Safe Place to Hide || Chenford / The Rookie

Chapter 12

In the fifteen minutes she waits for Tim to meet her in the shop, Lucy mentally runs through every possible reason he might have ordered her out of the store like that. Whatever the reason, she is certain he was acting out of some compulsion to protect her. And despite the fact that she knows him, knows he can't just turn off his protective instincts, she can't help but feel the slightest bit of aggravation towards him. Maybe it's the fact that he didn't bother to give her any indication why she needed to flee from the store; maybe it's just one more thing layering on top of her mild agitation from this morning when she learned about the patrol unit he'd ordered for her protection; maybe it's that his rejection of her is still stinging; maybe it's that, for the first time ever, Tim's protectiveness is suddenly making her feel like he doesn't think she can hold her own. Or maybe she's simply just too emotionally maxed out to even be attempting to make sense of her feelings at this point.

Tim unceremoniously kicks her out of the driver's seat when he returns to the shop.

Lucy gapes at him as he turns the car back on, going through the motions of getting back to business as usual.

"Care to explain exactly what that was about?" she finally asks, once it's clear that he is not going to be volunteering any information.

He turns to look at her, and Lucy notices that while much of the color has returned to his face, he still doesn't look quite himself. "Half-Life."

Lucy's eyes widen, "In the —? I — oh." It's all she manages to get out as she processes the gravity of the near-miss.

Tim's gaze is still boring into her, "Do you know what he would have done if he saw you in uniform? He would have put a bullet through your head without giving it a second thought."

It's then that Lucy notices how tightly he is gripping the steering wheel, the whites of his knuckles betraying how incredibly upset he still is.

"I— um. Thanks for the heads up," she offers weakly.

Tim looks at her incredulously, "Thanks?! Seriously, Lucy? It's like you don't even realize how much danger you're in."

Lucy presses her lips together, knowing that any response she offers is not going to get through to him while he's like this.

"This is why it's absolutely idiotic for a patrol officer to go undercover. You are literally out there on the streets in uniform where anyone could see you, all of the time." He is still seething, and Lucy can feel her own temper ratcheting up in response.

"So, what? You told me so? I know, Tim. You've been perfectly clear about how you feel about me doing undercover work. There's no need for a refresher course."

He releases the steering wheel, and Lucy immediately notices how badly his hands are shaking.

Despite herself, she's reaching for him before she even realizes she's doing it. "I'm right here, Tim. I'm fine." She slides her hand over his and squeezes and he turns his over in response, their fingers briefly intertwining. And for that brief instant, everything seems to stand still and everything somehow feels so right, until static from the radio jolts them both awake and back to reality, each reclaiming their own hand and briefly turning away from each other as they try and piece together exactly what is happening between them.

Lucy is the first to speak, "I don't need protecting, Tim. Not from you or anyone else. I'm a cop. Being in danger is part of the job description. I'm not sure what you expect me to do. I can't live out the rest of my life in a safe house."

His jaw clenches and it's the only indication Lucy needs to know he's not happy with her response. "Don't do that," he snaps.

"Do what?" Lucy asks, irritation rising to the surface yet again.