Want You to Stay || Chenford / The Rookie

Part 7

They manage to avoid each other the rest of the day, throwing their hands up to volunteer for different team-building assignments at every opportunity. Lucy steps forward for the team obstacle course faster than he does, which is how Tim ends up in some kind of terrible feelings circle, forced to listen to Smitty talk about how hard middle-aged dating is. (The fact that it's only the second worst part of his day really goes to show just how bad the escape room debacle was.)

He knows that he and Lucy can't leave things where they are. They have to figure out how to move forward, one way or another. And as the day progresses, Tim finds the frustration draining out of him and being replaced by a deep weariness. Because this sucks. Arguing with Lucy, feeling like he's stuck between a rock and a hard place on the aide issue, feeling utterly confused about everything he thought he knew about their relationship.

So when Lucy approaches him after their shift, her steps tentative and her bottom lip pulled between her teeth as she quietly comes to stand next to him on the upper level of the bullpen, Tim's not looking for another fight. They don't speak for a few moments, just taking in the hustle and bustle of the bullpen beneath them.

"We had the fastest escape room time," Tim says finally, hoping she hears the peace offering in his voice. "I told Grey it was 95% you."

Lucy shakes her head and chuckles wryly. "Turns out the secret to success is genuinely wanting to escape?"

"Seems like it..." Tim deadpans, and they lapse back into silence again. He glances over at Lucy out of the corner of his eye. Her hands are resting on the railing and she's fiddling with her ring, twisting it around and around her finger. It's the moonstone ring he found in the desert and later tossed back to her in the gym. He thinks back to that moment — to telling her about his dad for the very first time. To insisting she was a survivor, even after everything. He opens his mouth to speak just as Lucy does the same.

"I'm sorry," they both say at the same time, their words tumbling over each other. Tim turns his head to the side to fully look at her for the first time, and sees the heartache and remorse in her eyes. He's pretty sure she can see the same feelings reflected in his own gaze.

"Look Lucy," he says softly. "I'm really not trying to put you in a bad spot with this aide thing."

She sighs. "No, I know. You're just trying to do the right thing."

"You're right, though, I wasn't thinking about it from your perspective."

"And I wasn't considering yours enough," she acknowledges. She shakes her head and lifts one shoulder in a defeated shrug. "It's just...so much has changed this year, and I think I wanted to believe this part of my life didn't have to change. It was stupid."

"It's not stupid." They hold each other's gaze for a few moments, the air thick with everything unspoken between them.

"So what do you want to do?" He says finally. And he means it. Tim is willing to take Lucy's lead on this. About the aide stuff — and everything else. He figures he owes her at least that much.

She takes a deep breath. "We made a mistake. But we're both great cops. And I think we work really well together."

"We do," he murmurs, nodding.

"So let's just...try and put this whole thing behind us and see if we can't get back to normal?" There's a pleading edge to her question. Tim feels the same pull — to undo the damage he's done, to prove they can still work together, to believe he didn't ruin everything between them.

"Okay," he says softly. "We can do that."

A ghost of a relieved smile passes over Lucy's lips, and for the first time in days Tim feels the knot in his stomach start to loosen ever-so-slightly.