A/N I know, I know, I suck. And it's what, 4:30am? This is another one o' them nothin' chapters. I kinda just threw it together because I felt bad for making you wait. But I had some crazy Reality Checks to sort out, and then I didn't know where to go with this story. Anyway. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Do not puncture, incinerate, or store above 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Do not place near any magnetic source. May be hazardous to your health. Can cause extreme addiction if not properly handled. Withdrawal and obsession likely if characters are removed without due cause. We're not in Kansas anymore.

She'd been trembling for hours now, mumbling under her breath and letting tears drip onto her pillow. Her hair was plastered to her forehead, the sheets tangled around her legs. Stillman couldn't quite bring himself to wake her.

"Someone should stay with her."

At the voice from his elbow, the lieutenant turned. Manning smiled sadly, looking around him at the woman asleep on the bed.

"She already said she wants to be alone. What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to help. So what's missing?"

"All of his clothes. His badge, his gun. His cell phone."

Manning shook her head.

"This isn't him," she murmured. Stillman gave her a sideways glance.

"You think there's something else happening here?"

"I don't know. He wouldn't just leave, would he?"

Stillman shrugged, his eyes saddened as he gazed at the sleeping woman.

"I never thought he would. Now I'm not so sure."

Lilly was leaning against the wall, looking down at the small bump.

"You better be a cute baby. I really hope I'm not going through all of this for an ugly baby."

"You know talkin' to yourself is the first sign of madness, right?"

She turned to smile at her partner.

"I think Peanut's sleeping." Scotty walked across, kissing his girlfriend gently on the lips.

"You should follow Peanut's lead."

"Scotty, I'm fine."

"Lil, you gotta get some sleep! Come on."

He tugged on her hand, leading her down the hall to their bedroom. Just outside the door, Lilly squeezed his hand, and pulled him back towards her.

"I'm glad you're here," she said seriously. Scotty nodded, pressing a loving kiss to her forehead.

"I know."

That single scene seemed to be on replay in her mind, and Lilly hated it. She hated it. She hated it, because it was a lie. She'd barely slept the night before. She heard Stillman, the phone Ma...Manning? What was she doing there? And it was like a dream. She would open her eyes and blink and he would be there. And she wouldn't be scared or hurt or angry. They would be normal. Just as soon as she opened her eyes...

She hated it.

Lilly dropped her personal belongings onto her desk, for once not bothering to tidy them away. Taking a deep breath, she moved towards Stillman's office, sighing in relief as she realized her colleagues had yet to see her. Jeffries stopped speaking as the office door opened. There was a sharp intake of breath. Lilly looked absolutely awful. Stillman moved towards her, gently touching her elbow.

"You shouldn't be here."

"Then take me home," she replied, and with a sigh, the lieutenant knew that he'd let her stay. Satisfied, Lilly removed her arm from his grip, looking around at the others.

"Simon Jessup filed a complaint against Nick Reeves for misrepresentation. Think it might be worth looking into?" she said quietly. Her suggestion was greeted with silence. Lilly felt it, pressing down on her like a ten ton weight.

"Go home," Manning said softly, "or go be with your sister. Don't stay here."

There's a moment, when you know something's going to happen, and you try and you try to stop it, but it just...happens. And watching Lilly begin the slow spiral into self-destruction... It was as if it Manning's words had finally broken Lilly. She spun around, deep blue eyes flashing in pain.

"And then what, Ellie? I go home, to an empty house, to a sister who regularly tries to ruin my life, and then what? Stand at the window and wait for him to come back? Keep wondering if that's his car coming now?"

"Why not?"

"He's not coming back, Ellie!" the blonde detective snapped.

"How do you know?" Ellie shot back. Tears spilled over her eyelids, and Lilly barely managed to control the break in her voice.

"Enough. We have work to do," she whispered, abruptly turning on her heel and leaving them standing in shock. Manning cleared her throat, disappearing in the opposite direction with her cheeks flaming. As the door shut behind them, Miller shook her head in wonder.

"Wow."

"Lilly's right. We have work to do," Stillman said.

"You're not letting her stay are you?" Jeffries asked incredulously. The lieutenant nodded. Vera chuckled in disbelief.

"You ain't serious? Jesus, boss, you seen her today?"

"Yes, Nick, I have," Stillman snapped, "and in case you've forgotten, the last time she was like this, I let her get shot, so if it's alright with you, I need to keep an eye on her."

It had been a long time since they'd heard him that angry. Thoroughly apprehended, and looking like a remorseful schoolboy, Vera shuffled his feet, glaring at the floor. After a moment he glanced up, his face dark and a deep frown set in his brow.

"You think Lil's in a sharin' mood? I feel like some o' her oatmeal."

Miller chuckled, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"Go ahead and try. Just don't come runnin' to me when she bites your head off."

For the first five days, it was easy for the team to pretend that Lilly's heart wasn't broken. For the first five days, there was still the hope that he'd be back by the end of the day. But when Friday came and went, then Saturday, then Sunday until it was finally Monday again, it became obvious that Scotty wasn't coming back.

His cell phone had been disconnected. His parents hadn't seen or heard from him, nor had Mike or Elena. It was as if he had simply vanished. That, Lilly reasoned, was far better than considering the more likely possibilities.

As the team finished off the paper work for another day, Manning glanced around at them.

"Has anyone spoken to Lil?" she asked. Stillman shook his head.

"She's having some quality time with Peanut."

"Who managed to convince her to stay home?" Jeffries chuckled.

"I actually think it was Peanut."

Coming from the break room, a donut in her hand and sugar around her lips, Miller stopped by Manning's desk.

"We're going to see Lil. You wanna come?"

"No thanks."

The curly haired detective sighed. What the hell is wrong with you, Ellie?

"You ready?" Vera called, pulling on his jacket. Miller stared at her younger colleague for a moment, before turning away with a sigh of frustration.

"Yeah, I'm comin'."

"Where is she? This damn ice cream is meltin' all over my new suit!"

"Quit your whining, fatass. You've eaten half the tub, and I'm sure you could buy another suit like that for less than a dollar."

"Well, cheap clothes are more your style, Miller, so you better fill me in on that."

Miller hammered on the front door again, glaring at her colleague.

"Rush! You're killin' me here! Open up!" she shouted. When Lilly finally opened the door, her eyes widened in amusement.

"Uh...hey, guys. What are you doing?"

Vera stabbed his spoon back into the tub.

"Waitin' for you to open the damn door," he replied grumpily. She smirked, eyeing the half eaten pot in his hands.

"And you had to eat my ice cream while you waited?"

"Couldn't let it melt," Miller replied around a mouthful of frozen dessert. Letting them in through the door, Lilly gestured to the kitchen, and Vera disappeared to put the melting ice cream away. Miller winced. Seeing her colleague covering her ears, Lilly jogged through the house, switching off all the CD players and radios that seemed almost deafening. When she finally appeared back in the living room, Lilly shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry."

"Why the hell do you have every damn music player on at the same time?"

"House is too quiet without him," the blonde detective replied with a sad smile. Miller fought against the temptation to envelope her friend in a tight hug.

"You don't have to pretend, Lil. I won't tell anyone if you cry," she said softly. Lilly blushed, looking away. After a moment, she cleared her throat, hoping that when she finally spoke, her voice wouldn't give away the fact that she was fighting back tears with everything she had.

"There are bowls in the cupboard above the microwave. Sorry about the mess."

Miller chuckled, looking around.

"What mess? Lil, the place is spotless." Not to mention empty, she added silently. The blonde detective turned back to Miller.

"So...you're here," she said slowly. Her dark haired colleague froze, hearing the amused and teasing tone being aimed at her.

"Yes," she replied guardedly.

"Both of you?"

"Yes..."

"Together?"

"Rush..."

Lilly bit her bottom lip, and fighting back an 'I told you so', she let the subject go.

"Can I get you a drink?" she asked. Miller shook her head, glancing at the clock.

"We can't stay. I have to pick Veronica up from my mom's, and Vera said he'd give me a ride."

The smile slid from Lilly's face.

"Oh. No problem. I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said in a small voice. Miller took a step forwards.

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it's just..."

"You really miss him," came the voice from behind them.

Both women turned to see Vera leaning against the kitchen doorframe. He shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. Lilly felt tears spring to her eyes at his simple statement, and she led the way to the door, hastily scrubbing a hand over her face. An unbelievable sadness swept through her friends. They exchanged concerned glances, but said nothing. This is her fight. She needs us, she'll ask us, Vera told himself.

"Thanks for coming over," Lilly continued, "You didn't have to."

Climbing into their vehicle, Kat and Vera watched as she disappeared back into the house, the door closing behind her. From the car, they heard the music start up again, until one by one all of the stereo systems were switched on once more.

"I don't know what's worse," Vera said in a low voice, "seein' her in tears, or seein' her tryin' to pretend she's OK."

Miller glanced across at him, her hand trembling slightly as it rested on the gear stick.

"Where do you think he is?" she asked quietly. Vera shook his head.

"I don't know. Part o' me hopes he gets what he deserves for leavin'. The other's prayin' to God that he's OK," he replied, his voice equally as muted. The female detective heard her breath catch, and she angrily swiped a hand across her eyes. They descended into silence, eyes staring straight ahead, fixed on a point somewhere in the distance.

It was Miller who was first to break the silence, her voice barely audible.

"You're not plannin' any sudden departures, are you?"

Vera looked across at her.

"No," he said softly, covering her hand with his own, "I ain't."

So I figure if you take one relationship out of the equation, you have to make up for it using the other. There ya go. Oh hey, I spoke to Scotty again (before his number was disconnected) and he wanted me to let you know that he's sorry for not being here, but his...situation, has changed. He's not having a very good time. If you leave me a nice review (please), I might be persuaded to tell you where he is. Yeah, I know you all want to look after Scotty Valens!