The babysitter

A real date

Three weeks had passed since the Michelle incident, and while they'd filed the restraining order and hadn't heard from her since, Tim could tell the whole experience had left both him and Lucy feeling unsettled. Their home, which had always been their sanctuary, still felt slightly violated. They'd changed the locks, installed a security camera, and Tim found himself checking over his shoulder more than he used to.

It was Lucy who brought up the idea first, on a quiet Thursday evening after they'd gotten the kids to bed.

"We should go out," she said suddenly, looking up from the police report she'd been reviewing on her laptop.

Tim glanced up from his own paperwork. "Out where?"

"On a date. A real date. Just the two of us, no kids, no work, no crazy cooking instructors showing up uninvited." Lucy closed her laptop and gave him that smile that still made his heart skip a beat after all these years. "When's the last time we had a proper date night?"

Tim thought about it and realized he couldn't actually remember. "Before Evan was born?"

"Exactly. We need this. We need to remember who we are when we're not just Mom and Dad or Officer Chen-Bradford and Sergeant Bradford."

Tim felt something ease in his chest at the idea. "You know what? You're absolutely right. We definitely need this."

"Good," Lucy said, already looking more energetic than she had in weeks. "So, what are you thinking? Dinner? Movie? Dancing?"

"Leave it to me," Tim said, already forming a plan. "I'll handle the restaurant reservation. You just need to call Tamara and see if she's available for babysitting duty."

"Deal," Lucy agreed, then paused. "Should we pay her extra? I feel like watching both Emma and Evan on a weekend night deserves hazard pay."

"Definitely hazard pay," Tim confirmed. "Emma's been in one of her 'boundary testing' phases, and Evan has discovered he can climb onto the coffee table."

The next evening, Tim was putting the finishing touches on his dinner reservation research when Lucy walked into the kitchen, phone in hand and a satisfied expression on her face.

"Tamara's in," she announced. "Saturday night, seven o'clock. She says she's excited to have some quality time with her honorary niece and nephew, and I quote, 'It's about time you two remembered you're married to each other and not just co-parents.'"

"Smart girl," Tim said, looking up from his phone. "And I found the perfect place. Remember that Italian restaurant we went to right after we got engaged? Bella Vista?"

Lucy's face lit up. "The one with the amazing tiramisu and the patio with all the string lights?"

"That's the one. I managed to get us a reservation for eight o'clock, and I specifically requested the same table we had that night."

"You're amazing," Lucy said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can't wait. It feels like forever since we had time to just... be us."

Saturday evening arrived with the perfect weather for dining al fresco. Lucy had spent an unusual amount of time getting ready, finally settling on a navy blue dress that Tim remembered being one of his favorites, while Tim had gone with the dark slacks and button-down shirt that Lucy always said made his eyes look impossibly blue.

"You two look way too fancy for parents of small children," Tamara teased when she arrived, armed with coloring books and what appeared to be enough snacks to feed a small army. "Go on, get out of here before one of them has a meltdown and you feel too guilty to leave."

"Emma's bedtime is eight-thirty," Lucy said, already gathering her purse and checking her appearance one more time in the hallway mirror.

"I know Emma's bedtime," Tamara replied with a grin. "I've been her honorary aunt since she was born. And don't worry about Evan—if he gets fussy, I have three different techniques that usually work."

"We'll have our phones on," Tim added, though he was already guiding Lucy toward the door before she could start her usual detailed list of instructions.

"Your phones better be on silent," Tamara called after them. "This is supposed to be date night, not 'constantly check in with the babysitter' night!"

The drive to Bella Vista felt almost surreal. Tim couldn't remember the last time he'd been in the car with just Lucy, no car seats, no diaper bag, no Emma chattering from the back seat about everything that crossed her seven-year-old mind.

"This is weird," Lucy said, echoing his thoughts.

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"Good weird. Really good weird." She reached over and took his hand. "I forgot what it felt like to have an uninterrupted conversation."

The restaurant was exactly as beautiful as Tim remembered. The patio was strung with warm golden lights, and their table overlooked a small garden that was perfect for the intimate conversation they both desperately needed. The server seated them at the exact table from their engagement dinner, and Lucy's smile when she realized it was enough to remind Tim why he'd fallen in love with her in the first place.

"So," Lucy said, settling into her chair and looking more relaxed than she had in months, "what should we talk about? We can't discuss work, kids, or household maintenance. What's left?"

"Well, there's always the weather," Tim said with a perfectly straight face.

"Timothy Bradford, if you talk to me about the weather on our first real date in over a year, I'm ordering the most expensive thing on the menu and making you pay."

"Noted. Weather discussion is off limits." Tim grinned and opened his menu. "How about we start with the fact that you look absolutely gorgeous tonight?"

"Better," Lucy approved, though her cheeks flushed slightly. "You clean up pretty well yourself, Sergeant Bradford."

They ordered wine, shared an appetizer, and fell into the kind of easy conversation that reminded them both why they'd worked so well together long before they'd become parents. They talked about their dreams for the future, memories from their early days together, and plans for when the kids were older and they could travel more.

"Remember when our biggest worry was whether Angela was going to approve of us dating?" Lucy asked, twirling pasta around her fork.

"Now our biggest worry is whether Emma's going to grow up to be a criminal mastermind based on her current talent for negotiation and rule-bending," Tim replied.

"She gets that from you," Lucy said immediately.

"She absolutely does not. That level of strategic thinking is pure Lucy Chen."

They were laughing over shared tiramisu and planning their next date night when Tim's phone buzzed on the table. They both glanced at it automatically—parental instinct was hard to turn off—but Tim ignored it.

"Probably just a work email," he said, taking another bite of dessert.

But then Lucy's phone rang.

They looked at each other, the peaceful bubble of their evening suddenly feeling fragile. Lucy glanced at the screen and frowned.

"It's Tamara," she said, and they both knew that Tamara wouldn't call unless something was actually wrong.

Lucy answered on the second ring. "Tamara? Is everything okay?"

Tim watched his wife's expression change from mild concern to sharp alertness as she listened to whatever Tamara was saying.

"Sorry to disturb you on your date night," Tamara's voice was tense enough that Tim could hear it from across the small table, "but something is wrong."