Chenford Fic: 'Up to no good'
BUT .... What if Tamara and Tim wanted to break up Lucy and Chris?
“Thanks for this,” Tamara smiled at Tim as she climbed into the passenger seat of his truck. He was taking her to the police auction to pick out a new car. The city had finally refunded her after the LAPD found a kilo of drugs in the trunk and repossessed the car she bought from them. Tim wanted to join her to make sure it all went smoothly this time.
He looked out her window.
“I thought Lucy was coming?” Tim asked.
“No, her and Chris were kind of getting into it. She said to go without her,” Tamara’s lips formed a flat line and she looked down at her hands.
“They’re arguing?” He knew he shouldn’t ask, but he couldn’t help himself.
He’d finally told Angela the night before that he broke up with Ashley, even though it had been three weeks. He hadn’t told Lucy yet, and deep down he knew why. It bothered him more than he liked to admit that Lucy was still with Chris. He wanted her to be happy, but there was something about him Tim couldn’t quite put his finger on. All he knew was Chris wasn’t the right guy for her.
“Yeah. Same one for weeks from what I can tell. It’s just–”
“What?” He prodded when she paused.
“Look, I know I shouldn’t ask this, but I’m gonna anyway and if you don’t want to answer, that’s fine," Tamara said. "But you should know by not answering you’re actually telling me a lot so you really should just answer.”
“You haven’t asked me anything.” Tim pointed out.
“Right,” Tamara took a breath. “Why aren’t you and Lucy together?”
“Uhhhh,” Tim’s eyes darted to the side to glance at Tamara. He probably should have seen that coming, but he hadn’t. And he definitely didn’t think he should answer.
“Chris is so wrong for her,” Tamara insisted. “But whenever I see you two together, it just makes sense. Go ahead, try and tell me I’m wrong.”
“Lucy is my friend,” Tim started. “Maybe even one of my best friends, not to mention I’m her supervisor and she’s already in a relationship. There are a lot of reasons we’re not together.”
“And yet not one of those has to do with how you two feel about each other.” Tamara turned to him and raised her eyebrows.
“Did Lucy tell you she has feelings for me?” Tim asked, his heart skipping a beat. He knew he should stop asking questions. So why couldn’t he?
“She doesn’t have to. It’s how she talks about you,” Tamara explained. A sly smile formed on her lips. “Don’t you think she’s pretty?”
“Objectively… I can say she is,” Tim conceded. Not that pretty was the word he’d use. He thought of her more as … Beautiful. Sexy. Tempting. He could go on.
“So let’s review the facts. She's your best friend. You find her attractive. You’ve kissed her and I know you liked that. Tell me again why you don’t think you should be together?” Tamara cross examined him.
“What is happening?” Tim asked, not necessarily to Tamara. Maybe he was asking God. Or the universe.
“Dude. You’re hopeless,” Tamara sighed.
“Chris seems like a good guy.” Tim barely got the words out.
“I thought so too.” Tamara shook her head in anger. Clearly, Chris had done something to change her mind.
“What did he do? Lie? Cheat? Steal?” Tim posed, although he didn’t think Chris was all that slimy.
“No, way worse.” Tamara crossed her arms. His thoughts turned dark as he ran through the worst case scenario in his head.
“Tamara, if he hit her, we are turning around and–”
“Oh, shit. No, of course not,” she waved her hands across her lap. “But I would like to point out that if he did, she would totally kick his ass. Have you seen her in a fight? She’s a freaking badass.”
“Of course I have,” Tim tossed back. He looked between her and the road. “When have you?”
“On Halloween, when we found that secret passageway behind the bathroom wall,” she reminded him. “She stopped this stalker guy from attacking our neighbor.”
“Right,” Tim remembered asking Lucy why they didn’t move out after that. “I was a little busy that night taking out zombies on brain-melting drugs.”
“Okay, so you’re both badasses. Just one more thing you have in common.” She pointed out.
He rolled his eyes but said nothing, waiting for her to continue.
He wasn’t going to ask about Chris and Lucy again, because it really wasn’t any of his business. Thankfully, Tamara seemed to read his mind.
“I didn’t really understand it when it happened,” Tamara began softly. “We were in the kitchenette at the DA’s office and he started singing this old song.”
Tim’s hair stood up on his arms.
“She told me later that she sang it when she was buried to comfort herself. It was the last thing she remembered doing before you pulled her out. He told her it got stuck in his head after reviewing evidence for the trial.”
“Piece of shit,” Tim muttered. There’s no way someone could do that to someone they loved. He couldn’t even listen to that song, let alone sing it. Especially not after watching Rosalind try to mindfuck Lucy with it at the prison.
“Excuse me?” Tamara asked.
“Chris is a piece of shit.” Tim said louder.
Tamara laughed, clearly satisfied with his reaction.
“But that stays between you and me,” Tim told her sternly. “In fact, this entire conversation doesn’t leave this truck. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.” Tamara saluted him sarcastically. “But we should definitely devise a plan to break them up.”
Tim balked. There was no way he was agreeing to that.
But …
“Did Angela call you?” Tim asked, trying to act casual.
“Fine, change the subject,” Tamara glared at him. “No, she didn’t. Why?”
“She needs a babysitter for Jackson for an hour on Thursday,” Tim told her.
“Sure. I have a test on Friday I need to study for,” Tamara said. “No reason I can’t do that from their place instead of mine.”
“Great,” Tim smiled a little too wide and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.
Tamara furrowed her brows, examining his expression. She jumped in her seat.
“Oh! Angela,” she rubbed her hands together. “That’s brilliant.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tim said in a satisfied tone. He knew she’d catch on.
“Of course you don’t, because this conversation never happened.” Tamara smiled sneakily, excitement dripping from her words. “But we both know that once Angela is anti-Chris, it won’t be long until he’s sent packing.”
“Is that so?” Tim mumbled, sharing a calculated look with Tamara.
It might be the pettiest thing he’d ever done in his adult life, but he’d worry about regrets later...
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Chenford Fic: 'Up to no good' ... Pt. 3
Read Part One here. Read Part Two here. Part Three is below. Part Four is nonexistent at the moment but I havz ideas
AND Eventually, I will consolidate all of it into a work on AO3.
THOUGHTS while writing this one:
Why don't we get more Lucy and Angela screentime? I need more Chopez moments in Season 5.
“Tamara said she had a great time with you last night,” Lucy told Angela in the unmarked car the next day. They were on their way to interview a witness to follow up on an assault case in Angela’s rotation.
She was starting to worry about Tamara. Ever since the undercover op, she'd been cautious around her. Lucy could tell Tamara had a lot on her mind, but for once, she didn’t seem comfortable talking to her about it. She tried not to take it personally and reminded herself that connecting Tamara to people who helped her feel safe was the whole point of taking her under her wing in the first place. Lucy was happy to see that the people who were a source of comfort for her were beginning to fill that role for Tamara as well.
But that didn’t mean she wasn’t curious.
“She’s good company, for a little punk,” Angela winked at Lucy.
“I think something has been bothering her,” she bit her lip.
“She did mention you and Chris are on the fritz,” Angela said slowly. “Anything you want to talk about there?”
Next steps with Chris had been on her mind for a while. Lucy defintely wanted to talk it out with someone, like she always had with Jackson. She’d even considered talking to Tim about it, but she knew she couldn’t handle him somehow reminding her how happy he was with Ashley. Maybe Angela could provide some perspective.
“We just don’t seem to be on the same page anymore,” Lucy began. “Or maybe we never were. I was just looking for something casual but he keeps pressing for us to get more serious.”
“Like when he wanted you to meet his parents?” Angela mentioned.
“That and he wanted to be exclusive almost right away,” Lucy sighed, a bit frustrated. “The problem isn’t him, though. There’s actually nothing wrong with Chris. He’s a good person, he’s attentive and not afraid of commitment. He wants to plan a future with me.”
“But you don’t want to plan one with him,” Angela finished the thought that had been on the tip of Lucy’s tongue.
“But why?” Lucy shook her head. “Why don’t I want those things with him?”
Deep down, Lucy knew the reason, even if she wasn’t ready to say it out loud. It started with a capital T and she was starting to think that if she didn’t majorly change something about her life, she was going to wake up a decade from now still pining after a man who would never see her as more than a friend.
“How’s the sex?” Angela asked, jarring her out of her train of thought.
Lucy’s eyes went wide with surprise and Angela rolled her eyes.
“Come on, sex is important if you’re considering a future with this guy,” she explained. “When Wesley and I were dating, we had to commandere the precinct supply room a number of times just to stay sane, if you know what I mean.”
“Wow,” Lucy laughed. “Good for you two. I think I’m a little jealous.”
Angela smirked at her.
“I guess the first couple times we were intimate it was pretty steamy but since then…” Lucy paused and wrinkled her nose.
Angela waited for her to continue.
“Honestly, we haven’t been together in weeks,” she admitted.
“Lucy.“ Angela whistled.
“What?“ Lucy grumbled.
“Why are you stringing this guy along? You’re way too kind for that.“ Angela pushed.
Lucy knew she was right. It wasn’t like she hadn’t thought about ending things every time she’d seen him for the last few weeks. Even when they were fighting, it was like she couldn’t find the words.
“He’s the safe choice,” Lucy said after letting the silence sit between them for a moment. She was about to say more but when she saw how eagerly Angela was looking over at her, she hesitated. There wouldn’t be any going back from this.
“And Tim’s not?” Angela guessed, filling in the blank.
She held Angela’s gaze but didn’t say anything. If she finally told someone how she felt about Tim, those feelings could grow legs and run away. And Angela was his best friend. This was the definition of risky territory.
“Anything you say stays between us. In the vault. I promise.“ Angela said, seeming to read her mind.
“Not even Wesley?“ Lucy clarified.
“Of course not,” Angela shot her a bemused look. “He’s such a blabbermouth. All he and James do when they’re together is gossip. It’s disturbing."
Lucy nodded and then looked down at her hands folded in her lap.
“I wanted something easy after everything that happened over the last two years. After Caleb, the UC op that brought down La Fiera, your abduction, and then Jackson’s murder–”
Lucy inhaled deeply and furrowed her brows.
“Especially after Jackson,” she continued. “I needed to be with someone who wouldn’t be able to break my heart, because Jackson was the only one in my life who knew what to say when I needed help putting it back together.”
Lucy swallowed back tears.
Angela’s eyes welled up and she shared a consoling look with Lucy.
“I miss him too. Everyday,” Angela strained to say.
“I’m so grateful for what you did, you know?” She smiled sweetly at Angela through a veil of tears. “When you suggested Jackson move in with me, it changed my life. He became my best friend, my confidant, and the brother that I always wanted. I don’t know how I can ever thank you for that.”
“I’m really glad he had you too,” Angela wiped tears from her cheek. “But you can’t let the fear of losing someone keep you from living your life. You’ve got a big heart, you should allow it to love.”
“It’s not my ability to open up my heart that I’m worried about.” Lucy disclosed.
“Don’t give up on Tim just yet, okay?” Angela asked. “Trust me on that front.”
“Okay,” Lucy said slowly, wondering what insights lay behind Angela’s words. If anyone knew how Tim felt, it was her. But how long should she let herself hope? She felt stuck. At some point, she needed to make the decision to move on.
“And get rid of Chris for Christ’s sake,” Angela joked.
“I will,” Lucy laughed and wiped the last remnants of tears from her face.
Angela pulled into the witness’s driveaway and turned off the car. Lucy took a deep breath and tried to context switch. It was time to get to work.
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