Secrets (Never to be Told)

Chapter Sixteen

A/N: sorry for uploading late again! i'm currently suffering of writers block, since i'm currently trying to find a non-time-skip path top UC Lucy and Las Vegas (yes, we're absolutely covering this arc as well). enjoy the chapter, even though it's not really to my liking (it has to be done...)

Lucy was awakened by the throbbing in her head. Massaging her temples with her fingers, she sat up and looked around. She didn't remember getting into her bed - much less her bedroom - last night. She was also still wearing her clothes from the day before.

A quick glance at her watch told her the time, and within the next second she sprung out of the bed and out of her bedroom. "Hailee!" She called out but stopped in her movements when a clearly awake and ready-to-go young girl and her co-worker looked at her. "Yes?" Hailee grinned, calmly taking a sip of the orange juice she was holding. "I-", Lucy paused, collecting her thoughts, "What are you doing here?" She looked at Tim, who was flipping pancakes as he returned the gaze. "Hailee asked me to stay. I hope that was okay?" He turned around and slid a glass of water and some medicine over the counter. "Here, that will help with the headache."

Lucy just nodded. She was still confused but took the medicine gratefully. "I'm gonna go get ready for work." She made sure to take an extra few minutes for a warm shower, letting the medicine do its job and relieve her from her headache. A look in the mirror showed her that she looked as bad as she felt as well: Red, puffy eyes. Mascara smeared and lips dry.

She got dressed quickly and sat down at the kitchen isle where Hailee sat before. Tim slid over a plate with pancakes. "Here. You should eat." He smiled and leaned against the counter. Everything was clean, he must've used her shower time to clean up the kitchen. "Thank you." Lucy returned a small smile.

She was still exhausted, but her body was grateful for the food after not eating for a while. "Hey, are you feeling better now?" Tim sat down next to Lucy, and she nodded, swallowing the bite of pancakes. "Yeah, just a bit exhausted." He kept looking at her when she returned her attention to the breakfast and he couldn't help it.

Tim reached out for her hand on the counter, taking it and softly rubbing the back of her hand. "Everything will be fine, Lucy. Don't let the words of your mother define your life." He sent her an assuring smile. Lucy put the fork down and looked down at her plate. "I know." Her voice was mere a whisper. "It's just so difficult."

She looked up at Tim, a crooked smile on her lips. "Thank you for being here." This time, it was a genuine smile.

The weeks following the incident overshadowed Vanessa Chen's visit. For Jackson, Lucy and John, their rookie year was coming to an end. The 30-day push following with them graduating in the midst of a Mid-Wilshire-station-storm.

It was yet another evening where Tim had come over for dinner and a movie (which Hailee had picked beforehand, of course). That day, Lucy and Tim rode together for the last time - at least as rookie and training officer. Neither of them addressed the situation at hand, not until Hailee went to bed and the two of them were alone in Lucy's living room.

"I will miss riding with you." Lucy smiled, taking a sip from her wine. Tim chuckled, placing his bottle of beer on the table. "I will too. You were one of my best rookies." He looked at her. "One of the few that didn't wash out during the first week of Tim-Tests." He grinned and Lucy simply nodded, pride taking over her body. "I learned from the best."

It grew quiet between them, Top Chef long forgotten on the TV. "Have you checked up on that girl from the other day?" Tim started a new topic. They had found the girl who had stolen Lucy's car a few days before Lucy got promoted to P2, but instead of arresting her and filing a report, Lucy took her under her wing. "Tamara? Yeah, she's staying with her cousin."

Lucy grew quite fond of the teenager, even though she stole her car and even sold it when Lucy gifted it to Tamara.

Tim nodded. He knew how important it was to Lucy to help the teenager in need. She somehow found herself in the younger girl.

The two of them fell into silence again. Lucy fiddled with her now empty wineglass before putting it back on the table. "Do you want a new beer?" Lucy was already up, taking the glassware and putting them in the kitchen. Tim looked at his watch. "It's getting late, maybe I should head home." Lucy had her back turned to him. Parts of her didn't want to let him go, and she didn't know why.

"Or" she turned around with a slight blush (could be the wine), "You could stay the night? I mean you're off tomorrow, right?" Lucy joined him again on the couch. Tim looked at her, she seemed nervous. "Yeah, that's true." He swung his legs onto the footrest and crossed his arms. "Wanna start the episode from the beginning?"

Lucy had restarted the episode and grabbed herself a fuzzy blanket to cuddle into. It didn't take long until her eyes grew heavy, and she fell asleep. Tim looked to his side when he felt weight on his upper arm.

He didn't want to wake her up, so he carefully moved his arm so her head would rest on his chest with his arm around her waist. Reaching for the remote, he then turned off the TV and looked at her one last time, before closing his eyes as well.

The next morning, Lucy woke up to the sunlight coming in through the window. She realized that she was still in her living room and looked around. Her wine glass and the empty beer bottle were still on the counter. Then she felt the weight of Tim's arm on her waist. Had they been cuddled up like this the whole night?

Slowly, she peeled his arm from her body and let it down onto the couch slowly. Tim shifted a little, but he didn't wake up. Lucy tiptoed to her room, locking the door behind her - then she slid down to the ground.

It seemed like her thoughts were running non-stop, and each and every one of them were about the man sleeping peacefully in her living room.

The past evening was great, Lucy admitted that to herself. It felt normal, domestic even. But Tim was just her co-worker, the co-parent to Hailee; yet Lucy found herself questioning the harsh line that was in between them for the last year. Rookie and training officer. Superiority hovering over them.

Lucy got up, pacing around her room while staring at the pinboard on her wall. She had her career planned to the detail. Detective, something that was not going to happen if Lucy were to let the dwelling emotions in - and so, Lucy shoved them to the back of her mind.

Co-workers, and co-parents - nothing more.