Soulmates. (A (Short)Chenford Story)

Chapter 2: Beginning's end

Lucy held eye contact with officer
Bradford, his cold blue eyes not giving anything away. His eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Her lips parted slightly and a soft sigh escaped her. Surely he'd felt it too?

She sat, buzzing, for the rest of roll call, and as soon as they were dismissed, she shot up from her chair, and as the officers began to leave the room, she approached her TO with a smile on her face and a skip in her step.

"I'm Lucy Chen! Nice to meet you!"

"we've got crime to fight, let's move boot! Move!"

The smile dropped off her face.

"Oh- I-"

"Now!"

She shut up and walked through the door.

Her first day was hell.

First he'd had her go through the shop maintenance, not without several snide comments scattered throughout, then during the day in the scalding heat, when he'd asked about her parents, when she'd finally thought they were getting somewhere, he'd screamed at her to get out of the shop and walk!

She was not a bad police officer. She knew that in her brain and her heart and her soul that she was not bad, and she could be great. But the confusion of his attitude to her made her clumsy, and sloppy, and she hated him for it. It was supposed to be love at first sight, thats how the Souls described it!

She struggled through the rest of the day, and managed to make an arrest (for which she did not get any real acknowledgement for), and her awareness had increased greatly from earlier that morning.

When they got back to the station, Officer Bradford left her with a mountain of paperwork and a "goodnight" thrown her way.

At the end of her first day, she collapsed into her bed, and cried.

-

"Isabel, it's me, it's me honey!" Bradford grabbed the skittish, clearly high blonde by her shoulders and shook her gently. Her eyes were huge and afraid, but she got sure recognized him.

"I need a favour.. "

"Anything, " he replied, his voice thick.

"I need money, two hundred. "

He looked down, disappointed, but pulled out his money clip and thumbed out a few notes to give to her. Her tiny hand whipped out and her spindly fingers closed the wad of bills, before Blondie darted off. She's like a little bird, Lucy thought as she watched from the door of the shop.

Tim turned and trudged silently back towards the shop and got in. Lucy followed suit. They sat in silence for a few moments in the car, before Lucy ventured, "are you oka-?"

"That was my wife, who I haven't seen in two years."

Lucy fought the urge to reach out to him. Her heart twinged with love, and sympathy, and jealousy, as she watched a tear drop into his lap.

-

"If I get infected, I'm going out on my own terms."

" Tim, don't-"

"Lucy, I'm not going crazy like this guy. "

His voice was muffled by the door, but the timbre of his voice was sending ever- so-slight vibrations through the door she was leaned up against. His voice washed through her, claiming her, but agitating her. I love you.

"Tim, I -"

"Officer Chen?" She looked up, wiping a tear, her heartbeat fast and loud in her chest. She was going crazy. Her soulmate was trapped in there, he would die, and she would have missed her chance at love.

"We can get him out, but you gotta go outside and wait whilst we decontaminate everything"

I love you.

She was already waiting in the ambulance as they brought him out on a stretcher, unconscious and loaded him up. She grabbed his hand and squeezed, and a grin split her face as she felt a strong squeeze back in return. She was leaned over him and her tear was hot when it splashed down onto their tightly sealed hands. It almost burned.

I love you.

--

"Could you see yourself married to her?"

"..Yes. "

Her smile faltered as she turned to look at him.

He glanced at her as she let out a shaky breath.

...

Tim:
Gotcha!

She looked up in anger as his truck pulled out of the garage, but inside, she was relieved.

She looked to Angela who was walking out with Wesley tucked beneath his shoulder, his arm around her waist. They were so cute she wanted to literally vomit.

"Have a good night Lucy!" Angie called as she headed out the station. She waved absent mindedly to Angela.

Her heart was aching for Tim. She could feel the Toll, and soon it would start to show.