What if the UC mission had ended well (Season 5, Episode 1)

Part 38

The next morning, Tim woke up early. He admired Lucy for a little while before getting up and hopping in the shower. He thought about calling in sick but decided against it; it was only half a day, and after that, he had a whole week off with her. When he came out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, he saw that Lucy had moved to his side of the bed and was cuddling his pillow. She looked so beautiful, peaceful, and cute. He gave her a quick kiss and whispered that he loved her before heading out to the station.
While Tim was at work, Lucy and Tamara spent time together. Tim felt like the time wasn't passing; those few hours felt like years, but he made it. And now he had a whole week with Lucy before she had to go back to the UC-Academy for two more months.
When Tim finally came home, he knocked on the door as usual, not wanting to just barge in since Tamara lived there too. Lucy and Tamara were sitting on the couch, catching up on life. Tim greeted them and walked up to the couch, standing behind them. He leaned down and gave Lucy a kiss on the top of her head.
Tim- Hey, you two. How's it going?
Lucy- Good, just catching up. How was work?
Tim- Way too much chasing today. I feel gross. I'm gonna take a quick shower.
Tamara- You better.
Tim chuckled and headed to the bathroom. After a quick, refreshing shower, he felt much better. He changed into comfortable clothes and joined Lucy and Tamara in the living room.
Lucy- Did you have lunch yet?
Tim- No, I didn't get a chance to eat. How about you?
Tamara- We've already had lunch.
Lucy- Do you want me to make you something?
Tim- No, that's alright. I'll just have the leftovers from last night.
Lucy- Are you sure? I don't mind.
Tim- Positive.
Tim walked over to the kitchen and started heating up the leftovers. As the food warmed, Lucy came up to him and leaned into his side, wrapping her arm around him. Tim put his arm around her, pulling her closer.
They stood there for a moment, enjoying the quiet intimacy. The microwave beeped, signaling the food was ready.
They joined Tamara in the living room again, Tim with his warmed-up leftovers and Lucy sitting between them. The three of them chatted and laughed. Tim caught Lucy staring at his food with a longing look in her eyes.
Tim- You want a bite?
Lucy- Maybe just a little.
Tim chuckled and fed her a bite of his lasagna. He took one for himself and then gave Lucy another bite.
Tim- I don't get why you guys like the lasagna I make so much.
Tamara- It's just really good, Tim.
Lucy- Seriously, it's amazing. What's your secret?
Tim- There is no secret. My mom taught me how to make it when I was little. She also told me her "secret recipe," but it's not like there's anything special in it. It's just the memories of her. She told me the vegetables were the secret ingredients to make us eat them.
Lucy didn't press any further, understanding Tim's reluctance to talk about his past. She simply enjoyed the lasagna, savoring each bite. However, Tamara, unaware of Tim's reservations, asked casually.
Tamara- So, tell us more about your family, Tim. You don't talk about them much.
Tim's expression tightened slightly, but he maintained his composure. Lucy noticed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.
Lucy- (trying to change the topic) Hey, have you heard about the new café that opened downtown?
Tim- My mom was amazing, is amazing. It's just... it's hard to think about it, let alone talk about my past.
Tamara- I'm sorry, Tim. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories.
Tim- It's alright. I know you didn't mean any harm. It's just... my mom, she was everything to me. But talking about her brings up a lot of tough memories.
Lucy was surprised that Tim decided to open up. She knew more about his past than anybody else. She never asked or brought it up but would gladly listen if he wanted to share. In the beginning, she tried to help him but realized he didn't want help; he just wanted someone to listen without judgment or excessive comments. But as he spoke to Tamara about his mom, it felt different, not like when he told Angela to not ask, or talked to his sister or even talked to her, when laying in bed. It was just different.

Lucys thoughts:
Maybe it's because Tamara doesn't like talking about her past either. She was 15 when we found her on the streets. He saw that she had a rough childhood too, pretty similar to his you could say. Her dad was abusive too, like Tim's dad. Maybe he feels like she wouldn't judge him because she understands. She went through a lot of the same stuff he went through.