Just Because by Henabrey
Rating: K
Category: romance
Spoilers: mention of The Red and the Blue
Disclaimers: so completely not my characters. I just borrowed them without asking. Whoops.
Summary: A Valentine's Day story. Total, total Lilly/Scotty fluff without any redeeming features whatsoever. Hope you like it. :)
----------
Valentine's Day, noun: a holiday thought up by cynical card companies in the interest of making a whopping amount of cash out of good lovers who feel obliged to use the day to make their partners feel loved and bad lovers who feel obliged to use the day to make up for all the other days of the year when their partners go without flowers and chocolates.
Oh, and it has the added bonus of making the lonely feel even worse about themselves than they already do.
Lilly Rush was sitting in a small, red cafe not far from police headquarters, pretending to eat lunch. It was a place she came to on a semi-regular basis, when she actually took time out from her job to sit down and eat rather than gulping coffee and a bad sandwich on the way to another interview. Most of the time it was a haven for her; cosy, quiet, homey. It felt a little like sitting inside a giant strawberry - the walls, floor and the vinyl seats of the booths were a rich, dark red colour and all the decorations from the curtains on the window to the aprons the waitresses wore had red as the dominant hue. The owner, Brenda, liked to joke that she painted the whole place red because that's the colour that was on special at the paint store.
Most of the time, Lilly liked the decor. Not something she'd have in her own home maybe, but it was a welcome change from the monochromatic dull blues and greys of the PPD Homicide division. This time of year, though - Valentine's Day - that was another story. If Brenda liked the colour red, she liked Valentine's Day even more. The whole cafe was done up like a Hallmark card; there were red and white paper hearts suspended from the ceiling on streamers, red and white balloons and ribbons decorating the front counter, red roses on every table, even the coffee came with heart shaped froth on top...for someone who was alone yet again on Valentine's Day, the whole thing was slightly nauseating. Lilly found herself wishing she'd chosen to eat somewhere else.
She sighed. If she had someone to go home to she probably wouldn't mind all the decorations. If she'd felt reasonably sure of getting her own bunch of flowers or chocolates later on in the day she could probably even enjoy them. But the only ones waiting for her at home were her cats, and cats weren't known for giving Valentine's Day presents.
Alone again. You'd think she'd be used to it by now, but every time Valentine's Day rolled around she'd get this familiar feeling, part loneliness, part sense of failure. It was worse this year - this year she'd actually tried, with Joseph, and it had been good for awhile. She'd started to wonder if maybe her luck was changing. But it hadn't been more than a couple of months before things were right back where they'd started - her, by herself, eating tv dinners for one and going to bed all alone, staring up at the darkened ceiling and wondering if somewhere, anywhere, there was a man who could love her despite all her issues.
Sometimes she couldn't sleep, because she feared the answer was 'no'.
She shouldn't come here to the little red cafe to eat, today of all days, Lilly thought. The over the top decor had its fans and on Valentine's Day they all came here to eat lunch and stare into the eyes of their loved ones. Lilly counted three couples around her who couldn't keep their eyes off each other, one who kept holding hands despite having plates of food in front of them, and one who had spent the last ten minutes trying to extract each other's tonsils with their tongues. Every loving gaze she caught reminded her that there was no one who looked at her that way, no one to hold her hand, and the inky well of loneliness inside her got that little bit deeper and darker. She sighed again. Next year, she swore, she wouldn't eat here after mid-January.
She was sitting in one corner of the cafe, pushing her food from one side of her plate to the other, with a view to the street where she could watch the passing traffic and the few pedestrians who braved the icy rain and treacherous sidewalks to reach their destinations. There was one pedestrian paused on the other side of the street waiting to cross, getting his feet splashed by passing cars. Lilly smiled. The man's face was obscured by a black umbrella held over his head, but she'd recognise her partner Scotty anywhere. Sure enough, as she watched he looked up from under the umbrella to check for cars and she caught a glimpse of his warm brown eyes and handsome features. The traffic cleared, and he crossed the street at a slow jog, heading straight for the cafe Lilly sat in. Was he coming inside? Yes; the bells above the door to the cafe jangled a greeting as he entered, letting in a frozen draft of air. Scotty shook the umbrella outside to get rid of the drops of rain, took off his coat and headed over to Lilly's table without even looking up to see where she was.
She was surprised to see him here; to her knowledge he'd never been here - small, red, feminine cafes didn't really seem his style - nor did he know that she ate here sometimes. It wasn't as though she kept it a secret exactly, but sometimes she felt she needed a respite from the numbed horror that was her day to day work, a place where she could just be on her own, a place where cops didn't eat and where she could be anonymous. A cafe that felt like a strawberry fitted the bill nicely. Scotty must have seen her from outside; that explained why he was heading straight for her table without looking for her. It didn't explain why he was looking for her. They didn't have any urgent case on at the moment and anyway, she had her cellphone with her.
She fixed Scotty with a surprised smile as he slid into the booth opposite her and neatly folded his coat into a small furry pile on the seat next to him. He smiled back. "Hey."
"Hey yourself," she said. "Fancy meeting you here."
"I've been lookin' for you."
"How come?"
His gaze faltered, and he looked around the cafe, taking in the Valentine's Day decorations with a dawning expression of disbelief. "Cute place," he said. "Nice, uh...decor."
"The decor sucks, Scotty. At least at this time of year."
"Yeah, okay. It does," he said, and they laughed softly.
"How'd you find me?" Lilly asked when they were quiet again.
"I'm psychic."
"No, really."
"No, really," he echoed, his smile getting bigger. She raised her eyebrow at him. "Okay, I'm your partner. I know where you eat when you ain't at headquarters."
"I eat at a couple of places."
"Yeah, I know. You weren't at the others."
She couldn't help the small bubble of mirth that escaped her lips as she thought of Scotty traipsing all over Center City in the rain looking for her apparently without thinking of calling her to find out where she was. "What's up? We get a case?"
"No..." he trailed off, suddenly looking embarrassed. "It's, well...I wanted to give you somethin', where the others wouldn't see."
"What?" She watched as he dug around in his folded coat before extracting a small, flat package and placing it on the table in front of her. "What's this?"
It was beautifully wrapped in crisp gold paper and tied in a glossy red ribbon, and she stared at it awhile before looking up and meeting his eyes, silently asking a question.
"Open it," he said.
"It's not my birthday," she said, not moving.
"It's...it's Valentine's Day," Scotty said in a voice not far above a mumble. "And I didn't have anyone to give anythin' to, and I knew you didn't have anyone to get things from, and so I thought...well...it's just because, okay?"
She felt a bewildered smile playing around the corners of her mouth. "You got me a Valentine's Day gift?" No wonder he hadn't wanted the others to see - he'd never hear the end of it. Neither would she, for that matter.
"You don't have to take it if you don't want it." He seemed to be struggling to maintain eye contact. The gift sat on the table in front of them, untouched. He reached out to take it back, looking disappointed. "Look, forget it. Bad idea."
"No!" she said, and snatched it before his hands could touch it. "I want it. I'm just surprised, that's all."
"It's nothin' much." He let out his breath in a big sigh, looking suddenly relieved. "Open it."
It looked too beautiful to disturb. "I didn't get you anything."
"That's okay. It's more of a guy thing, anyway, Valentine's Day presents."
"Can I buy you lunch?" He looked surprised, and she knew he'd expected her to either reject his present or take it and want to be left alone for the rest of her break. She sighed. Was she really so antisocial that her closest friend expected her to prefer her own company to his? "Please."
"Sure," he said, and smiled. "That'd be great. If you open your gift."
"Okay, okay." She'd always been the type who savoured gifts; untying the ribbon rather than cutting it, carefully pulling off the wrapping rather than ripping it to shreds. She supposed it was because she'd received so few gifts in her life - ones that had been thoughtfully chosen and carefully wrapped, anyway - that when she was given one she liked to enjoy it as long as possible. She pushed her plate to one side, put Scotty's gift down on the table in front of her and began picking at the silky red ribbon that encircled the gold paper while a waitress arrived and took Scotty's order. The ribbon was tied tightly, and after watching her fiddle with it for more than a minute Scotty grew restless.
"It ain't jewellery, Lil. It's nothin', okay? Just tear it off already."
She grinned at him. "Shut up and let me enjoy it, will you?"
The ribbon finally came unstuck, and Lilly set it neatly to one side before turning her attention to the gold wrapping paper, unpicking the tape off carefully - she could see Scotty shaking his head out of the corner of her eye, making her smile - and gently pulling the paper off the box underneath. It was a plain white cardboard box, with no outward sign of what was inside. She turned it around, looking at it from all directions, but made no move to lift the lid. She heard a sigh and glanced at Scotty, who was looking incredulous.
"You're unbelievable," he said. "Just open it, would you? You're killin' me."
"Quiet," she said around her laughter, and peeled back the lid. Inside were two more boxes, one white like the outer one, one clear plastic and containing a selection of beautifully decorated chocolates. She recognised the sticker on the box's lid; it belonged to a store that specialised in exquisitely hand-crafted and very expensive chocolates, made from the finest of ingredients. If a doctor told you that you could only eat chocolate once more in your life, you'd want your last taste to be something from this store. Lilly was touched that Scotty would go to that much trouble and expense for her.
"You like them?" Scotty asked, and she realised she must have been silent for some time.
"I do," she assured him. "Have you tried these? They're impossible not to like."
He grinned at her, obviously relieved. It must have taken some nerve for him to buy her a Valentine's Day gift, she thought. She wasn't blind to her faults, and Lilly knew she could be prickly when it came to human contact and overtures of emotion. She'd been hurt so many times in her life that often any kind of attempt at connecting with her had the porcupine in her putting its quills up. Don't touch. Scotty must have been more than half expecting that his gift would push her away rather than please her. The thought made her sad.
"Well?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her, obviously waiting for her to open the other box. Lilly raised the lid gently and felt her breath catch in her throat. Inside, nestled on a bed of tissue paper, was another box, made of wood. She lifted it out carefully and examined it. It was a trinket box, made of a rich, dark polished wood whose intricate grains looked like the whorls and patterns of fingerprints. It had obviously been handmade with great care and skill. Inside, releasing the subtle, earthy perfume of fine timber when she lifted the lid, she found another chocolate, this one heart shaped and covered in red foil. She closed the box, tracing with her fingertips the delicate rose of almost stupendous beauty that had been carved into the lid. Tears rose to her eyes almost without being noticed. The gift was exquisite.
"Scotty," she said in a shaky voice.
"Is it okay?" She must look stunned, Lilly thought; he looked suddenly nervous and unsure of himself.
She nodded, almost not trusting herself to speak. "It's beautiful."
He sighed again, clearly relieved. A waitress, brunette, plain and with a mouth full of chewing gum, arrived at their table and deposited Scotty's food in front of him. She looked from the gift in front of Lilly to Scotty to Lilly herself, and flashed a knowing grin. Lilly was too overwhelmed to feel irritated.
"You really like it?" Scotty asked, once the waitress had left.
"I really do," she assured him, smiling. She found her appetite had suddenly returned with the arrival of Scotty's food, and she carefully pushed her gift to one side and pulled her plate in front of her. Having her own food didn't stop her from stealing one of Scotty's fries. "Scotty, it's beautiful. Thank you."
"I hoped you would," he said around a mouthful of sandwich.
They ate in silence for awhile, comfortable enough in each other's company to avoid small talk. Lilly was curious. Scotty had never bought her a Valentine's Day gift before, and the Christmas and birthday presents he bought her had never been so personal, so carefully chosen, so beautiful. She was dying to know what had brought on the sudden change. Had it been the trip they'd taken to Tennessee? They'd been friends before - Christina notwithstanding - but she'd felt especially close to him since they'd got back from Nashville. His friendship had become something she treasured. And now this gift...was he interested in pursuing something more? Was she interested? As she ate, Lilly wasn't able to help glancing shyly at Scotty every now and again, and when she did she would usually find his eyes on hers. It made her look away in confusion.
It also made her smile.
Finally, not able to stand not knowing any longer, she put her sandwich down and fixed her eyes on his. "Can I ask, Scotty? Why the Valentine's Day gift?"
"I told you," he said, grinning slowly. "Just because."
"Because what? You've never given me one before."
"Just because," was all he'd say. "Just because." His gaze remained locked with hers, and as she stared into the warm, bottomless pools of his eyes she thought she caught a flicker of something, buried deep under the mirth and the simple affection that floated on the surface, a flicker that hinted at an unspoken truth, and she felt herself surprised into stillness. Well. That was unexpected. She felt an answer, deep inside her own heart, and she let it flutter to the surface, a bubble disturbing the still waters of her eyes, in an echo of his silent words. What she thought she saw reflected in his gaze would normally be something she'd run from, like it was a poisonous snake, like it was something to be feared, but instead she found herself merely looking at him, accepting what he seemed to be offering.
"I'm glad," she said in a voice just barely above a whisper.
They smiled at each other. And went back to their silent lunch.
Later, finished eating and rugged up against the cold February day, they stood side by side on the doorstep on the little red cafe. It had stopped raining while they'd been inside, and Scotty kept his umbrella folded by his side. There was even a small patch of blue sky showing itself through the heavy grey clouds. Lilly stared up at it and smiled. It was well and truly time to be heading back to work, but she was strangely reluctant to move. She was comfortable where she was, standing next to Scotty, his gift to her snugly safe in her coat pocket. Her earlier bad mood had completely evaporated. She'd been wrong, before - there might be no one waiting for her at home but a couple of cats, and she might be going to bed by herself that night, but she wasn't alone, and she wasn't unloved. And there was a very handsome friend by her side whose soulful eyes had raised the prospect of a whole world of possibilities. There was hope for her yet. She turned to Scotty, not surprised to find him looking at her, and smiled at him.
"What are you doing tonight?" she found herself asking.
"Nothin'. Why?"
"Can I buy you a drink?"
"Sure," he said. "If you let me buy you one."
"It's a deal," she said, laughing. "Dinner?"
He looked surprised. "You bought me lunch, Lil. We're even. You don't have to -"
"I know," she said. "I want to."
There was a little moment of silence, where thoughts raced across the space between them, and then he smiled. It lit up his whole face. Oh so very handsome. "That'd be nice," he said, nodding. "Great, actually."
"Great," she echoed, returning his grin. And then, because she just couldn't help herself, she leaned across and kissed his cheek, just at the corner of his mouth. She could smell his cologne and feel the small start of surprise that rippled across his skin.
"What was that for?" Scotty asked as she drew back. That little flicker had returned to his eyes and there was a smile playing around his lips.
"Just because," she said, smiling back at him, and linked her hand with his.
Valentine's Day, noun: the most romantic day of the year.
----------
The End. Where it goes from there, I'll leave up to your imaginations. Please leave a review. I love reviews.