Title: Home

Rating: T for some language and normal adult behavior

Disclaimer: The Killing and its affiliated characters do not belong to me. I mean no copyright infringement. I only use them as a means to de-stress myself.

Summary: Linden knows that Holder his home. The question is, is she ready to face her demons and stay with him? This is my take on what happens after the series finale.

Spoilers: Definitely the series finale. Don't read it if you haven't watched it!

Chapter 1

Home. That was the word playing over and over again in her mind. She wasn't sure when she had come to realize what home meant to her. It wasn't a house. It wasn't four walls and a roof over her head. It wasn't even her son, even though she loved him with every ounce of her being. He was out in the great wide world trying to find his own place in it and she had to let him. No, she realized what home was one lonely night while she was driving on some desolate highway in the middle of nowhere. She realized what home was when she looked over at the passenger seat and he wasn't there. Only she told herself that she was being ridiculous, that he would hate her after what she had done to him. She had pulled a gun on him. And worse, she had accused him of betraying her. She had committed the ultimate sin – turning her back on her partner. She convinced herself he was better off without her. He had someone to love and a baby on the way. She didn't need to bring him into her crazy world anymore than she already had. But there was that empty passenger seat screaming of home.

As she stood, staring out over the lake to the vast city in front of her, all she thought about was home. She didn't see the dead. She wasn't afraid. She wasn't worried about what might come next or what nightmares might be lurking in the shadows. She only saw him in her mind. She saw him just as she had seen him that night on the desolate road in her car and he was home.

Bye? That was the only thing he could think to say to her when he knew she was walking away. Not 'please don't go' or 'you are my home.' Just bye. Holder berated himself. He could feel the usual sting of craving something to get his mind off his troubles, but he knew he wouldn't act on it. He had a daughter. He had a reason to stay clean. He was happy, at least that's what he told himself. He knew the only thing that could make him happier would be to be with her. And she had returned. She had returned to him and all he managed to say was bye.

He remembered the night clearly when he realized how badly he needed her. It was weeks after he had let her leave the interrogation room without saying a word. Back then he was still angry. He still couldn't understand why she thought he had turned on her. So, he had let her walk out. He had let her leave the damn state without saying a word. He hoped he would be able to forget about it, forget about her. He had too much to look forward to. Too much going on with Carolyn and the baby, but she always crept up in his thoughts. It was one night Carolyn was talking about him giving up his apartment and moving in with him that he realized it and Carolyn did too. He had wanted to do the right thing. He asked Carolyn to marry him because it was the right thing to do, but they both knew they'd never be able to go through with it. Not when Holder and Carolyn both knew his heart never really belonged to her.

Holder finished locking up the church, still unable to stop thinking about the word 'bye.' It was so impersonal, so generic. It was the wrong word to use. He turned and stopped dead in his tracks. She was there, sitting in her car like so many times before. It was as if she was waiting for him like she always had been. Only this time, she got out of the car. He began walking towards her, slowly, wondering if it was real. Was she really there? Was she really going to stay?

She had a smile on her face as he approached her. He very rarely saw her smile. He loved seeing it.

"Forget something, Linden?" He asked, trying to sound as cool and confidant as he always did when really inside he was panicking. He wasn't sure if he could take it if she left again.

"Yeah, I did."

"What's that?"

"I don't want to be a runaway anymore. I don't want to run away from my home."

"Then don't."

He bent his head towards her as she stood on her tiptoes to meet him halfway. As their lips met, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. He tasted like cigarettes and she loved it. She began to play with the hair on the back of his neck as their tongues dueled.

"Way to go, Holder!" A man shouted and whistled as he walked by.

They pulled apart sheepishly, but Holder didn't take his hands off of her. He was afraid if he let her go, she would run. She looked up at him, her lips swollen from his kiss, her cheeks a flush pink.

"You blushing, Linden?" He teased.

"Shut up, Holder."

"You just couldn't leave without getting a taste of the famous Stephen Holder, huh?"

"Do you want me to get back in that car?"

"Can't go now, Linden. You're home." He grabbed her hand and linked their fingers. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"Home."

He led her across the street to his car. He walked over to the passenger side with her, opened the door for her, and waited until she was safely inside. He closed the door and rushed over to the driver's side. He quickly grabbed his keys and started the car. He glanced over at her as he drove away towards his apartment.

Linden kept her eyes trained on the road. She wasn't sure what to think. She had never been kissed like that before. She had never felt that way when she had been kissed before. Something about kissing Holder was different. Something about kissing him felt right.

She could feel his eyes on her every once in a while as he drove. She knew she should say something, but she was afraid to speak. She didn't know what she would say. She wasn't sure if there was anything left to say.

Holder stopped the car a few minutes later outside his apartment building. Linden recognized it immediately. She wondered if his spare key was still under the green flower pot in the hall. She looked out at the building. She could feel his eyes on her. She knew she should reach for the door handle. She should get out of the car. She should be running to his front door, begging him to kiss her again like she had imagined so many times before, but she was scared.

"You getting out of the car, Linden?" Holder asked. She didn't answer. "Linden?"

"I don't…know."

"You don't know if you're going to get out of the car? That's fine. I can work my magic here."

She finally looked over at him. He had his usual smug grin plastered on his face. She couldn't help but smile in return. He always had a way of putting her at ease.

"What if I mess this up?"

"What?"

"This. Us. I've messed up everything in the past."

"This is different."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you're the one who said it. We're home, Linden. You and me."

"I don't want to lose you…again."

"You ain't gonna lose me, Linden. I promise you. I'll always be there. You know that."

"I know," she whispered.

He leaned over the middle console and pressed his lips against hers. It started slow. He wanted to remember the way she tasted, the way it felt to kiss her in case he never had the opportunity again. He only hoped it wouldn't come to that. He sure as hell wasn't going to let her run again. As he felt her tongue begging entrance into his mouth, her hand began inching from his knee up his thigh.

"Hold up, Linden," Holder said, detaching himself from her.

"Something wrong?" Linden asked.

"No. I just think we need to…slow down."

"Slow down? Really, Holder? You're acting like a girl."

"You really want to do it in this tiny ass car with my kid's car seat in the back?"

Linden glanced to the backseat behind them and saw the pink car seat with a doll sitting in it. She looked back at Holder.

"I thought you said you could work your magic here. And did you really just say do it?" Linden asked, laughing.

"You really are going to make this difficult, aren't you?"

"It wouldn't be us if I didn't."

She smiled at him. Holder couldn't help but stare at her, trying to memorize what it looked like to see a smile on her face. She looked beautiful when she smiled and he never wanted to forget that.

Author's Note: This story came to me as soon as I finished watching the series finale. I started writing immediately (even though it was very late at night and I really should have been going to bed). I originally was so irritated with how the series ended because I was really looking forward to at least one kiss! After some time, though, I began thinking about the finale and decided that it actually made a lot of sense and it was a really great ending. Of course, I was still a little irritated that they didn't officially get together, but that's what fanfiction is for, right? Anyway, thank you for reading. I expect this story will be about 4 chapters long with just a lot of Linden/Holder romance. If you liked it, or even if you didn't, please don't forget to review!