Work Text:
Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true
His eyes follow her, watching as she flits about the station, her cheery voice easily heard over the chatter of his fellow officers, and he can't help the smile that forces its way onto his lips.
She's practically the Sun, and everything revolves around her. Everyone naturally gravitates towards her, seeking the warmth and comfort she exudes in a single breath. She draws them in like a siren, and they're captured by her song.
He realised too late that he too had fallen into her grasp, and she had him wrapped around her little finger. But he wouldn't change it for anything in the world. His own personal sunbeam is more precious than anything anyone could ever give him, and he would gladly give up his life just to keep her safe.
He'd do anything to have her in his arms, to have her small frame entirely encompassed in his, where he can protect her. She is his home, his heart, and he can't imagine a life without her.
Which is why clashing waves of rage and fear immediately flood his entire being as he spots the accursed file lying innocently on his desk.
But if by chance you're here alone
Can I have a moment?
Before I go?
'Cause I've been by myself all night long
Hoping you're someone I used to know
"You're sending her out alone?!" He confronts Detective Harper the minute the door is shut.
"Tim." Nyla uses the softest tone possible, one he's only heard her use to speak to her daughter and no one else. It's tender and cautious, and if anything, it only causes his fear to grow. "She's being doing UC work for over a year now. She can handle this-"
"She's not even going to be in the state, and there's a chance she'll be shipped off to another country. How could you expect me to approve of this?" His heart is racing, various scenarios flashing through his mind at lightning speed, and he has to blink to clear them away. Any longer and he would begin to break down, and he can't afford to do that here.
"We'll have regular check ins, and you know she's more than capable." Nyla tries to assuage him. "She's been a pro at this since she was a rookie, even before she had the proper training. With a whole year under her belt, there's no doubt she's one of the best UCs the state, maybe even the country, has. We need her in this Op so we can finally put an end to it."
Tim can only look down, resigned. He knows his ex-boot is the best there is, he's the one who trained her. But that doesn't mean he likes throwing her into dangerous situations, not knowing where she is or how she's doing.
Nyla just sends him a soft smile as she pushes the folder towards him before stepping out, knowing she's already won the battle.
You look like a movie
You sound like a song
My God this reminds me, of when we were young
He turns towards the window, easily spotting Lucy amongst the other officers. Her grin is wide as she leads her partner, a cop a good few years older than her, back towards their shop after booking a suspect. They make a good pair, and he trusts him to keep her safe.
He wishes that they could still ride together, he misses her long hours of banter in the silence of the shop as they wait for calls. But since he's the sergeant now, Grey having moved up to captain, he has to stay behind and trust that she'll come home to him at the end of the day.
"Sir?" A knock startles him out of his thoughts and he slams the folder shut just as Officer Nolan steps in through the door.
"Harper sent you?" He scoffs, leaning back in his chair, trying to give off his usual air of irritation.
"Yes, sir." He nods. "She told me you might need some convincing to send Lucy out on UC work."
"So what?" He interrogates the officer. "You going to tell me how good she is at her job? Or some pep talk about how she can do this? Because I know that. I know that better than anyone."
"Then why are you so afraid of sending her back out there?" John takes a seat in front of the former T.O..
"We almost lost her the last time." Tim reminds him as he clenches his fist, trying to reign in the memories. "She was this close to not making it. We couldn't find her, and by the time we did, she was barely recognisable. It took her a month to recover and it was the hardest thing to watch her go through."
"But she came out of it stronger." John countered. "And you can't let your fear stop her from doing what she's meant to do. If you love her, but you're rooting against her because you can't handle the idea of her being in danger..."
"I'm just trying to protect her." Tim says sternly, jaw clenched and muscles taut.
"Deciding what's best for her is not protecting her - That's controlling her. And you know that." John's voice softens. "She'll come home, just like she always has and just like she always will."
"Thanks, Nolan." Tim sighs with a nod. "You may go now. But if you ever tell anyone of this conversation..."
"My lips are sealed." He motions zipping his mouth shut and throwing away the key. "But just so you know, Lucy is my friend too, and I'm also scared that each time she leaves, it's the last time I'll ever see her."
"But I guess that just makes each moment even more precious. And I make sure to treasure each and every one."
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
We were scared of getting old
It made us restless
It was just like a movie
It was just like a song
He pulls her in close, lets her head rest against his chest as he breathes in the sweet scent of her shampoo. He takes the moment to enjoy her presence, to feel her comforting weight in his arms. He revels in the soft puffs of breath that meet his bare skin.
Her small frame is barely illuminated in the moonlight, but he doesn't need his sight to know that she looks breathtakingly beautiful.
Her soft brown hair is splayed around her, a few locks trapped between her cheek and his torso, as long dark lashes cover the familiar orbs that he somehow always finds himself lost in.
Gently, he caresses her cheek, his hands slowly making their way to her neck and down to the exposed skin of her arm. He strokes her softly, tenderly, as if she'd disappear if he dared to push too hard.
Even if she did though, he thinks as he presses a kiss to the crown of her head, he'd go to the ends of the earth to find her.
"Tim?" Her sleep-laced voice all but melts his heart and he is quick to reassure her. He hums softly and soon the silence of night is penetrated solely by her soft snores.
Closing his eyes, he captures this moment in time. He freezes it and keeps it close to his heart. He will treasure it, treasure her, not just for the beauty that she is, but the love that she brings, the joy and light that she has brought into his life.
I was so scared to face my fears
Nobody told me that you'd be here
And I'd swear you moved overseas
That's what you said, when you left me
"I'll be careful." She whispers as he holds her tight. "I promise."
It's as good a promise as any. In their line of work, there are no guarantees; any day they could be caught in the line of fire, any day the bullet could stray too far from their vest, any day could be their last. They couldn't promise to come back, but they could promise to try their best.
"I love you." He whispers into her hair.
"I love you too." He hears her echo back as he lets her go.
His eyes trail her fading silhouette as she follows Nyla Harper to an unmarked vehicle, ready to begin a new life without him.
He can only hope, can only pray, that she'll return to him.
You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me, of when we were young
The nights alone are the hardest part of Lucy doing UC work. In the day, he loses himself to his job, apprehending and booking suspects taking off some of the edge and fear he has from not having her by his side.
But at night, it's too quiet. She's not singing by the counter as she watches him prepare dinner. She's not arguing with him over which show to watch as they wind down for the night. She's not there for him to kiss and hold, and nothing is the same.
So when he finds himself all alone, missing the light from her smiles, he turns to his phone and swipes open the gallery.
Before Lucy, his album contained a grand total of 10 photos; mostly professional looking shots for whatever reason he may need them and copies of a couple of certificates that he may need to have on hand.
Now though, it's filled with her. He could easily tell anyone the context of the near thousand photos; the weather that day, Lucy's mood, why either of them had taken the photo...
It's a collection of memories that sometimes he doesn't even remember until he sees it.
Scrolling through them, he stops at a video, smiling to himself as he presses play.
He hadn't known how smitten he was with her at the moment he shot the video, didn't know how many memories would have been tied to a simple short clip, but he thanks his younger self for having recorded it.
The seemingly hundreds of different emotions that crossed her face in the short span of ten seconds embodies her perfectly. And he finds himself replaying the video until he is fast asleep, her smiling face being the last thing he sees.
Let me photograph you in this light
It is this exact same smiling face that he finds a few months later.
She's a little thinner, slightly the worse for wear, and has a couple of bruises and gashes littering her lightly tanned skin. But her smile is bright and he doesn't stop himself from spinning her around as soon as she runs into his arms.
He briefly recognises the sounds of cameras flashing and the echoes of their friends laughter, but he can hardly bring himself to care.
She's home. She's safe. She's here in his arms.
And those photographs they take, in the beautiful ray of light that can only be called Lucy Chen, will be photos he'll treasure forever.