Disclaimer: Any aspects of this story on the show aren't mine. Any aspects of this story NOT on the show…those ARE mine.
Chapter Twelve: Welcome to the Jungle
Her anger quickly reaching a boiling point, Lilly stared after Scotty as he went into the squad room, made a brief stop at his desk to grab his notes, and then disappeared into the interview room. The way he'd looked at her like he looked at a damn suspect and then just brushed her off confirmed what she'd suspected for the entire week: he didn't trust her. Oh, sure, he acted like he was okay with her taking some space to think things over, he acted like it was all fine and dandy, but the truth had finally come out. He wasn't okay with it. He was lying to her. Again.
Lilly fumed all the way to her desk, where she sat down and started to fill out the interview report, but was far too angry to even begin to concentrate. Who the hell did Scotty think he was, brushing her off like that? Why the hell didn't he trust her? She understood him getting angry with her for running away, understood completely why he'd been so furious with her the other night, especially since she hadn't been honest with him, but this time? This time was completely different. She'd told him what she needed, she'd reassured him, over and over again, of her love for him, she hadn't relied on hints or expected him to read her mind…so what the hell was wrong with him that he was still acting like she'd killed his puppy?
She tried to push the thoughts of that night out of her head, knowing what had happened in the middle of their fight and desperately hoping not to think about it, not at work, for God's sake…she felt herself blushing just trying notto think about it…trying not to think about the way he'd caught her off-guard with the hungriest, most predatory kiss she'd ever had in her life, the way he'd gripped her shoulders so fiercely she was surprised she didn't have bruises the next morning, the raging wildfire blazing in his eyes…
Stop it, Rush, she admonished herself. Realizing that her heart was racing, her cheeks had begun to flame and she was about five seconds away from having to use the barely-started interview report as a fan, she willed her thoughts in a different direction, struggling mightily to get memories of that night out of her head. She was supposed to be mad at him, dammit.
But try as she might, Lilly just couldn't stop thinking about the look in his eyes. That look…there had certainly been lust, definitely a good dose of fury, too, but there was something else…something that looked suspiciously like pain. She'd noticed it that night, but had only had the briefest of instants to puzzle over it before their clothes were gone, they were tumbling backwards onto the couch, and Scotty was--
Stop it, Rush.
She willed herself to go back to before. Okay, can't think about his eyes…that takes things straight to the gutter. So she thought instead about his impassioned order for her not to run. His voice was strange, ragged sounding, tattered by anger, of course, but also…grief? Yes…it was grief she heard. At the time, she'd thought he was just being melodramatic, making a bigger deal out of her running away than he'd needed to, but…that tortured expression on his face she'd seen for just a few seconds before everything had disappeared into a blur of need…it spoke more of despair than anger. In fact, now that she thought about it, now that she finally had her hormones under control enough to be analytical, she realized that the whole scene had been driven far more by desperation than by rage. Oh, the rage was there…it was Scotty…how could it not be? But underneath that, there was a nearly hysterical fear that he'd managed to hide, and hide reasonably well, if she was just now figuring it out.
Was he that afraid of losing her? She felt some of her anger melt away at the thought…he loved her so much that the mere idea of losing her sent him into that kind of panic? No, that couldn't be the whole reason. Oh, she was definitely part of it, but that fear was so desperate, so deep-seated…it couldn't be just about her. There was more to it than fear of losing her…something else…someone else…
Oh, God.
Elisa.
And in that moment, Lilly realized, with a sense of certainty that slammed into her like a truck, that she wasn't the only one in that relationship with abandonment issues. Elisa had abandoned Scotty. Oh, she hadn't done it on purpose, she hadn't leapt off that bridge to hurt him; she was at the end of her rope and unable to bear her pain any longer. But Lilly knew how devastated Scotty had been, how guilt-ridden he still was, how desperately he wished he could have been successful in his bid to save her. And, Lilly realized, the on-again, off-again nature of his relationship with Elisa couldn't have helped matters. She remembered hearing about his panicked search for her that one day when the giants had returned. Over the time they'd known each other, he'd dropped hints that his years with Elisa hadn't always been a bed of roses. And suddenly…it all came into sharp focus. A pang of guilt stabbed Lilly's soul as she realized how much pain her running away truly was bringing Scotty.
But I'm not running away, her heart protested. I'm taking space. Doesn't he understand the difference?
In a flash, she realized that, no, actually, he didn't. Hell, she sure didn't, not when someone did it to her…so how could she expect him to understand?
Her anger came back with a vengeance, battling for supremacy over the sudden sympathy she was feeling for Scotty. He doesn't have any right to punish you for something someone else did to him, it insisted.
No, he doesn't, she reasoned, and then, as though out of nowhere, her conscience pricked her heart. And neither do you.
With a sigh, Lilly dropped her head into her hands as she remembered all the times she'd pushed Scotty away because she was afraid of the same kind of pain she'd suffered at the hands of Patrick, and Joseph, and Ray, and all the rest of the men she'd loved who'd all eventually left her. Didn't she, on some level, still think Scotty was going to do the same thing, even though almost a year later, he was still there? Didn't he insist, as fervently and passionately as he could, that he was in this?
Hadn't she insisted the same thing?
Lilly's anger suddenly vaporized like a morning mist and was instantly replaced by an overwhelming sense of complete and utter helplessness. She'd told Scotty she loved him, she'd done all she could to reassure him that she wasn't running away, and he still didn't believe her. How could she convince him of her love? What more could she say, what more could she do, to make him believe, once and for all, that she was in this, that she wasn't running away, she wasn't leaving him, she loved him. Loved him so much it hurt.
Suddenly, out of the blue, an idea appeared. It wasn't merely frightening, hell, it was borderline insane, it was something she'd never, ever, not in a million years, even consider, but it was something. Something she could do…something so crazy it just might work. And…it was the only thing she could think of.
Quickly, before she could change her mind, Lilly crossed the room to the computer and began clicking her way through search engines. Scotty's parents owned a deli, he'd told her, and Lilly was confident that there couldn't be that many Cuban delis in Philly. Sure enough, a quick search confirmed that there were only eight, and a more detailed scan revealed one called Ramon's. His dad's name is Ramon…that has to be it, Lilly thought with certainty, clicked on the link, scrolled down through the site's lengthy Spanish menu, finally found the number, and picked up the phone.
She was halfway through dialing, her hands trembling and her heart pounding, feeling like a teenager calling her boyfriend at home for the first time, when suddenly a noise behind her made her jump and drop the receiver back into its cradle with a clatter.
"Orderin' lunch?" Vera asked with interest, peering over her shoulder at the menu.
All the color drained from Lilly's face as she prayed silently that nothing on the screen would give away the restaurant as belonging to Scotty's family. It was just called Ramon's, and as far as Lilly knew, Vera didn't know Scotty's father's name…
She turned around slowly with what she hoped was a perky, carefree smile. "Thinkin' about it," she answered lightly.
Vera gave her a brief, cursory glance, then turned back to his careful study of the menu. "Cuban food, huh? Nice."
Lilly smiled sheepishly, hoping Vera wouldn't press her, and, to her relief, he didn't. It seemed he was too preoccupied with the prospect of food to care how, or why, she had chosen this particular establishment.
"That Number Three looks good," he mused, giving Lilly a friendly pat on the back. "Order me one of those, willya?"
Lilly nodded, too overwhelmed with relief to even speak. She'd order Vera anything he wanted, anything at all, just as long as he didn't ask questions. What the hell would she even say? Oh, I'm just using my finely-honed detective skills to stalk Scotty's family and pull some crazy stunt I can't believe I'm even considering, just so my angst-ridden, paranoid boyfriend will know I'm serious about this whole thing?
"Just…do me a favor," Vera added, a mischievous grin crossing his face.
"What?" Lilly asked warily.
"Don't tell Valens about this," he muttered, his voice low and conspiratorial.
Lilly's eyes widened in surprise. "Why's that?" she asked.
"He'd prob'ly want one too, and then I'd have to watch him put Cheez Whiz all over the damn thing," Vera chortled as he wandered off in the direction of his desk.
Lilly waited until he was out of earshot, then took a deep breath and let it out slowly, steeling herself for the task ahead. You better get your ass in gear and do this now, she chided herself, or Scotty's gonna be done with that interview and come out here and wonder why the hell you're stalking his family.
Why the hell was she stalking his family, anyway, she wondered, as she checked the number once more, then dialed, her fingers fluttering nervously over the keypad of the phone.
Because this is the only way I can get it through his thick skull that I mean it when I say I'm in this, she reminded herself firmly, squelching her nerves just in the nick of time.
The phone was answered with a string of rapid-fire Spanish, and Lilly was momentarily silent. She hadn't counted on that particular unpleasant surprise.
The voice asked a couple more brief Spanish questions, then switched to English. "Can I help you?"
Lilly sighed with relief. She could tell by the ease with which the sentence was spoken that the man on the other end was, thank God, also fluent in English.
"Yes…hi…I'm, uh…looking for…Mrs. Valens. Anita, I guess. Anita Valens?" Smooth, Rush.
"Lilly?" the voice asked with some surprise.
Crap! Lilly thought, glancing hastily around the room and fighting the urge to fling the phone down and just forget this whole thing.
"Yeah," she managed weakly.
"Hey!" the voice greeted her with inordinate enthusiasm. "It's me, Eduardo!"
Lilly wasn't sure whether to be relieved or horrified as she recognized the voice of Scotty's large, obnoxious cousin. "Hi," she replied tentatively.
"So you're callin' for Anita, huh? Must be somethin' serious!" he teased.
"Just…put her on the phone," she instructed him hastily, and he dropped the act.
"Sure thing," he agreed, then shouted for Anita in another torrent of Spanish. Returning to the phone, Eduardo continued. "She's comin'…can I get you somethin' to eat, maybe? We deliver."
"Oh…right," Lilly replied. "Vera wants a Number Three."
"Vera? Nick Vera?" Eduardo asked with interest. "Oh, now I'm makin' this delivery myself. That guy's a trip and a half," he declared.
Scotty's cousin…is coming here? Oh, God. Lilly felt her blood turn to ice, but didn't have time to even offer a protest before she heard scuffling on the other end, which was quickly replaced by Anita's softly lilting voice.
"Lilly," she said warmly, "what a pleasant surprise!"
Lilly took a deep breath. Now or never, Rush.
"Hi," she replied tentatively, feeling suddenly ridiculous. "I was just calling to ask you…if, uh…that offer for…teaching me to make guava turnovers is still good…"
She could almost hear Anita smile on the other end. "Of course, m'ija. What are you doing this afternoon?"
In the kitchen, Kat was refilling her coffee mug when a rather frazzled-looking Lilly hurried in.
"Hey, Lil," Kat greeted her in surprise.
"Hey," she returned quickly, then continued without preamble or explanation. "I need a favor."
"Depends on what it is," Kat answered matter-of-factly.
"I need you to get rid of Scotty," was Lilly's hasty explanation.
"Get rid of him…like…take him out?" Kat asked in half-teasing surprise.
"Yes," Lilly answered, not meeting her colleague's eyes.
Kat leaned back against the counter and studied Lilly with a smile. She'd never really seen Rush…panic before, and she had to admit she was kind of enjoying it. Maybe that made her a bad person. She didn't care.
"Well, I'm a pretty good shot, but…I figured you'd wanna do that yourself," she joked.
Lilly stared up at her blankly, and then realization dawned. "No…not…not that, just…get him out of here. For a little while. For me. Please."
Kat stopped and stared. Lilly Rush…never said "please." About anything. Ever.
"Well, he's still doin' an interview …I could stall him there, talk about the case or somethin', but…you gotta tell me what this is about," she admonished softly. "Everything okay with you two?"
Lilly sighed. "Scotty's cousin is coming to deliver lunch, and…Scotty doesn't know I called his family's place, and it's long and complicated and he'll be here any minute, so just…please?"
Kat couldn't suppress her smile. "Cousin, huh? This the creepy one that hits on you?" she asked.
"No," Lilly replied. "This is the annoying one who thinks Nick Vera walks on water."
"Oh, God," Kat exclaimed, practically spitting out the coffee she'd just sipped. "Why the hell didn't you say so? Me and Man Candy are outta here," she agreed.
"It doesn't have to be long…just long enough for Eduardo to make a delivery," Lilly said quickly.
"No problem," Kat replied, a hint of disgust in her voice, and Lilly smiled with satisfaction. She knew Kat Miller would do just about anything in her power to avoid anyone related to Scotty, and even more so once she knew that this particular relation thought highly of Vera. Satisfied, she headed back out into the squad room. She had one more item of business to take care of, and then she could leave, hopefully before Eduardo even got there, and…take the afternoon off from work, in the middle of a case…to go spend the afternoon with her boyfriend's mother. Cooking. Learning to make a dessert that, until last week, she'd never even heard of.
Dear God. She really was in this.
Stillman sat at his desk and quietly replaced the phone in its cradle, making a note on a pad of scratch paper. From the observation room a few minutes ago, he'd learned that Janet Finkelstein had, in fact, been arrested on a complaint of stalking Charlie Banks, her ex-boyfriend, and he'd called the police department in their suburb to confirm that, yes, there had been stalking complaints filed against her. Twice.
His thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door, and he glanced up to see his favorite blonde detective standing tentatively in the doorway.
"Got a minute, Boss?" Lilly asked him.
"Sure thing," he replied. "Come on in."
Lilly slipped inside and closed the door quietly. Stillman could tell from the look in her eyes that something was bothering her, but he knew her better than to press. Whatever it was, if she wanted to share, she would. And if she didn't…even his highly developed interrogation skills probably wouldn't drag it out of her.
"I know we're in the middle of a case," she began uncomfortably, "and if it weren't important, I wouldn't be asking for this, but…I need some lost hours," she finished, looking at him almost timidly.
Stillman chuckled. "Go ahead, Lil," he replied. "You got enough lost hours stored up to take off from now 'till Christmas."
Lilly smiled, albeit still a bit nervously. "I won't need that long," she reassured him. "I just need this afternoon. I can come back in tonight if you want me to."
"Don't think that's necessary," he said in response. "Just come in first thing tomorrow, and we'll fill you in."
"Thanks," Lilly replied, but instead of looking relieved, she looked…actually even more antsy and uncomfortable.
"Everything okay?" Stillman asked, peering at her over the rims of his glasses.
"Fine," Lilly replied brusquely. "Just…family stuff," she added, with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"Family stuff, huh?" Stillman echoed, his voice suddenly filled with concern.
"Nothin' bad…just…something I gotta take care of," Lilly replied, and Stillman knew from experience that that was about all he'd get out of her.
"Okay, then," he said, and Lilly tossed him a slight smile, thanked him again, and quickly ducked out of the office.
Lilly hurried to her desk, grateful that Boss hadn't pressed her for details. That family stuff she'd used as her reason… that was the truth. It just wasn't her family.
She started to gather up her things, hoping to be out of there before Eduardo showed up. Anita had said she'd be home after the lunch rush at the deli, so Lilly would have some time to kill between leaving work and showing up at the Valens townhouse, but…Scotty and Kat were nowhere to be seen, and she assumed they were safely ensconced in the interview room. Jeffries was unaccounted for, as well, and Boss was still in his office. Vera sat at his desk, and Lilly knew without a doubt that he was deeply engrossed in another game of Tetris, so perhaps he wouldn't even notice her leave. Now was the perfect opportunity.
Retrieving her coat from the rack and shrugging into it, she sighed with relief. She was on her way out. She was home free. She was--
"Lilly!" Eduardo's booming voice greeted her, and she stopped dead in her tracks, face to face with Scotty's very tall, very loud cousin. Despite the fact that Eduardo's hands were full, he swept her into an almost bone-crushingly enthusiastic hug.
"How's my favorite hot blonde?" he asked as he released her, and Lilly realized, with a sinking heart, that making a subtle exit just wasn't in the cards for her today.
Sure enough, the commotion attracted Vera's attention. "Eduardo?" he asked in surprise.
"Nicky!" Eduardo shouted in response.
"Hey, man…what're you doin' here?" Vera asked.
"Deliverin' lunch," Eduardo replied, holding up two large paper sacks and brushing past Lilly into the squad room, where he set down the packages. Vera rose from his desk and met Eduardo in the center of the office, and the two exchanged a long, ridiculously elaborate handshake.
Dear God, Lilly thought. There really are two of them.
Gathering her composure, she started to head quietly for the door, hoped perhaps Vera and Eduardo would be distracted enough for her to make a quick exit.
"Hey, where you goin'?" Eduardo asked her.
Crap.
Lilly froze, then slowly turned back around. "Takin' the afternoon off," she replied.
"Not without lunch, you're not," Eduardo retorted with that damn familiar grin. "Ramon and Anita were so thrilled that someone from this office finally called that they sent enough food for everybody. So lunch today? It's on the house," he announced proudly.
"Sweet," Vera replied as he high-fived Eduardo.
Double crap.
"Ain't nothin' out there that can't wait until you've had some of Philly's finest medianoches, so just take off your coat, sit down, and eat, a'ight?" Eduardo encouraged, approaching her with a wrapped sandwich.
Damn. That sandwich smelled absolutely delicious, and Lilly realized she was starving.
"A'ight," she agreed reluctantly as she took the sandwich from Eduardo and returned to her seat.
"A'ight?" the deep voice of Will Jeffries echoed in disbelief, and Lilly's heart sank yet again. She saw her partner, who was just exiting the interview room, shake hands with Charlie, show him the door, and then glance curiously from her to Eduardo. "You two…know each other?" he asked.
"Know each other?" Eduardo repeated as he flung an arm around Lilly's shoulders. "We're practically family!"
Anything Jeffries might have said was cut off, to Lilly's relief, by ecstatic noises from Vera as he bit into his sandwich.
"God, Eduardo," he exclaimed around his mouthful. "It's official…I'm puttin' you in my will."
"Don't you kinda have to have money for that?" Jeffries teased.
"Well, I just wrote you out of it, so I got some left over," Vera retorted.
"Grab a sandwich," Eduardo encouraged, perching on the edge of Scotty's desk and opening up his second paper bag. "Lunch is on me today."
"Well, I've never met you before, but I like you already," Jeffries replied warmly as he shook Eduardo's hand, then grabbed a sandwich and dug in.
As she took a tentative first bite of her lunch, which really was absolutely delicious, Lilly heard another door open and whirled around in alarm, then sighed with relief. It was just Boss, who had emerged from his office and was looking around curiously.
"What smells so good out here?" he asked.
"Lunch," Eduardo answered, tossing a sandwich in his direction. Stillman caught it expertly and headed over to their little cluster of desks, where he pulled up a chair next to Vera and enthusiastically began to unwrap his sandwich.
Perfect, Lilly mused wryly. The gang's all here.
Scotty sighed in frustration as he and Jeffries inished yet another interview with Charlie. They'd gotten something of a new lead, with Janet's stalking, but Scotty was sure the complaints were just because she'd been so annoying that and Charlie and Michelle had been forced to do something. Janet didn't seem unbalanced enough to be a stalker, really…just…annoying.
Scotty watched Jeffries escort Charlie out, then sank down into a chair in the observation room and smiled ruefully at his partner, who'd been watching from behind the glass.
"Helluva case, huh?" Kat asked, sitting down next to him.
"Man," Scotty replied. "No one's got a real clear motive. Only common thread is everyone thinks Janet Finkelstein was the most annoyin' person they'd ever met."
"I can relate to that," Kat replied, and Scotty chuckled.
"Well, me too," he agreed, "but…just bein' annoyed with someone…that ain't motive for murder…is it?"
"Could be, sometimes," Kat mused. "Rush was about to take your head off this mornin'."
Scotty instantly bristled, the case momentarily forgotten. "She's got a lotta nerve, bein' pissed at me," he declared.
"Well, what'd you do to piss her off?" Kat retorted. "Had to be somethin'. Always is with you."
Scotty shot his partner a dark glare. "Lil's takin' space," he explained, "which sounds to me like some fancy-ass psychobabble that means she's runnin' off and leavin' me in the dust."
Kat sighed. She didn't want to get into this, really, she didn't, but…Lil had been so adamant that Scotty not be there when his cousin showed up that Kat felt like she really didn't have a choice.
"Did Lil say she was leavin' you?" she asked pointedly, arching a brow.
"No," Scotty admitted, after a pause. "She said she needed a couple days to think things over and make sure she could do this relationship. She's…kinda gotta lotta issues," he added reluctantly.
"Rush? Issues? No," Kat replied in sarcastic disbelief, and Scotty chuckled again despite himself.
"Me and her…we're…gettin' kinda serious, looks like…or…at least, it did 'till last week, after she met my family," he continued. "We had this fight, and she said my family just reminded her of all the stuff she didn't have growin' up, and she wants to try and figure out how she can make it work if we ever have kids."
"Kids?" Kat practically choked, then quickly recovered. "Are you a special kinda stupid, Valens?" she asked.
Scotty arched his eyebrows in response.
Kat rolled her eyes. "Lil's takin' some time to make sure she can have a healthy relationship…and kids…with your sorry ass, God alone knows why…and you think she's leavin' you?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, when you put it that way…" Scotty began, but Kat cut him off.
"Dammit, Man Candy," she exclaimed. "You can either have Rush the way she is now, issues and all, or you can be patient, give her a little time to process, and maybe you can have everything you want. But life ain't a vending machine; you don't put money in, take stuff out, and kick the machine when it doesn't work. Dumbass," she spat in exasperation.
Scotty blinked in surprise, then shrugged, wordlessly conceding her point. "Well, I'm a cute dumbass," he added teasingly. "At least…Lil thinks I am…"
Kat glanced at him in disgust. "Glad you're her type, 'cause you so ain't mine," she replied.
Scotty chuckled, then looked up at Miller with interest. "So what is your type, anyway? Do you even have a type?"
Kat shot him a glare. "None of your damn business. Just 'cause you wanna go paradin' your love life around for the world to see doesn't mean all of us are like that."
Scotty continued to study his partner, suddenly very, very curious. "So…you got a type…or not?" he pressed.
Kat rolled her eyes. "No wonder you and Rush are havin' problems," she remarked, and Scotty was amazed at how deftly she'd turned the conversation back to him and Lilly. That certainly wasn't like her. Usually she wanted to avoid the topic at all costs.
His partner wasn't finished, though. "People say stuff to you, and it just goes in one ear and out the other. Do you ever listen when someone's talkin' to you?" she demanded.
Something about what she said pricked Scotty's conscience, and he realized, to his chagrin, that Miller was right. That morning…Lilly had said she loved him, those three little words that, less than a year ago, he'd have given his right arm to hear her say, and today, she'd said them, she'd meant them, and he'd…
"Crap," he burst out softly, dropping his head into his hands. "I really am a dumbass."
"That's all I'm sayin'," Kat replied with a satisfied smile.
Scotty sighed and grinned ruefully, trying to figure out a way to apologize to Lilly and make things right, then pulled up short and sniffed the air quizzically. Something smelled delicious. Delicious…and very, very familiar.
"You smell that?" he asked Kat.
Kat glanced at her watch. They'd been in there for fifteen minutes…surely that was long enough for that annoying-ass cousin of Scotty's to drop off the food and split. Satisfied, she grinned and headed for the doorway.
"Smells like lunch," she remarked. She had to admit, it did smell good. Maybe she'd steal some of Vera's when he wasn't looking.
Scotty opened the door for her, and then stepped out behind his partner to find…
Oh. My. God.
Was that--?
It was.
How the--?
Scotty's mind raced in a thousand directions at once as he took in the scene before him: Vera, Jeffries, and Stillman were all hunched over desks, surrounded by paper bags, scattered wrappers, wadded-up napkins, and cans of soda, happily chowing down on what could only be his father's famous medianoches, and in the middle of the fray, grinning like the cat that ate the damn canary, was...
…Cousin Eduardo.
How the hell did he--?
Eduardo heard the door open and glanced around to see who it might be, took one look at Scotty, and burst out laughing.
"Duuuude," he remarked, taking in both Scotty's tailored suit and the deer-in-the-headlights look on his face. This day was just getting better and better.
"What?" Scotty finally managed.
"You look like such a poser, man," Eduardo replied. "This big office, that fancy-ass suit you're wearin'…"
"What's wrong with the suit?" Scotty asked with chagrin. He wasn't sure how Eduardo had gotten here, but he was giving serious consideration to beating the crap out of whoever was responsible.
"Nothin', man," Eduardo chuckled, whipping out his cell phone camera and snapping a picture before Scotty even knew what hit him. "It's just--"
"Dude, put that thing away," Scotty ordered indignantly. "You've seen me in a suit before."
"Yeah, only when someone dies or gets married. So which is it today?" Eduardo asked, then turned his attention back to the phone. "I'm showin' this picture to your mom when I get back. She ain't gonna believe this."
Vera and Jeffries glanced at each other suspiciously as Stillman continued to wolf down his sandwich, completely oblivious to everything around him.
"Your mom?" Vera asked Scotty pointedly, his sandwich paused halfway between the wrapper and his mouth, but his query was ignored. Scotty was busy sighing huffily, shedding his jacket, ripping off his tie, and rolling up his shirt sleeves.
"Better?" he asked Eduardo sarcastically.
"Yeah, you look like you again," Eduardo replied. "Plus, now I can feed you this without worryin' about you gettin' those fancy duds of yours all greasy." He tossed his cousin a wrapped sandwich, which Scotty caught almost reflexively.
"Now shut up and eat," Eduardo ordered with a grin. "It's your favorite; your dad made it special for ya."
"Your dad?" Jeffries repeated. Another glance at Vera confirmed that the two detectives had rapidly reached the same conclusion, and they instantly turned menacing glares in Scotty's direction.
"What?" Scotty asked defensively.
"Your dad made this for you?" Vera inquired, in the same tone he used with suspects.
"Yeah, so?" Scotty retorted.
"Your family…owns this place?" Jeffries asked with elaborate casualness.
"Yeah," Scotty repeated.
"Ever…maybe think about tellin' us?" Jeffries pressed, irritation creeping into his voice. "Five years workin' together, and you never bothered to mention that your family owns a restaurant? A really, really, damn good restaurant?"
Scotty glanced incredulously from Vera to Jeffries. They weren't kidding…they actually were angry with him, it seemed. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
"We coulda been eatin' like kings this whole time," Vera griped indignantly.
"As opposed to the pigs you actually are?" Kat retorted.
Vera looked up and turned his glare on her. "Have you tried this stuff?" he asked pointedly.
"No," Kat replied, placing a hand on her hip.
"Then grab a sandwich, sit down, and be quiet," Vera ordered.
Kat, taken aback, fixed Vera with her own glare, but he didn't budge, and she finally rolled her eyes, grabbed a sandwich, unwrapped it, and took a bite, just to shut him up. How the hell dare he think he could just--?
"Oh, my God," she moaned around her mouthful of sandwich. "This stuff is the shiz-nit."
"Told you so," Vera couldn't resist gloating. Kat shot him a glare, but it was halfhearted. Lunch was far more pressing at the moment.
"So…we've been eatin' limp hot dogs and crappy sandwiches from the cart outside," Jeffries began, "for five long years…when we coulda been havin'…this?" he asked incredulously.
"Yeah," Stillman piped up, turning his piercing gaze on Scotty. "Surely you get some kind of…family discount."
Scotty finally found his voice and indicated Stillman with a hand. "Okay, that? That right there? That's why I never told you people."
It was Kat's turn to level Scotty with a homicidal glare. "You ain't tellin' us about the best food in Philly because you don't wanna share your family discount?" she asked incredulously.
Eduardo, from his throne in the center of the room, grinned broadly, clearly enjoying every minute.
"Yeah, Scotty, what gives?" he asked. "You never call us. Don't you love us anymore?" he finished, his voice ripe with melodrama.
Scotty glanced at Eduardo in disbelief. "You of all people should be able to figure out that if I extend my… 'family discount' to these no-good moochers, Dad's place'll go broke in, like, a month!"
Eduardo rolled his eyes. "Oh, quit bein' such a whiny little sissy girl and eat your sandwich."
Scotty glowered at his cousin, then realized he couldn't ignore that delectable aroma, or his empty stomach, any longer. With a sigh, he sat down, tore off the wrapper, and bit into his sandwich. It really was damn good. His dad had pulled out all the stops.
"This sandwich sure is great," Jeffries remarked, then glanced up at Scotty. "Just needs one thing."
"What's that?" Scotty asked, around his mouthful.
Jeffries grinned devilishly. "Little dab of Cheez Whiz, and this thing'd be perfect."
Kat and Vera burst out laughing while Scotty glared, then picked up a handful of napkins and threw them half-heartedly at Jeffries. "Would you quit givin' me crap about that?" he demanded, though his smile belied the severity of his tone.
"Cheez Whiz?" Eduardo asked blankly. "Did I miss somethin'?"
Vera looked up at Eduardo conspiratorially. "Dude puts Cheez Whiz on his cheesesteak," he explained in disgust, indicating Scotty with a jerk of his head.
"What's wrong with that?" Eduardo asked in reply. "It's good." Scotty shot him a silent thankful glance, and the two bumped fists.
Jeffries sighed and rolled his eyes. "Guess they really are related…" he muttered.
"So," Scotty began, taking another bite of sandwich, then looking up at Eduardo. "Who called in this order, anyway?"
"That gorgeous blonde girlfriend of yours," Eduardo answered with a smirk.
Scotty's eyes widened in shock. Lil had called his family's place? Utterly dumbfounded, he glanced around the room to see where she was. He hadn't heard a peep out of her, but he supposed, after the encounter they'd had that morning, that she wouldn't exactly be overly chatty with him. Not that he blamed her. To his surprise, however, he didn't even see her.
"Where is she, anyway?" he asked, craning his neck to see if her coat was still hanging on the rack in the hallway.
"Took off a while ago," Vera replied.
"Interview?" Scotty asked as he took another bite of his lunch.
"Takin' lost hours," Stillman added, polishing off the last of his sandwich and wadding up the paper wrapper. "Said somethin' about family stuff."
Scotty sat up straight, instantly alarmed. "Family stuff?" he repeated. "What kinda family stuff?"
"Didn't say," Stillman answered, still savoring that last bite.
"There's more food," Eduardo told him with a grin, and Stillman paused briefly, then reached across Vera for another sandwich.
Scotty, his lunch momentarily forgotten, kept peppering Stillman with questions. "Did she seem all right?"
"Seemed fine," he replied, far more interested in unwrapping his second medianoche than getting involved.
Irritation began to rise in Scotty's chest. Lilly was taking off work, something she never, ever did, so it had to be something serious, and everyone else, even Boss, was too busy stuffing their faces to even care. Did it ever occur to any of these morons that maybe Lilly needed someone?
Maybe…maybe she needed him.
Impulsively, Scotty pulled his phone out and began to dial the familiar number. He had to talk to her. He had to see if he could help, space be damned. He was her boyfriend, for God's sake, and he had to--
He was stopped dead in his tracks by the sound of Kat clearing her throat. He lowered the phone and looked up, only to see her leveling him with her best "don't mess with me" look.
"Remember what we talked about?" she asked him pointedly. Scotty was silent, and she continued. "If she needs you, she'll call. Now…your cousin just brought us the best food this damn office has ever seen, and you're ruinin' it by worryin' like some old blue-haired fussbudget. So quit your whinin' and eat!"
Scotty sighed in defeat, flipped his phone closed, and bit once again into his sandwich, all the while Eduardo was guffawing to his right.
"I swear to God," Eduardo remarked, turning to Kat. "If I wasn't already taken…I'd marry you."
Everyone else, even Scotty, had to laugh. Everyone, that is, except Vera. He had turned his glare onto Eduardo, but everyone else was too busy laughing, and eating, to notice.