1Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the computer that I'm writing this on.
A/N: This is my first attempt at writing Cold Case fanfiction and is just my little attempt at bypassing all of the Christina unpleasantness. All feed back is greatly appreciated.
"Damn it, Scotty, this is the fourth time that I've called you. Either call me back or I'm coming over there to check on you." She took a deep breath, fighting back the frustration that she could feel rising in her voice. "We're all worried about you, Scotty. Just call me, okay?"
Lilly hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair, her eyes settling on the empty desk where her partner could usually be found. There was paperwork to be done, other calls to be made, but it all seemed unimportant. A warehouse full of boxes, each representing a lost life that had waited too long for justice, should have been calling to her, begging for her attention. She didn't understand why it wasn't. Lilly's career was her life but, for the first time, her work had lost the power to hold her full attention.
From the moment that she had learned of Elissa's death, she had been distracted by thoughts of the devastation that her partner must be experiencing. After she'd spoken to Stillman and Jefferies, the only people in the department that had actually spoken to him, her worry for him had increased to the point that she could barely concentrate on even the most basic work related tasks. Her focus was shattered and she still had no ideas as to how she was going to approach Scotty or even if she should. If what she'd heard was true, there was a good chance that he wouldn't appreciate her coming around.
A loud crack sounded in her ear, startling Lilly from her thoughts. When she turned to find the source of the noise, she found Vera standing at her side, grinning down at her.
"You still in there, Rush? I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes."
Lilly gave herself a mental shake. It wouldn't do for anyone to know that she had been so lost in thought over Scotty. They might get the wrong idea, think that she felt more for him than simple friendship. If that happened she would never hear the end of it. "What can I do for you, Vera?"
He settled himself on the edge of her desk. "As I was saying before I was so rudely ignored, shifts over and we're going for drinks. You interested?"
Usually she wouldn't hesitate to say yes since her evenings out with the boys were always amusing and she had found that they also helped to take the sharper edges off of the loneliness that she felt when she returned to her empty apartment. Even though Christina was now living with her, the feeling of being alone was something that rarely left Lilly. There weren't many people that she trusted and fewer still that she allowed herself to care for. It was for that reason that she hesitated. Somehow, when she wasn't looking, her feelings had gone far beyond those expected of a partnership. As hard as she had fought against it, Scotty had become one of those people that she cared about. It was the strength of her feelings, though, that scared her.
However, Lilly had never been one to back down from a challenge. Her mind made up, she rose from her chair and began gathering her things. "I'll have to take a raincheck on the drinks. There's something that I need to do. Something that I should have done awhile ago. But next time I'll get the first round to make up for abandoning you."
There was no reason why she couldn't make at least one of her boys happy tonight.
TBC...