the rookie one shots

Secret marriage pt.1

Background:
Lucy and Tim have secretly been married since season 1

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In the quiet haze of dawn, the LAPD bullpen was just starting to stir. Lucy Chen adjusted her uniform in the locker room mirror, her fingers automatically fastening buttons, her mind focused somewhere else. She shared a glance with Tim Bradford, her longtime training officer, across the room. No one knew, of course, and they'd worked hard to keep it that way.

Secretly married since her first year as a rookie, Lucy and Tim had never stopped feeling like the newlyweds they'd become on a whirlwind trip to Vegas. What had started as a dare during a post-training night out turned into one of the most surprising, steadfast choices of their lives. The two had fallen into each other with a level of trust neither had ever allowed before, their unspoken understanding only deepening as time went on.

Through every danger and every shift, they had each other's backs in ways their colleagues couldn't understand. Over the years, they'd become masters at hiding glances and timing their breaks, even concealing shared looks during intense training sessions. But every day, the secrecy chipped at them, especially when they saw friends or family wondering why they'd never dated or married anyone else.

Now, as Tim watched Lucy from across the bullpen, he couldn't ignore the nagging thought that had been following him for weeks. As much as he loved what they had, he didn't want to keep this hidden forever.

Later that day, as they were out on patrol, Tim couldn't hold back any longer.

"Chen," he said, leaning against the squad car after a brief call. "Have you thought about... I don't know... coming clean?"

She glanced up, her brown eyes catching the early afternoon sun. "What, you mean tell everyone? Just like that?" She laughed, but he could see the curiosity in her expression.

"Yeah, I mean, we've been doing this dance for years now. They're bound to find out eventually." He was trying to sound nonchalant, but Lucy knew him too well.

Lucy's voice softened. "I know. I think about it all the time." She exhaled, looking down. "But I like what we have, Tim. No rules, no pressure, just us."

They stood there, both silent, feeling the weight of every secret glance, every shared smile in the car, every hidden gesture that kept them both sane and driving forward.

Then she reached out, her hand briefly covering his where it rested on the car door. "But maybe we should. Maybe it's time we have our real life, out in the open."

Tim smiled-a rare, true smile that was just for her. "Guess it's time we told the rest of the team they're not the only ones who've been doing this whole partners thing all wrong."

And with that, they took a step toward something new, not only as officers in the LAPD but as a real team, together for everyone to see.