Pieces of You
Lucy should’ve been used to it by now: the nagging pain in her side at seeing Tim talk to another pretty woman on shift. Well, okay, technically, they were just starting their shift, and they hadn’t left yet— mostly because of the aforementioned woman. She stood in front of Tim, who was leaning back against the front desk of the Mid-Wilshire station. Lucy watched from afar for a moment as his shoulders sagged, like he was carrying the weight of the world on them. Oof. Maybe it was one of those awkward, “thanks but no thanks” convos he sometimes had with women who flirted with him. Besides, as far as she knew, he was with Ashley now. And Tim wouldn’t ruin that, would he? Yikes. That shoulder touch said otherwise though. And was that....oh hell. An actual smile? Wow, okay. Obviously it was time to intervene. She coughed, making her presence known. She ignored the growing envy at how pretty the woman was up-close. Her red hair was fiery, matching her fierce eyes, and her features were sharp, smooth, refined.
Almost like... “Lucy, hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get caught up.” “I-it’s okay, but we really should go.” She patted his shoulder for good measure, and saw the woman glance between them at the contact. Maybe that would ward her off, Lucy thought. “Oh, so this is Lucy?!” The woman’s knowing tone caught Lucy off guard. Well, that’s a first. “I—“ “Wow, oh my god! It’s so nice to finally meet THE Lucy Chen!” Lucy didn’t dare utter any more words for fear of sounding like a sputtering idiot. Her mouth did open once more trying to make a sentence come out to no avail though. “Sorry,” the woman apologized, catching Tim’s eye. “I’m Genny. Genny Bradford, Tim’s sister.” Now Lucy really was speechless. Another first. “I—you—I’m sorry, what?” Lucy squeaked. She coughed, schooling her voice into a more appropriate tone. “I mean, hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Genny fixed her with a knowing look this time. “Tim didn’t tell you about me, did he?” All Lucy could do was shake her head no. It didn’t stop her from stealing a glance at Tim, who, much to her amusement, looked a bit mortified by the whole conversation. “In my defense—“ “Oh shut up, baby brother,” Genny said playfully. Lucy bit back a laugh. “You um, you never made it into conversation. But it’s nice to know there’s someone that can actually get away with bossing Tim around. Do you know the amount of times I’ve wanted to tell him to—“ She paused, realizing her momentary lapse of forgetfulness. Tim, being her (technical) boss and all, was still standing right next to her. Shit. “—please give us a minute so I can exchange numbers with your lovely sister, Sergeant Bradford,” Lucy saved herself in a sweet tone. “Uh huh,” Tim’s clipped response came and went, much as he did to the shop with their war bags. Genny and Lucy did trade cell numbers, and went on their ways. ___________________________________________________________ Lucy got in the passenger side of the shop, mood evened out now that she knew who Tim’s sister was. The only lingering question she wanted an answer to was: what was his status with Ashley? She was embarrassed to care so much, but the knot in her stomach would undo itself more if she just knew what they were. Or what she was— is — to Tim. If anything. “Soooooo,” she attempted. “So, we’re here to work, Chen. Not discuss my family. So table the sister talk, alright?” “Yessir. Shutting up.” An awkward silence fell over the shop for a couple blocks before Lucy couldn’t take it. “I’m sorry, y’know, but she’s really nice. And seems really chill and cool and— well—“ she paused, a sly grin creeping on her face. “Are you sure you’re related?” She heard him scoff. “I’m kidding, Tim!” “Very funny. Yes, we’re opposites. Are you really that surprised?” “I—well,” she pursed her lips. “No, no I guess I’m not. Honestly, I thought you were an only child. I had no idea you even had siblings, let alone a sister. An older sister, I might add.” He had a reply on the tip of his tongue when their radio crackled to life. “7-Adam-100, accident at the intersection of Van Nuys and Roscoe. Fire en route, please respond as secondary for possible intoxication.” “7-Adam-100, responding.” They drove over to the scene of the accident. Well, minor collision. Though the driver of the SUV wasn’t the drunken party. The woman on the bicycle was. The SUV hit another car after swerving to avoid said cyclist. Oops. “Well, Hell,” Tim grumbled as he watched the wobbly woman on the bike try to stay standing. “Ma’am, what happened here?” “It’s not illegal to drink and bike,” she protested, but it fell flat just like she did, right back to the ground. “Oh,” Lucy said alarmed, looking back at Tim. He rolled his eyes, helping her to help the woman back up. “Ma’am, we’re gonna have to take you in.” “For what?!” “Causing a disturbance, causing an accident, public intoxication, need I say more?” It was Lucy who rolled her eyes at Tim’s sassiness. She looked over her shoulder as the firefighters finished putting out the minor flames of the second vehicle. The suv driver waited by the paramedics, and they took in their suspect. “Have the driver meet us at the district so we can get her full statement please,” she called down. The paramedic gave her a thumbs up. She could already tell this was gonna be a long day. ___________________________________________________ “I cannot believe you arrested a woman driving her bicycle drunk!” Genny astonished, looking back to Lucy who sat across from her at a picnic table in the food truck lot. “Honestly, it’s not the first time a drunken woman tried to maneuver something other than a car. There was this one time, actually just last year, when I was a rookie... a woman was drunk and tried to getaway on a scooter.” She turned to Tim, suddenly remembering he was there with her that day of course. “Oh man, and Tim! Aw, poor Tim! She hit your foot with the scooter!” She tried not to chuckle, but failed miserably when he had that grumpy expression on his face. “Sorry,” Lucy tried. “It was definitely a memorable way to finish up my checklist, that’s for sure.” “I suppose,” Tim offered coldly, grabbing his drink and putting the straw to his lips again. Lucy put her head down, not wanting to say anything else. She knew he was in a mood. She looked over to Genny instead, who offered her a sympathetic glance. “Tim, come on, tell me more stories about training days! No offense baby bro, but your sergeants life sounds a little ‘eh’ right now. I need to live vicariously through you right now while I’m taking this break from work.” Lucy noticed her cringe afterward. Why was that bad? “Sorry, what was that? What break from work? What happened to your nonprofit gig?” “No, no, nothing! I still have it! I still have my job, it’s fine. Shit, I really didn’t wanna do this....like this.” Her eyes cut over to Lucy, who suddenly felt like she didn’t need to be here anymore. “I’ll umm, I’ll leave you guys to—“ “No, boot. Sit down,” Tim ordered. Her brows knitted together, partially in frustration, partially in worry. She didn’t know if she should hear whatever was supposed to happen next. It felt intrusive, for her to be here in such a pivotal family moment. “Fine. Tim, listen. The real reason I’m here is because....dad’s sick, okay? He’s really sick. And his house is falling apart because he can’t do the repairs. So, I’m here to help. And well, I’d hoped you’d help me too.” “No, no way. No way in hell, Genny. You know him. You know how he is. You know this!” As he yelled, he got up from the table, ready to storm off. “Really Tim? Come on!” “No, we’re done. C’mon, boot. Now!” He barked, and Lucy gave Genny an apologetic glance before doing as requested. ________________________________
An understandable silence fell over the shop for the rest of their shift. They took calls, but didn’t speak unless it was to discuss info pertaining to said calls. It was, without a doubt, the longest shift Lucy had as a sergeants aide. And she was really worried about her sergeant. She wanted to help, she just didn’t know how. It wasn’t until she’d gotten changed out that an idea struck. She took out her phone, and sent off a quick text. What can I do to help you guys with this? Genny’s reply came easily. Just be there. Tomorrow, 10am, 245 Maple Grove Ln. Thanks, Lucy. -G Lucy smiled, a renewed sense of determination washing over her. She always wanted to help, but she also knew how important this was for them. For Tim. And she especially wanted to help him navigate this tough time. So, when morning came, Lucy found herself waking up....shockingly with a sense of dread that replaced last night’s thoughtfulness. Oh god, what had she done. Gotten in the middle of a family dispute she had no business being in. What the hell was wrong with her? She cursed to herself as she got dressed. That was probably going to be the first thing out of Tim’s mouth when he arrived. If Genny could even convince him to come. As she went out the door to her car, her phone went off again. This time, a phone. And this time, from Tim. “Look, I already know what you’re gonna say, so I’m gonna save you the trouble. Meet me over at 245 Maple Grove Lane, and I’ll consider it. But only because between you and my sister, my ears would be completely talked off until I caved in to at least go there. So I’ll step foot inside, but I won’t guarantee anything else.” “You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t ya?” “I know everything you’re gonna do, Lucy.” That shouldn’t have sent a shiver down her spine, but it did. “See you soon, Tim.” ______________________________ When she arrived, she almost thought she’d gotten the wrong place. The outside looked pristine. It wasn’t until she saw Tim’s truck by the curb, him idling by, that she got out for a closer look. “He’s had gardeners do the yard for years,” he offhanded, picking himself up off his truck and heading towards the front door. Lucy simply nodded, following suit. Besides, coming in second afforded her a quick look at the most casual of Tim Bradford attire. He wore jeans which weren’t unusual for his choice in plainclothes. Normally he wore layers with his shirts, throwing a jacket over a Henley or a plaid shirt over a plain tee. But not today. Nope, today he wore a simple greige — that’s grey-beige — crewneck. And that’s it. She tried not to notice the way the fabric stretched over his broad shoulders, but failed miserably as they walked into the home. A “fuck” was whispered under his breath, and Lucy came around to stand beside him to get a look at the place. Oh, wow. It did need a lot of work. Paint chipping off the walls, wallpaper coming down, ceiling scrapes, flooring issues, the list went on. Yeah no wonder Genny needed help. This was way more involved than Lucy thought. “So,” she started, glancing up at Tim. “What do you think?” “I think,” he sighed heavily, taking a hand through his hair. “I think I’m gonna have to help... my sister, I mean. There’s no way she can do this alone.” Lucy refrained from a smart comment, knowing Tim would never outright admit his real reasoning. Not that she could blame him. Sure, her parents weren’t perfect, but compared to Tim’s dad, they seemed like saints. She was curious to know if he was actually here or not. It was then she realized she didn’t even know his name. She shifted over to him, nudging her shoulder against his arm with a supportive smile. “Ahhh, good! You’re here!” Genny’s voice echoed through the house. “You know I’m only doing this for you,” Tim told her.
“And I’m only doing this for you—“ Lucy caught herself mid-slip, adding: “both” before anyone could hopefully give it a second thought. Hopefully. She didn’t miss the way Tim’s eyes locked onto her though, and how her cheeks heated up at his gaze. Dammit. “So!” What shall we do first?” “Depends,” Genny began, quirking a brow. “How good are you with power tools?” “I’ve handled ‘em a few times,” Lucy acknowledged, knowing Tim was next to her ready to either retort with “a halogen doesn’t count, Chen,” or be pleasantly surprised. “Hammer okay? I may trade ya if I get tired of the axe, but for now I’m good.” “Sure thing!” “Tim, you’ve got the drill and I may need the buzzsaw up and running. Depends on how much of this wall we get through first,” Genny told him, gesturing to the enclosed space of what was a living room. “Sure,” he mumbled. “Let’s just get this done.” He saw the toolkits and belt on the ground off to the side, so he walked over and grabbed the belt for himself, and handed Lucy a pair of goggles. Genny already had hers attached to her plaid shirt so he needn’t worry. “Thank you,” Lucy singsonged to him, simultaneously thanking Genny who handed her a hammer. She went to work where she was told, taking out nails and hammering through some other holes before she and Genny switched things up.
Laughs were exchanged between the two when Tim came out with a saw and a confused expression on his face. “Genny when the hell did you get this?” “An ex left it behind at my place back East. So, I kept it. Sue me.” He rolled his eyes and his sister, and Lucy giggled some more. They really were related. “You guys really are siblings, aren’t you?” “Unfortunately, yeah,” Tim joked, and Genny shoved his shoulder. “The times I claim him, yeah,” she added just as playfully. “Ha ha.” Lucy smiled. She actually liked seeing Tim joke around. She hadn’t seen him do that in ages. “Lucy, can you grab me a nail gun?” “Coming right up!” She cheerfully walked — with a skip in her step — to the other side of the room where the rest of the tools were. Lucy didn’t know it but Tim watched her with the tiniest of smiles on his face. She may not have known it, but his sister sure did. “Tim, come help me move this cabinet.” Genny led him over to the area off the living room, and they shifted a cabinet from the wall. “So,” she eyed him curiously. “How long’s that been going on?” Tim paused his movements. “Excuse me?” Genny bopped her head over to the living room where Lucy was, then back to Tim standing in front of her. “You and Lucy? How long have you guys been together?” “Oh, no, Genny. We’re not together. She was my rookie, and now she’s my aide.” Thankfully Lucy wasn’t within earshot to hear him actually use the proper term. “Uh huh, and you expect me to believe that’s all she is to you?” “We work together, Genny. That’s all.” “Oh please Timothy James you’re not fooling anyone! Except maybe yourself. And before you even say it, I see the way she looks at you too, same heart eyes, same bright smile, same in love look.” “Now you’re crazy,” he tried to brush it off, walk away, but she stops him. “No, I’m right. And just because you can’t admit it to yourself doesn’t mean I can’t see it. Hell, I bet you even people at work know, don’t they?” Shit. “No! Genny, knock it off. We’re just friends, coworkers, that’s that. And even if people did suspect anything, I wouldn’t cross that line anyhow. I never have.” “What line? You said it yourself she’s not your rookie anymore.” “She’s still under my command.” “I’m sure you’d want her under you but not in that way,” she quipped, and Tim almost thwacked her upside the head. “Gen!” “Well, I’m just saying. She’s perfect for you Tim. And she doesn’t seem like the type to get riled by rumors anyhow. Just— just don’t ruin a good thing by letting it go, okay?”
“Not planning on it, not with her.” “Good. Cause I just want you to be happy. And Lucy.... baby bro I’ve seen you smile more today than I have in like a whole year when we lived under the same roof okay. Maybe even more than with Isabel. She’s GOOD for you.” “She is good, maybe even too good. And I don’t wanna mess things up for her.” “The only way you’d mess things up for her is by not telling her how you feel. Cause like I said earlier, she feels the same way. I can tell.” Tim opened his mouth to say something else when Lucy’s positive tone rang through. “Hey guys, I have the nail gun, where’d ya want it?” “Coming!” Genny called back, giving Tim a last look over her shoulder. He mouthed a “thank you.” He hoped she was right about this. __________________________
After nailing a couple things back into place, and tearing down some others, Lucy was exhausted. She’d have almost fallen the last step off the mini ladder had Tim not caught her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Genny eyeing them, a hint of a smirk crossing her lips. She coughed, extricating herself from his gentle hold. “Thanks.” “You’re welcome.” She pushed away the longing feeling for the warmth his body brought. Nope, now was not the time for those thoughts. It reminded her of their hug, which then reminded her of the tragic circumstances surrounding that embrace. Thankfully— or unfortunately, she was sure which yet — a loud crash broke both of them further apart from each other. “What the hell is going on here?! Genny! Get away from my fireplace!” Presumably, Genny was going to clean the fireplace up. Lucy saw the logs scattered about, assuming they’d been dropped. A flash of metal moved from Genny’s shaking hand to Tim’s dad’s harsh grip. Tim noticed the slightly frightened look on his sister’s face. And his eyes immediately locked onto the gun Genny had uncovered. He knew what would happen next if he didn’t intervene. And he be damned if he’d let his dad get mad enough again to intimidate his sister. “Dad, go back to your room, okay? Let’s talk there.” When the older man didn’t move from in front of Genny, Tim stepped between the two. “Tom! Now.” Even Lucy startled at the sound of his voice, watching as he also grabbed and pocketed the weapon. Tim sounded gravely serious. She’d never heard his voice sound so...dark. Tim reached back with his right arm to give his sisters shoulder a squeeze. Lucy felt his eyes fall back to her, and he mouthed an “I’m sorry” before his dad — Tom, she now knew — moved backward down the short hall to where she figured his room was located. She nervously watched Tim follow behind Tom, crossing her fingers that things would be okay. Genny let out a breath she’d been holding, and looked over at Lucy. They shared a look: one of concern for Tim. _____________________________________________ “Well, isn’t this a surprise.” “The hell is this, dad?” “I don’t have to tell you that, my cop son. Do I?” “Why! Do you have this buried in your house, huh?” “None of your damn business, that’s why.” “Y’know, I bet if I checked the serial number, it’s gonna come back unregistered. Or even worse, connected to a crime. Do you even think at all?” “It was from ages ago, Tim! Let it be, son!” “No,” he spat. “You don’t get to call me that. Not that way. Not this time. I’m only gonna ask you this one more time. Why. Do you. Have this.” “It was from an accidental shooting. When I was drinking, there was a bunch of people over one night. Not a party per-say. A poker night. It went off the rails. A buddy of mine shot a guy. The gun slid when people jumped up. The guy didn’t die, my buddy didn’t finish the job. I found the gun later, okay? I hid it because..... well because I knew if I told you back then... hell, this was 15 years ago Tim. You were just coming up through the academy. Starting your rookie training. I wasn’t gonna burden you with this.”
“Like you haven’t burdened me enough already?!” Tom stared back in disbelief. “What?” “Oh don’t play dumb! You made our lives hell, for me and for Genny!” “Excuse me?” “You heard me, you son of a bitch.” “You’d better watch your mouth.” “Or what? You gonna hit me? No, you wouldn’t dare. Oh but wait, you already did that, right? Right.” “Tim—“ “No, no we’re not doing this. I’m not doing this with you. Because unless the next words out of your mouth are I’m sorry then I don’t wanna hear it.” “I’m sick.” “I know! Genny told me. She told me you’re sick. That’s why I’m fucking here. God, I don’t even know why I thought this was gonna be a decent idea—“ “What, did you expect an apology?” “No, I didn’t! God dammit dad I know you better than that. You’d never apologize. Not once. Not to me, for beating the crap out of me, or for terrorizing Genny because of it. Not to mom, for driving her away with your drinking. Not to anyone! For anything!” “Then why the hell are you here, boy?” “I though I’d get some sort of closure. Stupid me, I guess. And you can fuck off with all that ‘son’ and ‘boy’ BS because you sure as hell aren’t a father and I’m sure as hell not a boy anymore.” “Oh is that so? What you’re doing just fine, huh? Big man now? Living the dream?” “You know—“ “Oh, I’ll tell you what I know, Tim. I know about you and Isabel. I know she was shot and that’s what led her to finally get clean. I know about how you passed up a perfectly fine sergeants position in Malibu to finish training a ridiculous rookie. I know you’ve lost people in your unit. You wanna know what else I know? I know you didn’t have the kids you and Isabel talked about. How could you? You were too busy searching for her. And you’ve been searching for something else ever since.” “You have no right to tell me about my life. I have a job I am damn proud of. Yes, my marriage with Isabel ended. But since then I’ve been doing just fine. I have trained a rookie that’s the best I’ve ever known. The people in my district are some of the greatest people I’ve worked with. They support me, they know me, they actually treat me well, which is way more than I can say for you, you smug bastard.” The two men had taken steps closer together with every gut punch, and Tim knew if he had to throw an actual punch, he wouldn’t hesitate. Course neither would his father, that he knew for certain. But this time, Tim could fight back. He clenched and unclenches his fist a couple times, eyes still fixed on his dad. Tom looked like he could take a swing if he wanted to, even in his weakened state. “Tim.” He expected to hear Genny’s voice, but instead it was Lucy’s. She stood in the doorway, looking directly at him with that look of concern he’d come to know too well. He also knew she probably convinced Genny to let her go back there to check up on him. Damn, he should’ve told Genny to keep her away. The last thing he needed was precious Lucy Chen seeing the darkness of his world. “This isn’t your place, girl. This is between my son and I. Leave!” “Don’t you talk to her like that!” Tim growled, willing to slug him if he moved even an inch toward Lucy. “She’s in my house, intruding on our business, I’ll talk to her how I please!” “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just— Tim, please—“ Her lips parted, the same way they always did when she wanted to say more but couldn’t bring herself to. He knew she could turn a phrase when she wanted to, make something so simple sound so profound. It was one of the things he loved about her: the ability she had to read a situation and know exactly what she could say to remedy it. This was not one of those times. This was not something she could fix. And he never ever wanted her to. “Lucy, I’m okay. There’s nothing left to say here anyway,” he told her softly, turning to walk away from his father. Tom yanked him back though, and Tim elbowed him somewhere on his face out of reflex, making Lucy gasp and Genny come running at the sound of a crunch. When Tim turned, he almost felt bad for causing Tom’s nose to bleed. Almost. But the stupid conscience he still had inside of him won out, causing him to apologize to assuage his oncoming guilt. It didn’t really matter though. “I’m sorry, dad. But we’re done here.” He turned on his heels, and Lucy and Genny made way for him to exit. Tim left the house straight away, no stops, no not a word to anyone. On instinct, Lucy ran after him, apologizing to Genny on the phone as she was driving and realized what she’d done. “It’s okay, Lucy,” Genny told her. “Just go find my brother. Please.” “I will,” she reassured, hanging up and driving the rest of the way to Tim’s house. She knew he’d be nursing a beer in one hand when he answered the door. “I’m only letting you in because I know you won’t stop texting calling and knocking on my door until I do.” “Are you okay?”
“No, no I’m not. But the thing I feel worst about is that you had to see that.” “Tim—“ “Lucy this is why I never brought up my sister, okay? Part of the reason why I barely mention my family. I never wanted you to be involved in any of this.” “Tim, stop. You know me! You know I wouldn’t judge you. I only wanna help. I just— I wanna make sure you’re alright.” “It could be worse. I could’ve completely decked him.” “Tim-“ she warmed, motioning him to sit down on the couch with her. He joined her, taking a long sip of his beer before continuing. “Well he deserved it. He deserved a lot more than that! But I talk cheap, because honestly, the only way I could see myself beating the crap out of him was if he laid a hand on you or Genny. Or anyone else I care about.” “I’m so sorry, Tim. I didn’t mean to make things worse for you...between you and Tom.” “You didn’t. He wouldn’t accept the fact that I was actually doing alright for myself. That wow, what a concept for me not to turn out like him! God, he places blame like it’s no big deal, but taking blame? Forget it. I know he’s not to blame for everything. I know I screwed up in my marriage with Isabel... not getting her help sooner. I know I’m not a perfect man, by any means. But I’ll be damned if I’m ever like him.” “You’re nothing like him, Tim. Nothing at all. I know you. You’re a good man. You’re honest, smart, tough, sure, but fair. Remember when I said you’re always on the right side of the law? Well, you’re also always on the right side of everything, period.” “Lucy—“ “No wait, let me finish,” she admonished, a smile playing on her lips. She even saw his lip curl up at her light tone. “You always take care of others. You always make sure they are happy and comfortable and safe. I’m sorry you’re dad didn’t do that for you. But you have people in your corner that will.” She took a chance by placing her hand on top of the one of his that wasn’t holding the beer. “Like me.” A rare Tim smile made an appearance to her. “Thanks.” “For what? Doing my job?” His signature downturned expression came next. It was perhaps her favorite because he only ever seemed surprise by her. And it was the hardest to earn, but easily the best reward.
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A/N: not my best, but I wanted to get this out before Sunday’s ep so there it is. Hope y’all enjoyed it still. as always, all photos copyright: dge press/abc. words are my own (minus the chenford quotes that made their way in here obviously).