Won't go home without you

Summary: Life could have gone one forever. And then, Chris is back, and Scotty has to think about how he actually wants his life to be... Three-chaptered oneshot.

Warning: Wow... This was written ages ago! I apologize beforehand for grammar mistakes.

Set: story-unrelated, future fic

Disclaimer: Standards apply.

Chapter 1 Things I left unsaid

I asked her to stay, but she wouldn't listen
She left before I had the chance to say

The closer he got to the elevator which would take him to the sixth floor – the more his steps slowed down.

Instinctively, without even thinking about what he was doing. The people in the elevator watched him with bored and disinterested faces – could one be both at the same time? He would have to think about it – and waited for the doors to close in his face. How he had predicted – how he had wanted it. The elevator gave a ring and started to close its doors.

And someone stepped in their way.

With an annoyed sound, the doors opened again and the people in the cabin let out their held breath simultaneously. Now he would reach them in time, would cause a delay to their appearance in their offices – and he would be the reason for every problem they would be confronted with during the day. "There was this guy at the main floor. It was his fault I came too late… And from then, the whole day just went to waste…"

The digital watch at the wall showed the time: 7.25 o'clock. Every single person still had some time to reach their office till 7.30.

"Morning, Scotty," Will Jeffries said and moved his massive body away from the doors to let him enter.

"Mornin'," Scotty answered and took his place next to his colleague. The doors closed and with a last bell ring the elevator started to climb the building.

"And thanks," he finished.

"You're welcome."

In an elevator, one didn't speak. Angry glances were directed at them and both Will and Scotty fell silent. Scotty checked his watch. Now he had… approximately 40 seconds to recollect himself. Until he would have to face her directly.

The words that would mend the things that were broken
But now it's far too late, she's gone away.

At this point, those 40 seconds shall be used to take a short break.

Scott Valens, called Scotty by everyone who knew him well, was a man in his late 30ies – in his best years, so to speak. He was tall and well-built and the Hispanic genes some of his ancestors hat imported into the United States could not be overlooked: dark hair, dark eyes. He wore a dark suit and a red tie which fit him extraordinarily well. Normally he was aware of his effect on women when he wore such clothes but today, he didn't seem to feel well in his attire. Again and again his gaze wandered to the bright red ciphers of the elevator display while it passed the first to fifth floor and expelled people. Finally, on the sixth floor, Scotty was expelled himself along with his colleague Will Jeffries. Scotty let the older detective take the lead and, for some seconds, played with the thought to hide behind him. Then he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. He wouldn't behave like a love-sick teenager! Besides, Will's shoulders were wide enough to hide him – but still, Scotty was some inches taller than him.

The office of Philadelphia Police, Homicide Squad, lay before them like a virginal, snowy landscape – and only slightly more colorful. He would stop sulking and confront her head-first. He wouldn't try to delay what inevitably was to come… At least he wouldn't try it obviously. Damn, he was a grown-up, intelligent man!

All the other members of the homicide squad were standing or sitting around one of the desks and seemed to be in the middle of the morning briefing – every member except the one whose encounter Scotty was so dreading.

"Morning, Scotty."

"Morning, Boss," he greeted John Stillman. „Morning everyone..."

Kat Miller and Nick Vera returned his nod. Scotty turned to Lil's desk where she was inevitably sitting every morning when he arrived.

"Morning, Lil…"

The words died in his throat. Where Lil used to be sitting, sat...

…Nobody.

"Where's Lil?" He asked and turned back to his boss and his colleagues, his feelings ranging from pure relief to great surpris – and a great portion of anxiety. Probably the others felt this anxiety rising because suddenly, four pairs of eyes were staring at him, each with a varying degree of curiosity, questions and suspicion.

"We thought you might now what happened," John Stillman said and raised his brows. Suddenly, Scotty thought, the room was getting very, very warm.

"Me? Why? How am I supposed to know why she's late?"

"Rush's never late," Nick Vera cut in and took another look at the clock. 7.35am. "She should have been here for ten minutes now. She's always early – I haven't seen her being late in her entire time."

Kat Miller took a sip of coffee from a cup which showed a grinning rabbit in front of San Francisco sky line. "But surely, she's allowed to be late once in a while," she said ironically. "Don't panic."

"But it's untypical for her not to call," Stillman murmured and Scotty agreed. All the years he had known Lil, she never once had been late. And Vera had known her even longer.

She'd always had a good reason if she was late. She had always called to excuse herself the moment so much as a traffic jam was starting to develop…

But Scotty didn't need much imagination to guess why Lil was late today: She feared their meeting as much as he had initially feared it. And Lilly Rush never – never ever! – feared something without a good reason.