-two year old male, multiple buckshot in chest.” Nolan told his wife, “I packed the wound but he lost consciousness and fell. Could have injured his head.”

Bailey nodded, “you did good John.” She check the packing, “wound packing is holding so we’re going to take vitals in the rig. Let’s get a C-collar on him and get him on the backboard. Call Shaw and let them know we have an officer incoming after a shooting.”

Emmett looked at Nox, “dog needs to move. Come on buddy, off of him.” He grabbed the dog’s vest and got snarled at, causing him to back away quickly.

“Nein.” Lucy told Nox and stood, pulling Nox off of Tim by tugging on her vest. “Platz.” Nox laid down at her feet but reached her head out to lick Tim’s hand. Despite the situation, Lucy found it strange that Nox was following her commands as she’d been told that the handler’s commands were the only ones that would be followed. She suspected it had to be that Nox was around her all the time and probably knew her connection to Tim.

They got Tim onto a backboard and took him to the rig, Lucy following behind them. She handed her shop keys off to Nolan as she passed him and he put a hand on her arm. Nox was right beside her, having moved when she did. Once Tim was strapped onto the gurney in the rig, she climbed on and Nox with her. Emmett looked up at her, “Lucy, the dog can’t come.”

“Not my call. Until Metro-K9 come to take Nox, she stays with her handler.” Lucy spoke as Nox jumped onto the gurney and laid between Tim’s legs. “Just don’t touch her vest.”

Bailey closed the rig doors before walking around to climb inside the driver’s side. “Shaw Memorial, this is Engine 113 RA inbound. LAPD officer with gunshots to the abdomen. ETA is ten minutes.” Lucy heard her speak into the radio before pulling the rig away from the scene.

Lucy watched as Emmett put an IV in Tim’s arm and hung a bag of fluid up before checking his vitals. She knew his vitals weren’t his normal but they weren’t to a point that would be dangerous to his health at that current moment. She was looking at everything Emmett was doing and her limited first aid class at the academy told her he was doing everything right. That helped keep her thoughts from going a million miles into worst-case scenarios. That was until he seized and she watched helplessly as her husband looked a billion times worse than he had that morning waking her.

“Seizure.” Emmett yelled so Bailey would know. He glanced at Lucy as he started pushing medication. “I’m giving him Midazolam 10mg to aid in stopping the seizure since we don’t know if he hit his head.”

She watched the seizure stop and took Tim’s hand, leaning close to him. “Tim Bradford, I know you can hear me. You’re not doing this to me, not today. I need you to fight because Zoe and Theo need their dad and I need my husband. You’ve given me only two years and you promised me fifty. So you better fight or hurricane status will be the least of your worries when you wake up.” She reached up with her free hand and wiped away the tears that seemed to appear in her eyes.

The sound of familiar beeping made Tim aware he was in a hospital as he woke up. Opening his eyes, he found Lucy sitting beside him. She had her phone in one hand and his hand in her other. Pain in his chest alerted him to the fact he had indeed been shot by their suspect. He wondered about Nox, had the man shot his dog also? It was a fear that wouldn’t go away until he was told whether she made it. Realizing what day it was, he knew Lucy would hate that today was the day that he’d be shot on.

“Luce?” He spoke softly because he didn’t think he could speak louder.

Her head shot up and over to him. “Tim, you’re awake.” She pressed the button on the bed to call on the nurse. “You had me so worried.”

“I was shot.”

She smiled as she watched him. “Yeah, again.”

“Where is Nox? Did she make it?”

Lucy rubbed his arm, “she’s fine, she’s laying at my feet. I lied and told Emmett and Bailey that until Metro-K9 picked her up, she had to stay with you. She nearly took Emmett’s hand when he grabbed her vest.”

“Why would she do that?” He had never known his K9 to go after someone except when at work and only at his command.

“Because she was laying on your legs and he tried to move her. It took me giving the commands for her to move and I’m shocked they actually worked.”

Tim squeezed her hand. “She shouldn’t be accepting commands from you but I suspect it has to do with the fact she sees you every day at work in some aspect.” He raised a hand to his head, “my head is pounding.”

“You hit your head falling down so you have a concussion on top of the wounds from the buckshot. The good news is that a lot of the damage was superficial so they’ll probably discharge you tomorrow.”

A nurse came in the room after knocking on the door. “I see someone is awake. How are you feeling?”

“Head is pounding.”

“We’ll get you something for that headache, but that’s due to a concussion you sustained. The doctor will be by sometime soon as he’s making rounds. You can ask him questions yourself or your wife can. Although considering she interrogated the ER physician, she probably knows what is going on with you. The transporting nurse told me she did some verbal damage when your K9 was nearly barred from staying with her.”

He thought to laugh under his breath but knew he’d regret it. “I apologize for her.”

“I just wish my husband would be as dedicated to me.” The woman moved around the bed to start taking vitals. “Had appendicitis last year and he didn’t even ask a single question.” She looked at her watch as she took his pulse. “You got a good one there.”

Tim glanced over at Lucy to see her watching the exchange. “I know I do; I don’t know what I’d do without her.”

“Still be a hardass cop.” Lucy told him and leaned over to kiss his hand. “No concept of fun or happiness.”

“Did someone pick the twins up from daycare? I was due to pick them up since it’s just my training day.”

Lucy nodded as his blood pressure was taken, “Nolan and Bailey have them. I told them they are more than welcome to crash in the guest room once they get them down. Tamara is on her way or so her text stated an hour ago.”

The nurse started writing down his vitals on her clipboard. “I’ll leave you two. Just press the call light if you need anything. I’ll bring you some coffee.” She spoke to Lucy, “gonna need it for a bedside vigil.”

“Thank you.” She told the nurse as the woman left the room.

After a few moments he spoke to her. “Some anniversary.”

“Not how we planned to spend it but I’ll take a hospital room over the alternative. When you seized enroute, I may have told you that if you didn’t fight then hurricane status would be the least of your worries.”

“Must have listened to you.” He squeezed her hand.

Lucy smiled at his comment. “Must have. Since you’re going to be out for a while healing, I’ll be pulling some OT to make up for the difference in pay. You make twice as me and with the twins’ daycare cost and regular bills, we can’t afford for me not to work OT.”

“I have three months of full time paid sick leave so we’ll be alright. If I’m still recovering at two months we’ll talk again. Remember I have a decade of service so I have benefits you’ve yet to even see or think of.”

“Okay.” Lucy squeezed his hand, “but I already talked to Grey and I’ll be taking the rest of this week and next week. I want to be able to help with things around the house during your initial recovery. Doctor appointments also.”

Tim took a shallow breath because it hurt to breath deeply. “I love you, Luce.”

“I love you too. I was a few blocks away when I heard Scott say an officer was down. I don’t even remember how I got there but I ran from the shop to where Nolan had you flat, packing wounds as they waited for the RA. I had to focus to not go down the worst-case scenario route because I would have. Taking control of Nox was one of the ways I did so.”

“Nox?” His calling of her name made Nox stand and jump up on the bed. She laid between Tim’s legs and put her head on his hip. “Hey girl.” He rubbed her head and sighed, “the hospital is going to have a fit if they find her like this.”

Lucy chuckled, “I already called Pine and had her talk to the charge nurse about having her here. The ER doctor got a lecture from me and then a call from Pine. Technically another handler is supposed to come pick her up but Pine felt that if she’s taking my commands, I’m a better handler then one she could send. That was an off the record statement since I’m not a K9 handler and she isn’t supposed to be taking my commands.”

“Pine is one of those cops that walks the line between policy and common sense. Something like this is one of those common-sense issues.”

“I have good news for you. My first call had me going back to exchange shops and Grey caught me. Guess who placed fifth out of a hundred and fifty candidates?”

Tim smiled, “I had no doubt you’d make the top five.”

“When I get back from being off, Grey is going to be pinning my shield on me. Scott will go to the incoming T.O. they’re pulling in from Rampart Division and I’ll be the new roving sergeant. I’ve already told Grey that I want Celina as a go-fer and he says that she’s a great choice.”

“I have no doubt you two will serve the city well.”

Lucy put up a finger, “the one problem we have is that we will both be Sergeant Bradford. Grey said he’s going to have to come up with some way to differentiate us. I’m sure it’ll be interesting to discover what he’s come up with.”

“No doubt.”

Chapter Text

Lucy found herself walking across the sand on the beach with Celina towards the lifeguard tower that had called dispatch. Another body washed up on the beach and Lucy found herself filing the case away as another ‘I was right’ comment from Tim when they spoke after work. He was finally back at work after two months and she was thankful because he’d been going stir crazy. He’d sorted through the twins’ toys and clothes along with his own before taking time to go through the remaining boxes in the spare room that they hadn’t unpacked yet.

“Oh I forgot to ask, how’s it now that Tim is back to work?” Celina inquired as they walked the sand.

“He went a bit stir crazy so I’m so thankful he and Nox are taking the day for some talks at the academy. I remember my K9 day at the academy and the worst part was we couldn’t touch them.”

Celina nodded and motioned to herself. “Mine too. One of the girls asked and the instructor asked if she knew the difference between a pet and a working dog. Made us do extra pushups when she couldn’t and everyone hated her.”

“Even you?” Lucy found herself amused.

“I didn’t hate her, I was just tired of pushups. Instructor Kraven loved to punish by giving everyone pushups for a person’s screw up.”

“Lucy?”

Her name being called made Lucy look up to see the lifeguard was Ashley. She’d never forgotten Tim had dated a lifeguard; it was just their lives had changed so much that she forgot how short a time span their lives had changed. Doing the quick calculation, she realized the time between Tim breaking up with Ashley and her breaking up with Chris had only been a few weeks. They’d been together two years and it had only been weeks before the moment in the watch commander’s office that they’d both dated other people.

“Ashely, hi.” She put her hand up to shield her eyes from the sun. “How are you?”

The woman nodded, “good, I’m good. How are you?”

Celina held out her hand and Ashley shook her hand. “I’m Officer Celina Juarez.”

“Ashley McGrady, Lifeguard.”

“How do you know each other?” Celina asked motioning between them, “was it college or friendship that just fizzled out?”

Lucy motioned a hand to Ashley, “Ashley dated Tim at one point.”

“Really?” Celina grinned, “was she the last girlfriend or the second to last? I get that confused.”

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Lucy shook her head before looking at Ashley. “You mentioned a body.”

“Yes, I did. It’s right over here.” She motioned up to her lifeguard tower. “Reese and I were opening the tower for the day and when we got inside, we found a body.” They started the climb up the ramp. “The way it looks I think he were just looking for warmth in the winter night. Either way, I have to call it in.”

Lucy knelt down beside the body and checked for a pulse on the older gentleman. “Body’s cool, we’re going to have to call for the Medical Examiner and CID.” Standing, she glanced at Ashley and the other lifeguard as they stood nearby. “This lifeguard tower will be down for the day. I assume you have an alternative.”

Reese, the male lifeguard, nodded. “It’ll double the work but the neighboring towers can do the job.”

“Good. Which tower is this?” Lucy asked and motioned to Celina, who pulled her radio from her belt.

“Twenty.” Ashley provided.

Celina held the radio to her face. “Control this is Seven-Adam-Eleven, I need the Medical Examiner and CID to Lifeguard Tower Twenty. I have a male DB upon arrival. Code 2.”

She waited and the radio replied. “Copy Seven-Adam-Eleven. Show ME and CID enroute. Seven-Adam-Twelve’s ETA is nine minutes.”

Celina put the radio back on her belt and saw Lucy filling in the response form they needed for each call they responded to. “Officers Smith and Milo will be here within nine minutes. They’ll wait with you until the medical examiner and criminal unit arrive. If one of you can sign this so I can file it. The form basically says that we came, we assessed, and we have a unit and required services on the way.” Lucy held out the form for them to sign as she spoke.

It was Reese who took the form and signed his name. “Do we wait here?”

“No, you’ll wait outside the tower.” Lucy informed him upon taking the form back and pocketing her pen. “Mid-Wilshire has only five roving sergeants so I have to get back out to assist in covering the entire division.” Her phone rang and she looked at it upon pulling it from her pocket. It was Grey. “Excuse me, I have to take this. Officer Juarez will cover any last minute questions you have.”

Ashley let her pass out of the doorway. “Lucy became a sergeant, Tim must be thrilled.”

Celina nodded. “He is or so I think. Lucy made sergeant while he was out recovering from being shot so who knows what he thinks.”

“He was shot?” The blonde looked concerned, “again?”

“Yes, but it was a total unexpected. According to Supply, his vest was worn at the spots that the pellets hit so it was deemed freak accident.” She grinned, “so, are you the second to last or the last ex?”

“I don’t know. We broke up just over two years ago.”

Celina did the mental math based on known data. “The last. I only say ‘last’ because he started dating his now wife just over two years ago.”

“Wow.” Ashley stated. “That was quick.”

Lucy’s voice was heard from outside. “Celina?”

Celina moved out of the tower and to the edge of the balcony. “Yes ma’am?”

“We need to go.” Lucy stated while holding her phone to her shoulder. “I got a tense Metro situation off Pico that I need to respond to.”

A thumbs up was given as Lucy went back to the phone call. The Hispanic cop made her way down with Reese and Ashley and found Lucy hanging up her phone. Ashley smiled at her as the two women were bound to leave. “It was great seeing you again Lucy.”

“You too.”

Lucy found herself standing inside the Metro Unit trailer beside Pine and the K9 units. The three officers and their K9s would be used to herd and corner the subject of the search. Three blocks had been cordoned off and patrol officers were on the streets and back alleys to make sure their search subject couldn’t get away. Considering the man had injured an officer, no leniency would be given.

“Alright, I want K9 units at all cardinal directions of this 1400 block. K9s Justice and Lincoln will take the north and south while Nox and Apollo will take east and west.” Pine pointed to locations on the map hanging up on the nearby board. “Patrol Sergeant Bradford has positioned pairs at every corner and an airship will be arriving overhead within the next five minutes. Our goal is flushing this guy out and we will use muzzle discipline. We aren’t giving him a reason to get shot because he will answer for injuring Officer Paxton.”

A hand went up, one of the newer officers that had joined Metro a month before. “Ma’am, I’m confused. Is Sergeant Bradford not a K9 officer?”

Chuckles fill the trailer despite the seriousness of the situation. It was Pine’s second-in-command that put a hand on the man’s shoulder and turned him a fraction before pointing to Lucy. “She said Patrol Sergeant Bradford, not K9 Sergeant Bradford. That’s his wife, idiot.”

“Oh.”

“Go easy on Maxwell, the confusion gets to everyone until pointed out.” Pine told the man. “We got assignments so let’s go catch this bastard. Come back alive.”

“Come back alive.” It was spoken by all of the Metro officers and Lucy realized it was the Metro equivalent to Patrol’s ‘Stay Safe Out There’ motto.

Lucy caught Tim’s arm before he could leave the trailer and looked straight at him. “No heroics, you get injured and I kill you. You die and I have Angela’s grandmother resurrect you so I can be the one to kill you. We understand?”

“Understood.” He put a hand to the back of her head and kissed her forehead. As he pulled back from her, Tim met her eyes. “Same goes for you.”

“She’ll be in good company.” Pine stated from her spot at the desk holding computers and monitors for surveillance of the situation.

Tim found himself at the edge of a building with Nox standing between his legs, his weapon aimed at the alley. He could see his fellow K9 officer at the end of the alley with his K9 between his legs. It meant they were correct on the suspect’s locale and so he put a hand to the radio on the strap of his vest. “Jones, I see you and Apollo at the end of the alley. Which of us is making the move?”

His radio came to life. “Considering you were out of commission for two months, I’ll take the chance this time. We’ll start boxing at the count of three.”

A second later, Tim spoke. “Three. Two. One.”

They both started moving in towards the center of the alley. Jones was the one to speak out loud as K9 Apollo barked and laid down next to a dumpster. “To our suspect in the dumpster, come out with your hands up. We know you’re in the dumpster, our K9 has alerted to your location. You cannot get away and we will wait you out. To make this easier on yourself, we advise that you give up.”

Tim watched as the man in the dumpster started firing a semi-auto over the side of the dumpster. Jones hit the ground and pulled Apollo with him, speaking as he did. “Platz.”

Looking at the alley and buildings, Tim spotted the roof and reached for his radio. “Patrol Sergeant Bradford?”

Hearing his wife through the radio, he listened to her reply. “Go for Bradford.”

“Skyfall and Bower, you good?”

“Skyfall and Bower, copy.”

Waiting patiently, Pine came on the radio likely due to Lucy leaving the trailer in a spare of Metro’s tactical vest. “What the hell are you planning, Bradford? That question is addressed to both of you if I’m being honest.”

Tim pressed his radio. “Trust us if you want Jones and Apollo no longer pinned to the ground.”

Repeated gunfire just echoed what they were trying to prevent. Finally after a few seconds, Pine came back on the radio. “Very well.”

Lucy’s voice flooded his radio once again. “I’m in position.”

“On three.” Tim moved to the edge of the building and raised his weapon. “One. Two. Three.”

“Put the weapon down.” Tim yelled out to him, “you’re surrounded.”

“Weapon down now.” Lucy’s voice was high also, clearly the man was unprepared for being cornered from the side and above his head. “Throw the weapon over the side of the dumpster and stand up, hands in the air.”

Tim moved in with his weapon raised, Nox moving to the outside of his right leg as he did. Jones stood up and kicked the throw weapon far enough away. He pulled his cuffs and held them as Tim helped him get the suspect over the side of the dumpster, Lucy had her weapon trained on the suspect the entire time. As he cuffed the man, Jones looked at Tim with humor in his eyes. “Quite a team you two are. Too bad none of us met her before you did.”

“You couldn’t handle her.” Tim stated and looked up to Lucy. “What do you want, applause? Get down here.”

“Yes sir.” Lucy made her way away from the edge of the roof, a grin on her face as she realized he was using the same question and statement from a similar capture during her rookie days. Instead of a roof, she’d scaled a trailer truck in place of Tim due to his premature return from being shot.

“She call you ‘sir’ all the time?”

Tim looked at his friend and colleague, “shut up.”

It was late at night as Tim finished locking up the house, Tamara was out with Celina, Katie, and Aaron with plans to crash at Aaron’s place that night. Soft singing made him pause on his way to the master bedroom and divert to the other side of the house. He found Lucy in the nursery standing in front of Theo’s crib, the ten month old in her arms as she swayed with him. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched his wife sing their son to sleep like she had Zoe not even thirty minutes before.

Seeing Lucy standing in sweats and an oversized shirt with her hair around her shoulders, Tim found himself thankful she was his. She annoyed him to no end as a rookie but slowly she’d wormed her way past his defenses until he realized resisting her was futile. Having had two female rookies before her, he honestly could say it wasn’t her gender or her beauty that attracted him, but instead her heart. Neither of the two before had made him drop his guard or gotten away with so much where she had. Officer Leon had washed out on Plain Clothes Day and Officer Morgan was a patrol officer in Olympic Division. Lucy was the best he’d ever trained and his best friend.

“You’re thinking so loud I can hear you.” She spoke as she laid their son in his crib on his back.

“Just thinking about how much I love seeing you sing our children to sleep.” He took the door handle and held it as she moved past him into the hall. With the baby monitor in hand and door shut until it was only two inches open, Tim joined her on the walk to the master bedroom.

Lucy found herself engulfed in his arms just mere feet from their bedroom door. “There was something more on your mind other than watching me sing the twins to sleep.”

“Just thinking about you, that’s all. I remember I couldn’t stand you when you got assigned to me and before I knew it, you were past my defenses and an important part of my life.”

“If you could see today on that first day, you’d have lost your mind.”

Tim leaned down and kissed her. “Probably, but I wouldn’t trade a moment with you.”

Pulling back the covers to their bed, Tim looked up when Lucy left the master bath running her hands through her hair. Fresh from a shower, she sat on the bed and pulled her flannel pants up one leg to rub lotion into the skin. “So, I was thinking about something Angela said. She mentioned having dinner with her former rookies, at least the ones that made it. Maybe we should do the same, have them for a barbeque or dinner.”

“Considering we still haven’t had the barbeque we planned to host to have guests to hold your mother back, it’s pointless. Besides,” he crawled into bed, “I don’t want my former rookies sniffing around my life.”

“I sniff around your life.” It was stated with a grin as she pulled one pant leg down and the other up. A fresh pump of lotion found its way into her hand and onto her skin.

He laid down on his back, “you are my life, Luce; you and the twins. Besides, I thought you liked being the best I ever trained.”

“I do and I am, that’s just plain fact.”

Tim watched her from where he laid as she rubbed the lotion onto her legs. “If we invited them, I’d have to say none are better over the others.”

“Let me see if I can put this where you understand.” Lucy lowered her pant leg and slid herself under the covers. “It’s happening, so figure out a day you can tolerate. It’s good to let them know you check in time to time. Don’t think it escapes my notice that you do because I’ve been present when you’ve checked with captains to see their progress.” Reaching out she turned off the bedside light. “You want your rookies to think you don’t care but you do.”

Unable to keep from smiling, he turned onto his side and reached out an arm to pull her closer. “Come here.”

Lucy found herself in his arms and ran a hand up the arm not holding as she laid against his chest. “I have a ‘told you so’ event today. You want to know?”

“Sure. Probably not as exciting as the Metro situation today, but if it means I’m right about something, by all means tell me.”

“Dead body on a beach this morning.”

Running his fingers through her loose hair, Tim closed his eyes. “How many times do I have to tell you, it’s not safe.”

“It wasn’t in the ocean or from the ocean, either way you’re right again that the beach isn’t safe.” Lucy leaned her head against the junction of his neck and shoulder.

“Where was the body?”

“Lifeguard tower.” She ran her hand under the sleeve of his tee. “Which was staffed by your ex. Seems so long ago that we were dating other people.”

“Seems like a decade.” Tim moved his head back a fraction to kiss her crown. “Did Ashley say anything?”

Lucy felt his hand run over her arm back and forth. “She knew who I was so I really didn’t need to make introductions. We got called away so quickly to the Metro situation that small talk didn’t really happen. I mean, unless Celina said anything while I was taking a call from Grey, which given Celina is fifty-fifty.”

“Sleep, we’ve had a rough day.”

Relaxing against her husband, Lucy smiled against the collar of his shirt. “Any day we work side by side is a great day.”

Chapter Text

Tim looked up from where he stood at the counter working on making kebabs for the barbeque that he and Lucy were hosting for his former rookies. Technically, Lucy was the one hosting but once again he found himself saying yes to whatever idea she decided. He could put his foot down and decline the idea but in the long run it wasn’t worth the argument that would ensue. The fact they argued instead of fought was something he had to explain to Angela because she’d thrown him a look of disbelief when he’d said it. No one believed that he and Lucy had never had a knock-down drag-out fight despite it being true. Their time as rookie and training officer had smoothed out a lot of rough edges and expectations were something they talked about when a subject was brought up for the first time. Lucy was tidying up the living room after having vacuumed and washed the play rug. The patio and backyard were ready for visitors with the grill heating. The twins were down for a nap while Tamara was in her room working on a paper for her sociology class.

His eyes traveled to the large canvas pictures that hung on the wall of the living space. The canvas pictures that Lucy had ordered arrived the previous weekend and they’d worked together to hang them throughout the house. His favorite was one of them back to back in uniform from her rookie days, taken by a photography student after they’d assisted her with a thief stealing her gear. Lucy’s favorite was the photo of them with the twins and Tamara, taken by a photographer Aaron had arranged. Others were photos of one or both of them with Tamara and/or the twins. A couple were captured at work or dinners with friends. One of Lucy, Jackson, and Nolan with him, Angela, and Bishop had been one they’d hung due to the history behind it. It’d been taken after Plain Clothes Day and despite the heaviness of the day, it’d been one of happiness. Before she stuck him with the rookies’ bar tab at least.

Angela had arranged a very belated wedding shoot for them a month before. Lucy had shown up in a beautiful wedding gown, which nearly knocked him off his feet upon seeing her. He’d worn his Class As and the finished product looked as if they’d actually had a wedding instead of just going to City Hall. The idea of having a wedding was tossed back and forth on occasion but never gained traction. That shoot had provided even more canvas pictures for the walls. He'd ordered a canvas two weeks prior as a surprise for Lucy and it had arrived that morning. She’d been speechless upon opening the box, unable to do anything more than hug and kiss him. He and Tamara had hung it up beside the one of them as T.O. and rookie. The one he’d chosen was of them standing back to back in their sergeants uniforms, the identical ranks a testament to how far they’d come from the first picture.

“I know.” His attention went to Lucy as she looked at him. “Seems so strange the pictures are only half a decade apart.”

Tim moved to the kitchen sink and started washing his hands. “Any other house and people would think we’re photographers.”

“Oh come on.” Lucy stated as she rounded the counter to head to the laundry room that was off the side of the kitchen. “I know you wouldn’t let me order them if you didn’t like them.”

“I’m not saying I don’t like them.” He watched her throw some dirty clothes in the basket on top of the washing machine. “I just stated that if it wasn’t a cop house, it’d be considered a photographer’s house.”

Lucy couldn’t help but smile. “So you’re saying you like my taste in décor?”

“Not to risk my own life but yes, I like it better than the apartment. I was worried for the walls when we moved in and instead of explosions of color, you’ve gone for minimalist.”

“Well, I know you prefer the minimalist shades and my tastes have changed.” She walked over to him and he pulled her into his arms. “I’m not in my twenties anymore and even if I was, minimalist is the go-to for décor right now.”

Tim leaned down and kissed her. “You’re still as young and beautiful as the day I met you.”

“Charm will get you everywhere.” Lucy kissed him a second time. “Not to burst your bubble but you have definitely aged.” Seeing his mock horror, laughter escaped her. “I have to tell you that even if you’re aging, you grow sexier by the minute.”

“Please tell me you two will not be five seconds from having sex with guests here.” They broke apart to see Tamara starring at them with shock and disgust. “Especially not in the kitchen.”

Looking at the twenty year old, Tim shrugged. “Well not with guests here.”

“Nope, nope.” Tamara plugged her ears and turned around to head back to her room.

Lucy slapped his arm and smirked. “You’re bad. Keep this up and the handcuffs will come out.”

“Gross!” Tamara nearly yelled from the hallway.

“You did that on purpose.” Tim stated as he moved towards the counter to finish his meal prep.

The sound of the doorbell ten minutes later made Tim leave the kitchen to answer it. Opening the barrier, he found not one of his rookies but his former training officer. It had been Lucy who prompted him to extend the invite and consider the man was retired, he had done so in order to give the retired cop something to look forward to. Stepping back, he opened the door wide and let their guest in.

“Jordan Taggart, good to see you made it.” Tim stated while accepted the handshake he was given. “Thanks for coming.”

“Figured it couldn’t hurt. Maybe retired but I heard about Isabel and let me just say I’m sorry that happened. She get into rehab?”

Tim shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, she’s in Santa Fe now working for a police officer support network while going back to school. I saw her about two years ago when she came back to help on a case.”

The man pointed over his shoulder. “Saw the K9 vehicle outside, you switch sides?”

“I did. I was already with Metro but I needed more regular hours and Pine gave her blessing. Been with K9 for just over sixteen months and I have a pretty good knack for it. I still patrol when the K9 unit isn’t called up so I’m not missing much.”

“I like the house.” Jordan looked around. “Much better than the last.”

Tim nodded, “we did alright. Got it down to half of asking price due to the numerous repairs that were needed. A fellow cop was a contractor so he helped us get things built at half of what it would have cost. We saved over a quarter of what we would have paid so we decided to take it as a win.”

Watching as Jordan caught the photo of Lucy and Tim from her rookie days, Tim knew the man’s brain was connecting dots. “This the new wife?”

“Yeah, that’s Lucy. That picture’s about five years ago when she was a rookie.”

“She’s young.” Jordan motioned to the second. “And a sergeant now. From cadet to sergeant in five years, she’s talented.”

Lucy made her way over from the kitchen. “I’m ambitious, don’t do things without intent to follow through.” She held out her hand as Jordan turned to her. “Lucy Bradford, nice to meet you…”

“Jordan Taggart, I was this one’s training officer.”

“Got any pictures?” It was a question Lucy asked everyone who knew Tim when he was a rookie.

Jordan chuckled, “I like this one.”

“So do I.” Tim’s arm went around her waist. “Be warned though that her moods are equivalent to hurricane categories. Being held back by her duty belt used to be an actual thing and not just a metaphorical one.”

The doorbell rang again and Lucy looked to Jordan. “Can I get you anything? Beer or wine?” Tim left them to answer the door.

Opening the door, Tim found two of his four graduated rookies. He knew Fiona Morgan and Tyler Reed worked in the Olympic Division together. A check in with their captain had given him knowledge that they were partners, bonding over the fact he was their training officer. They’d graduated two rookie years apart and he’d been happy to know they were excelling as patrol officers.

“Morgan, Reed.” He took their hands as they stepped through the door. “I was happy to know you’d be coming.”

Tyler nodded at the comment. “Surprised us to get an invitation. We didn’t expect our T.O. to have a reunion, ever.”

Tim shut the door behind them. “I check in time to time with your captain and it was my wife who had the idea. I know you’re married so you understand it was more an order than a suggestion.”

A smile graced Fiona’s face. “We’re happy to be here, sir. I was just thinking about you the other day when a rookie officer caused a mess and knew you’d have blue-paged him in an instant.”

“It was more than a mess.” Tyler told his partner before looking at Tim. “Kid walked away from a shop without making sure it was secure. Came back to find the interior equipment gone.”

Lucy came over before Tim could comment on the situation they were speaking about. “Hi, I’m Lucy.” She held out her hand and Tyler took it immediately.

“Tyler Reed and this is Fiona Morgan.” The man motioned to his partner.

Fiona shook her hand, “nice to meet you.”

“Which academy year were you?” Lucy inquired with complete interest.

Tyler put his hand on his chest. “I was 2016 and Fiona was 2018. How we both survived Bradford’s training we still don’t know.” He looked to Tim, “you still training rookies, sir?”

Tim gave a very slight shake his head. “I’m Metro K9 now, but I still patrol.”

“Can I get you guys anything?” Lucy looked to them both. “Wine or beer? We have some juice and soda too.”

“I’ll take a beer.” Fiona started to follow Lucy to the kitchen.

Grabbing several beers from the fridge, Lucy put them on the counter to be readily accessible. She noticed Fiona looking at the canvas pictures on the wall. “Saw them at a friend’s house and decided to buy some myself. They print the photos onto canvas.”

“What class were you?”

Lucy looked at the woman. “I was 2019, there were three of us that year at Mid-Wilshire. Statically one in three washes out but we helped each other so we all made it. Did you have a rough time as Tim’s rookie?”

Fiona leaned against the counter as she spoke with the only other woman in the room. “My brother is a drill sergeant for the Army and he said that the training I received was harder than the drills he puts his people through. I can honestly say I expected to wash out at various points. When I made it to the last day of my training, I asked him why he didn’t blue page me.”

“What did he say?”

“He said success is only learned by failure. I failed at multiple points but I learned from those situations and corrected myself. Apparently, a good cop corrects so something bad doesn’t happen again.” She motioned to Lucy with the hand that held her beer. “What about you, how was your rookie year?”

“Rough to say the least. First day on the job and my T.O. got shot during a shootout. I had to drag him behind the shop before returning fire. After that it was test after test until I could anticipate and act without hesitancy.”

Fiona looked over at the canvas picture. “So you met during your rookie year?”

“We did. That was five years ago, I’m now a patrol sergeant for Mid-Wilshire.”

“In five years?” Fiona looked halfway shocked. “No one manages that.”

Lucy chuckled as she moved to take a soda from the fridge. “I did. I also took the Detective’s Exam and passed. I planned to be a UC but that fell through due to various reasons. Because of those reasons I stayed on patrol and aimed for the Sergeant’s Exam. I placed fifth out of one hundred and fifty candidates.” Turning back to her husband’s former rookie, Lucy joined her at the bar. “I have a habit of going above and beyond.”

After the arrival of the last two rookies, Leo Connors and Nate Pennacast, everyone migrated outside. Despite the many people, everyone sat on the patio furniture talking about their weirdest cases. Eventually the conversation followed from weirdest case to Tim’s hard tests. The man listened as his former rookies argued about some of the tests he put them through. Some tests he remembered and others he didn’t.

Fiona raised her hand. “No, definitely mine was the roughest. He made me run after a suspect over two miles, only for the suspect to be apprehended by him in the shop a mile in.”

Tim pointed to her. “You needed to learn that foot chases were a necessary task of patrol officers.”

“Yeah, but two miles?” She pointed to him, “that was just cruel and unusual punishment, sir.”

Lucy put her soda down and glanced at them. She decided to drop the bomb they would least expect. “Try being made to jump from various heights into dumpsters till you’re no longer afraid and can go after a suspect without needing stairs. I don’t know how many times he made me do that, but in the end, I was capable of jumping into a dumpster from four stories up.”

It was Jordan who spoke since everyone was looking at her with confusion. “Wait, Bradford was your training officer?”

“I was his last rookie since he moved onto sergeant within a few months of me making P2.” Lucy looked at the man. “I was his aide for a while before returning to patrol full time.”

The sound of the sliding door made Tim look up and he found Tamara holding Theo. “Sorry, he was going to wake Zoe if I didn’t get him out of the nursery.” She walked over to Tim and he took his son.

“It’s fine.” Tim looked at the ten month old, “are you trying to wake your sister?”

A little hand touched his chin and words escaped Theo’s mouth. “Da-da-da.”

Kissing his son’s cheek, Tim handed him over to Lucy before looking at Tamara. “You still working on your paper or you want to socialize also?”

“Paper is done so I’m going out with Celina and Aaron.” Tamara smiled at him. “We’re going to try an escape room.”

“Let us know if you plan to crash with either.”

Tamara nodded, “will do. You guys have fun.” She headed inside the house and slid the door closed behind her.

“Didn’t know you had a kid with Isabel.” Jordan tapped Tim’s arm.

“One, Tamara is too old to be my kid with Isabel. Second, she’s essentially Lucy’s sister.”

Holding her son, Lucy followed up his statement. “Tamara was a homeless teen we met when she stole my car. All she wanted was a warm place to sleep and at one point I needed a roommate so I let her move in with me. Because she’s family I eventually stopped accepting rent money. Moving into the house, we made sure she had a room also. When she tried to pay us rent for the room, Tim made it clear she was never paying rent as long as she was under our roof.”

Tim glanced at his wife. “I’ll slap her hand the next time she tries to give us a check.”

Lucy resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “You made your point clear.”

Fiona motioned between them. “So, did you guys fall in love during your rookie year?”

“He hated me when I was assigned to him.” Lucy stated while changing how she was holding Theo. “I had two Tim Tests in the span of two days and I thought at one point he’d kill me.”

“I wouldn’t have killed you.”

A stern look in his direction and Lucy continued to speak. “I got used to the tests and started learning how to be a good cop. Things changed in my last six months when I was kidnapped and almost died. Tim still tested me but he did so knowing there were some days I needed more physical tests instead of mental. We really didn’t even know we had feelings for each other until we had to practice kissing for an undercover assignment. After that it was a flashing neon sign that we did our best to ignore. Obviously, we failed and now two years later we’re happily married.”

Nate chuckled. “Is he still a hardass?”

“Oh you have no idea.” Lucy laughed softly. “Still has control issues and tries to act like he doesn’t care when he does. Thankfully I know how to read him.”

Tim took a swig of his beer. “You know I’m right here.”

“That’s kind of the point.”

It was nighttime and the alarm was set as Tim returned to the master bedroom. The twins were asleep and Tamara was passed out after her day out with Celina and Aaron. There had been an escape room before all three headed out to a club, where he suspected Tamara had at least one drink. He made the decision to talk to her in the morning about underage drinking. He found Lucy in the bathroom dressed in just panties and one of his shirts after having taken a shower.

“I like this look on you.” Tim leaned against the door frame as he watched her run a brush through her wet hair.

Lucy looked his way with a smile on her face. “In pajamas?”

“Definitely.” He made his way over and gently took the brush from her hand. “You may need a shower again when I get done with you.”

“Really?” The smirk on her face as one that Tim needed gone so he kissed her.

Hands ran from her hips down to her thighs and back up again. Lucy pulled away as oxygen became a necessity but kept their foreheads touching. After a moment to catch their breaths, Lucy grabbed Tim by the back of his neck. Pulling her husband close, she instigated a kiss that Tim deepened as his fingers threaded into Lucy’s hair. No sooner had his fingers threaded into soft strands did her back hit the edge of the counter. With gentle prodding, he lifted her onto the vanity counter so she sat eye-level with him. Lucy felt Tim pull away and start kissing down her neck, nipping hard enough to be rewarded with a soft moan but not enough to leave a mark.

“Tim, please.” Lucy moaned her husband’s name and Tim paused.

“Shh Baby, you have to be quiet or you’ll wake the twins and Tamara.”

Lucy gave a soft nod as Tim moved his head back, gazing at his wife for a split second before pulling the brunette in for him to kiss her. When the kiss deepened, Lucy focused her attention on her tongue sliding against Tim’s. She felt a hand at her waist seconds before her panties were pushed aside. Within moments she felt Tim’s hand where she wanted it most and her head fell back against the vanity mirror. “Right there, yes like that.” Her voice was louder than it should have been, loud enough to echo through the house.

“Luce, I’ll have to stop if you aren’t quiet.”

Lucy bit her lip as familiar fingers reached inside her where she was dying to be touched. She finally lowered her head so she looked Tim in the eyes, the brunette leaned in and kissed him gently. “Harder please.”

“Shh.” Tim nibbled softly at Lucy’s ear, his hand in direct contrast to his soft and gentle bites at the junction of her neck and shoulder.

“Fuck, yes there!” Lucy breathed out in a whisper, “yes, yes, yes!”

Tim watched her go still, freezing for half a second before collapsing against his body. Withdrawing his hand from Lucy’s panties, Tim wiped his hand on his jeans. Placing a gentle kiss on his wife’s cheek, Tim nuzzled her softly while pulling her closer. “How do you feel Luce?”

Lucy nuzzled her face into Tim’s neck, “like I just had an earth shattering orgasm.” She pulled back and gazed at him. “Can I return the favor?”

“Later.” Tim pushed back a strand of hair that fell against Lucy’s cheek. “Are you okay to stand?”

“Hmm, in a minute. You did too good a job.”

Tim wrapped his arms around Lucy, “take as much time as you need, Luce.” The older officer kissed the crown of brunette locks.

Chapter Text

Part of K9 training was to search for people in a variety of places and much to his horror he’d been instructed to train at the beach. He wasn’t in charge of the Metro K9 team, at least not yet, so he had orders to follow. Lucy had been excited that he was going to be at the beach so she made a day of it. The twins were lathered with sunscreen and a sheet was brought with the plan to lay that down on the sand with weights at each corner. It would keep the twins from being directly on the sand and made it possible to control the situation so they didn’t eat sand.

Lucy had decided to wear one of her various sundresses because she wasn’t comfortable being in swim wear. Feeling comfortable about the changes her body underwent after giving birth had increased at home. Wearing a post-baby belly wrap and getting back in shape to meet LAPD fitness standards had helped her feel more comfortable as her belly became toned. The stretch marks and wrinkled skin on the other hand made her super self-conscious when outside of the house. Tim had managed over a six month period to make her aware he found her sexy and loved her for her, not just her body.

An umbrella was staked into the ground beside the fitted sheet that was weighted down in the corners to hold the twins and their toys. Angela had sworn by it and Lucy knew she’d need to the do it if Angela suggested it. Lucy took the time to read a book Nolan had given her for her birthday, it was about the history of the LAPD. She glanced up to see Tim training Nox by going through various commands and rewarding the dog with pets. Nox really did prefer belly rubs and pets as rewards over the Kong toy she always was chewing on. Asking nearby couples, Tim inquired of they’d be willing to participate in a location lesson. Each time he asked, people immediately loved the idea once they were reassured that Nox wouldn't bite them.  After two hours and on his final ask, it was a couple’s teenage son that jumped at the chance to be a part of police work.

Tim looked down at Nox, the dog was sitting beside his leg with her tail wagging. Once the teenage boy hid under the nearby lifeguard tower, the officer spoke to his four-legged partner. “Such.”

Nox immediately started sniffing around and immediately found his target by running towards the tower. At finding the teenage boy Nox laid down on her belly as a signal she’d found her target. Tim walked over to the two and the boy grinned. “That was really cool.”

“Bleib.” Tim gave the command for Nox to stay and she laid her head on her paws. “Thank you for helping me.”

“It was awesome. My friends aren’t going to believe me when I tell them I helped the police with training.”

As the kid walked away, Tim spoke to Nox. “Mutter Nox, Mutter.”

Asking him to find Lucy was easily Nox’s favorite of all her commands. Tim called Lucy ‘Mutter’ which meant ‘mother’ in German. The dog made a bee line to Lucy and Tim followed after her.

Lucy was playing with Zoe, it looked like Theo was napping under the shade of the large umbrella. Nox jumped onto the sheet tracking sand but it was such a small amount Lucy didn’t seem to worry. Tim took off his shoes before making his way on to the sheet beside Lucy, instantly picking up Theo to hold him. The baby boy didn’t wake and seem content to be sleeping in his father’s arms. He did check to make sure his son didn't have a fever and found he didn't, he was just tired and decided to nap early. They preferred the twins on a schedule but sometimes a crash happened and they didn't fight it.

“So, how are you liking the beach?” Lucy asked her husband when Zoe took the plush block to look at it. “Not all bad, right?”

Tim looked straight at her. “At this distance I’m okay but I don’t want the twins down by the water ever.”

“What if Angela, Nyla, and I bring the kids one day?”

“I don’t want them down by the water ever.” The tone he used made Lucy aware that the ocean was a no go in Tim’s mind. He rarely got stern when it came to the twins because he knew she was a good mother, the ‘best mother’ he would say. “Maybe when they can understand what the ocean holds, I’ll let them decide. Until they can rationalize the fact that it holds bodies, drugs, bodily fluids, etc., I don’t want them in the water.”

“Alright, until they can understand and decide.” She didn’t like it but it was one of the few parenting demands he’d made, so she agreed.

With people walking past in various directions, they didn’t think anything of it when someone stepped up to their spot. A lifeguard knelt down and they both came face to face with Ashley, which made things very uncomfortable very quickly. Tim gently laid Theo down beside his mother before standing up and off the sheet into his shoes. Nox picked her head up and wagged her tail, probably because she was wearing her vest and thought it was time to work. “Platz.” He spoke to the dog and she put her head back on her paws. It also didn’t escape his notice that Theo rolled over onto his side but continued to sleep.

“Ashley.”

“Tim.”

She glanced towards Lucy, who was reaching for Zoe as the near one year old was climbing on Nox. The dog didn’t seem to mind at all, unlike adults who pulled on her vest and gotten a snarl, kids never did. Not the twins and not Angela’s or Harper’s kids. She had warm temperament and seemed to know kids from adults. He and Lucy were trying to prevent it outside of the house when she was in a vest. Putting his hands in his pocket, Tim glanced at his ex. “Is something wrong?”

“Right.” The blonde refocused on him and away from his family. “I have to tell you that this isn’t a dog friendly beach. You can’t have your dog here. I really don’t want to interrupt your afternoon but I have to do my job.”

Tim nodded and looked over to where Nox was. “Hier Nox.” The dog immediately stood up and made her way over to Tim, sitting beside his right leg. Knowing that it wasn’t a pet friendly beach, Tim had no reason to worry about a citation or warning because Nox wore her vest. Apparently, even in her K9 vest, people complained.

“She’s Metro K9, her vest shows her as a LAPD officer so she’s allowed on the beach. We’re doing training per my supervisor’s instruction.”

Ashley looked at the K9 and then at Tim. “Since when did you become a K9 officer instead of a patrol sergeant.”

“Since I found out Lucy was pregnant. I needed more regular hours and it’s safer than patrolling. I got shot a few months ago but it was due to vest failure.”

“I remember one of the officers mentioning that.” She got quiet. “Never expected you to move for any one or any reason.”

Tim immediately knew she was commenting on the fact that she had once asked him to leave patrol. Even more she broke up with him due to the danger his job put him in. It occurred to Tim she seemed to still be affected by the breakup even two and half years later. “I’m sorry if this brings back memories, seeing me and knowing I changed for someone else other than you.”

“You set the bar pretty high when it comes to boyfriends.” After a moment she put her hands into the pocket of her hoody. “I broke up with you so you should be the one affected, not me.”

“I don’t want to be callus but breaking up with me was a good thing. We wanted different things and so eventually we would have clashed. Better to breakup civilly then in a fight.” Tim reached down and scratched Nox’s head.

Ashley smiled. “You’re probably right. Officer Juarez mentioned that you started dating just weeks after we broke up. I didn’t realize it was Lucy.”

“Yeah, we did.” Tim put his hands in his pockets. “Lucy and I decided to go on a date after she’d broken up with Chris just to see if it would work.” It was a stretch but Tim didn’t want Ashley thinking they broke up with her and Chris on purpose even though Lucy had, “it went well so we went on a second. A second date turned into dating, marriage, and kids. We’re married with eleven month old twins.”

“Are you happy?”

He nodded, “I am, we are.”

“Good.” Ashley looked at Nox, “I’ll let you get back to training you K9.”

Tim watched her walk away seeming defeated and he felt bad even though it didn’t help anything. Looking down at Nox, he rubbed her head. “Mutter Nox.”

The dog made her way over to Lucy with Tim following. He slipped out of his shoes and joined Lucy and the twins on the sheet once again. Lucy looked up from her book, Zoe in her lap with one of her toys. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just a strange conversation.” He glanced down to see Theo still sleeping contently, sucking his thumb as he dreamed. “Seems I set the bar pretty high regarding boyfriends and seeing that I changed positions for you but not her hurt her feelings even though it’s been almost three years.”

Closing her book, Lucy turned her attention to him. “Maybe you would have if she had been the one that was pregnant, but that’s something you can’t know. There are so many possible futures based on decisions we made at one point or another. At the end of the day, she made the decision to break up with you. She threw all those possibilities away based on something that she never healed from. Her father was a cop and you are a cop, but your experiences are vastly different. When he walked the streets there were riots and gun violence unlike we see today. Policing is safer due to methods created to prevent the past, so comparing you two is comparing apples to oranges. They’re both fruits but they aren’t the same.”

The smile that crossed his face as he reached out to brush back her hair couldn’t be ignored. “This is why I love you.”

“Because I throw psychology at you till you understand the situation is beyond your control?”

“No. Well, yes, but I love you because at the end of the day you’re just Lucy. You see the bigger picture instead of the one right in front of my face. I felt bad the whole time I spoke to her because I forgot that she made the choice for us.”

Leaning over, Lucy kissed him and grinned as she pulled away. “I’ll do that every day for the rest of our lives.” She looked down at their daughter. “Take your daughter so I can read my book.”

Tim held out his hands to the eleven month old that had skipped over crawling and gone straight to walking much to Lucy’s displeasure. “Zoe, come to Daddy.”

At the sound of her name, Zoe crawled out of her mother’s lap and used her knee as a prop to stand up. Unsteady feet moved against the sand and Tim caught her as she went to fall. Lucy shook her head. “I should have known at least one of your children wouldn’t stick to the program. Theo is learning how to go from crawling to walking while she skipped that step entirely.”

“Oh don’t blame that on me.” Tim kissed Zoe’s cheek and grinned at her. “That’s all Mommy in you. Tell her Zoe, tell Mommy that’s all her. Zero to a hundred in ten seconds is pure Lucy Chen.”

“Da-da-da-da.” The near one year old spoke as she shook the toy in her hand.

Tim set her in his lap and looked down at the toy block that his daughter held. “What do you have there?” He turned the block over to see different animals on each side. “Is that a lion?”

Lucy looked up before opening her book and saw Ashley on the edge of the lifeguard truck seeming to watch them. She didn’t think Ashley noticed her watching so she just tucked herself back into her book knowing the blonde wasn’t a threat to their relationship or their family. There was just a bit of envy at the lost potential of a future. She’d watched an ex-boyfriend once from across the road when seeing him out in town with his family. It was just a matter of wondering where things went wrong or what they could have grown into.

The laugh of the baby in Tim’s arms made her look up to see him holding Zoe in the air, speaking to her about how birds fly. He pulled her down and kissed her cheek before putting her back in the air and pulled her back down to kiss her forehead. The girl just kept laughing and giggling, soft dirty blonde curls moving in the wind as they played their little game. Zoe had blonde hair and Lucy figured it was because her own biological father had blonde hair mixed with Tim’s color. She’d expected black or brown for both of the twins but while Theo had her hair color, Zoe was dirty blonde with the shade being exactly like Tim’s. She also had a beautiful shade of green eyes that Tim said was his mother’s eye color.

She’d been happy that Zoe would have something of her grandmother’s in her life. If all she had was her eye color, at least she could tell her daughter that her grandmother had given Zoe her eye color. Despite Genny telling her mother about her new grandchildren, there had been no attempt to contact. There hadn’t even been a letter or gift they could give the twins when they were older. She froze her mother by choice after some colorful phone calls regarding the fact Lucy hadn’t wanted her to be there at the birth or during the initial weeks post-delivery so she could bond with her babies. Her father had agreed to meet in public so their home could stay private. He was allowed to see the twins and he loved being able to walk around the park with them talking to them about the nature in Cantonese. She wasn’t sure the twins understood but as long as they enjoyed learning their grandfather’s first language, she’d teach them.

Tim had suggested they integrate Spanish and Cantonese into their household so the twins were at least bilingual in some aspect, if not trilingual. She’d tried hard not to laugh because it was a good idea but Tim failed spectacularly at pronouncing every Cantonese word she gave him. The decision was to teach them Spanish and let them learn Cantonese from their grandfather.

“I’m not liking the heat.” Lucy stated closing her book again. “I’m hot so I know they are.”

He nodded, “we need to come back in the winter, especially since we’re not going into the water.”

“Help me pack up.”

They worked together with each holding one of the twins, an aspect of their lives they’d perfected over the near year of having them. The barbeque they’d put off having had been rescheduled to be a birthday party for the twins. It would be low-key, their half-blue, half-pink smash cake was the only thing that needed to be ordered. Other than the cake, they had no other plans then to spend time with their friends and family. They’d requested no gifts despite knowing some of their friends would give them some.With a majority of things in Lucy’s shoulder bag, mostly just a few toys and some water bottles stacked on top of some essentially baby toys, Tim handed her Zoe and took the umbrella up. Nox followed from beside Tim’s right leg.

It had been something that surprised Pine when she’d visited one day to speak with Grey. The woman had been shocked that Nox didn’t require a lead despite the fact that one was always attached to her collar, it being wrapped around the handle of her vest. Technically he was required to always have her on lead and occasionally he did, mostly around Metro, Grey had shrugged at the requirement. Everyone at Mid-Wilshire knew who she belonged to and considering she was the only pure black Malinois in Metro’s K9 unit, it was pretty impossible to not know who controlled her. Tim Bradford’s name spoke for itself, as did his wife’s.

Chapter Text

The sound of laughter filled the background as Lucy Bradford worked on the family budget. Tim was entertaining the twins, dress-up and a tea party was the activity the five year olds wanted. A glance across the living room from where she sat in the kitchen and couldn’t help but silently laugh. Zoe wore a princess dress with a plastic tiara while Theo wore his police costume from Halloween. Tim sat on the floor by the table that held a small tea set. Zoe was handing him a pretend cup of tea while trying to tell her brother to stop messing with the setup.

Christmas was around the corner and they were hosting their friends, on top of doing family celebrations. Toys plus various needs for them and the twins had to be factored into their budget. They never were hurting for cash, never had to borrow. They weren’t rich but they weren’t near the poverty line. They were comfortable. Her sergeant pay plus Tim’s metro pay on top of his years of service made their lives easy, at least monetary-wise. His military retirement check went towards the twins’ college fund.  

Rechecking the prices of the toys the kids had selected from the local stores’ catalogs, Lucy made a notation to price tablets. Hers was old, nearly dead if she was honest. Tradition was tradition, every holiday Tim gets her jewelry and she’d get something useful for him. Dry-cleaner’s gift certificate, new shoes, something for his office, etc.. It rarely deviated and if she was honesty, his spoiling her made her cry tears of joy. He knew her taste and how much she loved jewelry even if the job makes it impossible to wear for eight to ten hours a day. She had only a wedding band and she’d hinted that she’d like an engagement ring to go with it. It would be five years too late but better late than never.

“Babe, we need to get their routines going.” She spoke softly as she stood from the kitchen table. “They have school tomorrow.”

Tim didn’t need to say anything or even nod because she knew he heard her. Looking straight at his children, he spoke softly. “Guys, time to put toys up. We need to get a bath and get in bed so Mommy or Daddy can read you a book.”

Zoe, with her blonde hair and green eyes that came from a strange twist of genetics, looked straight at her father. The expression was pure Lucy Chen or so Tim believed. It meant she wasn’t happy but Tim knew she’d follow directions as she was almost Type-A like both of them. Theo walked over and looked at his father. “Help, Daddy?”

“Of course.” Tim helped him take the police costume off. “There we go, we got it off. Go put it in the bin it goes in.” Attention to his daughter, Tim inquired with her also. “You need help getting your dress off, Princess?”

“No.” Stubborn like her mother, Tim waited for his daughter struggle and then ask for help. That was a common occurrence with her. As expected, five seconds later with the dress halfway off her body, she asked for help. “Daddy, help.”

Freeing her trapped arm, he successfully pulled the dress off her body. “Go put it in the bin it belongs in. Once you do that, you and Theo can go to your rooms to pick out your pajamas from Mommy’s choices.”

Pulling back the covers to their bed as Tim returned from setting the house alarm, Lucy sat down to put lotion on her legs. Fresh from a shower, she sat on the bed with damp hair and a desire to fall asleep soon. “Twins have their pediatrician appointment in the morning. I’m going to take them. Can we do a hand off at Mid-Wilshire?”

“I have a meeting in the morning but my afternoon is free besides patrol or waiting for K9 to be called up. Is this a shot visit?” Tim pushed back the covers on his side of the bed and slid under them.

“Unfortunately, but I don’t have time to get them ice cream. I have range-qualifications and then my psych appointment. Grey already knows I won’t be in today.” She looked over as she pulled a bottle from her bedside drawer. A quick look at the label made her put it back and grab the second, she needed lotion not lube.

He laid down on his back, “Do I need to take off after my meeting so I can go with you to the appointment? I usually go with you unless you want that to change. Your doctor has toys for play therapy, the twins would be entertained.”

“It would be a busy day whether you take off or not. Remember my last appointment got canceled by the doctor due to her being sick. This was the reschedule and I didn’t want to cause you to take sudden time-off instead of submitted FMLA.”

Tim watched her from where he laid as she rubbed the lotion onto her left leg. “Luce, whatever you need, Baby. Whatever support you need, it’s going to be waiting right here for you.”

“Thanks.” Lucy lowered her left pant leg and pulled up the right so she could rub lotion onto that leg. “I know you’re there, Tim. We have our issues but we work through them. You catch me when I spiral or have an anxiety attack. You don’t look at me with pity or see me as someone to be dismissed because I’m broken.”

That statement made Tim sit up and he reached out to gently grasp her chin. With a bit of prompting, Lucy was looking at him with her undivided attention. “Do you feel like that?”

“Not anymore but I once did.” Catching his hand in her own, Lucy looked up then down and then up once again. “You make me feel like I’m invincible, strong no matter what is thrown at me.”

Tim nodded. “Good. You are strong Luce, the strongest person I have ever met.” Pulling his hand from hers, he reached up to brush back the stray hairs that escaped her ponytail. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She leaned in and kissed him. Once they pulled apart, Lucy pulled down her pant leg and reached for the bedside table to turn off the light that rested beside her phone.

The sound of holiday music filled Mid-Wilshire despite Watch Commander Grey trying to get it turned off. After several days of fighting with IT he gave up and let the music exist with only one stipulation, it had to be clean music. The tree was up and someone had strung fairy lights on the walls, well below the eighteen inch ceiling restrictions. Tim Bradford stepped out of his office and headed towards the Watch Commander’s office to inform him he was taking a medical leave day to help Lucy. Grey knew well why Lucy was in therapy and had a psychiatrist:  Rosalind and Caleb. He also knew Tim would take a day every three to six months to join Lucy at such appointments. There were times even before they started dating that he’d go with her if she needed someone with her. Lucy had shared freely with Grey and told Tim he could talk to Grey if questions were asked.

Knocking on the door, Tim found himself waved in. He took a half a second to have Nox lay down. “Platz Nox, platz.” The dog laid down so Tim refocused on Grey. “I’m taking a medical day; Lucy has a rescheduled appointment. Last appointment was cancelled because the doctor was sick and this was the first available.”

Grey nodded, “noted. You mind taking the Middle School tour tomorrow?”

Tim nodded. “No issue, what time?”

“Ten to two, they’re having lunch provided by LAPD. Tour of LAPD, CID, and Metro.”

“Sounds like fun. I’m sure Nox will give them a lesson in police dogs and their uses.”

“Which is why I suggested you.” Grey stated. “Now get out of here and take care of your wife.”

Changing into civilian clothes and grabbing his bag, Tim was headed towards the door to meet Lucy. She’d texted saying they were waiting outside in the picnic area for him. She’d had to grab a folder from his office so that’s why they weren’t waiting in the car. Rushing to get out the door, he rammed his shoulder into someone that moved in front of him back accident. Reaching a hand out automatically, Tim grabbed the person’s arm to stead them. A voice he hadn’t heard in close to seven years filled his ears. He pulled back and found his ex-wife standing in front of him.

“Isabel, what are you doing here?”

Isabel motioned towards the door. “Meeting with Anthony Reed about starting a support group here in LA. There are a ton of veterans and retirees that need support and help. I was pointed to Reed when I suggested it to LAPD.” She glanced down to see Nox. “Who is this?”

“My K9 partner, Nox. Please don’t touch her.”

“You switched to K9? When?”

Tim crossed his arms. “Five and half years ago. I needed the change.”

The laughter of his kids had Tim on alert and as quickly as they were laughing, they spotted him. It was Zoe who ran over with her favorite bear in hand. “Daddy!”

Tim caught her and picked her up, holding her. “Give Daddy two minutes and we can go get ice cream while Mommy goes to the range.”

Zoe held up two fingers. “Two minutes Daddy! One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”

Isabel smiled as she watched the blonde-haired girl try to count to sixty. “She’s beautiful. How old?”

“Five, just turned five two weeks ago.” Tim kissed Zoe’s head. “Zoe after Captain Anderson.”

“Daddy!” Theo rammed into Tim’s leg and looked up at him. “Mommy said Tamara is coming to ice cream.”

Tim put his hand on Theo’s head before putting his sister on her feet. “You guys go wait with Mommy; I’ll be right there.”

As if understanding, Lucy stood up from where she sat and called the kids. “Zoe, Theo, time to get in the truck.”

At their age, Tasmanian Devils at times were what one had to use to describe them. Full of energy that would only increase with post-shot sugary ice cream, the twins ran at full speed over to their mother, who instantly took both by a hand.

Tim returned to Isabel, expecting an awkward conversation but it was gentle and understanding. “I’m glad you and Lucy are creating a balance between UC work and civilian life.”

“Lucy is a T.O. not a UC. Participating in three documentaries had HR stating it was too risky since everyone would know she was a cop. She trains rookies and once had to train a P1 that had to redo everything. He washed out on Plain Clothes Day.” He readjusted his bag that was falling down his arm. “We’re married with twins, Zoe and Theo.”

Isabel looked down before looking up at him. “I’m not here alone, my boyfriend is with me. I’m just happy both of us have found peace after all the turmoil. Turmoil of my doing but turmoil all the same.

“I’m happy you found someone Isabel. I don’t know what I’d do without Lucy and as hard as it is to say, she’s my life. Her and those kids. You deserve that feeling too.” Taking a step back, he nodded to her. “Good luck with Reed.” She only nodded in return, nothing to say beyond what they exchanged.

Chapter Text

The sound of yelling was what greeted Tim Bradford as he entered his house and hearing his wife putting down her foot with their daughter had him going about his usual routine. He emptied his lunchbox and put the items in the dishwasher before heading towards the kids’ bedrooms. He found Lucy in the doorway of Zoe’s room, starring their daughter down as Zoe stood with her arms beside her, fists balled up. The five year old was mad and wanted her way, which wouldn’t be happening.

“What’s going on here?”

“She took my tablet!” Zoe stated loudly.

Lucy nodded, “I did and even if you clean this room as I asked you to do several times, you still aren’t getting it back till Friday. We don’t yell in this house.”

“I hate you!”

Tim moved around his wife and knelt down beside his daughter. “Don’t say that, you hear me? We don’t say that because tomorrow your mother could go out on patrol and she could get hurt. You may never see her again and the last thing you say to her could be that you hate her. I don’t ever want you to say that again. Not even if she hurts your feelings or does something you don’t like.” He caught his daughter’s chin. “Do you understand me, Zoe?”

Zoe nodded. “Yes sir.”

“Now clean this room or a lost tablet will be the least of your worries.” He stood up and walked back towards Lucy, who ran her hand down his arm as he moved past her into the hallway.

Leaving Zoe sitting on the floor instead of cleaning her room, Lucy checked on Theo to find him playing with his toy cars and the plastic slides that came in a set for them. With both kids occupied, she found Tim in the kitchen starting on dinner. “Are you okay?”

“I can handle a lot Luce, but hearing Zoe say she hated you just…” he let go of the knife in his hand and put his hands on the counter. “She has no idea how lucky she is that she has not one but two parents who are still alive on the force. I can count at least five funerals I’ve been to as a cop that a child was sitting beside a grieving spouse. A child who won’t ever see their parent again.”

Lucy walked around the bar and hugged him, finding herself engulfed in the hug also. “I know.” She closed her eyes as she felt him kiss her head. “She doesn’t understand yet. Her world is still so small and mostly focused on herself. Give her time,” she pulled back and cupped his face. “Give her time and she’ll understand. Not today, not tomorrow, but someday.”

Tim shook his head. “I don’t know, maybe I should retire. Nox is retiring next year and maybe I should too.”

“If you want to retire, I’m not going to stop you.” Lucy ran her hand up and down his upper arm. “I just want you to make the decision because it’s what you want. Not because of what Zoe said or what you think you need to do.”

“I’ll think it over. Look at benefits, schedules, a multitude of things before I decide. Most of all, I’m not doing anything without speaking to you.”

Lucy nodded, “good. That’s the most important part of all that, after the kids of course.”

“I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have you.” He kissed her forehead. “I still can’t believe I walked in all those years ago and this annoying rookie just became my life.”

Laughing, Lucy kissed him before pulling out of his arms. She pointed to the counter where the knife he laid down was. “Dinner, I have laundry to do.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you that we got a wedding invitation.” She picked it up from the counter and showed him. “Army buddy? It was addressed to your old house.”

Wiping his hands on the nearby towel, Tim took it from her. “Yeah, Matthew Kitner. He was this annoying kid that all of us felt was too young to be there. Just graduated not even three months before deployment. Saved my life once by pulling me down right before a bullet hit the wall behind me. When I got home, he was still there. I told him if he ever wanted to join LAPD, let me know. Works as a mechanic near Malibu.”

“Means I get to go shopping for a new dress.” She kissed Tim’s shoulder. “Other things too.”

“Really?” He glanced as he smirked. “Any chance you need help with that?”

Laughter escaped the shorter cop, “that would ruin the surprise.”

“I can be surprised twice.” He put the invitation down and turned to her. “Or a few times if I’m honest.” Letting his eyes run down and up her body again, Tim grinned. “Lucy Bradford in lingerie is a look I love.”

Pointing at him, she moved around the bar. “Down boy, behave and I might be enticed to pull out something for your viewing tonight.”

“Gross.” They heard Tamara before they saw her. “Seriously, you’ve been married almost six years, together longer. Sex should be something you write in your calendar now.” Tamara looked at the two as she put her purse on the counter. “I dumped Trevor.”

Lucy looked concerned. “Why? I thought you liked him.”

“Do I need to shoot him?” Tim inquired before going about chopping the onion that was in front of him.

Tamara shrugged. “I know relationships are hard but it just sort of plateaued. He didn’t want to do anything at all other than stay home and sure, saving money in LA is necessary but not stay home and do nothing ever. Don’t even get me started on his comments about some of my foster kids.” She shrugged, “I may need to move back in. Sorry.”

Tim pointed to the hallway with the knife he had in hand. “Your room is still there. We haven’t done anything to it.”

“I’ll have rent for you once…” she trailed off when receiving one of Tim’s stares. “I can at least pitch in with groceries. I’ll even take the twins to school since it’s on my way to work.”

Lucy put her arm around Tamara. “We’ll accept the help but you’re family, family doesn’t pay rent or groceries. Besides, if you tried, I think Tim would have a heart attack.”

“Aunt Tamara!” Screams of excitement filled the air as the twins ran into the room and hugged her.

“Oh if it isn’t my favorite people ever!” Tamara knelt down and hugged the two kids. “I missed you so much.”

“I lost a tooth!” Theo grinned and showed the gap.

Tamara nodded. “You did, I see that. Did the tooth fairy come?”

“I got a whole dollar!” He jumped up and down.

“Wow, when I was a kid I got a quarter.” Tamara told him. “Must be inflation.” Lucy had to stop herself from laughing as the kids started bombarding Tamara with everything in their lives. It allowed her to slip into the kitchen and help Tim with dinner.

The bar was busy but Tim knew it would be when he walked through the door. Lucy’s rookie was doing the night shift so it meant she was doing the night shift. Tamara was home and all but pushed them out of the house with claims they needed to get from beyond the four walls and the twins. The atmosphere was relaxed even though the bar was filled with active and retired military, cops, and firefighters. He saw Matthew Kitner at a table with two of their old unit and two other men he didn’t know. It was likely they were from other tours Kitner had been on.

“Hey, Serge is here!” The groom-to-be stated as Tim approached the table with his hands in his pockets. “It’s been years.”

“Close to twenty.” One of the men held out his hand and Tim caught it, giving the man a half hug. “Last I saw you was at your wedding. Isabel was her name, right?”

Tim nodded. “Yes. Good memory you have there Dell, can’t say the same for the rest of you.” He motioned to the man’s leg. “You ever get that carbon fiber leg you wanted?”

Dell lifted his pants a fraction. “I did. Works like a charm too.”

“Serge, you remember Ryan Wheats.” Kitner spoke while motioning to the man in question, someone they both served with.

“I do. How are you?” Tim shook the man’s hand. “Still working over at the 87?”

A nod was received before the man spoke. “You bet. One adrenaline job after another. Got myself hitched last year.”

Tim chuckled. “This guy know you have a bad smoking habit and don’t know what a vacation is?”

“I think he loves that about me.”

Noticing the two across the table, Tim held out his hand. “Tim Bradford, served with Kit. His first tour and to be honest, I’m surprised he didn’t go AWOL after that one.”

The bigger of the men shook Tim’s hand. “Devon Cox and this is Daniel Taggart. Served his last tour, we were going in while he was coming out.”

“What do you do now?” Taggart asked him as Dell ordered him a beer.

“I’m a K9 sergeant over at Mid-Wilshire Division of LAPD. Work mostly with Metro and various other situations.”

“FBI.” Cox stated after taking a sip of beer. “Taggart works security at Shaw Memorial.”

Being handed a beer, Tim looked to his friend. “Thanks Kit.” His attention went to Cox. “Most of the people in my division go through Shaw for post-shift injuries. I don’t know how often I’ve been over there now.”

The conversation flowed and a game of pool was started, competition between the army officers flowing strongly. Despite being six people, the person playing really didn’t matter to them as they spent most of the night talking. It was only around midnight when Tim was thinking of heading home as he was tired. Dell, Taggart, and Wheats had left so only Tim and Cox remained with Kitner and they migrated to the bar.

The sound of the bell on the door rang but no one paid any attention to it. A familiar voice made Tim turn to see Lucy and Peter Phan, her rookie. She motioned to the bar as if to prompt him to speak to the bartender. She hadn’t spotted Tim yet or she decided not to bother him. A nudge to his arm made him look to Kitner and Cox. “Cop, uniform take cute and makes it hot.” The words were from Cox and Tim took a sip of his beer to prevent saying anything unnecessary.

“Definitely at least a seven.” Kitner replied, “what about you Serge? What do you think?”

Paying attention to the rookie, he listened as the bartender was questioned. “Have you seen this man?”

“Frequent customer.” The bartender took the photo and looked at it. “It’s probably Tom, Tom Walker. Comes in around five every evening to nurse a bottle. Going through a nasty divorce and soon-to-be ex-wife still shares the house.” The man held out the photo and Phan took it back.

“Thank you.” Phan told him and held out his card. “If you think of anything else, please give us a call.”

The two left just as they arrived, empty handed, and Tim knew Lucy saw him but decided to let him hangout with friends. He knew because he felt her hand travel across his back lightly as she passed him. After downing the remainder of the bottle, he pulled his wallet from his back pocket to withdrawal enough money for his drinks plus tip. Cox glanced up at him. “You headed home so soon?”

“I have a babysitter with my kids and I’d like to relieve her. I’m sure I’ll see you guys at the wedding next month.”

Kitner stood up and took Tim’s hand. “Good to have you and thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome. You ever want to get together with our significant others just let me know. My wife can cook and people swear by her cooking.”

“Sure, I’ll talk to my fiancée, Alice. I’m sure she’d love a night not having to cook.”

Chapter Text

Lucy stood in front of the bathroom mirror and went about fixing her hair. Tim was getting dressed in the bedroom as they prepped for the wedding of his Army buddy. The kids were with Nolan and Bailey, enjoying a day out with their surrogate aunt and uncle. The plan was the zoo and somehow Angela and Harper got word and suddenly everyone was meeting up with their kids to take on the zoo and fast food after. It meant a quiet house as they got dressed and it was a rarity; they enjoyed the quiet both in bed that morning and during the tasks that would have them leaving soon.

“You look…” Tim walked into the bathroom in a suit and tie. “Incredible.”

Lucy smiled as she turned to him, finally finished with her hair. “Hmm, not so bad yourself.”

The sound of Lucy’s phone ruined the moment and she picked it up to see the timer going off. It was time to leave the house to get to the venue for the wedding. Tim took two steps in and cupped her cheek, kissing her before they rushed themselves out the door. “We go to weddings all the time. Do you regret not having one?”

Smiling, Lucy ran her hand up his arm. “No. We’re not like everyone else. We do things our way and I don’t regret a moment of our life together. Sure things didn’t go exactly to plan but you’re my husband and we have two beautiful, stubborn kids. That’s all I need in life.”

“I just feel like I should ask.”

“Babe, just think on this fact. We didn’t spend money on a wedding so we were able to afford this house. This house that we made our home over the past five and half years. This home with you three is all I need.”

Running his hand across her back, Tim nodded in acceptance of the answer. “I feel the same.”

“Good.” Lucy smiled. “We really need to leave.”

The wedding had been sweet and nice, much longer than they expected but it was a religious wedding. Both sat through the church service and were quiet while everyone who was Catholic prayed. There were a multitude of people who weren’t religious who did the same. Lucy’s grandparents on both sides had been Buddhist but she and her parents had been non-religious. Tim’s grandparents had been Catholic and Presbyterian, but his belief in God had disappeared when the abuse started when he was a child.

Despite the long religious wedding, the reception dinner was more secular. Dinner had been full of speeches on both sides of the aisle and stories about the bride or groom, or both. The dance floor after the couple’s first dance was always filled with couples or singles who were open to finding a dance partner or dancing solo. Lucy found herself grinning as Tim spun her around during a favorite song and both couldn’t contain their happiness to be dancing together. They got nights out together, the whole group did as they shuffled kids back and forth to each other, but it was nice not having to pick the kids up by a certain time.

“I was wrong earlier.” Tim stated as he held her close, the songs changing to something slower.

Lucy met his eyes. “About what?”

“You don’t look incredible.” The statement gained him a light slap on his arm. “Give me a chance to speak before forcing me to find riot gear.” Lucy pointed a finger at him and that gave him a warning to watch what he planned to say. “I was going to say I was wrong because you don’t look incredible. More resplendent.”

A grin found itself on Lucy’s face. “I didn’t even know you knew that word. Kind of a big word.”

He motioned to himself with his hand. “I know words. Just because I don’t use ‘resplendent’ in a sentence everyday doesn’t mean I don’t know what it means.”

“Oh really? What audible did you pick that word out of? The Dictionary?” Despite the tone she was using, people around them wouldn’t realize they were actually being playful.

“Very funny.”

A voice made them look to the side and found the groom, Matthew Kitner. “You made it man and who is this lovely lady?” He held out his hand to Lucy, “Matthew Kitner, the groom, and you are?”

“Lucy Bradford, the cop you called a seven.” She shook the man’s hand and seeing his confusion, “the bar, you guys were drinking at the bar while my rookie and I questioned the bartender. Your friend remarked that my uniform takes me from cute to hot.”

Realize slammed over him. “Oh, it’s you. I didn’t know you were married to Tim, why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was on duty and Tim rarely goes out so I decided not to break up his night out with friends.” Lucy felt Tim’s hand on her back rub up and down.

“I am really sorry. Alcohol…”

Lucy raised an eyebrow. “Is no excuse for rude and misogynistic behavior.”

Tim glanced at his wife. “He’s not a rookie you need to train.” It was said softly as a reminder they weren’t at the station. “I’m sure Kit realizes he said the wrong thing at the wrong time.”

The groom waved his hand. “I apologize for what we said. It was insensitive.”

“Thank you.” Lucy thanked him firmly before her expression returned to her usual ‘sunshiny’ personality. “The service was very beautiful.”

Kitner seemed to be taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor and Tim saw it. “Lucy is pure sunshine until you piss her off. Trust me when I say that is the last thing you want.”

“So, how did you two meet?” The man seemed very interested.

“He was my training officer.”

“She was my police rookie.” They both spoke at the same time and Tim motioned for her to continue.

Lucy did continue after prompting. “Tim trained me after I got out of the academy. Put me through the ringer but made me a better cop. I became his aide after he made sergeant and then we had to go undercover for an op. Kind of realized during the op that we were in love with each other. Started dating and the rest is history.” She glanced at Tim, “you want to add anything?”

“Just we’ve been together five years, known each other almost ten, and we have twins at home.”

A man made his way over and they saw it was Devon Cox from the bar. “You made it Bradford.”

“I did.” Tim shook his hand. “May I introduce my wife, Lucy.”

Lucy nodded to the man and he pointed to her. “I know you from somewhere. Where do I know you from?”

“The bar, she was the cop we made those stupid comments about.” Kitner told his friend, “she didn’t say anything because Tim was out with us and she was working.”

“No, there’s no way.” Cox stated, “you’re not a cop.”

Opening her clutch, Lucy pulled her shield out. “Sergeant Lucy Bradford, training officer at Mid-Wilshire Division, Los Angeles Police Department. I’m the only person to take both the Sergeant and Detective exams within five years of graduating the academy. I’m also the best that Tim Bradford has ever trained, my training has been a mix of LAPD and military thanks to him.” She put her shield back in the clutch. “Believe it now?”

Tim looked at his wife with pride on his face. “She’s also a future Watch Commander and Captain. Our old captain started the guidance and after her death, our watch commander took over. Handled an entire division as a rookie cop with no complaints, to the point she’s only a handful of people trusted by the Comms Department to manage it when the sergeants are out.”

Her phone rang and she pulled it out to see it was Grey. “Speaking of, give me a few moments.” She answered and walked away. “Patrol Bradford, yes sir…”

Cox smirked, “you married her? When?”

“Almost six years ago, known her close to ten years.” Tim stated firmly. “We have five year old twins at home, and a now grown twenty-six year old.” The two men seemed confused. “Lucy met a homeless teen as a rookie and gave her a home. We became a cross between siblings and parents to her. Essentially, she’s Lucy’s younger sister.”

Lucy came back just as Tim’s cell rang and he pulled it from his pocket. “K9 Bradford? Yes ma’am, when and where?” He saw Lucy’s expression which meant they were being called into work. “Give me an hour, I’m at a wedding right now and I have to swing home and get Nox. Yes ma’am.” He hung up and held up the phone to Lucy. “Manhunt.”

She held up hers. “Officer-involved shooting.”

Tim took his friend’s hand. “Kit, we’ll get together soon.”

“Of course. Thank you for coming.

To follow up after Tim, Lucy spoke. “It was nice meeting you, but we have to go. Mr. Kitner, congratulations on your marriage. If you and your wife want to have dinner, just let Tim know and you’re more than welcome.”

Lucy found herself standing inside the Metro Unit trailer beside Grey, Pine, and the K9 units. The three officers and their K9s would be used to herd and corner the subject of the search. Ten blocks had been cordoned off and patrol officers were on the streets and back alleys to make sure their search subject couldn’t get away. Considering the man had killed an officer, no leniency would be given.

“Alright, I want K9 units moving forward from this location till the coordained. K9s Apollo and Lincoln will take the east while Nox and Justice will take west.” Pine pointed to locations on the map hanging up on the nearby board. “Patrol Sergeant Bradford has positioned pairs at every corner and an airship will be arriving overhead within the next five minutes. Officers are knocking on doors as we speak. Our goal is flushing this guy out and we will use muzzle discipline. We aren’t giving him a reason to get shot because he will answer for killing Officer Reed. This is a manhunt and we won’t rest until this man is found.”

Lucy looked at the men. “Remember we know our subject is armed. We don’t know how many weapons he has on him so pairs only. Don’t go trying to save the day, radio if you get separated from your partner. Stay safe out there.”

Pine nodded to the people in the room. “Come back alive.”

“Come back alive.” The men stated and took their dog’s leashes.

Lucy looked to Tim and he gave her a small, short nod in understanding her silent command. Reaching for her, he cupped her head and kissed her forehead before looking down at Nox. “Come on girl.” Nox barked in reply and rubbed against Lucy before following Tim out the door.

Turning to the computers, Lucy bent over beside one of the officers. “How many blocks have we cleared so far?”

“Ten ma’am. No sign of the suspect at the moment.”

“Show me the exact route he took before we lost him.”

The man moved back from the computer and walked to the map. “We’ve labeled the route he took on foot in green and vehicle in orange.” He pointed to the green line on the map and then the orange. “Why?”

“Get me an overlay.”

The officer pulled a plastic overlay from an overhead bin and put it over the map, pinning it in place. “Ma’am?”

“This area,” she circled a specific area in purple dry erase, “warehouses and storage lockers. Cameras and security systems in place. Mostly locked and gated.” Lucy shaded another area, “his movements both in vehicles and on foot tells me he prefers service alleys, minor streets, and basically anything that’s off camera routes if at all possible. He’s got a record so he’s going to want to stay off cameras. We need an area that he’ll stay from to eliminate.” She viewed the maps before writing on it. “He’s going to go here.” She circled an area on the map and looked at the officer watching her, seeing Grey and Pine watching also.

Pine looked to Grey. “She right?”

“On most things. I’d go with it.”

Reaching for the radio, Pine held it out to Lucy. “You make the call.”

“Ma’am, I’m not a superior officer.”

“You make the plan; you make the call.” She nodded to the radio and Lucy took it, glancing at Grey.

Grey nodded to her before speaking. “If you want to follow me, you got to start making hard decisions. This is just your first of many.”

“What if I’m wrong?”

“We move onto the next area.” The Metro superior watched her take the radio. “You take a moment and gather that steel before you make that call.”

Lucy took a breath before speaking. “K9 Units this is Patrol Sergeant Bradford, refocus your search to search grid A9. Washington to Wilshire and South Normandie and South Hoover.” She saw Grey hold out his radio and accepted it after Pine took hers back. “All patrol units this is Patrol Sergeant Bradford, focus all units on search grid A9. Washington to Wilshire and South Normandie and South Hoover.”

Grey accepted his radio and saw Lucy take a moment to step outside to take in some air. He looked to Pine and she looked to the tech officer nearby. “Lords, give me the room.”

After the officer left, Grey leaned against the wall. “We have to do this slowly and methodically. We go too fast and they’ll get spooked.”

“Wade, we knew this decision would take time. The LAPD has to be above reproach and those two are set to make waves and decision that better this organization.”

He put out a hand. “I know that. Having one in charge of Metro and the other as Captain of Mid-Wilshire, it’ll solve some of the issues. At least in this area of Los Angeles. If Lucy continues as she is, I wouldn’t be shocked if she’s Chief of Police one day. It has to happen slowly though because her greatest fear besides something happening to her kids and husband is to fail. Too fast and this plan fails.”

Dawn was breaking when yelling was heard and the door to the command trailer door opened. Three heads looked to the officer in the doorway. “They got him. They’re walking him now.”

Lucy, Grey, and Pine left the command trailer to see officers lining the road on side or another. A patrol officer had the suspect handcuffed and was walking him with K9s boxing him in. The three stood as the suspect, a cop killer, was walked towards them. Grey folded his arms as Pine and Lucy stood firmly. The yells of the cops lining the road were enough. The patrol officer stopped him and nodded to the three.

“Officer Diaz. Mr. Lorenzo was cornered in an alley off of Hoover by K9 and arrested.”

Grey nodded. “Good work Officer Diaz.” He took a step closer and motioned to Lorenzo. “I don’t think I have to explain how much trouble you’re in. You’re going away for life with no alternative. You killed a cop and Officer Reed’s brothers and sisters have lined the road in vehicles or in person from where they picked you up until this moment.”

“So what? Shouldn’t have chased me.”

The man was lead to a shop and put inside and the command post was slowly shut down. Lucy turned when a hand was place on her arm and she found Tim. He accepted the hug she gave him, kissing her head as he did. “I’m proud of you. “

“I did nothing.” She pulled away and looked at him. “Are you injured?”

“No, not this time.” He put a finger under her chin and she looked up. “You lead this manhunt. Sure you were backed by Pine and Grey but you lead it. Pretty soon you’re going to be Watch Commander.” Lucy hit his arm and pointed before leaving him to finish helping break down the scene.

Chapter Text

Tim Bradford had contacts in almost every division in Los Angeles so when his old rookie at Hollywood Division called saying he thought Tim’s kids were at the station, it had sent him reeling. A simple request for a photo had him and Lucy racing over to the division with worry filling them. Their alarm heightened when they saw the kids sitting beside Doug Stanton’s desk and seemed almost catatonic as they weren’t looking or listening to him. Tim’s old rookie, one who hadn’t been able to come for the barbeque years before but had met Lucy, met her at the door.

“They’re fine. Just refusing to speak to anyone beyond basics. Only thing they did was hold out Tim’s card and say to call you. Stanton of course told them he had to wait for social services.”

Lucy turned suddenly when that was said. “They were with their aunt, Tamara Colins.”

“Girl was taken to the hospital after she passed out, they brought them here as we’re the closest division.”

Lucy nodded. “Thank you, Trent.”

“Yeah. Tim sounded like he was going to kick Stanton’s ass on the phone. We’re waiting for him to do something to get himself fired as he rides a desk now.”

“Hopefully this will be peaceful at the moment, but knowing Tim, he’ll kick his ass when he learns why we were called by you instead of him. Zoe, Theo.”

Trent walked her over. “Stanton, this is…”

Both kids looked over and Stanton stood up. “Sorry Chen, if Bradford sent you, he’s got to come himself.” He took the kids’ hands. “Doesn’t surprise me was too busy to come himself.”

“Let them go.” Lucy stated, “or this is going to end very badly for you.”

Stanton chuckled. “I doubt that.”

“Please let us go.” Zoe asked nicely.

The officer knelt down and looked at the twins. “Look, until your daddy or mommy comes, you have to stay here. Then we have to wait for the social worker.”

“But Mommy is here.”

“Really, where? Because I don’t see her.”

Both of the twins pointed at Lucy and she pulled her nametag off her shirt to throw on his desk. He looked down to read it and then at her. “Lucy Bradford, they are my children and so help me, if you don’t let them go, I will make your days a living nightmare.”

The hand holding them eased enough they ran to her and she knelt down to hug them. “Mommy, Aunt Tamara is sick.” Theo told her as she pulled away after hugging and kissing each.

She nodded. “Yeah, I know and once Daddy gets here, we’re all going to go see her. Once we check on her, we’re going to go back to Mid-Wilshire. Guess what you’re going to do there?”

“Help Daddy with paperwork?” Zoe guessed. “I like helping Daddy with paperwork.”

“I know you do. No, this time you get to help me. Uncle Wade is out sick so Mommy is the division sergeant today. Daddy is training Nox at the academy today and making sure all the rookies know how to act around a K9.”

Theo tilted his head a small fraction. “Can we go? Uncle Wade says we’re rookies-in-training.”

“Not this time but if you’re really good, one day maybe us three can go with Lieutenant Pine. She teaches at the academy two days a week.”

“Yes.” Zoe grinned as she jumped in place, “I want to be an officer just like you and Daddy and everyone in our family. Wanna know a secret?” She leaned in, “Aunt Tamara is going to the academy, she got in. I think she’s scared of Daddy making Aunt Nyla train her instead of Uncle John, she’s hard like Daddy.”

Lucy tapped her daughter’s nose. “If you ask all my rookies, they’ll tell you that I train them just like Daddy trained me. I’m so much harder than Aunt Nyla and Uncle John.”

“Yeah, but she’s your sister. They won’t let you train her.” Theo reminded his mother. “Aunt Tamara said so.”

Trent spoke softly. “Incoming. Why don’t I take them.”

Lucy stood up and looked at the twins. “This is Daddy’s old rookie, Trent. I’m sure if you ask, he’ll tell you a story about Daddy.”

“Come on.” He held out his hands and the twins took the offered limb.

Lucy turned as Tim made his way over to her. “They’re fine.”

“Thank God.” Tim put his hand on her arm before moving to Stanton. “Why did I just learn that my kids were in your custody without being called? Why the hell were you waiting on social services.”

Stanton put up his hands. “It’s policy.”

“You act like we don’t know policy. My kids know department policy better than you.” Tim stated and pointed at the man. “You see if the child knows who their parents are. You contact the parents asking for proof they’re the parents. If they are, they leave. If not, they stay.”

“The girl they were with passed out. Besides, you can’t ask five year olds who their parents are. They could say Santa Clause if given the chance.”

“They gave his card.” Lucy stated and grabbed her nametag from the desk, putting it in her pocket instead of opening her shirt. “LAPD department issued business card. Even more I show up and you don’t let me take them. Not even knowing I’m their mother, you know I’m a cop and Tim’s old rookie. I’m trusted.”

Stanton shrugged. “For all I knew, you washed out.”

“In uniform?” She motioned to herself before putting her hands together in front of her face. After a moment she motioned her hands together to Tim. “So help me, I will murder him right here in the squad room if he opens his mouth one more time and says something idiotic.”

Tim folded his arms and stared the man down. “You come near our kids again and you’ll know why I’m the preferred parent.” He turned and put a hand on Lucy’s arms. “Let’s get the kids and get out of here. I’ve got the day and you have an entire division to run.”

“The Academy?” She asked.

“Pine nearly came herself. I told her I had to prevent you from committing homicide.” 

Stanton spoke before they could get five feet. “You know, people will want to know if she really graduated on her own merit.”

Lucy turned around and Tim grabbed her duty belt for the first time in years and pulled her back to hold her arms. “No, he’s not worth it. You’re looking at being Watch Commander within five years, Captain in ten. He’s chained to that desk, not advancing no matter what he does.” Tim looked straight at Stanton. “One day when she’s Chief of Police, the LAPD will never have another officer like you and you’ll be the example as to why.”

“She’ll never make Chief of Police.”

Nodding, Lucy spoke firmly. “Maybe but at least I can say I’ll make Watch Commander. I’m already Mid-Wilshire’s in-department sergeant. Five years after graduating the academy I’ve done undercover school and passes, passed the Sergeant’s Exam and the Detective’s Exam. I’m also a T.O. and all of that on my own merit. So, he’s right that you aren’t worth it.”

“Mommy?” Zoe spoke and they looked to her. “Can I say something to him?”

Tim ran his hand down Lucy’s arm. “Go ahead, Princess.”

Zoe walked over and looked up at Stanton. “My mommy says not to say bad words but I wanted you to know something.” She put her hands on her hips and spoke loudly. “You suck at being a police officer. I know police rules better than you and I’m five! Read your books and go back to the academy and maybe you’ll be an okay police officer!”

Tim chuckled and picked up Zoe as she walked over. “Ready to go home?” He inquired while Lucy collected Theo from Trent.

“But Mommy said we can help her at Mid-Wilshire.”

“Oh another day. Why don’t we drop Nox at home and go pick up Tamara, maybe get some ice cream?” He glided Lucy and Theo ahead of him. “You know what you said is mean, right?”

Zoe shrugged. “Sometimes you have to say bad words to mean people.”

The cop actually laughed. “You are so much like your mother. Small and trying to change the world.”

“I’m going to be a police captain just like Captain Zoe and Mommy. Uncle Wade says the truth is in my name.”

“God help me.”

Chapter Text

Wade Grey could only stare at his two best sergeants and held his hands up, words trying to form as he did so. The call he’d gotten earlier had both shocked him and didn’t want to believe it. Tim Bradford stood in front of his desk, hands in front of him and K9 at his feet while his wife, and the watch commander’s chosen successor, waited patiently with her hands rested on her belt. Of all the people he expected to stand beside his desk, it hadn’t been those two, but only because they were his fire extinguishers at time. They put out fires left and right and sometimes situations were months old by the time he heard about them. 

“I don’t know how to ask this.” Grey threaded his fingers and put them on the desk. “Can you explain why Captain Leon from Hollywood Division said my sergeants nearly created a brawl in her squad room?”

“Doug Stanton had the twins.” Lucy stated. “Tim had to hold me back.”

Tim motioned his thumb at his wife. “You’ve seen her go into ‘mama bear’ mode once. I was there to prevent a massacre.”

Grey nodded. “good point, carry on with your day.”

“Yes sir.”

The couple turned and left the office, Grey speaking afterwards. “And you better be ready for Luna and me to kidnap those babies this weekend.”

Tim paused at the door. “While we’re here, why did you tell Zoe she’d be captain after Lucy?”

The watch commander smiled at him. “Because she will be. She may look like you Tim but she’s all her mother.”

“Don’t I know it.” Tim’s attention went to Lucy and smiled at her with pride. Lucy nudged his shoulder with her own while grinning. “I wouldn’t want her any other way, either.”

Grin growing, Lucy swayed for a fraction. “Aww, you love me.”

“You had doubts?” His voice was soft but serious.

“Nah, I knew.” Lucy patted his arm and left the doorway to head out to start her day.

Fingering his pen, the older of the sergeants spoke. “She fell first but you fell harder.”

“Actually sir, I was the one to fall first. I was just oblivious and in denial.”

“But you made it work.”

Tim nodded. “We did.”

Halfway through the day, Lucy was back for her meeting with Grey and some of the other superior officers. Grey seemed to pull her into a lot of meetings in an attempt to increase her knowledge and prep her for the day she’d take his spot as Mid-Wilshire’s Watch Commander. He’d hinted once or twice about Luna complaining about New York City house and apartment prices. Tim and she knew it was coming, within five years she’d be tapped for Lieutenant I and become Watch Commander.

Grey had moved into position as a sergeant instead of a lieutenant because of some situation fifteen years before that no one wanted to talk about. She knew it had to do with the captain before Captain Anderson having committed a crime. He’d been left a sergeant and he’d never shown a desire to advance to lieutenant. Lucy would have to advance though to keep up with regulations. It was only a matter of time and the couple’s concern was currently focused on the twins and Tamara’s attendance at the academy.

Due to some issues with Nolan being the only training officer, she’d gone from a roving sergeant back to a training officer. It had been a hardship to do so but soon the younger of the Bradford couple had found a way to rove while being a training officer. Basically, she used her rookie as her aide and she had graduated three rookies in a row. The only failure had been Greg Scott but in some ways that had been his fault. Lucy and Tim neither felt like they’d failed because the real and true fault had been his training officer at Pacific Division.

“…taking the training to a new level is going to create some real hardships.” Lucy stated as she and Grey walked downstairs to his office after the meeting. “We only have two training officers and if I advance to lieutenant then Nolan is the only one.”

Grey paused at the bottom of the stairs. “What about Aaron or Celina, would they become a T.O. for the division?”

“I can inquire and let you know. I know Katie expressed interest once but I only heard it that once and she’s set to take the detective’s exam in three months.”

After a moment he pointed to her. “I want you to find us another training officer or two. Search all divisions and see if you can stop by T.O. school as it’s in session. The main concern we have is…”

“Another Greg Scott.” Lucy nodded. “I’ll be checking all the paperwork even if HR gives the ‘okay’ and signs off.”

An officer walked over and interrupted them. “Sir, there is a member of LAPD Human Resources in your office.”

“Thank you, Renard, I’ll see to that.”

“Yes sir.” The woman walked away and returned to her duties.

Grey turned to Lucy. “I have no idea why HR is here so I’ll deal with this. For now, focus on Phan and getting him to a P2. When you have a chance, sometime this week please head out to the T.O. School and see if anyone catches your attention.” He turned away towards his office but pause and turned back. “Also see about Aaron, Celina, and Katie.”

“Yes sir.” Lucy made her way towards the breakroom because she knew her rookie was taking lunch during her meeting.

Walking into his office, Grey saw a member of HR personnel sitting in a chair patiently waiting. The man looked up when the watch commander walked into the room. “Sergeant Grey, I’m Peter Dillon, I’m a member of human resources from Parker Center.” He rose and held out his hand, Grey taking a moment to shake it before both sat down.

“Mr. Dillion, I’m confused on why a member of human resources is in my office. Perhaps you can enlighten me since I have not sent any emails requesting a meeting.”

Dillon nodded. “Yes sir, I’m actually here because you have two officers here in violation of the new relationship regulations.” He removed a piece of paper and held it out. “Per new policy, officers in relationships with other officers are required to serve in different divisions. No longer is the requirement not to be in the same chain of command. Human Resources has found that serving at the same division creates conflict of interest in too many instances. One of the Sergeants Bradford are going to have to move division.”

Grey looked down at the paper. “This took effect three years ago so tell me why them serving in the same division is suddenly an issue.”

“Because we have been alerted by a fellow officer that felt there was an abuse of power.”

“Doug Stanton is not a reliable source for such information. The man was removed from duty due to racism and abuse of power. Despite his appeal, he has no business serving as an officer.” Grey put the paper down. “Mr. Dillon, those two are the only working couple I have that doesn’t have a conflict of interest. Tim and Lucy Bradford would change your mind on that policy if you rode with them for just one day. They’re professional and while yes, they do talk about personal business while working together, the job never suffers.”

Dillon nodded. “First, it was Captain Leon who contacted me. Second, Doug Stanton is no longer and officer. Third, I highly doubt one ride along would change my mind.”

Thinking for a minute, Grey leaned back in his chair. “They were a couple who kept to the policy at the time before this change. They’re technically grandfathered into the old program. Ride with them tomorrow, see what I’m talking about. I guarantee you’ll step out of that shop after twelve hours and report back that there is no conflict of interest. If they don’t prove you wrong, at least you can report there is conflict.”

The man was silent before he spoke. “I’ll do the ride along, just to prove you wrong Sergeant Grey.”

A nod was all Grey gave him. “Be here at 0800, you’ll leave after huddle.”

Leaving Grey at his desk, Dillon left the office. “Have a good day, Sergeant.”

Grey picked up his phone and made a call. “Sylvia, it’s Wade. We got an issue. HR has a new policy about cops in relationships having to serve in different divisions. I got HR doing a ride along with the Bradfords tomorrow but you said you had contacts in HR. I’d use them.” He nodded, “I know, surprised me too. Apparently, that situation yesterday with the twins was known by the Hollywood Division captain and she called HR. When they said Stanton had the twins, I didn’t say anything either because we protect our own. Any child of my officers, no matter who they are, are off limits. I’m sure you’re the same way with your officers’ kids.” He picked up a pen and tapped it against the desk. “Just keep me up to date.”

The day went by fast and Grey had to call the Bradfords into his office for the second time that day. He watched as both sat down relaxed, as if their lives weren’t going to be turned upside down if the following day didn’t go perfectly. The hope was Lieutenant Pine could use her resources to prevent the situation or somehow get them grandfathered in. The issue was that to get them to understand why Pine was doing her best to work with her contacts in HR, he had to tell them the plan. Pine had agreed it was unavoidable at that point.

“I wanted to talk to you because something has happened that could cause one of you to transfer out to another division.” Grey watched the concern grow on their faces and he reached for the new policy, holding it out to Lucy. The woman took the paper and started reading it before handing it to Tim to read.

“This took effect three years ago, why are we just finding out now?” Lucy asked as Tim read the policy.

Grey sighed, “Leon contacted HR after yesterday. Up until yesterday no one had heard of any conflict with you two working together so I think they didn’t realize you were serving at the same station still.”

Tim threw the paper on his desk. “So getting our children from under Doug Stanton’s custody has created the perfect storm. I’ll have to transfer out.”

“Tim…” Lucy looked straight at her husband. “We need to discuss this before you…”

He put his hand over hers. “You’re being trained to follow Grey, moving you isn’t smart or plausible.”

Grey waved his hands at their talks. “Now hold on, there’s more I have to tell you. First though, Doug Stanton is no longer a cop and from my contacts, he was pressured to retire after word got out that he didn’t follow policy with children of fellow officers. It was his last strike.”

“Thank God for that.” Lucy stated softly.

“Second, don’t go putting transfer papers in yet. I managed to get HR to do a ride-along with you two tomorrow. Keep your K9 at home, you two will ride together tomorrow.” The statement was pointed towards Tim. “Also, Pine has some contacts at HR, mainly her wife, so she’s working on doing something also.”

That confused Tim. “Why would Pine be working on this? No matter what division I’m at, I’d still be under Metro.”

“This is the part where I have a feeling you’re going to be unable to trust me for a while.” Grey spoke firmly and looked between the two. “We’re been making plans regarding you two. For the future of the LAPD.”

“What?” Lucy’s voice rose. “What plans?”

Grey put up his hands. “You would rise to be Watch Commander and then Captain. Potentially Chief of Police down the road.” He looked to Tim, “Pine would train you to follow her to be the Head of Metro. We realized you two stationed as heads in important parts of the LAPD would prevent officers like Doug Stanton or Nick Armstrong or any other corrupt cop. You’d weed them out before they become problems. Raising Harper and Lopez to Lead Detective or higher would also create a stopgap to prevent it also. Nolan will rise to possibly run the T.O. school so they can prevent other Greg Scotts.” He nodded softly, “we’d create a new LAPD by putting officers we trust into important positions. I even thought to have Celina transferred to IA since the girl’s sixth sense is right almost ninety percent of the time.”

Tim glanced at Lucy before he spoke. “If anyone finds out about this you could be fired or worse.”

“That’s why Pine and I kept the fact under wraps, but with this situation we felt you had to know. We also knew you’d agree it’s what the LAPD needs even if it feels like manipulation.”

“You’re right.” Lucy finally directed her attention to Grey. “It feels like manipulation but the fact of the matter is, it's necessary. Just in the time I’ve been a cop, there’s been too much corruption and officers who don’t belong.”

Grey leaned in as he spoke to Lucy. “Lucy, I want you to know that despite these plans, you were always my first choice. Since that day as a P2 when you handled the division with ease. Not even your husband can manage this division that easily.”

Tim spoke after a few moments of silence. “So the ride-along tomorrow, what are we looking at?”

“Your basic ride-along but I’d find some not-so-easy situations. They’ll want to see you in conflict and how you handle it as both cops and couples.”

“We should just invite him to a Metro situation.” Lucy pointed to Tim.

The older of the couple nodded. “She’s right.”

“She’s Lucy Bradford, when isn’t she right?” Grey asked her husband.

The three ended up laughing softly and Tim stood up with Lucy following after him. “Thank you for letting us know sir. About all of it.”

“I assume you guys will keep this confidential?”

Lucy nodded, “we’re professionals and you’re family. What happens between family, stays between family.”

Those words were soaked in. “So are we on good terms?”

“Sir, you’d have to do a lot more than this for us to hate you.” Lucy smiled, “even this one hasn’t always been on my good side. I’ve never hated him though.”

Grey stood up and walked around the desk. “Luna and I are still going to kidnap the twins this weekend. We’re going to take them to the aquarium and then to Reese’s Kidhouse to eat.”

“They’ll love that.” Lucy said, “you’re going to bring them home exhausted.”

“They’ll still wake up at six in the morning.” Tim told her. “We’ll see you tomorrow, sir.”

Chapter Text

The sound of a knock made Tim Bradford pick up his head from where he had it bent over writing a report. He found a man holding a portfolio and waiting in the doorway. Knowing it was the man from HR due for the ride-along, Tim closed the jacket to the report he was working on. Lucy was in the locker room changing into her uniform. The man seemed to look confused seeing Nox’s kennel against the wall between it and the filing cabinets.

“I’m a Metro K9 officer.” Tim stated, “that’s why there’s a kennel.”

The man walked in and held out his hand, Tim rising to his feet to shake the offered limb. “I’m Peter Dillon, Human Resources at Parker Center. I’m here to do a ride-along with you and the other Sergeant Bradford.”

“I’m aware. Sergeant Grey informed us yesterday.” Tim sat back down. “I hope you don’t mind but I’m in the middle of a writing a report. Lieutenant Pine wanted it before her noon meeting today.”

Dillon sat down in the chair in front of Tim’s desk. “Of course.” He reached for the picture that Lucy had placed on Tim’s desk just that morning. It was of them with the twins and Tamara from Christmas. Aaron had given them a gift card for a photographer and as usual, they used it to take a family photo. “Your family?”

“My wife and I with our kids and her sister.” Tim stated without looking up from his attention on the report. “Tamara was a homeless teen when we met her and Lucy gave her a home. When we got married and bought a house, Tamara came too. She can move out whenever she wants but we won’t kick her out.”

“Your children are quite small. How old are they?”

Tim looked up, “five, twins.”

“How do you juggle you both working as officers and being parents?”

“They go to the school where my sister works as a fourth grade teacher. She takes the twins with her when she goes home and we pick them up after we get off work. We drop them off on our way in.” Tim put his pen down and closed the file jacket.

Dillon nodded and turned the picture back around. “I noticed your age in your jacket. Do you find your age complicates your job in any way?”

“Mr. Dillon, just because I’m almost fifty doesn’t mean I’ve suffered in my job in any way. I can do my job whether I’m patrolling with my K9, taking part in any Metro situation that occurs, or working the streets with another officer.” Tim leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “I would advise you not to bring up my age with my wife. It makes her a bit sensitive of her own and I don’t know if you know this but implying or asking a woman her age would set any woman off.”

“Unfortunately, I’m going to be asking you two a lot of questions today and some of those questions will be personal.”

Looking at his watch, Tim stood up. “Your funeral then. Time for shift report so we’ll head out to the bullpen.”

They found Lucy walking back from the garage bay and met the men in the middle of the bullpens just before the conference room. “Shop is washed, checked, fueled, and stocked.” Lucy threw Tim the keys and he caught them.

“On top of things as always.” He stated.

“You trained me to be on top of things, remember?” She smirked and headed into the conference room, ignoring the obvious looking man from HR.

Seeing the man’s confusion, Tim explained. “I was her training officer when she was a rookie officer. That was almost three and half years before we started dating.”

“I see.” He opened his portfolio and wrote something on the notepad inside. Tim knew at that moment it would be a very long day.

They entered the room and Tim stood at the back as it wasn’t him who stood by Grey anymore. Lucy was the officer who stood on his right side and announcements hadn’t begun yet because Grey was looking at his watch. They had about five minutes before everyone had to be there, in their seats, and ready to go. Grey turned and softly inquired with Lucy about something and she answered his question. Tim knew it had to be about the task Grey had given her about questioning the younger officers if they wanted to be a training officer.

“Alright, settle down.” Grey stood at the lectern. “Just some announcements before you guys get on the street. Spring Break is coming up and I don’t mean for our kids or officers.” He looked out and picked someone. “Officer Juarez, want to explain for our younger officers why we worry about Spring Break?”

Celina stood up. “Spring Break is when out of towners come and celebrate. We’re mostly concerned about underage alcoholism, petty crime, and injury.” She motioned with her hand towards Grey. “Just off topic, shouldn’t be a bad year this year.”

“Thank you, Officer Juarez, for that information. That said, first five requests off are all that I’m approving. So, I think we all know that this upcoming rookie season is probably going to be stretched thin since LAPD just announced spots at all stations are going from three to five. I need training officers because while Sergeant Bradford and Officer Nolan are doing wonderfully, the most they can rotate around is three. If anyone is interested, see Sergeant Bradford. That’s all for today. Stay safe out there.”

Everyone filed out and Lucy met Tim and the man that would be shadowing them in the garage bay. Tim motioned to Lucy, “Mr. Dillon, Sergeant Lucy Bradford.”

“Hello.” Lucy smiled and shook the man’s hand. “I heard you’re going to be doing a ride-along with us.”

Tim shook his head a minute fraction. “Don’t burn him.”

“Excuse me?” Dillon inquired between the two.

“She’s pure sunshine when she’s not upset. I was telling her not to overburden you with her sunny personality before we even got to work.” Tim opened the back of the shop. “After you, Mr. Dillon.”

They all got inside the shop and settled in as Lucy reached for the cameras. “Cameras one through three on.”

“Four through seven.” Tim told her as he turned his on also.

“Shop computer ready.” Lucy reached for the radio. “Seven-Adam-Nineteen to Control, departing Mid-Wilshire Vehicle Bay. Code Two.”

The radio blared to life. “Control to Seven-Adam-Nineteen, departing Mid-Wilshire Vehicle Bay acknowledged. Stay safe out there.” Lucy put the radio back in it’s cradle.

Even before they got a mile out, Dillon asked a question. “What day did you start dating?”

“Um, excuse me?” Lucy asked and turned in her seat to look at the man.

“Please answer the question, Sergeant Bradford.”

Lucy turned back around and put her elbow on the window ledge, resting her chin in her hand. “November 2nd, 2023.”

“I see from the time of Sergeant Bradford’s appointment as a sergeant till October 15^th of 2023, you were his sergeant’s aide. Why did you put in for the request for return to patrol?”

Tim looked over to see Lucy struggling to speak. “Mr. Dillon, we can discuss this on our lunch break but these types of questions actually do take away her ability to man the radio and the shop computer.”

“Sergeant Bradford, these questions assist me in making an accurate assessment of you both.”

Lucy finally spoke. “You want a timeline, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll write you one.” She looked over her shoulder. “No more questions. These shops record everything.” She turned back around and pulled out her notepad and pen. “Not everything in our life wants recording.”

Tim glanced over at her and spoke calmly. “Next rookie year, Tamara will be part of it. I told her she’d probably end up at any division other than Mid-Wilshire.”

“I know, she was upset but I told her she knows everyone so no one could train her.” Lucy stated without looking up from writing. “She inquired about transferring in after the rookie year and I told her that it wouldn’t be possible because I’d probably be a lieutenant by then and with Comms Supervisor making the demand that I be the next Watch Commander, I’d be her superior.”

“If I retire, Pine will take her.” Tim stated firmly. “Becoming a stay at home dad in a few years wouldn’t be half bad. Especially since we talked about maybe having a sibling for the twins.”

“You be a stay at home dad?” Lucy laughed and looked up at him. “You’d die of boredom. Your recovery from being shot not once but twice plus surgery recovery years ago, you went stir-crazy.”

Tim shrugged. “Did you see what your son did two days ago? Taking apart a bomb would be easier then cleaning that mess.”

“He’s half yours and I told you to watch him. Did you listen to me?” She looked down at her pad of paper and continued writing.

“I didn’t think he’d carry dirt from the yard into the kitchen and put it in the sink and then get his hand stuck so bad I had to call Bailey.” Tim glanced at her. “You are right though about telling me to watch him. I should put a body cam on him.”

Lucy smirked despite still not looking up. “Zoe would disable it; she knows how to turn it on and off.”

“Okay, maybe Grey is right that she’ll be a cop.”

Finally finished writing, Lucy tore the paper from her notepad and put the pad and pen up. Turning after she rolled the paper enough to fit through the grating, she put it through. “Timeline like you wanted.”

Dillon took the paper and unrolled it as Lucy turned around. “Do you always talk about your children when riding together?”

“No. Last time we rode together I reminded Tim about how much of an ass he was the night before on our date.” Lucy spoke truthfully. “He’s a work in progress. Husband-wise, at least.”

Tim pointed to himself. “I was right in the end though.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” Lucy told him.

The radio blared to life. “Control to Seven-Adam-Nineteen, possible intoxicated or drug-fueled male making a disturbance at 115 South Fremont Place.”

Lucy took it and answered. “Seven-Adam-Nineteen to Control, any report of a weapon?”

“Negative, Seven-Adam-Nineteen. Just belligerent.”

“Show us responding, Code two.” Lucy told dispatch and put the radio down. “How much you want to bet that it’s an ex of some sort?”

Tim glanced at her. “Better dust off that psychology reference.”

“Never needed to shelf it.” Lucy told him with a grin. “I use it on you all the time.”

He motioned to himself. “I’m aware of all your attempts at reverse psychology.”

“Not all of them. You don’t even realize all the times it works on you.” Lucy couldn’t help but see him trying to mentally run through things. “Don’t bother, you won’t figure them all out.”

They arrived at the residence and Lucy groaned at the sight of a nude male running back and forth in front of a house yelling at it. Tim looked at her. “What?”

“I hate nude calls. Last one was as a rookie, nude bank robber.” She motioned behind her towards the back. “I have to wash the shop down afterwards.”

Tim motioned to their ride-along. “Ride along, we’ll call for another shop or a RA.”

Lucy turned to Dillon. “You don’t know how thankful that you’re here.”

They opened their doors and Tim opened up the back so Dillon could get out. Lucy was usually the one to approach because she could reason better than Tim could due to her psychology background. The man turned and started yelling at them. “Go away! You don’t belong here. Go away you demons!”

Lucy put up her hand. “Sir, I’m not a demon. I’m a police officer. My name is Lucy, what’s your name?”

“Go away!” The man ran at her and she took a step to the side but put out her foot so the man fell onto the ground. “No, no off! Off demons!” Lucy knelt down and pulled his hands behind his back, putting pressure on his thigh with her knee.

“Sir, can you tell me your name?” Lucy saw Tim approach the house and ring the door while calling out ‘LAPD’ to alert the person inside they were police. “Sir! Please tell me your name.”

“DEMONS!” The man yelled at Lucy and tried to rear back but she leaned back so he couldn’t do so.

The front door opened and a woman stepped out. Tim spoke to her while Lucy did the restraining. “Ma’am, I’m Sergeant Bradford. Do you know this man?”

“He’s my husband.” She wrapped her robe closed around her body. “He goes off his meds and tried to attack people.”

Tim nodded and pulled out his notepad. “And what is his name?”

“Norman Weller.”

Writing, he glanced up. “Yours also.”

“Maxine Weller.”

He nodded. “Can I see some form of ID please.”

“Why?”

“Because its policy.” Tim watched as the woman walked across the entryway and picked up her purse, opening it to remove her wallet. “For my report ma’am, are you the only one in residence?”

She held out the ID and folded her arms around herself. “No, why should it matter?”

“As I said, just a question we have to ask.” He wrote down the information she gave him and handed the ID back. “Ma’am, I’m going to ask if I can take a look around inside.”

“No, come back with a warrant.”

Nodding, Tim put his notepad up. “You mentioned medication. I’d like for you to bring me your husband’s medication so we can give it to the paramedics when they arrive. His wallet also.”

“I don’t know where his wallet is but I’ll get you his medication.” She closed the door and Tim walked over to Lucy to see she was speaking softly to the man restrained despite him just screaming ‘demon’ at her. “Tag me in, she mentioned medication and she’s bringing it out.”

In practiced use, he took hold of the man’s restrained hands and put a knee where Lucy’s had been so she could stand up. “Good luck, he’s on repeat.” Lucy reached for her radio, “Seven-Adam-Nineteen to Control, dispatch a RA to our location. Patient likely suffering from psychological medication withdrawal.”

“Control to Seven-Adam-Nineteen, request for RA copy. Ten minutes out.”

The radio silenced as Lucy made her way to the door to wait for the man’s wife. It took longer than expected but the woman finally opened the door. “Here is his medication, can you just get him out of here.”

“Ma’am, when was the last time your husband was home?” Lucy asked as she looked at the medication bottles.

“Why should that matter?”

Lucy held up the bottle. “These were filled over a year ago and are expired. When was the last time he was home?”

“He’s been living in Venice with his whore for the last six months. Don’t know where he was before that.” The woman stated and folded her arms around herself. “Men are pigs, I’m trying to divorce him but he won’t sign the papers. Trust me, don’t get married and if you are, he’s probably cheating on you.”

Lucy glanced back where Tim was restraining the man. “I know where my husband is all the time.”

“Lucky you. Must be a nerd who stays at his computer.” Lucy pointed over her shoulder. “What?”

“Sergeant Bradford.” She pointed to her shirt after. “Sergeant Bradford. Be aware we’ll be escorting your husband off property via ambulance. He’ll be assessed at Shaw Memorial and will likely need a ride home before they’ll be discharging him. We’ll be following up in the next few days.” She smiled forcefully. “Have a good day.”

The door slammed as she walked towards Tim and he glanced her way. “Meds?”

“Over a year since last filled.” Lucy told him and looked at the medication. “Anti-psychotic, rare for a psych patient to be violent. Rare but not unheard of, Shaw will probably assess him and see if he has any medication in his system. According to the wife, she said he’s been in Venice Beach with a girlfriend the last six months and doesn’t know about anything before that. Also thinks all men are cheaters and told me I should get a divorce.”

“Obviously that’s not going to happen.” Tim looked up at her. “You know where I am all the time and I don’t look at anyone but you.”

Lucy smiled at him. “I know and I told her straight up that I know where my husband is all the time.” She put a hand to his shoulder. “You’re stuck with me.”

“Thank God for that.” Tim stated. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

They were back on the road not even twenty minutes later and Lucy found that before they even left, she and Tim had asked for an unhealthy amount of hand sanitizer. The paramedic had been Emmett, which she hadn’t seen since Tim’s shooting on their first anniversary, and he understood and gave them a whole bottle. It was half gone by the time they started the shop up once again. They got back on the road to patrol their assigned section of the division. It always surprised them but for some reason when they were going out together, they got assigned the same section they had when Lucy had been a rookie. Tim suspected that Grey knew they preferred ‘Seven-Adam-Nineteen’ due to its history.

“Is that a routine call?”

Lucy looked back at Dillon. “Sometimes. The nude part, no, but someone of their meds is too routine.”

“Sometimes the relatives are complicit and sometimes it’s just circumstances.” Tim spoke calmly as he drove. “People become homeless and can’t afford the medication. Other times people are on their medications and symptoms go away so they don’t think they need it. Going off causes symptoms to come back.”

“Sergeant Bradford, when you were an officer, you underwent something psychological. Do you find it influences you at all?” The car was pulled over and Tim got out suddenly, opening the door to the back.

“Out now.”

“Sergeant Bradford…”

Tim leaned in. “Out now.” He closed the door after Dillon got out. “Look, I’m not going to interfere in this circus that HR is putting us through. You want to dig into our lives, fine we’ll play that game. You want to question how we act together as cops, fine. The only thing I won’t let you do is put her back where she was when she was kidnapped and tortured. Lucy has come too far from that nightmare. You weren’t there as her friend or her training officer, you don’t know the hell that happened. She died and thank god we found her minutes after she stopped breathing to administer CPR so she’d live.” He leaned in, “we understand each other?”

Dillon nodded. “Yes.”

“Good because I’m the least of your issues. You ask a question like that again and Sergeant Grey will personally demand your resignation from your boss.” Tim backed up and opened the door to allow him back in.

Tim opened the door to the driver’s side and climbed in, looking over at Lucy. She gave him a short nod, an acknowledgement that she was okay. With the acknowledgement, Tim put the shop back into drive and pulled away from the side of the street. Thankfully their guest was quiet for over two hours and Lucy found herself having to glance back a few times to make sure he was alive.

Eventually it was time for lunch and they found the food trucks and everyone was there like always. Almost ten years on and everyone still ate together.

“Seriously?” Talia Bishop looked at her friend, “they demanded a ride-along?”

Tim glanced across the small area where Lucy was ordering from the food truck for them. “And brought up her kidnapping.”

“Like hell they did.” Angela stated loudly.

Nolan looked at Tim then Dillon across the area and then back at Tim. “Seriously, the taboo-ist topic to exist at Mid-Wilshire?”

“Look, Pine’s wife works in HR and she’s trying to get us grandfathered in under the old policy. For now, we’re playing ball with them so we can give Pine the day to work on it.” Tim sighed, “I made it clear any question they ask is fair game except that nightmare. I also mentioned Grey would ask for his resignation if he tried again.”

Harper shook her head. “Nope, just say the word and we’ll make him disappear. I mean, we’re by a lake.”

“Thank you but he’s with us today and the shop has cameras so it clearly recorded me making him get out of the shop.” A hand on Tim’s shoulder made him look up and found Lucy with a plate of food. He took it from her gently and let her sit down while he put the plate down. Placing his hand on the other side of her head, he pulled her towards him and kissed her temple before letting her go.

Angela motioned to them. “You guys are unreal. Seriously, Wesley and I weren’t this happy five years into our relationship.”

“James and me either.” Harper told them.

Talia Bishop smirked. “Is the rumor true that Anderson chose training officers and rookies?”

“It’s why we named Zoe ‘Zoe’, because Anderson chose to put us together.” Lucy nudged Tim’s arm with her own. “Doubt she saw this coming though.”

Tim motioned to Angela with his fork. “Weren’t you the one who tried to give me a talk about our relationship just days after finding out Lucy was pregnant?”

“Hey, I said you’d made it work.”

“No, you said years down the line we’d be the couple stories are told about.”

Angela waved him off. “Doesn’t mean we expected you guys to be all lovey-dovey after the honeymoon period wore off.”

“You do remember she locked me out of the apartment once and I had to sleep on your couch.” Tim reminded Angela.

“True.” Harper laughed, “that was hilarious to hear when Angela told me.”

Lucy smiled at Tim. “You learned your lesson.”

“I’ve learned dozens of lessons when it comes to you. Like you’ve learned just as many when it comes to me.” He met her eyes. “Part of being together.”

Bishop waved them off. “I can’t watch anymore. You two are too in love for any of us to handle.”

Nolan looked at them. “So, is Tamara excited about the academy?”

“Yes, but she’s sad she’ll have to go to another division.” Lucy picked up her drink. “Since Grey is training me to succeed him, I’ll be Watch Commander eventually and she’s essentially my sister.”

Harper pointed her fork at Lucy. “True but she’s not legally your sister so they can’t technically stop her from being stationed at Mid-Wilshire or prevent her from transferring in. I’d be her training officer.”

Nolan glanced at his second training officer. “You’d eat her alive. Then Tim would murder you. No, I’d be training her.”

“You think I’m scared of Tim, like hell.”

Tim put down his fork and wiped his face. “You’d have Tamara in tears and that’ll have Lucy five seconds from killing you. I’m not saving your ass if you piss off my wife by upsetting Tamara.”

Angela held up her hand. “That just creates chaos. Hands down if Tamara comes into Mid-Wilshire, John will be her training officer.”

“Can he be her training officer?” Harper asked. “He’s older then Tim.”

“Hey, my time was above minimum standards.” Nolan looked at her. “Sure, we’re not meeting the max like Tim but I’m not at or below minimum.”

Tim pointed at Nolan. “I was above max last PT assessment.”

“You would be.” Angela told him. “Now onto the info you two have been avoiding. Tamara said something about maybe having another baby.”

“It’s just talk right now.” Lucy told her.

Angela nodded, “you’re not getting any younger.”

Tim winced as that topic of discussion was dangerous territory. “I wouldn’t…”

“No, it’s alright.” Lucy ran her hand over his arm. “True but I’m in a lot better position then you or Harper to have another kid.”

“Whoa, don’t bring my age into this.” Harper told her.

Lucy waved her hand. “I meant that remember how crazy my mother was a couple years back.”

Nolan pointed at her. “Right, paid to have your eggs frozen.”

“I did it because I’m a cop, never knew what could happen. So, sure I’m in my thirties but my twenty-eight year old eggs are frozen.” Lucy shrugged. “That’s why we’re a little bit better off than you guys.”

“At least Terminator here can’t give you twins again.” Angela told her. “Doctor controls that aspect.”

Tim looked at his best friend after Lucy. “Can we not talk about this right now?”

Angela waved him off. “Sure, we’ll take pity on you but only because Girls’ Night is next Friday.”

“Speaking of, where are we going?” Harper asked her logically. “Club?”

Lucy waved her hand. “No clubs. Being drugged and buried alive made clubs a no-go for me.”

“Right.” Angela thought for a moment. “Vineyard?”

“Sign me up.” Bishop told them. “Stick the guys with the kids and let’s go up north for a weekend.”

Nolan nodded. “Bailey rescued a vineyard owner two weeks ago.” Seeing looks, he waved them off. “Don’t ask because you’ll want Bailey to explain it. She could make some calls, probably get you guys upgraded.”

Lucy held up her phone. “Luna is game.”

“I’ll call Bailey and book it tonight.” Angela told them. “Leave straight from work that Friday?”

Harper put down her drink. “Yes, we’ll just pack the night before.”

Tim focused on Nolan. “You up for having kids all over the house again?”

“More the merrier. We could put on the game, invite Aaron over also.”

Lucy looked at her watch. “We should get back on patrol.” Tim stood and took their plate, allowing Lucy to say her goodbyes.

Grey was waiting at the end of shift with Pine and her wife, the two women joined him in standing by the vehicle bay as the couple returned with their HR passenger. Dillon paused at seeing the woman who worked with him. Grey smiled at the three and held out his hand towards the two women. “Sergeants Bradford, may I introduce Alina Pine. She works at Parker Center at HR.”

Tim reached out to shake Pine’s hand and then her wife’s. “Ma’am, ma’am.”

“I’ve heard a lot about your Sergeant Bradford. My wife speaks volumes of your capability and unique working relationship you have with your wife. Something about you two taking down a gunman who had a K9 officer pinned.”

Lucy nodded to Pine. “Ma’am.”

“Sergeant.”

Lucy held out her hand to her wife. “Mrs. Pine, a pleasure to meet you.”

“Sergeant Bradford.” She motioned between the couple, “how do you differentiate who someone is talking about in mixed settings?”

Tim motioned to himself. “K9 Sergeant Bradford.”

“Patrol Sergeant Bradford.” Lucy followed up. “Usually Lieutenant Pine just refers to us as one person.”

“Because you act very similar.” Pine shook her head a fraction. “I know they said married people are similar but the way you work, it’s near identical.”

Lucy motioned to Tim. “He was my training officer when I was a rookie. Then I was his aide. Then we started dating and got married.”

Pine glanced at Tim. “You never thought to share that?”

“Doesn’t interfere with how we operate.”

“The hell it doesn’t. You have one or two word conversations and within five hours I have a suspect in my hands. If I could hire you both, I would.”

Grey held out his hand. “Now hold on Sylvia, the younger of the two is mine.”

Dillon finally spoke. “Alina, what are you doing here?”

The woman held out her hand. “Your portfolio please Peter.” He handed it over and she opened it to see notes inside. Collecting the pages, she removed them and handed him back the portfolio. “Sergeants, I’ve spent my day reviewing body cam footage and situational footage from Metro. I’ve also spoken to a good portion of people at this station. I also was informed on why you nearly brawled with Hollywood Division.” She pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it out to Lucy with the folded piece of paper from Dillon’s portfolio notebook. “You’ve been grandfathered in under the older regulations. You met them with good faith and up until yesterday, no one even heard anything that could have alerted us to an abuse of power. I’m confident you’ve not used each other in any way that could create a conflict.”

Lucy nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, thank yourselves. I only wish all the other couples who once worked together had worked with your respect for the uniform and each other.”

Pine pointed to Lucy while speaking to Tim. “Take her out to dinner sometime, she spends far too much time enjoying your company at work. Take her on a date.”

“He does.” Lucy told her. “We’ve kind of made a family out of other officers and their spouses. Everyone rotates houses on the weekend so a couple has a free weekend without the kids at least once a month.”

The Metro Leader chuckled. “We should have thought of that when we were younger but this newer generation, they take the term ‘it takes a village’ in a literal sense.” She nodded to both the couple,” Sergeants,” and then Grey. “Wade.”

Once they were gone, Grey folded his arms. “That you for giving Pine time to work her magic. I know working with Peter Dillon was interesting.”

“He ever steps foot into this building again, he may not walk out on his own terms.” Tim told Grey firmly.

A look from her superior made Lucy put a hand on Tim’s arm and explain. “He brought up my abduction and asked about how it affects me today.”

Grey nodded. “I see. Well if he ever does come back, I’ll be sure to handle him. You know I don’t tolerate anyone speaking about that and if hear it, a reprimand is given.”

“Thank you, sir.” Lucy told him.

“You two get changed and head home, I know you miss the twins.”

Chapter Text

Tim Bradford stood in the kitchen making dinner while Lucy worked overtime with Phan and the twins were playing in the backyard. He’d made sure to emphasize to his son that outside elements stayed outside, especially after the mud incident. He was only thankful that Bailey had gotten Theo’s hand unstuck and Nolan had helped him install a new sink and garbage disposal. Now in the LAPD Academy, Tamara sat at the bar studying for her upcoming exam on arrest and booking procedures. She was lucky that Tim and Lucy would quiz her at the station in front of actual equipment if they had time.

“So, is it fingerprints first then photos or is it photos then fingerprints?” Tamara asked as she read over the passage in her text. “It just says ‘when booking after arrest, fingerprints and photographs are taken by the arresting officer if an officer is not assigned to above tasks.’ It doesn’t give any indication of order.”

Tim wiped his hands and moved around the bar to see what she was talking about. “When was this manual updated last?” He flipped to the front and nodded at the book’s production date. “I’ll have Pine get you an updated version. Photographs are taken first then fingerprints; a driver’s license is used for writing an arrest report.”

“Lucy says we can work on weapon disassembly and assembly this weekend.”

The older officer moved back around to the counter where he was making a salad. “That’s the first step before going to the range. You need to know how a weapon works and what the parts of it does before you fire it. I remember too many times seeing cadets at the academy injure themselves because they put their fingers and parts of their hands in the wrong place.”

Tamara’s phone rang and she looked down to see it was someone from the social services office. It was a previous coworker and she prevented it from going to voice mail, just stopping the call immediately. She looked up to see Tim watching her. “I don’t want to hear it. She did nothing when Richard White decided I was unfit for social services because I spent too much time with my foster kids and actually cared for them as they needed. Just like everyone in that office.”

“I’m not saying anything. If you want to block her calls, block her calls.”

“Thanks.” She said quietly. “Lucy thinks it’s a bit immature.”

Tim nodded. “A bit but then again, your former boss was the real immature one. Rather look at a time clock then at the conditions kids are in. Those kids are lucky that you keep in contact with them even after leaving the social work office. Without restraint, you’ll be able to help them further then you were able before.” He pointed the knife he had in hand at her textbook. “Read, you have an exam tomorrow and I expect higher than eighty-five.”

“You and your expectations.” Tamara stated and had the kitchen towel thrown at her.

The ringing of the doorbell made Tim take the towel from where Tamara threw it back at him and wipe his hands. He walked around the bar and headed towards the front door. “Expectations that have helped Lucy grow towards a future as Watch Commander and Captain. Those expectations will have you at the top of your academy class and then excel at rookie exams and tasks.”

Tamara turned in her seat. “Doesn’t make it any less annoying.”

He gripped the front door and pulled it open while speaking. “It’ll help you get placed at Mid-Wilshire, if you can make top of your class.” He turned his head back towards the doorway and paused at the face there. “Rachel?”

“Tim?” She looked down at her phone. “Um, I thought I had the right house. Does a Tamara Colins live here?”

Tim nodded and took a step back to allow her in. “My sister-in-law, come on in.”

“Thanks.” She took a step in and paused after he closed the door. “I can wait…”

“No, you’re fine. When did you move back?”

Rachel put her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. “Summer of 2024, dream job was no longer a dream when you can't afford a place to live. Came back and returned to social work.”

He looked back over his shoulder. “I assume it was you who called Tamara not even five minutes ago. She doesn’t really want to talk.”

“What our boss did was inexcusable and he’s harsh so a lot of us stayed quiet. To protect our own jobs, but either way a lot of people are worried about Tamara.”

Tamara yelled from her spot at the bar. “Get kidnapped by a solicitor?”

“You have a guest.” He motioned for Rachel to follow and his ex did just that.

Tamara turned as they entered the living room and bar area. “Rachel, what are you doing here?”

“Everyone is worried and we were concerned since you’ve been radio silent.” Rachel walked towards her. “It took a bit but I got Billy from personnel to give me your address.”

The former social worker stood from her seat. “No one said anything when White all but fired me. I thought it best not to speak to anyone.”

The sliding glass door that went into the backyard opened and Zoe stepped inside. “Daddy, Theo turned on the water hose and is running with it.”

Tim walked over to his daughter and moved her aside before looking into the backyard. He saw Theo playing with the water hose. “Theo Colin Bradford, turn the water off now and get in this house.” Theo looked up at him from where he stood. “I’m not telling you again, do as I say now.”

Within five minutes, the water-soaked five year old was at the backdoor. “But it was fun.”

“Fun or not, you’re wet to the bone and you have pictures tomorrow at school.” He squatted down and helped his son take off his shoes and socks. “Your mother will kill both of us if you aren’t presentable. Go change your clothes this moment and put the wet ones in the bathtub.” He patted Theo’s back, “go on.”

“Yes sir.” Theo ran to his room and Tim stood up, opening the door long enough to put the wet shoes outside.

Rachel chuckled from where she stood. “Never thought you would be one for kids.”

“You two know each other?” Tamara asked waving a finger between them.

“We dated a long time ago. The officer he was training, we had classes together at college, and she set us up on a date. I ended up moving to New York and I have no idea what he’s done. He’s probably a police captain now.”

Tim walked over to the two. “I’m a sergeant now, but it’s Lucy who will be Watch Commander and Captain next. She’s taken exam after exam, class after class, and is the only LAPD officer to become a sergeant and training officer within five years of graduating the academy.”

Rachel nodded at the comments. “Sounds like Lucy. How is she?”

Tamara motioned to the walls where the canvas pictures hung, most were still the same as from the day of the barbeque. The only one to change over the years was the family photo of the couple, the twins, and Tamara. The one on the wall was of them at Christmas. “Kind of obvious.”

Rachel turned her head and saw the pictures for the first time. The first two were of Tim and Lucy from their days as rookie and training officer and then one of them both as sergeants, both had them back to back. The images were taken only five years apart. Others were of the family, couple, and a single print from Lucy’s rookie days when Plain Clothes Day took place. It had all three rookies, her, Nolan, and Jackson, and all three training officers. “Wow, you two…”

“And they’re still in love today.” Tamara told her former coworker. “Not like they love each other, no they’re still in love with each other. Sometimes it’s obnoxious.”

Tim pointed at her. “Pot meet kettle.” Tamara in turn stuck her tongue out at him, as if it was them in the kitchen and she was nineteen again. “You have an exam tomorrow to study for.”

“It’s not like Pine is not going to take pity on me.”

“No, she’ll be five times as hard on grading your exam. Remember this one is open answer with no multiple choice.”

“Shit.” Tamara groaned. “I’m going to fail.”

“Not if you study.” Tim reminded her and looked to Rachel. “Would you like to stay for dinner? Lucy will no doubt enjoy seeing you after so long.”

Zoe made her way over to her father. “Can I have gummies?”

“Not until after dinner, Princess.” He saw her look up at him with praying hands. “No amount of begging is going to get you fruit snacks until you eat your dinner.”

“Fine.” The word was dragged out and Zoe made her way over to the toy chest that was against the wall behind the couch to play.

Rachel looked to Tamara. “Do you mind if I stay for dinner?”

“Nope, but I do need to study for my exam tomorrow.”

“Are you in school?”

Tamara shrugged. “Sort of, I got into the LAPD Academy. I’ll be a rookie officer myself in four months and let me just tell you, I have a whole team of cops helping me study. My plan is to graduate, get assigned to Mid-Wilshire as John Nolan’s rookie and go from there.”

Rachel looked down when she felt something on her leg and found a dog sniffing her feet. “Hi there puppy.” She knelt down and ran her hands over Nox’s body. “Aren’t you a cute one.”

“Nox, she’s a K9 officer.” Tamara told Rachel. “Or was, retired last week and it took Lieutenant Pine to work some magic for Tim and Lucy to keep her. Especially since someone is back to the puppy academy next week.” It was pointed at Tim and he just rolled his eyes from where he stood in the kitchen working on making the lasagna to be had for dinner.

Tamara and Rachel settled on the couch and Tim continued on dinner, listening as Tamara spoke to Rachel while studying. Every so often a question was shot his way and he’d answer it. Theo emerged from his room in new clothes and made his way over to his sister and started playing with her. A glance at the clock as he put the lasagna in the oven, Tim knew Lucy was on her way home after having finished with her rookie.

Just as he opened the oven to pull their meal out did Lucy come through the garage door into the kitchen. “Before you get worried, it’s just a scratch.”

Tim put the lasagna aside and closed the oven before turning to see Lucy laying her lunchbox down. Her cheek was scrapped up and he immediately grasped her chin gently. “A lot more than a scratch.”

“Well, knowing how concerned you’d be, I stopped by Bailey’s on the way home and she waved me off. Said it’d heal in a few days.” Lucy put her hand on her hip, “going to ask how I got this?”

Seeing her smirk, he turned away to turn off the oven. “Must be something interesting if you’re smirking like that.”

She slapped his arm with the back of her hand while her grin grew. “Guess who took down Mateo Gutierrez during a trespassing call today.”

“Vice’s Meto Gutierrez? The Rojas Cartel soldier that has charges for drugs, money laundering, and prostitution?” Tim asked seriously.

“Yep.” Lucy pointed to herself with her thumb. “All me today. Phan is a little bit in awe and wanted to see how we do an arrest and paperwork transfer to Vice. Took a bit longer than usual.”

Tim shook his head and leaned in to kiss her. “Of all the cops in this city, you would be the one who arrests one of LAPD’s most wanted.”

“You’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous. I humbly lose to you.”

Lucy was the one who shook her head as she walked around him. “Humble my ass, you never lose humbly.”

“I do too lose humbly.”

She poked his chest. “Liar.”

“I know how to lose humbly.”

“Liar!” She stated around her grin as she caught his hands. “You’re a liar.”

“Maybe a little jealous.” He told her as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She raised an eyebrow at him and he finally sighed. “Alright, a bit more than a little jealous. However…” He saw her start to open her mouth and rushed to answer before she could speak. “However, if I have to lose to anyone then I will forever accept losing to you.”

Watching his face, she smiled. “Alright, I can accept that.”

“Fair warning, apparently one of Tamara’s former coworkers is Rachel.” He saw her confusion and elaborated. “Rachel Hall, my ex and your friend. She came by to check on Tamara and I invited her to stay so you both can catch up with her.”

Understanding, Lucy nodded. “Alright. Should be an interesting dinner.”

“Hmm, you should go say hello.”

Lucy pulled away and left the kitchen to head into the living room. She found Rachel and Tamara on the couch and smiled as she joined them. “Rachel.”

Rachel stood up and grinned. “Lucy, how my God. It’s been seven years.”

“Almost eight.” Lucy hugged her friend and smiled as they pulled away. “Tim was telling me that you worked with Tamara.”

“Yeah, what White did was horrible. Almost everyone was preserving their job by staying silent but we all think he made the wrong choice.” Rachel looked to Tamara. “This girl was doing what we all wish we could do and was punished for it.”

Tamara shrugged. “I miss being a social worker but I prefer becoming LAPD now that I’ve started. I loved being at Mid-Wilshire and working around the officers. I was only at the front desk but I miss it.”

“So,” Rachel looked at Lucy. “You and Tim?”

“Oh that’s a long story.”

Tamara laughed at her statement. “It’s a short story. You were his rookie. Then you were his aide once he became a sergeant. After that you went undercover together and realized you were in love with each other when you had to kiss the first time. So after that, you started dating and then got pregnant and then married.” She saw Lucy starring at her. “See, short and concise.”

Lucy pointed to Tamara. “You have two seconds before I call Pine and tell her to make your exam oral and given over the training course.”

“Right. My phone is on the verge of dying so I need my charger.” Tamara put her book down and all but ran to her room.

Rachel looked to her friend. “Did you just use your mom-voice on her?”

“Tim and I have existed in a state of half-siblings, half-parents with Tamara since she moved in with me years ago. She was a homeless teen and was an orphan for years. We have had to help her navigate the world. Sometimes we still exist there in certain aspects. Now there is only one absolute regarding Tamara. She can move out but she’ll never be kicked out. This is her home, plain and simple.”

Rachel put a hand on Lucy’s arm. “You rescued her as a teen?”

“No, her only relative was a cousin and he kicked her out the day she turned eighteen. I met her when she was seventeen but she didn’t move in with me until the day of her eighteenth birthday. When Jackson died, she officially became my roommate. Then Tim moved in with us and became part of that strange sibling-parent angle. When we moved into this house, she came with us because we always swore she’d have a home with us no matter what.”

Dinner time came and everyone sat down at the table to eat. Rachel watched as the twins ate but also talked about their day at school. There was a point where the twins were finished eating and directed away from the table. Of course, it wouldn’t be without inquiring about some desired snack asked previously in the evening.

“Gummies?” Zoe asked while hanging onto her chair with one hand and the other flat on the table. “Please?” The word was drawn out as she begged.

Lucy looked at her daughter, dirty-blonde hair escaping her pigtail braids. “One pack and get one for your brother too.”

“I want whales!” The five year old raced after his sister over to the pantry. “Blue, blue pack Zoe.” The two absconded to the living room with their treats.

Rachel laughed as she watched the twins. “They’re adorable and so well behaved.”

“They have their moments.” Tim told his ex-girlfriend. “Theo is quiet and introverted. Zoe is so much like Lucy.”

Lucy nodded. “Stubborn and smart, thank goodness she doesn’t have my temper. Or at least much of it.”

“You’re sunshine when you’re happy. I think she got all of the sunshine and none of the hurricane.” Tim told his wife.

Rachel looked to her friend. “Did he really just call you sunshine and a hurricane?”

“Actual fact.” Tamara followed up. “She is sunshine on a good day and a hurricane on a bad. Before she became a sergeant, they had to hold her duty belt at times to prevent her from exploding on people. Now she’s in charge and taking names so holding her back is not necessary. Everyone knows Patrol Sergeant Bradford is not to be messed with.”

“Is your title actually ‘Patrol Sergeant’ or is that just what you’re called?”

Lucy motioned between herself and Tim. “They had to learn to differentiate which ‘Sergeant’ Bradford’ was being requested or spoken to in mixed company. We found a way to differentiate by me going by ‘Patrol Sergeant’ and Tim by ‘K9 Sergeant’, but that doesn’t include his boss. Since I’m a roving sergeant, I’m always there when Metro is called if I’m on duty. Lieutenant Pine just refers to us as one entity.”

“Why didn’t you just keep your maiden name?” Rachel inquired curiously. “Would make things easier.”

Lucy reached up to push back a piece of hair. “Things with my mom are still problematic. In fact, she’s not allowed to see the twins after what she said to and about Zoe. My dad comes by sometimes on his way home but not often. I decided to change my name to separate myself from my parents.”

“I know your mom is a lot.”

“I could deal with her but her remarking on Zoe’s features just was a line too far. She was upset that she’s blonde and green-eyed instead of having my ‘family’s’ features.”

Rachel sat back in her chair in shock. “She said what?”

“I had changed my name even before that.” Lucy shrugged. “I did what I had to do to protect myself and my family. She thought Tamara was dangerous and even after meeting her…”

Tamara looked at Rachel when Lucy trained off. “She went off on me when I said something to attempt to protect Lucy. Tim all but threw her out.”

“No one messes with my family.” Tim said in a serious matter. “You’re a part of my family.”

The twenty-six year old grinned. “Aww, you love me. Lucy, did you hear the breaking news?”

“You’re an ass.” Tim told the girl.

“True but you’re a bigger one.” Tamara stuck out her tongue at him. “You can thank yourself for that, geographical osmosis!”

“That’s not even a thing!”

“It’s a thing.” Lucy and Tamara both said as they smiled at him.

Tim pointed at Tamara. “You keep this up and I’ll personally run your next PT assessment.” He then pointed at Lucy but dropped his finger as he spoke. “I love you.”

“Dude, you barely saved yourself.” Tamara stated. “She would have burned you.”

Lucy shrugged. “I’d just lock him out of the house and he’d have to sleep on Angela’s couch again. Then everyone would know he screwed up.”

Rachel looked at her plate and then the empty ones at the table. “I should go. Tamara has to study for her exam and I’m sure you and Lucy have to take care of the twins.”

“We’ll have to do lunch sometime.” Lucy stated as everyone stood up. “The three of us.”

“Absolutely.” Tamara insisted.

At the door, Rachel hugged both Tamara and Lucy both. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.” She told the younger girl. “As for you,” she focused on Lucy, “never would have seen this but it suits you. You and Tim are good for each other and you have a beautiful family.”

“Thank you.” Lucy hugged her friend. “I’m glad you’re back in town. Most of my friends are either cops or paramedics. It’d be nice to have one friend around who isn’t either.”

“You’re definitely coming to my academy graduation.” Tamara insisted.

Rachel smiled at the girl. “I wouldn’t miss it. Just let me know when it is.”

“Definitely.”

When the door shut behind Rachel, Lucy looked to Tamara. “Back to studying. This exam tomorrow isn’t multiple choice.”

“Alright, I’m going.” She went straight to the couch and picked up her books to head to her room.

Returning to the kitchen, Lucy found Tim at the sink with their dishes. “So…”

“I’ll take them tonight.” Tim walked around the kitchen counter. “After all, you got a name off the LAPD most wanted list. You deserve a little rest.”

“Oh, is that so?” She caught his arm and put a hand on his chest. “What about you help me relax after we get the kids to sleep?” Lucy had lowered her voice a fraction.

Tim smirked. “Really? Not too tired? Too sore?”

“Not for you and besides, we both know a hot shower and one of your massages does wonders.” Brushing her nose against his, she continued. “Then after, well physical therapy can help sore muscles.”

He pulled his head away and found her looking at him with eyes so similar to those who managed to pull him to the bedroom just hours after switching to a desk job. Eyes that he’d seen so many times that he’d lost count. Married six years and the passion hadn’t been lost, even if their friends said it should have at least tampered down. “It’s a date.” Tim kissed her and she let him go, grinning as she made her way around the counter to finish cleaning up. She heard him settling the debate between the twins on who was getting a bath first.

Chapter Text

The morning she would walk into Mid-Wilshire after attending The LAPD Academy, Tamara found herself full of pride and also apprehensive. There was no doubt having Nolan as her training officer would be way better than Tim or Lucy, mostly because she heard the stories of Tim training Lucy and that Lucy tended to use Tim’s training methods as her own. She was definitely excited and even though her fellow rookies would beg for insight into Lucy, she decided to let them see her tough-as-nails sister for who she was. A tough cop who was rising through the ranks of the LAPD and that they were honored to have Lucy as their training officer. Someday soon the young sergeant would take her last rookie and end that teaching.

Parking her vehicle in the parking lot, she turned it off and glanced at the passenger seat where her badge sat. Picking up her wallet, she opened the inside and ran her finger over the LAPD ID inside. She’d gotten help from Grey and Wesley for the name change and while she debated it for a while, the name symbolized so much of who she was. She hadn’t needed to change her name but she’d been thinking about it for a while and this seemed the perfect way to do so. A check to her watch made her realize it was time to head inside and so she grabbed her purse and threw her wallet inside. Lucy had told her she’d pick up her uniform on the way in so it’d be on her locker, waiting for her. So that helped a bit at not leaving her running everywhere that morning.

“You a rookie?” A voice made her turn her head and she found two men walking up her way with dry cleaned uniforms in hand.

Tamara pointed to the building. “Better hurry, roll call is in an hour and no one should be late. Up the stairs to the second floor and third office on your left, Captain doesn’t like new rookies to start without meeting them.”

The two men ran inside quickly and she grinned, knowing how Angela and Bishop had pulled one over on Nolan. An arm went around her and she turned suddenly but calmed seeing it was Angela. “You are a very mean woman.”

“I maybe a rookie but I know what’s expected of me. They’re like baby doe just wondering a mine field.” She told Angela as Bishop and Harper showed up also.

“She’s right on the mine field.” Bishop told them. “Just know when you’re in uniform, you’re a boot in our book.”

Angela held up a hand. “Now hold on, she’s a rookie but she’s not a ‘boot’ Talia. Give her some credit, being raised by this Division.”

“She’s right.” Harper added, “she was practically raised by wolves before we got hold of her so we credit ourselves by calling her by her last name.” She looked ahead, “oh boy, someone is feeling anxious.”

They found Tim looking at his watch while holding his phone. Angela smirked, “like first day of school anxious.” She called out to the man. “I think we found what you’re looking for.”

Tim focused on them and they could see him positively sigh. “You’re late.”

“Technically I’m not late until I miss roll call.” Seeing him open her mouth she sighed, “right, Tim logic says if I’m not at least two hours early, I’m late.”

He pointed to her. “Sergeant Bradford when we’re on duty.”

Tamara pointed both of her forefingers at him. “Won’t be doing that but sure, think it if it helps your ego.”

“This is going to be so much fun.” Harper told both detectives.

“Did you bring popcorn?” Angela asked them. “Might need some.”

Tim finally motioned to the building. “Inside, locker room, conference room, go.” Once Tamara was inside, he turned to the three. “I don’t need you three encouraging her.”

“Look, she’s your sister…”

“Might as well be his kid.” Bishop looked him over, “practically bouncing his leg by the tenseness in his body.”

Angela waved her friend off, “all I mean is that Nolan will train her. He got Celina and Katie and three others thru their training. God knows the minute Mid-Wilshire officers hear her name in any form, whether reporting or being reported, you’ll have the entire division speeding her way. Besides, between you and Lucy training her, she’s ready. The academy too if you want to be technical.”

“There you are.” Lucy walked out of the door to find the four. “I figured you’d be waiting for her. At least this time you didn’t demand to walk her to class like you did with the twins for their first week.”

“I would have thought he’d do that for a month.” Harper saw both sets of eyes go her way. “I called Lila’s teachers every day for a year until I was politely asked to stop calling.”

“And besides, Tamara was half-cop before she actually agreed to be a cop.” Harper reminded them. “She’s better set then those kids who are going to show up alongside her.”

Bishop pointed at the woman. “What was it she called them? I think it was ‘baby doe wondering a mine field’ wasn’t it?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Yep.” Tim and Lucy spoke at the same time as they sometimes did.

Tamara walked towards the conference room after having spent a good ten minutes looking at her uniform. The metal bar said her new name and other than Grey, no one besides Wesley knew so the chances of sharing were low. She knew with how important it was, the lawyer wouldn’t say anything and cite attorney-client privilege later on. Several officers waved at her and she smiled, even waved a few times.

“What up, mama?” The voice greeted her as she walked through the conference room door and a quick look showed her it was another rookie officer. This one hadn’t been outside with the other two guys and Tamara suspected she’d be the only female rookie as was par for the course.

Tamara raised an eyebrow. “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

The guy neared her and read her nametag, collected from Grey that morning on her way to the locker room. “What’s your name? Chen, you don’t look Chinese.”

“Because I’m not you dipshit.” She gave him a tight smile and headed into the room to sit down.

Celina found her just as her fellow rookies sat down beside and behind her. “Hey, so have a great first day. You’re going to do amazing and with Nolan, you’ll learn a ton.”

“You forget I had actual drill sergeants.”

“Oh we remember.” Aaron said as he and Katie walked over. “The uniform suits you.”

Katie put her hand on Tamara’s shoulder. “You do your family proud. Probably harder than social work though.”

“Speaking of that, Harper mentioned something about your former coworker having known Tim and Lucy.”

Tamara grinned. “Former college friend of Lucy’s and what’s more, Lucy set them up on a date. They dated for a while it seemed.”

“Seriously?” Celina looked at them. “So weird. However, not as weird as Aaron and his ex-girlfriend having dated the same girl before.”

Heads moved to look at the male cop and he put up his hands. “She was bi, okay? Weirdness factor aside, she was hot. Worth the weirdness. Besides, why aren’t we speaking about Celina’s date from Friday being her future husband?”

“Prediction or premonition?” Katie inquired softly.

“I don’t know what it was exactly. All I know is that I had some dreams and they were centered on him.”

“Hot dreams?”

Celina was quick to speak. “No.”

“Yes.” Tamara, Katie, and Aaron said together.

The room soon filled up and Grey took to the lectern, looking over the five rookies who sat on the right side of the room. Two female and three males, one known and four unknown, one a legacy and the others from the streets, but all we important to the work ahead. He looked beside him to where Lucy was standing and to the back where Tim was, as well as the other training officers in the room. Officers and detectives were all waiting and he knew Rookie Match Day was a welcomed and interesting event, but everything pointed to the young charge that was in uniform.

“We have new blood today. All five of you stand up.” Every single rookie stood up, “now, after six months together at the academy, you’ve earned the right to be here. However, you’ll have to prove yourself to stay. The way we do things matters. Protocol and tradition are the metal from which every cop in this city is forged. Understand?”

“Yes sir.”

Grey looked to Tamara. “Among our new rookies, we have a legacy. After many twists and turns and wrong decisions, we have one of own in house. Everyone give a round of applause for Officer Tamara Chen, we know the footsteps she follows are large and full of authority. However I know none of us doubt her ability to fly through her training.” The room filled with applause and looking forward, Tamara could see Lucy reaching up to wipe away a tear. “I’ll right, that’s enough. Let’s play our favorite game.”

Lucy placed his clipboard on the lectern before moving her finger across the names of rookies and their training officers “Just a suggestion, sir.”

“Thanks.” Grey looked at the five. “The lucky winners are as follows. Gomez is in the hands of Officer Juarez. Son, just follow her directions and ignore the off-topic comments.” A glance to Celina and she saluted him. “Officer Thorsen has Patrick and I wish you luck on your training.  Reed is with Bradford, Xi has Officer Calhoun, and Nolan gets our legacy. Nolan, I wish you luck because if she cries, you are in trouble.”

Nolan nodded. “I know sir, thank you sir.”

Grey took a step back and let Lucy take the lectern. “Hello, you may sit down. My name is Sergeant Lucy Bradford and I’m going to go over a few things you need to know.” She glanced at the five that sat down. “Any form of bullying will get you terminated immediately. Slander and abusive behavior is also grounds for termination. Depending on what it is, you could be arrested. All your vehicles have cameras and we ourselves carry them.” She glanced down again, “if your training officer requests you do something you’re not comfortable with, you are to inform them of the fact. Upon arrival back, you will inform myself or Sergeant Bradford.”

A hand shot up and it all of Tamara’s will not to pull the guy’s arm down. “There’s another Sergeant Bradford?” A glance at Tim and the man joined Lucy at the front instead of staying at the back. His new K9, Alysanne, walked with him after he tapped her gently on her head.

Apparently, the litter his K9 was from had been named by a raffle winner and the girl had decided they needed to be named after Game of Thrones characters. Usually the raffle winners chose a patriotic, Greek, or Roman name theme, but that hadn’t happened this time around. Tim had again gotten the pure black Belgian Malinois and due to her name being a mouthful when working, he only called her Alys. Because of that, the dog only responded to the name Alys despite paperwork saying her full name. She got on well with Nox and she was an excellent K9, needing her command only to be said once and without her name included.

When Tim stood beside her and his K9 laid on the floor, head on her paws, Lucy was able to speak to the room once again. That would help the new training officer since Celina and Aaron joined Nolan and her as Mid-Wilshire T.O.s. “I’m Lucy Bradford, patrol sergeant and training officer.” She motioned to Tim, “this is my husband, Sergeant Tim Bradford, K9 officer and Mid-Wilshire Metro Liaison.” She glance down at the lectern for a moment before speaking again. “To differentiate us, LAPD has created formal titles for us that we use in a non-formal setting. I’m Patrol Sergeant Bradford and my husband is K9 Sergeant Bradford.”

Another hand shot up. “Wait, you’re married and you work together. How does that work since PDA is not allowed on duty.”

“HR has cleared us to work together because we are professionals. Sergeant Bradford and I have known each other a long while and we’re dedicated to our job when in uniform. We’ve been married five, almost six years and we have five, almost six year old twins. Once upon a time, he was my training officer and when that ended, I patrolled alone. When he made sergeant, I became his aide to help with his roving duties. Later on, after some years and me undergoing an undercover assignment, we realized we were in love with each other and we got married.” She found interested eyes in the training officers and the rookies. “That fact doesn’t deter us from being partners or individual cops. I’m telling you all this because I know questions will be asked to other officers and I want to get the truth out of the way.”

A third hand shot up and Tamara reached out to pull his hand down. The rookie spoke despite his arm being pulled down. “Is there a situation when we will be reporting to either of you?”

“You will be reporting to Sergeant Grey, our watch commander, or me as I am his in house Sergeant. It means you will report to me and if needed, I will escalate to Segeant Grey. The hierarchy is your training officer, me, and then sergeant grey. We’ll escalate further if necessary.” Looking down she ran her eyes over the clipboard there and only the day’s information was left to read. “Moving on to today’s information, Konan will report to Vice due to the arrest of Felix Torres. There is an open spot for school safety assignments and knowing how much everyone loves to give kids their safety information, come see me about going instead of using the employee portal. DV clothing drive and the homeless package program are listed on the portal with dates. Remember we like at least forty hours of community service by the end of the year and it is now September, get those hours in please.” Looking over the room, she nodded. “That’s all for today, stay safe out there.”

With roll call over, everyone exited the room and Lucy made her way over to Tamara and Nolan as they spoke. She wasn’t the only one since Tim started over and before he could open his mouth, Angela and Harper was there also. They wanted to give her a good luck before she headed out for the first day.

Tim spoke first, “looking good there, Rookie.”

“Thanks, Sergeant.” Tamara grinned and motioned between her and Lucy, “so, does this bring back flashbacks?”

“No, because Nolan will be so much nicer than I would be.” He pointed to Nolan, “she get harmed, you die. She gets shot, you die. She dies, you die, I have Celina and Angela's grandmother resurrect you and then you die all over again.” With that he walk away but came back. "If she does something stupid, I lecture you and then kill her myself." At that point he walked away in total.

Nolan looked at them, “I honestly believe him for the first time ever.”

Angela smiled at both Tamara and Lucy, “now Mid-Wilshire will have had two Officer Chens.”

“I chose Lucy’s maiden name because she’s my sister and besides, if I used Bradford, we’d all get confused.” Tamara looked to the woman she called ‘sister’ and found her wiping away another tear. “Sorry to make you cry.”

“I’m crying because you’ve always been family, but this makes it official.” Lucy stated to Tamara as she ran her thumb over the name plate that was on the girl’s uniform.  After a few moments, everyone was telling Tamara she’d do great and dispersed. Lucy, seeing her rookie, spoke with her training voice. Her voice was different from Tim but her training at the beginning of the rookie period was all Tim. “Reed, you’re late by an hour.”

The girl looked at her, “ma’am?”

“You should have been here an hour ago to select a shop, inspect it, gas it, and then be back for roll call. Should I write you a blue page on your first day?”

The girl shook her head, “no ma’am, won’t happen again.”

“See that it doesn’t. If it does, you’ll be faced with your first unpleasant task of the week. Twice and I let you tell Sergeant Grey why you’re failing before you’re on your third day. Go get a shop.”

The rookie scurried away and Angela nodded, “your T.O. would be impressed. I think you made her cry.”

“Please, I’m not going to have her fight a drug dealer on her first day or run into my estranged husband.” She smiled, “I’m not Tim.”

Tamara gasped and looked at Nolan, “what do you want me to do?”

“I will be nicer.” He motioned to the vehicle bay. “Go get a shop.”

One Tamara is gone, Tim looked to Lucy. “Using my techniques is always fun to watch.”

“Well I had a great T.O. and besides, it works for the first few months. It prevents them from dropping out and allows them to pass Plain Clothes Day. I always soften after that.”

Stepping into her space, Tim kissed her forehead and pulled back. “I’ll see you at lunch if I’m available. If not, I’ll see you after work.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” He ran his thumb over her cheek before stepping away. Alys followed him after a single commander. “Hier.”

Nolan had been waiting for Tim to step away before speaking to Lucy. “I’m not going to be like you and Tim but I’m going to be stern with her.”

Lucy put her hand on her friend’s forearm. “Just be regular T.O. Nolan, she doesn’t need special treatment. In fact, she begged that we don’t give her special treatment. Supposedly, it’s bad enough she’s related to us.”

“You got it, just a regular rookie.”

“Just don’t call her ‘boot’ because we’ve already sent an email out requesting no one call her that. She’s a legacy and a Mid-Wilshire family member, meaning she doesn’t warrant being a boot.”

“I’ll remember that.” He nodded to Lucy. “I need to get war bags but have a good day and good luck with Reed. I heard she scored lowest and barely made it out of the academy.”

She nodded. “That’s why Grey and I moved her into me training her since she needs a patient T.O. who will teach her what she needs to know and make her rank highest among the rookies. I soften after Plain Clothes Day.”

“Until them you’re just like Tim.”

“He was a great T.O. despite his hard ass and mean attitude. He taught me everything I know and I use that to train my rookies.”

Nolan nodded. “Good luck.”

Chapter Text

The sound of a knock on the door to his office made Tim Bradford look up from where he was doing paperwork. Daniela Volt, Lucy’s former rookie from two years before, smiled at him from where she stood in the doorway and he motioned for her to come in while closing the file he had in front of him. The woman looked over at Alys where she laid dozing in her kennel before actually stepping foot inside the office.

“Sir, an Ahmed Ayad is here. He said he had a meeting with Sergeant Bradford but last I checked, she’s out on patrol right now. I checked her calendar since Sergeant Grey is in house and she has nothing on the books. Should I give him her card and have him call back for an appointment?” The girl had fallen off a loading dock during a fight with an assailant in her second month of being a P2 and ended up medically unable to return to the field. Lucy being who she was, managed to work with Grey and Parker Center to get her medically discharged and rehired as a secretary. She didn’t look any different from any officer but her fall had created epilepsy and that warranted a medical discharge from the LAPD.

“No, he’s here for me actually. Sorry, I should have told you but the twins were screaming bloody murder this morning and I was late for a meeting when I came in.” He stood up and held out the two files he had. “Do you mind faxing those to Lieutenant Pine, she needed them yesterday?”

Daniela nodded and took the files. “Of course sir. Can I ask what happened?”

“Oh you know how kids are with candy. They’re upset that we didn’t put their Halloween candy in their lunches this morning and proceeded to throw a tantrum. I told Lucy to head on in with Tamara and let me handle them, since she had that meeting with the Captain and Grey to go over monthly numbers. Big mistake because while I have some control, Lucy just has to give them a single look and silence blankets the house. Needless to say, it took twice as long but I got them in the car and took them to school before going back home to pick up Alys.” He shook his head as they started walking towards the front of the building. “I don’t know how she does it. Lucy can command authority from anyone, be it two small children to an entire Division.”

She smiled. “Well sir, everyone knows it’s too risky saying ‘no’ to her. Or so I’ve heard. It might also be that everyone would rather have sunshine to a hurricane, but having seen both, I’d like to think she’s too beloved. I mean, she can make rookies want to run whether asked politely or yelled.”

“I knew she’d be a great mom and a great cop, but every day she just blows me away more and more.”

“You failed to say ‘great wife’ or did you not think that?”

He waved his hand. “No, not for a second did I think otherwise. I think I grew so used to us being together that I knew she’d be my partner, no matter what form that took.” His glance went to the former officer who had undergone a nightmare of a hardship that had Lucy up for weeks crying and wondering if she failed somewhere. It had just been a freak accident and in the end, Lucy had been in her corner doing what was necessary so the girl didn’t lose doing what she loved. She served the LAPD, just as a civilian. “She’s my partner at the end of the day and I’ll have her back no matter what.”

“Just for the record sir, some of the younger officers have said they want partners who look at them like you guys look at each other. You’re the perfect couple, at least according to the locker room gossip.”

He chuckled. “Next time you hear it, tell Lucy so she can go burst their bubble. I couldn’t stand her when we first met and to be honest, I kind of hated her. She was this annoying, sunshine-filled, doe-eyed rookie who had no business being a cop. That was until I saw her commitment day after day and she changed my mind. She was kind of annoying though, that never changed. Still hasn’t in some ways.”

Daniela seemed confused. “Sir, did you just call her annoying?”

“Word to wise, couples are annoyed with each other in a multitude of ways. I’m in love with her but she annoys the crap out of me when she’s entirely too bubbly after an incredibly hard Metro shift. She’d say the same when she’s exhausted and I’m pushing her to get up for work.”

“Yes sir.” She headed towards the work room where she could fax the files he needed.

Tim made his way out towards the front desk and found someone who he’d served with in the Army. Ahmed had just moved to Los Angeles and had taken him up on stopping by to say hello. Tim could see that time had been rough for his friend but with him pushed towards Texas and having spent time in a program there, he seemed better. He certainly looked better from the last time Tim spoke with him after his discharge during Tim’s rookie year. He last remembered them talking about their brides-to-be and their military discharge. That seemed like a lifetime before and it had been a short email to Tim saying he was moving to LA and wondering if he could swing by the station to see what the LAPD was like.

“Ahmed.” He called out and his friend stood up, grinning.

“Tim.” He hugged the officer and took a step back. “You haven’t aged.”

Tim waved his hand. “I’ve aged plenty. How are you? You guys getting settled?”

“Yasmeen and Amira are taking time today to go to the park. We visited the mosque near our house last friday and already have ten dinner requests. I already told Yasmeen that you and Isabel are our first dinner guests though.”

He put a hand out. “Come on, let me show you around our station. Did you get a visitor’s badge?”

Ahmed motioned towards the desk where Tim saw Nolan and Tamara. “The young officer was more than happy handing over a badge.”

“She does that.” Tim spoke loud enough to speak to Tamara. “Tamara, next time check ID please. Don’t just let anyone say they’re meeting me.”

Tamara smirked. “You don’t have many friends, wouldn’t be a long list of people coming to see you.”

He pointed at her. “That’s an hour of quizzing you without your rook book tonight.”

“Fuck.” She spoke softly before looking at Nolan, who put up his hands as he was technically Switzerland when it came to siding between Tamara and her family.

“Your daughter?” Ahmed asked as they walked towards the bullpens.

“No, my sister-in-law. My twins are five, a boy and a girl.” He smiled, “how old is Amira, again?”

“Six. I’m sure Amira will love to have new friends in the city. She was so disappointed when we moved from Texas, she had so many friends.”

Tim motioned to the bullpens as they reached the area. “Welcome to Mid-Wilshire Division. We have a lot of high ranking officers upstairs but down here on ground level, only two people are in control. One of them is my wife.” Before anything else could be said, a familiar voice filled the area.

“…so help me say something more, I will personally make sure you can’t say anything further.” Lucy’s voice was loud and everyone stopped as she walked down the stairs with one of the newer ADAs following her.

“Sergeant Bradford, I was merely making a point.”

She turned as she hit the main floor and looked at the man. “You didn’t make a point; you made a comment that borders on sexual harassment. Get out of my Division before you can’t say another damn word.”

“Now I finally under what Sanford meant by you being too much of a handful.”

Seeing what was about to happen, Tim, and at least two other officers, moved forward quickly. While the officers grabbed for the ADA, Tim grabbed Lucy’s belt and pulled her back physically. He looked at the officers, “get him out of here.”

“Finally, someone with some sense. There’s a reason they don’t allow female officers in the higher ranks.”

Tim glanced at the man. “Get out of this Division before I let her go and you’re drinking out of a straw the rest of your life.”

“She needs to be put on notice.”

“What is going on out here?” Grey made his way out of the office. “Sergeants Bradford, what is going on?”

Lucy spoke while starring daggers at the ADA. “ADA Spencer here decided to make a sexually harassing comment towards me.”

Everyone who was looking on said nothing but Grey finally spoke. “Get him out of my Division before I personally throw him in a holding cell.”

“Let’s go.” One of the officers pulled the man along rather forcefully.

Tim let Lucy go and she turned to him. “Thanks.”

“Do I want to know what he said?”

“No, but I’ll tell you later when he’s nowhere around the vicinity of the Division. You’ll kill him otherwise.”

Grey looked towards his second-in-charge. “Are you sure you’re okay? I can still have Pearson arrest his ass.”

“I’m fine. I tried to walk away, but we know how that ended up.” She nodded to Grey and took a breath. “I’m going to find Reed and get back out on the road. Some positively directed aggression is exactly what I need.”

Tim rubbed her arm and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. “Have fun.”

“I will.” She pointed at him as she backed up. “Eat your lunch, I know you didn’t eat breakfast.”

“I ate.” She raised an eyebrow and he sighed. “It was a power bar but it was food.” Seeing her stilling at him, he threw up his hands. “I’ll eat.”

Lucy finally turned, “thank you, love you.”

“Love you too.”

Grey smirked, “it’s going to be fun hearing about how the rookie became the senior officer after I hand her the reins. You’ll be calling her ‘ma’am’ where she once called you ‘sir’ as a rookie.”

“Sir, before you go.” Tim motioned to his friend, who was standing by the wall. “This is Ahmed Ayad, we served together in the military.”

Ahmed nodded to Grey. “Hello.”

“I’m Sergeant Wade Grey.” The two shook hands

“Ahmed was interested in becoming an officer, but as you know, certain things can happen to retired servicemen. Certain things that can prevent him joining.”

Grey nodded, “let’s talk in my office, away from the cameras.”

Once behind the closed doors, Tim stood while Ahmed sat down on the couch and Grey in a chair. “You can tell him, Ahmed. Sergeant Grey understands what we went through. He’s ex-Army.”

“It was a while ago, not as recent as you and Tim, but I understand sometimes things that happen to each of us are also common.”

“I was honorably discharged but I found myself addicted to alcohol when haunted by some of our actions. At the time, I struggled to see what use I was outside of the military and face what I did wrong. I got into a program in Texas, to stop drinking and of course, found my faith again also. The early days of the program were hard and I failed several times but they were patient. My doctors too. I’m not proud of it but I did get arrested once for a DUI. It was over ten years ago but still, I worry it will create issues if I apply to the academy.”

Grey nodded. “From what I understand, unlike Texas, a DUI on your record doesn’t prevent you from joining the LAPD. It’ll be an uphill battle because there are what they consider more ‘appropriate’ applicants, however, I've always found that the remorseful are better cops than the prideful.” He stood up and moved to his desk, opening a drawer to pull out a card. “Here, take my card and what I’ll do is personally call a friend I have at admissions, see where they stand on the issue. Call me next week and we’ll talk.”

Taking the card, Ahmed looked at it. “I will, thank you.”

“Meet with Wesley, usual family fee of course, go over what we talked about. See where Pine stands because she knows more about the LAPD academy then both of us. She probably has an angle we don’t see.”

Tim nodded. “I will.”

“On that note, get your wife to take a week off. She had me sitting there quiet while she went over everything with the Captain. She’s got a rookie and she’s practically running this place with or without me.”

The man chuckled, “you think I have any control over her?”

Grey waved him off. “Not anymore. I just wish she’d sit down and breathe.”

“She would have if Primm won’t have created the impossibility of her being detective. Instead she became a sergeant and you’re grooming her to be Watch Commander after you. That’s on top of being a wife and mother.”

“Exactly. Word of mouth is you guys are gonna try to have a sibling for the twins. Please let it be soon.”

Tim walked over to the door and put his hand on the handle. “You know she takes on more admin stuff when she’s pregnant. You really want to be pushed out of office too soon?”

“I guarantee you that Zoe Anderson is laughing at me right now.”

“Probably sir.” He opened the door up and stood against it.

“Thank you, Sergeant Grey.” Ahmed shook his hand and Grey nodded to the man.

As Tim walked Ahmed to the front again, he saw his friend looking over the card. “You know, you should have dinner with us tonight. Bring Yasmeen and Amira, we’d love to have you.”

“Your wife, she is not Isabel.” Ahmed stated. “You said Isabel was blonde and had blue eyes and was with you at the Academy. Sergeant Grey implied you trained your wife at one point.”

Tim nodded. “I was married to Isabel for a few years. She worked undercover crimes mostly and unfortunately it put her in a bad situation. She became addicted to drugs and nearly lost her life because of it. When she got in rehab, we realized we never were really married to begin with. We had made vows and gotten married, but we never really were married. We barely spent any time together in the house we bought and all the plans disappeared. We got divorced and went our separate ways.”

“And your current wife?”

“Lucy was my rookie and I did train her, but she became my friend and partner at work first. It’s a long, complicated story but at the end of the day we realized we actually had fallen for each other along way. We started dating and our plans kind of got knocked around when she fell pregnant with the twins. Through all that, we got married and we’ve been together since. I’ve known her ten years and I fall more in love with her every day. She and I understand each other in a way Isabel and I could never have. Trust me when I tell you she’s pure sunshine and what you saw today isn’t a reflection of that.”

Ahmed smiled and pointed to Tim. “You would marry a woman ready to take a man’s tongue for sexually harassing her.”

“Everyone here loves Lucy and no one has the ability to tell her ‘no’ at the end of the day. Well, beside Primm but the whole situation was more jealousy than anything else.”

The sound of the busy front made Tim look to Ahmed and took his hand. “Thank you, Tim, it means a lot just getting this meeting for me.”

“Grey and Pine, they’ll always help anyone who needs it. Once I talk to Lucy, she’ll be up all night and making calls also.”

“If I get into the academy, what will it be like?”

“Hard, but not as hard as what we did overseas. The first year as a cop is always the hardest and is a very hard transition but you can do it. I know you can.” Tim motioned to himself, “are you sure I can’t convince you to have dinner with us tonight?”

Ahmed looked at the card in his hand. “Tonight I speak with Yasmeen and then next Friday, we have you over. It’s easier to have dinner at our house as we keep halal.”

“I forgot. Well, I’ll let Lucy know and if nothing else, we’ll have you over for a game night. Lucy and Tamara and the twins are fans of board games.”

“I look forward to our next call. Keep safe brother.”

Tim took his hand and held it while hugging him. “You too. Give Yasmeen my best. I know she doesn’t know me but I still wish you three the best.”

“And your family also.”

Chapter Text

Lucy stood in the bathroom looking at herself in the mirror as she dressed to have dinner with Tim’s friend’s family. It took the entire week but they managed to figure out that Ahmed’s DUI from Texas was over ten years old so it couldn’t affect his chances of applying to the LAPD Academy. Texas considered it old and if he could apply to the Houston PD, he could apply to the academy in Los Angles. They would be telling him that night that he was more than able to apply for the next class.

“You look beautiful.” She turned to see Tim in the doorway looking good in jeans and a blue shirt, sleeves rolled up to his mid forearm.

“I found a gray hair today.”

Tim moved to his wife and cupped her cheek before leaning down to kiss her. “I’ll always consider you beautiful. A gray hair is just a sign we’ve been together for years now and have years to come.”

“Yeah, but it means I’m getting older.” She shrugged, “do you think we’ll be able to have another baby?”

“We see people in their forties having kids all the time. Having a kid at thirty-eight isn’t a problem and we’re better set by the fact you have your eggs frozen.” He pulled her into a hug and held her. “The only way I’d say ‘no’ to having another baby is if it’ll compromise your health.” He kissed her head. “I won’t risk your life for another child.”

Pulling back from his arms, Lucy nodded. “I’ll call Shaffer’s office on Monday and making an appointment. I’ll also call the fertility clinic and give them a head’s up.”

“Alright. Well, just keep me updated.”

“I always do.” She smiled and turned back to the mirror. “Do you think I look presentable?”

Tim placed his hands on her upper arms. “You look perfect.”

“You always say that, even when I wake up sweaty and gross after a bad night.”

He kissed her crown and looked at her through the mirror, their eyes meeting. “Because to me you couldn’t be anything other than perfect. Although that applies to your appearance and body, on the job you still have a ton to learn.”

Lucy turned and slapped his arm before pointing at him. “Watch it mister, or you’ll be running the training course in the rain. Remember you may have seniority but I over rank you at the Division.”

Unable not to do so, he grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck. Lucy couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her as she was grabbed. She could see the smirk that Tim had on his face, he was five seconds before laughing. “Hmm, what was that again?”

“Nothing, it was nothing.” She said around a laugh.

“I love you. You know that Angela said that we’d fall out of love and settle into a normal marriage. We’d love each other but not be in love.”

Running her hands up his arms and circled his neck, linking her fingers together. “Never, we’ll always be in love with each other. We’re not like other couples; our relationship is different and despite our arguments and disagreements, we’ll never go to bed angry. We understand the hardships in the world as cops and because of that we treasure every moment with each other and the kids.”

They arrived at the Ayad Residence with the twins and Tamara in tow. Ringing the doorbell, Tim glanced at Lucy for a second and she smiled at him as they waited. After a few moments the door opened and they were greeted by Ahmed who smiled at them before welcoming them.

“Come in, come in.” He opened the door and the five made their way inside.

Tim motioned to Lucy once the door was closed. “This is my wife, Lucy.”

“Hello.” Lucy took Ahmed’s offered hand. “I know we saw each other last week but I want to apologize you were witness to that.”

“I told Tim that he would marry a woman who would take a man’s tongue for comments made.”

Lucy shook her head. “Too much work and then too much paperwork. Tim and the other officers know how to separate someone who says the wrong thing to me. He grabs my work belt and officers handle the other person.”

Tamara smiled. “We met last week at the front desk. I’m Tamara, Lucy’s sister.”

“Welcome and yes I remember you.” Ahmed took her hand and then looked down to the twins. He knelt down and held out his hand, “hello, I’m Ahmed. I’m your father’s friend.”

“Hi.” Theo stated and then looked up at Lucy, who seemed to nod to his silent question. Reassured by his mother, Theo spoke further. “I’m Theo and this is Zoe.”

Zoe smiled at the man. “Hello.”

“I have a little girl your age, her name is Amira. If you want you can play with her. Would you like that?”

“Yes.”

Ahmed motioned to the living room off to the left side of the foyer. “She’s in there with her toys, why don’t you go play with her.”

“Go on, you guys can play.” Tim reassured the two and they took off in search of toys and a new friend.

Ahmed stood up as a woman came into the foyer. “This is my love, Yasmeen. Habibti, this is my old friend, Tim, and his wife, Lucy.”

Lucy held out her hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Yasmeen.”

“You as well.” Her attention went to Tim. “I have heard all about you and how you helped each other during the difficult deployments. You are welcome in our home any time.”

Tim looked to Tamara, “this is Tamara, Lucy’s sister.”

“I am in the middle of cooking dinner. Would you like to join me in the kitchen and speak while our husbands have their own conversation?”

Lucy nodded. “Sure.” Her attention went to Tamara, “come on.”

The three women went to the kitchen while Tim and Ahmed went to the living room. Lucy soon found herself helping Yasmeen with food while Tamara stood by the island speaking with the two. They could hear a conversation the guys were having even if they didn’t know the subject matter. The loud voices and squeals of the three kids were heard by all.

“How did you meet Ahmed?” Lucy asked while cutting cucumbers and tomatoes for what Yasmeen called ‘Salata Baladi’ even if the two guests didn’t know what it was.

Yasmeen smiled at Lucy. “We met through our fathers. They worked together at the Egyptian port and when they emigrated from Egypt, it was only months apart. I was five when it happened but Ahmed was an infant. That’s why you hear a slight accent when I speak. We grew up knowing each other; we were years apart for school but we attended the same mosque. One day he expressed interest in marrying me and I directed him to my father. Our fathers agreed to the marriage and so it was arranged.” She pulled a glass pan of seasoned chicken from the oven, putting it on the stove burners. “How did you meet Tim?”

Finished with the cucumbers, Lucy began on the tomatoes. “After the academy, I was assigned to Mid-Wilshire Division. For your first thirteen months you’re assigned a training officer. Tim was mine and we slowly became friends over that period. I patrolled alone for a while but when he became a sergeant, I became his sergeant’s aide. I helped him with his duties while he oversaw the patrol units of our part of the city. I went undercover at one point and it was after that situation that we realized we were in love with each other. We began dating and then found out around nine months together that we were pregnant with the twins. We married halfway through my pregnancy and been together since. We still work together at times but mostly I’m training a rookie officer and also learning to be the next Watch Commander, he works with Metro as a K9 officer.”

“Do you have someone special in your life, Tamara?”

The girl shook her head. “No, mostly I’m focusing on getting through my rookie year. My training officer has a pretty relaxed attitude and teaching method. Unfortunately for me, Tim and Lucy have higher expectations so they’re a lot tougher regarding my studying.”

“You are sisters?”

“Not biologically. Tamara was a homeless teenager in foster care at one point and she stole my car just to have a warm place to sleep. We found her and over the course of many months I made sure Tamara was safe and capable of going to school without issue. When her only relative, a cousin, threw her out, she came to live with me. She’s never left because Tim and I have only one rule with Tamara. She can move out but she’ll never be kicked out, we’re her home no matter what.”

Tamara nodded. “They’ve taken care of me for years. It’s weird because sometimes they act like siblings and other times like parents. I’ve grown used to that weird combination and I appreciate it. It shows they love me.” She shrugged, “we just say we’re sisters to avoid the confusion that is the world.”

Yasmeen put a hand on Tamara’s arm. “You are sisters, blood doesn’t always make a family.”

Tim and Ahmed sat in the living room watching their kids play together, blocks becoming a castle and dolls living it like princesses. Ahmed looked to his friend. “It’s strange your daughter looks only like you. You would think she would have something of her mother.”

“She has Lucy’s stubbornness and smarts. Lucy’s biological father was blonde and had blue eyes while my mother has blonde hair and green eyes. When she was born, the pediatrician said the chances were close to fifty percent given the genetics at play. The green eyes were a rarity though, less than a ten percent chance.”

“It seems our children like each other.”

Tim agreed before looking to his friend. “We found out some information regarding the academy. In Houston if you have a DUI you aren’t eligible to apply to their academy for ten years. Given the charge is over ten years, the likelihood of it impacting your LAPD application is low. I’ll help you apply if you still want to be an officer.”

Ahmed reached out to touch Tim’s arm. “I would like that.”

“Alright, we’ll get you registered so you can be in the next graduating class.”

“The good news is that if you graduate with the next class, you’ll be graduating as the rookie season ends. You’ll be placed with a T.O. instantly instead of having to wait.” He pulled a card from his pocket and held it out. “Sylvia Pine is my boss at Metro, but she also teaches at the academy twice a week. I gave her a heads up you’d probably be applying and she’s expecting you. This card will get you placed at Mid-Wilshire as handing it over means you have a reference and you’ll get placed at your first choice. They ask your choices and factor that in when assigning you to a Division. Get through your rookie year and she plans to pull you for Metro. SWAT is a part of Metro, so you get an idea of what you’ll be doing. Your military record speaks for itself and she feels you’ll be better suited for Metro instead of patrol.”

“Thank you and thank her for me.” He took the cards and looked at it. “Isn’t a conflict of interest me being assigned to your division.”

“I’m going to tell you the truth about what the big plan is, but you can’t breathe a word of it to anyone.” Tim sighed and continued. “The higher ups aren’t helpful regarding the day to day aspects of police work. They don’t know how a division is run or the wrong officers who exist in the staff. Grey and Pine are trying to rebuild the divisions in LA to make them honorable and giving service to the city. That takes good people to replace the bad. Lucy and Grey are working on Mid-Wilshire and each rookie season we see better and better officers replacing those who are a bad influence in the LAPD. They wants good people and you’re a good man Ahmed, even more you struggle with the wrong decisions you’ve made. When an officers stop knowing wrong from right or starts to feel nothing, they aren’t fit to be an officer anymore.”

“Your secret will be only be known by me and Allah, Tim. No one else will know what your senior officers are planning. I agree with your statement of not knowing what is right or wrong or stop being affected.”

“Dinner is ready.” Yasmeen said from the kitchen.

After dinner, Ahmed and Yasmeen said their goodbyes to their friends. Lucy had gotten Yasmeen’s number and they planned to find a halal restaurant and have lunch together without the kids. Amira hugged both her new friends and made them promise to be her friends forever. It was cute and everyone of the adults watched with smiled and held in laughter. Tamara had managed to secure a few recipes from Yasmeen to be able to cook for the family. She’d developed a love for cooking as she grew into adulthood.

“Be my friends forever?” Amira asked the twins.

“Yes!” Zoe stated and hugged Amira, “Forever.”

“Me too.” Theo hugged Amira.

Lucy looked to Yasmeen. “We’ll find a halal restaurant in town and have lunch together. We’ll leave the kids with the guys and go out.”

“I would like that.” She hugged Lucy, “it is good to meet you. I suspect we’ll always be friends.”

“Truthfully, Tim doesn’t have many friends. All his friends are cops or firefighters, even ex-Army buddies that haven’t really talked to him in a long while even after they contacted him for a wedding. Ahmed and him, I can tell there is real friendship there.”

Yasmeen looked down then up again. “He has suffered so much; the deployments almost destroyed him. The alcoholism even more. When we got engaged, I knew he needed support in whatever way necessary. I didn’t judge and stayed patient until his treatment at the center was over. He came out embracing our faith and with knowledge of ways to cope when his guilt gets hold of him. When Amira was born, I could see a change in him since the moment he first held her. Since that day he has been positive and asks for help when necessary, praying when he feels his guilt overwhelms him. He doesn’t want his suffering to affect Amira in any way. In some ways I feel as if Amira saved him.”

“Tim struggles too. I’m the only one who sees him suffer, he won’t let anyone else see him not be the tough officer he is every day. Therapy helps, we do couples therapy once every two weeks and we find it brings us closer.” Lucy shrugged. “I’ve always said that therapy is a first resort, not a last resort. He was resistant until after a few sessions and he finally realized he could talk without judgement.”

Ahmed and Tim looked at the two women, they’d been talking themselves and hadn’t heard the conversations their wives had been having. “We should get going, the twins have a bedtime.”

“Have a good night and safe week at work.” Yasmeen hugged her friend again. “Call any time.”

“I suspect we’ll be spending time together when Ahmed gets into the academy.”

Tamara got hugged by Yasmeen also. “Thank you for the recipes.”

“You are welcome. I wish you luck in your training.”

Tim shook his head and looked to Ahmed. “You’d think they’re moving states.”

“Yasmeen, habibti, they need to be able to go home.” Ahmed told his wife and Yasmeen nodded, taking a step back to allow the group to leave.

Chapter Text

The sound of milling officers wasn’t abnormal in the early hours before roll call. Some would discuss work or the newest rules and regulation that would happen. It also wasn’t abnormal to speak gossip and although it annoyed Grey, Lucy let them speak of what they wished as long as it didn’t include derogatory remarks or bad mouth officers. With yearly progress meetings, she was busy working with Grey to speak to every officer on their progress as officers and to review their arrests and ticketing.

With a stack of files in her arms and her free hand holding coffee, Lucy was heading to her office when her name was called. Not her professional name but her first name and that was rare in the Division building. Usually it was a handful of people and the voice wasn’t one she recognized. She turned her body to see another of her academy class but this one was unfortunately one of her hook-ups before she started dating Nolan. Freddy Dunn had come to her for help studying and almost every time it ended with them sleeping together.

“Lucy Chen, never thought you’d be a secretary.” He walked over, grin on his face. “What did you do wrong during training to be regulated to office work?”

She focused on him with a look of disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I transferred in, today is my first day. Now, I was instructed to report to Sergeant Bradford. So where is he? I’ve heard amazing things about him and especially how great of a training officer he is.”

“Which one?”

He looked at her like she had two heads. “What do you mean?”

“There are two Sergeant Bradfords, Patrol Sergeant Bradford and K9 Sergeant Bradford.”

The man rolled his eyes. “Which ever one is Metro, I’m the new Metro officer. I’ve been placed at Mid-Wilshire since Pacific has two Metro officers so far.”

Lucy held out her hand so he could go in front of her. “I’ll show you his office.”

They headed back and she stopped a few feet away from Tim’s door, well out of view. “His office is the first on the right.”

Dunn leaned in slightly. “Maybe we could get dinner, catch up like old times.”

She didn’t reply and just turned away, annoyed she’d lost her wedding band and her new one was on order. She’d wanted the same exact ring so Tim had reordered it, engraving and all. She’d always loved her engagement ring and wedding band. She loved the engraving that sat in the band even more.

∞ Always Partners ∞

The infinity symbols had been something she’d cried over because he said it meant they were partners in life and death. He whispered their loved was infinite, never ending. Lucy never told people how much of a sap and romantic Tim was when they were alone. She didn’t want people to know because that side of Tim was just for her.

Reaching down, she rested her hand over the slight bump that she could keep under her uniform by going up one pants size. A smile came to her face because she was three months along with another set of twins. She’d undergone in vitro due to using her frozen eggs and her OB had placed three embryos to increase the chances of at least one taking, but they’d ended up with twins again. This time they had elected to know what they were having and they’d find out at the gender reveal they were having that Saturday. She just hadn’t told her friends she was pregnant yet; it was meant to be a surprise when they came over for a cookout. Only Grey and Pine knew and those two wouldn’t be telling anyone. Tamara had been sworn to silence with threat of running the training course in the rain while Tim quizzed her.

Finally finished with progress meetings, Lucy sat down in the break room to eat her lunch. She’d made a salad with salmon as she ate healthier when pregnant. Usually she had homemade lunches instead of food from the food trucks. Even if she wasn’t pregnant, when she made lunch for herself, she made some for Tim. The man had learned to eat what Lucy packed for him because if not, Lucy would get onto him. If she was out with Reed that day, she’d have Angela or Daniela remind him.

“So what did you do?” Lucy looked up from her phone and found Dunn sitting down across from her at the table. “You know, to be regulated to paperwork?”

Lucy reached up with a napkin and wiped her mouth. “I did my job and for the record, I’m just helping Sergeant Grey where he needs help. I’m trusted by Captain Martin and Sergeant Grey because I can do my job and know the policies handbook by heart. Your boss, Lieutenant Pine, knows me as I’ve assisted Metro in a couple situations.”

“Did you make me some?” Tamara entered the breakroom with Nolan. “Please tell me you did.”

Lucy pointed to the fridge. “Blue lunchbox.”

“Plain Clothes Day is coming up, you figured out what you’re going to have Reed do?” Nolan asked while getting coffee, his back to them so he hadn’t seen Dunn yet.

“Probably a domestic. Those are always tricky.”

Nolan turned around and spotted Dunn. “Freddy Dunn, what are you doing here?”

Dunn stood up and took Nolan’s hand, them giving a one arm hug. “New Metro member. Got stationed here since it’s the only Division not to have a second Metro member. Pine said we’d be getting an additional but it’d be a while. I think she has her sights on someone who hasn’t started or finished their rookie year. How are you doing?”

“Good, good. I’m a training officer and I’ve had five rookies graduate in a row; Tamara is my sixth.”

“Hey.” Tamara waved from where she sat beside Lucy. “Tamara Chen, nice to meet you.”

“Your sister is a rookie officer now?”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “And excelling, she was top of her class at the academy and she’s the top rookie out of the five currently training.”

“And Lucy is on her fifth rookie.” Nolan said with pride, because after Greg Scott failing, she’d graduated three rookies in a row and Reed was her fifth. Tim and Lucy had felt it was Pacific Division’s fault for Greg Scott failing, not either of them. “She’s also a sergeant now.”

Dunn looked over at Lucy and saw the chevrons on her sleeves for the first time since talking to her. “You became a sergeant? How?”

“She studied dumbass.” Tamara defended. “She’s the smartest cop in this building.”

“Watch it Boot.”

Tamara stood up and stared the man down. “No one calls me ‘boot’ and you should be watching it.”

Dunn moved closer to her. “You’re a rookie, you have no standing here.”

Tamara smirked and laughed under her breath. “You have no standing here. I was practically raised at Mid-Wilshire and because of that, the cops here know me. They don’t know you.”

Lucy tugged on Lucy’s hand. “Sit down and stop the aggression.”

Tamara sat down and started in on her lunch again while Dunn shook his head. “I don’t have time for this.”

The man left and Nolan sat down. “What’s his issue.”

“So you know how we got together at the academy towards the end?”

“Where are you going with this?” They hadn’t talked about the fact they used to date for years, both happy with their spouses and saw it a moot discussion point.

Lucy set her fork down. “You remember I tutored Dunn?” She saw Nolan nod, “well after tutoring, we’d end up screwing around. Not figuratively either.”

“Gross.” Tamara stated and looked at her salad. “I’m losing my appetite.”

“He saw me with files and assumes I screwed up so I’m regulated to paperwork. Then he asked to get dinner and catch up like old times. I don’t have to tell you where his mind is.”

Nolan set down his coffee. “Does he know you’re married to his superior?”

“No, my name tag was covered by files and my wedding ring got lost during that struggle three weeks ago. The one that we were by a storm drain and the suspect was covered in suntan lotion.”

“Didn’t Tim order a new one?” Lucy looked to her sister, who was eating once again.

Picking up her fork, Lucy nodded. “It won’t be here for another two days.”

“You going to tell him you’re married to Tim?” That got a shake of the head. “Why not?”

“He’s always been cocky and I feel like he’s a more sensible Doug Stanton. He’s smarter then Stanton but thinks he’s Casanova. I’m going to let him get knocked down a few pegs. Metro is bound to have a situation come up sometime soon and I’ll be running the op with Pine and Grey backing me. He’ll have to take my orders. I’m going to let Tim know what is going on but I suspect he’ll be more than happy to go along with my plan. Besides, due to him being a Metro officer, until an op happens, he’ll be patrolling. He’ll be on Tim’s schedule so I won’t see him as much so I’m more than happy to ignore his ass.”

Tim Bradford sat on his side of the bed just watching Lucy as she stood at the bathroom sink brushing her hair before bed. She turned and saw him watching her, a smile on his face. A blush covered her cheeks, somehow, she felt like they were back to the morning after sleeping together the first time. He’d sat in bed with coffee watching her get dressed and brush her hair, a similar smile on his face. Seven years on and he could still make her feel like they were back to that morning.

“You excited for Saturday?” Tim inquired as she turned out the bedroom light and walked straight to bed. Her leggings covered by one of his old LAPD Academy t-shirts, it wasn’t super large on her but it was still large enough to be identified as his. “Finding out what we’re having?”

Lucy pushed back the covers and crawled into bed, foregoing lotion on her legs because she was out. It was on the grocery list along with several other items. “I know we’re having at least one boy.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Celina told me. She said she could see a blue aura but the other was yellow, which she said was undefined.” Laying down, Lucy turned onto her back to look at Tim. “I swore her to secrecy and she said that it wasn’t her place to tell people about the twins.”

The man slid down to lay on the mattress also. “Okay. I’m so used to her being right about things. Things she has no idea about until a week or two later when it happens or she’s right about a case when she had no idea about it. I just accept what she says now.”

“I want to name him after you.” Lucy put her hand on his chest. “Timothy Matthew Bradford Junior. TJ for short.”

Tim was quiet for a few moments before speaking. “No, not because I don’t want to but because that name is haunted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Isabel and I chose names early in our marriage, before everything went south. She wanted to name a boy after me and a girl after her mother. I don’t want to name my son after me and be reminded of everything that happened with Isabel. Our son shouldn’t have that weight attached to him.”

“Okay.” Lucy spoke softly and Tim immediately focused on her, worried she was upset. Instead he found understanding her eyes. “What about if we name him Matthew, after your middle name. Matthew after you and Grey after Sergeant Grey.”

Tim spoke the name to test it. “Matthew Grey Bradford.” He smiled at his wife, “I like it.”

“So do I. I was thinking naming the other baby after your sister. Genny’s middle name is Charlotte, we could use that for a girl and call her Charlie. If it’s another boy, we just name him Charlie. Charles is just too old for my liking, but Charlie by itself is a good name.”

She watched her husband think for a few minutes. “Charlotte Angela Bradford for a girl, ‘Angela’ after her godmother. Charlie Harper Bradford, ‘Harper’ named after his godmother.”

“I like those names.”

“We need to pick an additional girl name just in case Celina is wrong.” Tim prompted, “she’s usually right but sometimes she’s wrong. Plus, she said a few years back that a person’s aura can be any color so she maybe wrong.”

He was telling the truth so Lucy looked at him. “Okay. You have any ideas?”

“I always like ‘Aurora’ for a name, it means ‘dawn’ and reminds me of you. Your sunshine personality in a name. I mean, we can’t name her ‘Sunshine’ or ‘Sunny’ or our sanity would be questioned.”

"Alexis Sunny Bradford?” Lucy asked him as he got comfortable, moving to lay down on his back instead of prompted up on his arm. “The name ‘Alexis’ means ‘defender of mankind’ and it reminds me of the LAPD motto. We can use ‘Sunny’ as a middle name.”

A smile crossed Tim’s face as he looked up at the ceiling. “Alexis Sunny Bradford, I like it. After our calling and your personality. We can call her by her middle name instead of giving her a nickname.”

“I figured you like that.”

Lucy sighed and he looked at her when she did so.“What’s wrong?”

“I have to tell you something but you have to promise me you’ll follow my plan.” The statement made Tim sit up and rest against the headboard. “Your new Metro officer, we were at the academy together.”

Tim saw her lay down and look up at the ceiling. “Okay. Do you mind elaborating on that?”

“I’d tutor him and afterwards we’d have sex.”

“That was over ten years ago, Luce. It doesn’t matter to me who you slept with all that time ago. Even if he’s my new officer.” He reached a hand out and brushed back her hair from where it sat on her cheek. “I have no reason to do anything to him.”

Lucy focused her eyes on Tim. “He asked me to dinner today, dinner and to catch up. I don’t have to tell you where his mind was. I don’t have my wedding ring so he probably thought I was available. Most people don’t even look at my nametag anymore since I’m well known in Mid-Wilshire.” She shook her head a fraction, “a conversation at lunch was had and Tamara told him to watch himself. He basically told her to watch herself and because of that she said she was raised by Mid-Wilshire so he was in the wrong place. I made her stop and he left, angry at the whole situation.”

“Tamara told the truth and everyone at the Division would protect her. Plus, she’s almost thirty so trying to protect her would only upset her.” He reached for her hand and held it, Lucy feeling as he played with her fingers, leading her to roll over and face him as he continued. “Obviously you didn’t agree to dinner and he will learn eventually who you are. He’ll learn his place eventually.”

Lucy sat up and pulled her hand away, moving to lean against him. Tim kissed her head after he put an arm around her. “You don’t want to protect my honor any longer?”

“You’re about to make Lieutenant and you have authority in the division to get rid of him if you wanted to. If you went to Pine and explained the situation, I have no doubt she’d get rid of him in an instant. She likes you too much.” He smiled and looked down at her, hand rubbing her back. “Do you want me to defend your honor?”

“No, I can handle it.”

Tim nodded against her head. “Of course you can, you’re Lucy Bradford.”

“He saw me with the progress files and assumed I screwed up my training so I’m regulated to secretary work. When John mentioned I made sergeant, he couldn’t believe it. I told him I only help Captain Martin and Grey because I’m trusted. My plan is to let him think he’s better than me, I mean he definitely thinks that despite me ranking over him. Eventually I’ll be at a Metro situation and Pine will make me make a call. Grey too. Dunn will be forced to follow my direction and when he questions it, both Pine and Grey will let him know that I was chosen by the Comms Supervisor to be the next Watch Commander. It’ll knock him down a few pegs and since HR and both our superiors have our backs, he’ll have no choice to realize I’m his superior.”

A laugh escaped Tim and Lucy pulled away to look at him. Tim took her hand and held it, laughter dying. “You are horrible woman.” He turned slightly and wrapped his arm around her, laying down and taking her with him. “I’m so glad you’re my wife because I can’t help but be worried you do that to me if I challenged you.”

“So you approve?”

“Baby, I don’t just approve.” Tim cupped her cheek and kissed her softly, pulling back a fraction. “I’ll do whatever necessary to see the look on his face when he realizes you won the chess match before he made his third move.”

Chapter Text

The weekend was full of happiness and thanks to help from Tamara and Celina, she got the backyard set up for their surprise gender reveal and cookout. Tim had been relieved at just having cakes because they remembered Nolan and Harper’s baby shower case, with live explosives. Everyone at Mid-Wilshire had known about that because they’d been walking around the building with glitter on them to get from their shop to Grey and then to the locker room. Plus every cop knew there had been too many wild ones held in the city and the state.

It was family and friends only so Lucy had suggested that Yasmeen and Ahmed come. Tim had scrubbed the grill and cleaned it over the course of two days so the couple and Amira could eat what was cooked. They’d be bringing the meat while Tim and Lucy supplied all the sides. It had warmed their friend’s hearts to see themselves included. Everyone else they knew from Mid-Wilshire were coming including Katie and Daniela.

“Alright, where’s the alcohol?” Angela asked as she arrived in the house.

“No alcohol.” Lucy told her as she moved around the kitchen. “Some of our friends that are coming are Muslim so we’re not serving alcohol.”

Angela nodded. “Fair enough. Need help with anything?” She inquired as Jack and Hope headed to the small play area behind the couch where the twins were playing.

“I do not.” Lucy was cutting lemons for the lemonade she was making. “Tim is outside cleaning up a bit. You guys are the first ones here.”

Wesley put his hand on the back of the bar chair in front of him. “I’m sure Nyla and James are right behind us. Lila snuck out of her bedroom last night to go to a party so she headed over to Donovan’s to talk to her. She’ll have some gossip, especially since Donovan’s new wife is there.”

Lucy nodded. “I heard. She called asking me if we ever ran into anything with Tamara like that. I told her that Tim had to go bail her out of a party once but she was fully grown.”

“Oh I’m sure Tamara loved that.”

“Loved what?” Tamara walked into the kitchen with her phone in hand. “Nolan has me going through the code manual because he’ll be quizzing me during our ride on Monday. Any way to memorize them more effectively?”

“No.” Lucy and Angela spoke at the same time.

“At least I’m not Tim’s rookie, I heard what he did to Lucy for her to learn codes.”

Lucy reached out and took Tamara’s phone. “Looking at social media isn’t going to help you.”

“Actually, a rookie in Pacific made an album of code songs and I’ve been listening to it on repeat. Aaron got ahold of it and gave it to me.”

“They did what?” Tamara nodded and took out her earbuds so she could play the song on her phone.

After listening to several seconds, Wesley reached out to turn it off. “I just can’t, it’s bad.”

“But it’s effective.” Angela stated and motioned to Tamara’s phone. “Send me that album. No, I’ll just get it from Aaron.”

“It doesn’t cover all of the codes I need to know but it’s all the common ones. Tim says some of the obscure ones happen enough in LA that we need to know them. He said he’d try to quiz me later tonight.”

Lucy smiled at Tamara and rubbed her arm. “I’m glad you’re finding ways of learning that isn’t studying just your rook book. I wish there were songs or quizzes when I was going through as a rookie.”

“Sounds like I wasn’t interesting enough.” Tim spoke as he walked back into the house from the backyard. “I thought I was effective at teaching you.”

Finished with the lemons, Lucy moved to the sink to wash the cutting board and knife. “You were, you were the best T.O. but sometimes I needed more than physical tests.”

“I gave you mental tests.” He stood at the bar.

“Not really, not until after my kidnapping and near death. Then you only gave me mental when I was having a bad day and that was my life for months afterwards.”

“You were in your own head, Luce. I tried to keep your mind off the events of what happened and I didn’t push you. You’d let me know when you were ready and you did.”

Angela pointed at Tim. “Okay that’s it, he loved you as a friend even before you two kissed undercover and it slapped him in the face. The Tim Bradford from ten years ago wouldn’t have given a rookie even two minutes of mental exercises, not even if they’d gotten shot.”

Lucy couldn’t help the smile that graced her face, hand on her hip. “You loved me as a friend?”

“That’s not what this conversation is about.”

“It’s a little about that.” Wesley stated.

“Out with it Tim Bradford.” Lucy told him he had to spill his guts, no holdbacks.

Tim sighed. “You were my friend at the time and…”

“And?”

“And I blamed myself, I pushed you to go out with Caleb. If I hadn’t, you would have been safe. You suffered so much and hurting you further wasn’t something I could do. Mentally or physically.”

“I love you.” Lucy walked around the counter and found herself in his arms instantly.

Tim kissed her head. “I love you too, baby.”

Angela waved them off. “You two are disgustingly in love with each other. If I listen or look any longer, I’m going to get diabetes because it’s too sweet.”

“She’s right. I don’t know any couple who are still in love with each other six years after their marriage, not like you two are.”

“Thank you.” Angela told her husband.

The door opened and they found Bailey and Nolan walking in. “Remind me to not let her drive after a twenty hour shift. It’s like driving with a drunk person.”

“Studies have shown that being over eighteen hours without sleep is equivalent to having a point five B-A-L.” Tamara told them. “We covered that in my anatomy course in college.”

Celina walked in from the back hallway, having been in Tamara’s room using her computer for something. “Hey, you guys are here.”

“We are.” Bailey hugged the girl. “How are you? John told me Aaron said you have a boyfriend.”

Celina shrugged. “A friend, maybe. Boyfriend not so much.”

“Seriously, you should go out with him again.” Tamara told her friend. “You said you had nice dreams about him and the dinner wasn’t halfway bad. Try again.”

“You gonna double date with us?” Celina asked. “I mean, you and Officer Lords hit it o…” She trailed off when she saw Tamara waving her hand by her throat, asking her to stop.

Tim looked at Tamara. “You’re grounded.”

“You can’t ground me.”

“Lords is too old for you.”

Tamara laughed sarcastically. “You and Lucy are almost the same years apart as me and Conner. Besides, if you think about it, he works for Pine and she likes you and Lucy. He’d be screwed if he hurts me or my feelings. Like all of Metro killing him screwed.”

Bailey held her hand out to Tamara. “She’s right about Lords, his sister is stationed at Engine 112 and says he’s happy with his computers. He’d never make it out of a room with you and Metro gunning for him.”

“We’ll talk about this later.”

Tamara shook her head as she passed them. “No we’re not.”

“My house, my rules.”

“Lucy’s house, Lucy’s rules.” She pointed at him, “she runs this house, not you.”

Angela couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh she got you good.”

“We’ll talk about this later.” Lucy followed up. “After Trevor, we want to make sure things don’t end as they did before.”

“Fair enough.”

Seeing Tim’s expression at Tamara complying to Lucy but him, Lucy patted his chest. “It’s okay, babe, you’ll be having the discussion with us.”

The front door opened again and they heard the sound of Leah running to play with her friends. There was a second little voice and saw it was Amira. Harper and James came in, the cop pointing over her shoulder. “These sweet people says they’re friends of yours and here for our little cook out.”

“They are.” Lucy pulled away from Tim and moved around him to greet Yasmeen. “Hi, how are you?”

“More than well. We were excited to come as all Amira talks about are the twins. I hope you’re free next week for lunch.” Yasmeen hugged her as Tim greeted Ahmed.

Ahmed opened a brown bag and showed Tim what he had. “Some fresh chicken and beef. You mentioned kebabs so I chose the best meat for both.”

“How much do we owe you?” Tim took the bag from the man.

“Nothing, we feel honored being here with our friends. We don’t expect our friends to pay for the meat when we’re invited to the dinner.”

Tim motioned to the people present. “This are our friends from work, Angela and Nyla.”

“How do you do.” Angela nodded to him. “The guy beside me is my husband and don’t ask him any legal questions because he’ll go on and on about the law.”

“I believe we have spoken over the phone.” Ahmed held out his hand to Wesley.

“Ahmed Ayad? Yeah, we had that conversation as you were applying to the LAPD Academy. You needed someone to go over the questions regarding questions on criminal pasts. Tim gave you my number.” He shook the man’s hand. “How’d the application go, besides the legal questions?”

Ahmed nodded. “Good, very good. Tim says it will take a bit before they decide.”

“Should know in a week or two, they have to get the new class notifications out.” Tim told him.

James held out his hand. “I’m James, I’m married to Nyla. I run a community center in a needy part of the city.”

“My wife, Yasmeen is speaking with Lucy. Amira, our little girl is playing and making new friends.”

Nolan motioned to himself. “I’m John Nolan, I attended the academy with Lucy.” He motioned to Bailey, “my wife, Bailey, is a paramedic and firefighter. If you ever get a minor injury on the job, she’s our go-to medic.”

“Or pulling a small hand covered in mud stuck in the sink.” She motioned to Tim, “how’s the new sink working?”

Tim nodded to said sink. “It’s working. Thank you for helping with that because I didn’t know what to do. I felt like a bomb would easier to clean up then that mess.”

“Well, take it from me that what Theo did is only the beginning of what’s to come.” Nolan told his friend.

“I told him to watch Theo but he didn’t listen.” Lucy stated as she and Yasmeen joined the group. “He learned afterwards.”

The front door opened again and they heard Luna’s voice as she and Grey entered. “Lucy, how are you?”

Lucy made her way over to Luna and hugged her. “I am fine. I’m sure you and Grey are already planning to kidnap the twins again sometime soon.”

“Until Dominque has her own, we will love those kids like they’re our own. Wade was just telling me the other day that the kids had pictures at school. I told him he better get pictures and he did and they’re on the fridge. All of them.”

“You want Jack and Hope this weekend?” Angela asked her. “They’ve been missing you.”

Nyla put up her hand, “Leah too.”

“We’ll work something out.” She told them both before nodding once Grey’s head was turned a fraction.

“We’re just waiting on Katie and Aaron, they’re coming together.” Seeing looks of confusion, Tamara followed up quickly. “Not like that, definitely not like that. You do know that Katie is gay, right?”

“We know.” Half the group spoke as one.

An hour later and everyone was talking after Katie and Aaron had shown up, Genny too, lemonade and soda the drinks of choice. Lucy managed to slip out into the yard with one cake while Tamara had the other. That was followed by everyone else going outside with prompts and he fact that the grill was heating. Almost everyone paused when they gout outside and saw the little blue and pink decorations hanging and leaned against the pergola they’d added onto the house a few years back. Katie said she’d stay with the kids since Tamara had informed her of the surprise baby shower.

“Surprise.” Lucy stated once everyone was outside.

“You aren’t?” Angela asked.

Tim nodded, “we are.”

“Oh my God.” The woman quickly hugged her friends before pulling back to punch Tim in the arm. “You can’t even tell your best friend that you’re expecting another baby.”

“We wanted to share it with all our friends.” He said rubbing his arm.

Grey looked at Lucy, “does this mean you’re going to slow down?”

“No.” She said matter of fact and he shook his head.

“I don’t know why I try anymore.”

Harper pointed to the cakes. “Why are there two?”

“Twins, again?” Luna was the one to question them and got nods.

“Damn.” Angela was the one who spoke and all but Ahmed and Yasmeen knew what she was talking about.

Yasmeen walked forward and hugged Lucy, “I’m very happy for you both. You are wonderful parents already and these two to come will know loving parents.”

“Thank you.”

Genny hugged her brother. “I’m happy for you Tim. You and Lucy are blessed so much and I can’t wait to meet my nieces or nephews, or both.”

“So what are you having?” Aaron questioned them, “because I need to know what to buy.”

Lucy motioned to the cakes. “We’ll find out, together. We already got our surprises so whatever we have now is a surprise we can all share.”

“I’m recording this.” Tamara told them and held up her phone. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Tim looked at Lucy, “how do you want to do this?”

“I’ll take one and you take the other.” She moved back to allow him to stand beside her.

Angela motioned to Tim, “Tim first.”

The man in question took the cake cutter that sat beside the first cake and cut into it first on one side and then the other. Before revealing it, he looked up. “Any guesses?”

“Definitely a boy.” Harper told him.

“Nah, it’ll be another girl.” Angela told them, “that would be his luck.”

Celina waved her hand side to side. “I thought I knew but I’m getting nothing right now.”

“Boy.” Bailey said while Nolan spoke the opposite.

Tim pulled the piece of cake out and looked at Lucy, who covered her mouth with her hand. “You said that yesterday.” With his wife seeing the result first after him, Tim put the piece of cake on the plate Lucy was holding so everyone saw it was pink.

“Another girl.” Tim stated while hugging Lucy, kissing her head.

“Told ya, pay up.” Angela looked to Nyla and got given the five she had in hand.

Genny grinned and hugged them both. “Another girl, you’re overrun now big brother.”

“Don’t I know it.”

“Congrats on your little girl, my brother.” Ahmed hugged his friend. “You’re twice as blessed now.”

Nolan looked at Bailey. “I told you.”

“You did, but they still have one more cake to cut.”

Everyone seemed to wait as Lucy cut the cake and pulled it back enough Tim could see the result. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Something told me it would be that.” He told her as she put the slice onto the cake to show it was pink. They were having two girls.

“Two girls.” Luna smiled and shook her head. “You two will definitely have your hands full.”

Harper was the one to speak next. “Okay, hold up, hold up. Do you have names for these little ones yet? I mean, you with your plans, I figured you would.”

“Alexis and Charlotte.” Lucy told them, “but we’ll end up calling them Sunny and Charlie. Alexis for its meaning, as the meaning is close to the LAPD motto. Charlotte for their Aunt Genny.” He saw tears in Genny’s eyes even if she wiped them away quickly.

Tim looked at Angela, “Charlie’s middle name, Angela, is after her godmother though.”

“Oh my God, you are going to make me cry.” Angela told him.

Nolan motioned to Lucy, “and I’m guessing ‘Sunny’ is after Lucy’s sunshine personality?”

“Of course.” He looked at Lucy and saw her happy.

Chapter Text

Lucy was close to sixteen weeks before she saw Officer Dunn once again, especially given that he’d taken a vacation just a week after seeing her for the first time. Then after that two week vacation, he was mostly on Metro calls and if he was at Mid-Wilshire, he was patrolling. K9 hadn’t been called for a bit so Tim would patrol since he was a liaison for Mid-Wilshire and for some reason all of the calls had been at the other divisions. It was how Metro worked; their liaison would be called up only if the situation was in their portion of the city.

Her office was next to Tim’s, cleared out for her by Grey sometime around Christmas the previous year. He said he’d like her to stop rearranging his office and while she once shared Tim’s with him, she knew he’d spoken to Grey. Not because he didn’t want to share but because the office wasn’t big enough for both of them. With her added admin duties, she’d settled into the space fully. Unlike the offices upstairs, the ones she and Tim were given had no signage. It didn’t matter to them because they weren’t flashy people.

“You got yourself knocked up.” The voice made Lucy turn to see Dunn entering the breakroom.

“I’m married.” She told him before turning back around to make her tea. “I lost my ring on the job when you last saw me. I had to order a new one.”

Dunn nodded, “that why you ignored me.”

“No, I just have a life and you need to have some professional respect towards your superior.” Lucy put a lid on the cup and held it, turning around.

“Come on Lucy, we go back to the academy. We’re friends or at least I’d like to think so.” He looked at her. “Tell me, who is the guy you married? What does he do? I mean, we all knew about you and Nolan. Is he older? A nerd? I heard your ex before the academy was a graphic designer.”

Lucy looked up at him, “trust me, compared to you, my husband is so much better.”

“Really? Maybe in personality but even you have to admit I’m a lot hotter than most guys.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down at the table. “I won’t play these games.”

“So my source says you were Bradford’s rookie and that he washed his hands of you.”

“Your source sucks at information. He’d tell you I was his best rookie.” She stated as she picked up her phone from where it sat on the table.

Dunn laughed, “really? You be his best, that’s a joke. The man training is too rough for you, even I know that. He’s a hard ass and you’d crumple under that given your positive, go-lucky attitude.”

Tim walked past the breakroom but paused in the doorway. “Dunn, what the hell are you doing? Did you leave your radio and your phone at home? I called you, twice.”

Dunn looked down at Lucy as he spoke. “I rest my case.” He looked up at Tim, “I just didn’t hear it sir.”

The Metro officer shook his head. “Watch yourself. When I call, you better answer.” He walked over to Lucy and smiled at her. “How are you doing? Have you stopped patrolling yet?”

“I haven’t and since you trained me to work hard, I won’t until told otherwise.”

“I know I did. Best I ever trained too.” He rubbed her shoulder and headed out of the room. “Let’s go Dunn, before I make you walk.”

Lucy smirked, “I told you.” She stood up after pushing off the table before grabbing her phone and tea. She knew he was playing the game she had asked him to play along to.

It didn’t take long before Grey and her were also headed to the Metro site also. Lucy may have been four months, almost five months but she didn’t let that stop her. She found her second pregnancy was easier for her where her first took a lot of energy out of her. Arriving on-site, Lucy made her way to the trailer and thanked that she was able of going up the stairs easily. Grey was behind her so he would have helped if she had needed it.

Lucy watched as fourteen Metro officers and their dogs turned when she and Grey made their way inside. Pine immediately moved around the table to her and Grey. “We got him cornered down to half the division but I need to know where he’s going. You work that.” She handed a radio and tablet to Lucy, who turned to the city map that was hung up on the Metro trailer wall.

“Overlays.”

“Here ma’am.” Lords, who was dating Tamara, smiled at Lucy and came over with the overlays.

Lucy looked at the tablet and moved her finger around on the screen as she read the arrest record of their suspect. “Foot or vehicle?”

“Vehicle and then foot.” The tech took the green marker and marked on the map. “Green is the vehicle route before he was forced on foot. We lost him a block from the vehicle.”

The ten year veteran turned around and glanced up to see it was one of the Metro officers. “Good to see you, Ming.” She pushed past him.

“You too ma’am, congrats on another set of twins.”

“Thanks.” She moved to the front of the trailer while reading the tablet. Pine’s secretary was there, “Faith, green tea please. Five sugars.”

The woman nodded. “Yes ma’am, anything else.”

“No, that’s all.”

“Yes ma’am.”

Lucy leaned against a wall and continued working on reading about their suspect before turning to make her way back over to the map. She picked up a red marker and drew a box on the overlap. “North Vermont to South Western, Melrose to West 3^rd Street.”

Pine nodded as she turned. “Alright, we got our search grid. I assume patrols are moving into position as we speak.”

“They are.” Grey stated.

“As soon as patrol units are stationed at each intersection, I want K9s Alys and Apollo moving south from Melrose in Grid A9. K9s Justice and Bran will take moving north from West 3^rd in Grid A10. K9s Liberty and Hera will move south from Melrose in Grid B9. K9s Styx and Ares will move north from West 3^rd in Grid B10. Our other Metro officers will be helping you, being your guns as we search for this suspect.”

Lucy looked at the group of Metro officers in the trailer, it didn’t surprise her that Dunn had looked at her with confusion on his face. She ignored him and looked at those present. “Our suspect has arrests for armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon. Muzzle control is key but be warned he wouldn’t think twice to harm you or any of our K9s. If you have to make a shot, make it clean so this bastard can stand trial for harming not one but two fellow LAPD officers.”

“You heard her.” Pine said as she held her radio. “Come back alive.”

“Come back alive.” It was said by all, even Lucy and Grey.

Tim made his way over to her and she looked up at him, a warning to come back in her eyes. Like always he cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead. Afterwards, his hand slipped down to her belly and she put her hand over his as they rested over their unborn daughters. It was a wordless exchange, as it always was. Lucy let him go and found her arm squeezed by each of the Metro officers that followed him. She caught Officer Maxwell’s arm and he turned to her before he could leave, his K9 leash in hand. “I don’t have to give you an order, do I?”

“No ma’am, I’ll bring him back to you.” She nodded and took a step back. He paused at the door and looked to her. “Sergeant Bradford?” Lucy looked up and he nodded to her. “I’ll try to make sure he doesn’t do something stupid. He doesn’t have you as his eagle at the moment.”

Lucy smiled, “he has his orders from me, but thank you.”

“Of course ma’am.”

As Dunn passed her, she smirked at him. “I rest my case.” It was all she said before she turned towards where Pine and Grey were.

It was closing in on midnight when Grey and Pine looked up from their talk about the current search and the closing edges. The door to the trailer opened and they found Officer Lords nodding as he spoke. “They have him. He’s on his way to Mid-Wilshire. The guys are heading here now.”

“Thank God.” Grey stated and ran a hand over his head. “It’s been a long twelve hours.”

Pine nodded and looked over to the bench that sat against one wall where Lucy was curled up. “Think we’ll be in trouble for letting her sleep on the job?”

“No, I officially took her off the clock around nine. She’s got those babies she’s growing so I didn’t want to disturb her.”

“Better wake her so she’s fully awake once Bradford gets here, he can’t carry her at the moment.”

Grey chuckled softly. “He’d try.” The man walked over to Lucy and gently shook her awake. “Lucy, hey the manhunt is over.”

Lucy sat up with sleep in her eyes. “What time is it?”

“Close to midnight. The teams are heading back now.”

The younger sergeant yawned and covered her mouth. “You let me sleep.”

“I did. I officially took you off the clock around nine.” He patted her arm and let her head to the small bathroom that was on the trailer in one of the corners.

Fourteen Metro officers piled onto the trailer ten minutes later and were met with Lucy, Grey, and Pine waiting. Pine waited till all the officers were onboard with their dogs before speaking to them. “You did good tonight. I appreciate how effectively you worked especially given the larger search grid as to the last time we were here. I know this search was across businesses and homes when most times its one or the other.” She looked at her watch. “Alright, everyone go home because it’s past midnight now.”

Grey looked at Tim. “Get her home.”

The Metro officers filed out and Grey and Lucy were with them, Pine would stay for the breakdown. Lucy looked at Maxwell, “thank you.”

“Yes ma’am.” He held out his hand and she took it, a smile on her face.

Tim looked at Lucy as he dropped Alys’ leash, the dog wouldn’t move from him, much the same as Nox hadn’t. “You look tired.”

“I’m more relieved than tired.” She accepted the arm he put around her, kissing her head as he did. “The girls didn’t like it when you were gone. They kicked so much while you were gone.”

“They’re spoiled like their mother.”

Ming shook his head as he walked past. “Harper was right about you two.”

“What exactly does that mean?” Tim inquired with the man.

“That you guys are too sweet.” Meyer, one of the two females, said as she walked past.

The other, Royce, smirked. “God, you two are still in love with each other after six years? By three my husband and I were done with each other. How? How do you stay this in love?”

“Yeah, do tell.” One of the non-K9 officers asked. “Richards is getting married next month; he needs some pointers.”

Royce laughed. “No, he needs more than pointers.”

Tim looked down at Lucy. “I don’t know, we just…”

“I’ll save you.” Lucy told him and looked at his team. “We’ve known each other since my first day so we know all the ways cops can be hurt. We’ve always had a strong bond, even when he hated me.”

“I didn’t hate you.”

Lucy pulled away from him and poked his chest. “You hated me.”

“I didn’t hate you.” A raised eyebrow and he spoke again. “Maybe just a little. However, you were very annoying.”

“Says the guy that was an ass to his rookie.”

“It was my job to be hard on you.” He pointed to her, “it made you a better cop.”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong.” Lucy caught his hand with her own. “But you could have been nicer. Especially after I saved your ass the first day on the job.”

He corrected her. “Second day.”

“Fine, second day.” Lucy smirked.

Tim put his arm around and nodded to his team. “I have to get her home and to sleep. She’ll be running Mid-Wilshire come eight tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, which is why you need to take her home now.” Grey said as he walked by. “The woman doesn’t know what the word ‘stop’ means and I have you to thank for that. You trained her too well.”

Lucy smiled after her superior. “Good night, sir.”

“Good night, Sergeant.”

Tim looked at Lucy. “Ready to head home?”

“Yeah, I want to check on the twins. Nolan and Bailey picked them up from Genny’s and spoiled them.”

As they passed by Dunn, Tim looked over Lucy’s head at the man and smirked. “Next time you try to make my wife feel inferior, Dunn, you’ll face me.”

“Stop.” Lucy told him. “He knows where he stands now. I made it clear.”

“And you’ll refer to her as Sergeant Bradford starting tomorrow.” Tim made the point firm.

Dunn looked up to see Pine watching him. “Dunn, with me now!”

Chapter Text

The sound of adults talking filled the school yard of East Coast Brighton Academy. Lucy Bradford held a hand over her eyes as she waited for her children to get out of school for the day. It had been shocking that not one or even two of her kids got accepted to the school, but all four. Between their academic scholarship, the scholarships given to kids of public servants, and the money their maternal grandparents provided, all four of the Bradford kids had been there since the older twins had been eight and the younger from kindergarten.

Lucy looked at her watch as she knew she had a virtual conference at six that evening for Mid-Wilshire’s yearly budget. She knew Tim was dealing with a Metro situation in West Hollywood and since he had succeeded Pine five years before, he oversaw Metro situations across all of Los Angeles. She had pickup when Metro was called up and Tim picked up the kids when she had to deal with Mid-Wilshire politics as it’s captain. Most times they were both home by five or six, with Angela and Wesley doing pick up when they were both busy since their kids went to the academy also. If all four were busy then Luna or Grey would do the pickup of all six kids.

There had been a bad falling out between them and Dominque over some of the girl’s dangerous choices in her late twenties. They had custody of their granddaughter since their daughter had been deemed unfit and lost custody. Similar to Isabel, Dominique had refused help in any form and ended up dying of a serious infection from a used needle. It had been hard for the couple but they refocused on creating a drug safety program with, surprisingly, Isabel. The program was up and going, working along-side a non-profit drug rehab hospital. Three years going and they had already triple digit in recovery.

“Lucy?”

The police captain turned and found of all people, her ex-boyfriend, Chris Sanford. They hadn’t seen each other since her first pregnancy, the man stayed far from Mid-Wilshire once he realized she had broken up with him and went on a date with Tim just days later. “Chris?”

“Yeah, how are you?”

She lowered her hand. “I’m good. How are you?”

“Good. Just waiting on my niece.” He motioned to the school building. “Does your child go here?”

All Lucy could do was nod and refocused when the doors opened to courtyard where the kids would wait until they saw their parents. Her youngest daughter, by mere minutes, saw her and waved at her and she waved back. A few moments and Lucy smiled at the headmaster, who put up a hand in greeting. She’d been to the school several times since her oldest twins had started going, giving information to both students and parents.

“Mommy.” Sunny ran over and Lucy put her hand on her daughter’s head. Like her older sister, she also had blonde hair, but had Lucy’s brown eyes.

Lucy smiled at her youngest, “did you have a good day?”

“The field trip was amazing.” She dropped her bag so Lucy picked it up from the ground. “Can we go to the museum on the weekend? Please?”

Laughing, Lucy brushed back her daughter’s hair. “We’ll see.” Theo, Zoe, and Charlie made their way over to her by way of walking instead of running. At thirteen, Theo and Zoe were more subdued. “Bad day?”

“Lori Dobson made fun of Zoe in Volleyball.” Theo told his mother. “Said she was short and would be better suited for music instead of sports.”

Zoe groaned. “It’s not my fault I’m going to be short. Not all of us are going to be Dad’s height like you and Charlie.”

“Just don’t tell Hope.” Sunny told her sister, “she would destroy her.”

“No one is destroying anyone.” Lucy told the four. “Where are your cousins?”

Zoe motioned over her shoulder. “Jack got caught up talking to Riley. Hope went back in to find him.”

“Jack likes Riley.” Charlie told her mother. “He holds her hand a lot of the time.”

Lucy looked down at her watch. “I hope he hurries. I have a budget meeting at six.”

“You’re always in meetings, Mommy.” Sunny held onto her mother’s hand. “You and Daddy always have meetings.”

“That’s because we are very important people in the LAPD.” She brushed back her daughter’s blonde waves again. “What do you have in your hair, it’s sticky?”

Charlie pointed at her sister. “Told you that your hair would be sticky. We got popsicles after we got back from the field trip and Sunny got it in her hair.”

Hope and Jackson Evers were running over towards Lucy. “Sorry Aunt Lucy, someone had to talk to Riley.”

“You’re just jealous.” He spat at his sister.

Lucy found herself smiling as the headmaster made his way over even if she had to go. “Headmaster Piper.”

“Captain Bradford, I know it’s last minute but would you by chance be willing to speak to some international parents who are due to come visit. I’ve gotten many an email regarding LA crime.”

“What day?” She opened her phone and pulled up the calendar.

“The fourth of next month.”

Seeing it was available, Lucy quickly typed in the request. “I have that day available. Just let me know of an available time well before so I can be here on time. If I can’t make it, my husband will be here.”

“Of course, give my best to Lieutenant Bradford. The K9s are always a hit with the kids.”

“I will.” She looked at her watch. “Unfortunately I have to get these guys home soon or I’ll miss my meeting. Division budgets are something to never miss.”

The man nodded. “Of course. Have a good night kids.”

None of the kids spoke since their school was a cellphone free zone so they were face deep in their phones already. Lucy urged the kids on. “Onto the car.” She turned to the older four. “Jackson and Hope, phones off now.”

“Fine.” The preteens put their phones in their pockets or bags. They knew first requests by their aunt and uncle were to be met. That was the first rule all the kids had to obey when staying with their aunts and uncles.

“Theo, Zoe, Charlie, Sunny, off the phones now.” She was firm with her kids and they also put their phones up. “Alright, I have to get you all home and the drive through LA without lights and sirens takes time.”

Zoe smirked. “Mom, you do have lights and sirens on the visors of your car. Perks of being the Division Captain.”

“It is a crime to abuse them.” She urged them on with her arms. “Come on, all of you. Dad is at a Metro site so you guys are stuck with just me tonight. At least until the standoff ends.”

Charlie grinned. “Pizza?”

“No. My budget meetings is virtual so I’ll be at home, not at Mid-Wilshire. You will be eating something made at home.”

The young girl folded her arms. “No fair.”

“Life isn’t fair. Let’s go.”

Mid-Wilshire hadn’t changed much since the day Lucy Bradford had walked through the doors, at least physically. She had been there almost twenty years and had risen through the ranks quickly. First as a rookie and then as a P2 until she made sergeant five years after leaving the academy. She made lieutenant a year after the younger twins were born and just two years before had become captain. She ran it with a firm but kind hand, changing many of the ways her division was ran. She had to meet policy but she had some free range on how to run things.

Her Watch Commander was Nolan and her lead T.O. that oversaw all her training officers and rookies was Celina. The girl had a way of finding exactly what they all needed. What had been interesting had been that her Mid-Wilshire-Metro Liaison was Tamara. They hadn’t seen that coming but Tim had assured her that Tamara was cut for it. Her time as a homeless foster kid gave her situational awareness not many people had unless they were service members. Aaron had been shuffled across the city to be Watch Commander at Hollywood Division, where his celebrity connection was put to good use.

Standing on the top of the stairs, Lucy surveyed the division hard at work. She saw Celina in the conference room instructing rookie officers of policy and procedures. The training officers sat in the back of the room just watching the whole instruction. Nolan was in a meeting with HR to review several of the incoming officers. They didn’t take any chances after Doug Stanton or Nick Armstrong. She trusted Nolan when it came to weeding out the right and wrong. Occasionally if he was on the fence, he’d consult Celina and the now-sergeant would consult her supernatural connection. She always turned out to be right, at least in the manner of who would be a good fit.

“Surveying your kingdom?” The voice made Lucy turn and she found Tim walking up the stairs to stand beside her. He had more lifelines on his face and blonde hair was slowly being replaced by grey. He’d also stopped jumping into the fray, instead doing the admin duties he once hated. Either way, he was still the man who made her heart race and she still found herself falling deeper in love with even after nearly two decades of knowing him.

“No.” She told him and nudged his shoulder with her own. “I’m looking at the changes that exist because of policies Grey trusted me to put into place. I’m sure you’ve looked at some of the things Tamara gets into and realize it would have been so much worse if you hadn’t worked with Pine to reorganize some of Metro’s policies.”

Tim looked at over the bullpens and conference room. “So much has changed since I first became a cop.”

“I saw Chris yesterday.” Lucy told him, he’d gotten home well past her going to sleep. “He was picking up his niece. We just asked how each other was doing.”

“Wesley said once that he avoided this place after finding out how quickly we moved on after you broke up with him.” Tim smiled at her. “Speaking of exes, Isabel invited us to have dinner with her and Ron next month. She’s back in LA to review the progress of the rehab clinic.”

Looking at her husband, “sure. Last we saw her was at her wedding.”

“Those rookies are due to graduate at the end of the week. Next batch comes in on Monday.”

“You going to show up like you do every year?” It was asked around a grin. “Since my own New Blood Day, you come every year.”

Tim leaned over a fraction and kissed her head. “I have to. I taught you and you taught Carson and he’s now going to be on his sixth rookie.”

“Oh so it’s about making sure there’s an unbroken lineage.”

“More like you can take the training officer out of the T.O. program but you can’t take the program out of the former training officer.” Seeing her watching him, he shook his head. “Alright, it’s about an unbroken lineage.”

Lucy put her hand on his and smiled. “The kids want pizza tonight.”

“I’ll bring some home.” He stood up straight and put his hand on her shoulder. “I have to head over to the Metro HQ to see how Tamara is training those rookies. Gutierrez said that she was definitely my daughter with how she barks orders. I tried to explain she’s my sister-in-law but he wasn’t hearing it.”

“She has a lot of you in her, babe.” She watched him walk downstairs. “Remember, it’s all due to geographical osmosis.”

Tim chuckled under his breath. “That’s not a thing.”

“It’s a thing.” She smiled at him, “love you.”

“Love you too.”

The conference room was full of officers and detectives, people wanted to see who was coming in as new rookies. On the electronic board at the front, the words ‘New Blood 2035’ was written clearly. No longer was it three or five rookies but nine new rookies sat waiting to be devoured. Lucy had expanded the training program at her division and Parker Center was more than happy to let it happen. They made the decision that any division could accept between three and ten rookies based on available training officers and population of officers. Lucy had made it to make detective or any ranking position such as sergeant or lieutenant and so forth, would be required to go through the T.O. School so they could pick up slack if necessary.

Lucy walked in and saw Celina and Nolan at the front of the room, Tamara was in the back with Tim. She looked out at the room and at the rookies. “Good morning. I see everyone is here for the time of year that everyone loves. We got some new blood.” She motioned to the nine rookies, “my name is Captain Lucy Bradford and I once sat in those seats. Seventeen years ago I was a new rookie just like you and trust me, I was blind to the world. It took a great training officer to teach me that the world is a bad and scary place. Now, I want to impress upon you what my own watch commander impressed onto me. So stand up all of you.” She looked down at the clipboard as the rookies stood, where Wade Grey’s new blood speech had been laminated onto. “After six months together at the academy, you’ve earned the right to be here. However, you’ll have to prove yourself to stay. The way we do things matters. Protocol and tradition are the metal from which every cop in this city is forged. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am.” It was stated by all.

She looked at the nine. “We’re a family here at Mid-Wilshire. We have members of the same families serving here together. We have friends who have become family. I’ll do whatever I can to help my people because no matter if you’re a rookie officer or a secretary or a lieutenant, you are worth my time.” Lucy motioned towards the upstairs. “We have a nursery and daycare here. We didn’t have that when I started and that’s because we worry about our children every second we’re out in our shops. You treat me like family and I’ll do the same.” She turned to Nolan, “this is Watch Commander John Nolan and despite his age, we were in the academy the same year. He’ll go over a few points with you.”

Nolan went to the lectern and saw Lucy’s information brief from years before laminated onto the clipboard. “As Captain Bradford said, I’m John Nolan and yes, I was a rookie like you seventeen years ago. Just a few things before the good Captain continues. Any form of bullying will get you terminated immediately. Slander and abusive behavior is also grounds for termination. Depending on what it is, you could be arrested. All your vehicles have cameras and we ourselves carry them.” He glanced down again, “if your training officer requests you do something you’re not comfortable with, you are to inform them of the fact. Upon arrival back, you will inform myself or Sergeant Juarez.” He motioned to Celina, “she’s more than happy to get you squared away if I can’t.”

Lucy returned to the lectern and picked up a small bowl. “Now it’s time for our favorite game.” Hands tapped the table as she moved to the rookies. “Training officer match game. Now, just a little side piece. My former captain, who sadly fell in the line of duty, assigned rookies and training officers based on characteristics and personality. I consider myself having gotten the best training officer in the business.”

Celina cut in. “Agree to disagree, ma’am.”

Laughter filled the room and Lucy smiled at her sergeant before going back to the rookies. “Captain Zoe Anderson saw what my both me and my training officer needed. Saw we were suited for each other and because of that, we named our first daughter after her.”

A hand shot up from one of the rookies. “Are you saying you married your training officer?”

“Years after the fact, but yes. What I mean to say is that each of our training officers lacks something you’ll have a strength in and vice versa. Since I started being trained as the next Watch Commander thirteen years ago, we haven’t had a rookie fail their training. We are the only division that can claim that fact. So here we go.” She looked to Nolan and he pulled a name from the bowl.

“Officer Sparks, you get Yuan Lee.” He put the piece of paper on the table and grabbed another to open. “Officer Reed, you get Elana Perez.” Nolan picked up a third piece of paper. “Officer Carson, you are assigned Ricardo Gomez.”

Celina walked over and picked up a piece of paper from the bowl. “Officer Smith is assigned Luna Tsuso.” A second piece of paper was opened to reveal another pair. “Sergeant Williams will be assigned Dena Peterson.” A final paper was unfolded. “Ruth Meyerson, I am your training officer.”

Lucy reached into the bowl and pulled out a name. “Sergeant Roy you are assigned Yvonne British.” The second to last paper was removed from the bowl that Nolan held. “Officer Mikalson is given Wyatt Odette. And our final pair, Nathan Gabriel has been assigned to Sergeant Barnes.” Lucy look up at the now paired rookies and officers. “I expect the record to not change; we won’t wash you out if you put in the effort. You need additional training, then we’ll retrain you in whatever you feel you’re lacking. You’re now part of a family.”

“Stay safe out there.” Nolan told them as people stood up.

“Stay safe out there.” Everyone repeated.

Lucy smiled at the room. “Welcome to Mid-Wilshire, your new home.” A glance at Tim in the back and she could see he was nodding near unperceivably. It reminded her of the day seventeen years before when she turned back to look at him and he did the same thing. She was so young and innocent of the world and he taught her everything she needed to know to rise to where she was. She taught him that the world was a lot more than work and the pain of family tragedy.

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My new story Little Moments is up and going. It'll show the things we rarely get to see on the show/6th season.

Little Moments

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Sorry guys, I accidentally posted my chapter for Little Moments here. If you guys want to reread it, it's over at Little Moments.

It was the one where Tamara meets a guy. 

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After Season 6 I started working on a slow burn return for Tim and Lucy. 

It's called Worth the Effort.

It seems to go fast even if its slow but there are chapters late in the story that go back to the beginning few chapters.