A/N I thought I should warn you. This is a monster chapter. And I'm not even sure I like the way it turned out, but you know I hate to keep you waiting, so...anyway, thanks to everyone who's been continuously reviewing! It really means a lot. So in this chapter, we pick up a few minutes after last chapter. We also tie off a loose end that I'd completely forgotten about, so I'm very grateful to ViolaLucien who reminded me of that certain loose end! :) I know you'll probably have a few questions that are still unanswered by the end of this chapter, but I'm claiming old age is to blame for the suckiness of certain parts...

Disclaimer: As previously mentioned, my old age is causing all sorts of things to go wrong up there. Spontaneous combustion, Grand Theft Auto, memory loss, shoplifting of television characters...the whole shebang. Amidst all this, the song at the beginning is the first verse of a song called 'White Lies' by Paolo Nutini, and the quote at the very end is by Linda Sunshine.

Her bladder had demanded yet another trip to the bathroom, and as Lilly re-entered the bull pen, she frowned at the sight before her.

"Why do the lost kids always turn up in Homicide?" she muttered, heading towards her desk. Jeffries over heard her comment, and shook his head seriously.

"That's no lost kid, Lil," he answered in a grave tone. She arched a delicate eyebrow, sitting down in Scotty's lap and watching Vera talk quietly to the little boy as they sat in the break room.

"Well, who's kid is he then?" she asked in confusion. Scotty pointed to Stillman's office, and Lilly turned, her eyes widening and her jaw dropping as she noticed who was currently being yelled at.

"No way."

"Yes way, Lil," Scotty replied, "Filled out that little 'Number of children' box wit' a zero."

Miller shook her head.

"Poor Ellie. I guess this is what she meant when she said things got complicated between her and Dean."

"Hey, you guys?" Scotty interrupted softly.

There's a heart on the line, and it rests with your eyes

They looked up as Vera took the child's hand and brought him forward.

"Tyler, these are the rest of your mom's friends," he said gently. Tyler looked around at them nervously, his green eyes now making it blatantly obvious that Manning was in fact his mother.

"Hi," Lilly said gently, smiling reassuringly. Tyler gripped Vera's hand tighter, and the burly detective felt a strange jump in his chest.

"Tyler, right?" the blonde continued, sliding off her partner's lap and reaching for her own chair, "have a seat."

His eyes flicked between her and the bump and the empty seat.

"Mommy says I should always let ladies with babies have the empty seats," he said shyly. Lilly's smile grew, and Miller chuckled.

"It's OK, Tyler. You can sit down."

He did, tentatively scooting himself back on the chair. Scotty leant forward.

"So how old are you, Tyler?" he asked softly.

"Five," came the whispered reply. The male detective ruffled the boy's blonde hair, flashes of memory coming back to him. After a moment, he shook his head.

"I'm hungry. You want somethin' too?"

Tyler nodded uncertainly, and Scotty disappeared into the break room to steal a candy bar from Lilly's hidden supply. Vera was still watching Stillman lay into Manning, watching her flinch every time his voice rose to a shouting level, and Miller saw the muscle in his jaw tighten angrily.

"Nick..." she warned.

"What?" he snapped.

"Going in there like a bull in a china shop won't help anything."

"Fuck this shit," he muttered, standing up abruptly.

Please don't fade and please don't cry

'Cause it's all white lies

Vera stormed into Stillman's office, throwing the door open. Manning and her boss stared at him in shock.

"Ellie, Tyler's askin' for you," Vera said, barely controlling the angry tremor in his voice.

Something was wrong with this situation. Vera didn't even like her, so why was he all of a sudden jumping to her defence? As he held the door, Manning walked out of Stillman's office, her head hanging low and wary of her frie...were they her friends? She'd lied to them, let her personal life affect the job...she wouldn't be surprised if they hated her now.

Take a chance watch it fall

She found tears springing to her eyes, and in one quick movement, Manning lifted Tyler out of his seat, avoiding the sympathetic looks boring into her. Tyler wrapped his arms around his mother's neck, his body stiffening as he picked up on her anxiety. Something was wrong with this situation. She headed for the exit, not bothering to stay for the rejection and disapproval she knew was bound to follow.

Grab too much and lose it all

"Ellie!"

Manning hesitated at the sound of Lilly calling her name. She tried to turn back, but her feet would move in no other direction than forwards. She could hear Stillman turning his anger on Vera. Something was wrong with this situation.

"Mommy?" Tyler whispered sadly, and she hated herself for putting the confusion in his voice.

Now I've lost my disguise

Something was wrong with this situation. It wasn't until her little boy raised a hand to her face that Ellie realized she was crying.

It was all white lies.

The day's excitement had completely exhausted her, and by the time they got home, it was a struggle for Lilly to keep her eyes open. Scotty had only gone to the bathroom, but when he returned to the bedroom, his partner had already changed into her nightwear and was asleep on the bed.

Pulling on a pair of sweat pants and stripping off his t-shirt, he lay down beside her, propping himself up on one elbow just so he could have a better view of her face. It was as if she somehow knew he was there, because after a moment or two, Lilly opened her eyes.

"What?" she asked sleepily, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are just unbelievably beautiful when you sleep," he said in a soft voice. Lilly stretched out against him.

"Flatterer," she accused with a yawn. Scotty chuckled.

"Maybe. But you love me anyway."

"Oh, really?"

"Really. Now shut up an' go to sleep."

Lilly snuggled into him, the warmth of their joined bodies more than enough to not need the covers. She kissed his bare chest, feeling his skin against hers.

"'Night, Scotty. Love you."

"I love you too, Lil. Now sleep."

"Stop tellin' me what to do, Valens," she murmured, and then she was asleep.

It took Scotty a while to succumb to unconsciousness. He couldn't seem to get Manning and Tyler out of his head. He should have seen it. Lilly did. Lilly had seen that there was something wrong, and maybe if he hadn't discouraged her from pursuing it, Ellie wouldn't be in the situation she was now.

The clock read just past two when his eyes finally gave up in their struggle, and from then on, Scotty slept solidly...

...that is until a slim figure sat down on his legs. Lilly bounced up and down, shaking him until she saw some sign of life.

After a moment of violent shaking, Scotty swatted a hand in his partner's direction.

"Come on, Scotty! Get up! I told Allie we'd be there at 11!"

"What time is it?" he grumbled.

"Just after eight," Lilly replied brightly. With a frustrated growl, Scotty rolled over, pinning her to the bed beneath him.

"Tell me you didn't jus' wake me up two and half hours early for no damn reason?"

Lilly smirked infuriatingly.

"Oh, I've got a reason," she replied huskily, the hungry glint in her eyes sending chills racing down his spine. Scotty chuckled, burying his face in the crook of his neck and laughing as she released a soft sigh.

"So how long have we got?" he murmured. Her hands were free, and Lilly let them trail over his body until they reached his hips. She tugged at the waistband of his sweatpants, gasping slightly when his tongue flicked out to touch her skin.

"A while."

"Bring it on, Lil..."

"I think my bump's too small," Lilly stated. Allie ushered them inside, shutting the door behind them.

"Hello to you too. Everyone's already here, and your bump is fine. I thought you said you'd be here at eleven?"

Lilly shrugged casually.

"We got delayed," she replied. Allie narrowed her eyes in suspicion, but thankfully any other doubts were left unspoken as Miller walked into the entrance hall. She burst into laughter at Lilly's t-shirt. The blonde detective raised an eyebrow, a smirk teasing her lips.

"What?" she asked in mock confusion, "You don't like it?" Miller wiped tears of laughter from her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with it, Lil. I just never had you down for the 'I HEART MY BUMP' kinda girl."

Lilly laughed.

"Well, I like it. Plus it covers this stupid belly band."

"Belly what?" Scotty questioned in confusion. His partner lifted her t-shirt, revealing a black piece of fabric stretched over her bump.

"A belly band. Means I can still wear these jeans with the button undone, and not look like a total tramp," she explained. Maria Valens appeared beside them.

"Pregnant woman's best friend," she added, kissing both her son and his girlfriend on the cheek.

"You look good, Lil. Allie, I think the food is ready, and I think Veronica was looking for you, Kat."

The two women headed in different directions, and Lilly was suddenly filled with an almost painful happiness. Watching the emotions flickering across her face, Scotty couldn't tear his eyes from her. This, he realized, was what Lilly should have been like- what she should have been like had she been constantly surrounded by a family who loved her.

"Hey," he said quietly, lifting a hand to her cheek, "you still with me?"

Looking up at him, Lilly knew that he was perfectly aware of the thoughts running through her head. She smiled reassuringly, taking his hand in hers.

"I'm fine."

Scotty felt the smile slide from his face as he looked into the living room. He stopped just inside the doorway, before looking back at his mother with narrowed eyes.

"What is she doing here?"

Lilly frowned, trying to follow his line of vision. His mother sighed.

"I couldn't just ignore her, niño."

"Ignore who?" Lilly asked quietly.

"Elissa's mom," he replied through gritted teeth.

"Oh," she said in a hushed voice. "Scotty, let's go. It's not worth..."

"No, bella. This will not be a problem," Maria said firmly.

"Ha sido un largo tiempo, niño," came the sudden voice from behind them. Scotty turned, reaching for his partner's hand. Hearing the breath catch in his throat, Lilly knew that this was the woman he had been so shocked to see. She squeezed his hand, watching Maria Valens make a hasty departure.

"Que tiene. ¿Cómo has estado?"

"Bien. He estado bien."

Taking a deep breath, Scotty gently pulled Lilly forward, feeling a small smile appear at the surreptitious hand she stroked along his back.

"Gloria, this is Lilly. Lil, meet Elissa's mother, Gloria."

"It's nice to meet you," his partner said, extending a hand. Gloria took it, studying Lilly carefully. The blonde detective squirmed under the intense gaze, but remained silent. After a moment, the Hispanic woman nodded, smiling up at Scotty.

"Su hija será hermoso. Me alegra que haya encontrado otro querida, guerrero. Felicidades."

And as suddenly as she had arrived, she was gone, disappearing into the back garden. Scotty released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and Lilly raised a hand to his cheek in concern.

"Are you OK? What did she say?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist, breathing in the delicate scent of her perfume and all the things that made her Lilly.

"She said she was glad I found another woman that I loved. She said congratulations, an' that our daughter will be beautiful."

Lilly looked up at him, brushing his hair back until it spiked up.

"Scotty, what's a guerrero?" she asked gently. Scotty kissed her forehead.

"Warrior," he replied in a whisper. After a moment, she spoke again, as if it was just them in the house.

"Come on. Leave with me."

Scotty rested his forehead against his partner's, taking a deep breath.

"Ma's right, Lil. This is your day. Your baby shower. I'll be fine." Lilly raised a sceptical eyebrow.

"Really?" He crouched down to place a gentle kiss just above her belly button.

"Really. Now, bella, don't go eatin' too much o' that cake, OK? Leave it to Mommy. An' if Uncle Nicky says anythin', block your ears in there. Got it, baby?"

Lilly laughed, running her hands through his hair.

"I think she's got it, Daddy. Now go lose at poker."

He only got two steps into the living room before she noticed his jaw tightening and his fist clenching. Seeing the subject of his rage, Lilly turned him towards her, narrowing her eyes fiercely.

"No," she stated bluntly.

"I don't want him anywhere near you," Scotty growled.

"Does Carlos look like he's on drugs? No."

"That ain't the point an' you know it."

"Just try to get along for today. Please."

Her partner tried to move across the room, but Lilly wrapped her hands around his shirt, holding him in place.

"Please, Scotty. For me."

"Why does this mean so much to you anyway?"

"Because if Carlos loves Lena even half as much as you love me, then he feels just as guilty over putting her in hospital as you do for Ed Marteson shooting me. It must be killing him to know what he did to her."

"Lilly..."

"Please. Just try," she begged. One glance into her big blue eyes and Scotty knew that he was finished. He sighed heavily, nodding. Lilly exhaled in relief.

"Thank you," she said softly. Grasping her hand, Scotty led her across the room. His sister looked up, sending them a cautious smile.

"Lil, Scotty..." Elena greeted uncertainly. The male detective felt his partner squeeze his hand, and he took a deep breath.

"Carlos, me gustaría..."

Lilly stamped on his foot, and stifling a cry of pain, he got the message. Continuing in English, Scotty winced at the pain spreading through his foot.

"I was jus' wonderin' if you wanted to play poker wit' us. Kitchen's for guys only."

Carlos' eyes widened.

"Me? Really?"

"You can stay wit' the ladies if you want," Scotty added quickly, "I jus' figured you might wanna get away from all the screamin' an' shit."

"I'd like that, but I haven't played poker in years," Carlos admitted. Lilly rested a hand on his arm.

"Scotty doesn't care. If you suck too, it makes him feel better."

They'd exhausted all the books of names, the catalogues of clothes and furniture, and the food was fairly demolished. From her seat on the sofa, Lilly jumped up at the sound of the door bell, almost running towards the door. Allie rolled her eyes.

"Will you take it easy? I don't want you dropping that child on my new floor, Lilly!" she shouted, aiming her comment at the blonde's fast retreating back. Maria Valens laughed, shaking her head.

"Leave her. She's having too much fun to listen."

Miller chuckled.

"Just don't let Scotty see her runnin' around like a hyped up bunny rabbit."

"Who's a hyped up bunny rabbit?" Lilly asked, reappearing in the living room.

"Veronica," Miller replied quickly.

"Who was at the door?" Maria said. The blonde detective smiled, glancing over her shoulder.

"A friend," she replied in a soft voice. Manning stepped into sight, and Miller stood up.

"Hey," she said in surprise. Ellie smiled sheepishly.

"Hi. Ty, say hello."

"Hello," Tyler said as he held out a present, and Lilly took it from him.

"Thank you, Tyler."

"You're welcome. I picked it out by my own," he replied shyly, a hint of a smile ghosting his normally serious face.

"Really? Wow!"

"Lilly, where's the...?"

Stillman stopped short at the sight of Manning, and running intervention, Lilly took him to one side.

"You've always told me that people make mistakes. That everyone deserves a second chance. Look at her, John," she said with quiet conviction. The use of his first name caught him unawares, and his eyes flicked to the younger woman, watching her talk to Miller.

Lilly continued.

"She's me, John, with all the same crazy relationships and the same fucked up family. She's one of us. And you told me that all we had to was wait, and watch, and then we decide. So decide."

Stillman felt the distant prick of tears at the very back of his eyelids, and he met and held Lilly's crystal blue stare, feeling once again that burst of pride he felt whenever she put him back in his place. He nodded.

"Alright, Lilly. Alright," he murmured, moving towards his straying detective, "Manning, a word."

"Now?" she asked uncertainly. Lilly stepped towards her.

"Hey, Tyler, you want to come meet my friends?" she asked, extending her hand. His eyes flicked between her face, Manning's face, and the hand. After a moment, he slid his palm into Lilly's, and followed her into the living room.

With a soft smile, Lilly looked back over her shoulder just in time to watch Stillman take Ellie's elbow, leading her gently to a private corner, that all too familiar air of patriarchal love surrounding him. That's the way he used to talk to me, she remembered. I just hope he can fix her like he fixed me.

If Lilly had to pick her favourite five moments, her baby shower would definitely be amongst them. From the kitchen, the sounds of the poker game made her laugh, the occasional curse word causing the woman to shout back about their blatant disregard for good manners.

Outside in the garden, the children could be heard playing a game of football, and even Manning seemed to have relaxed some. She touched Lilly on the shoulder.

"Hey."

"Hi," Lilly replied in surprise, "you're not leaving already, are you?"

"No. I just came to apologize for not telling the complete truth when I had the chance, and to say sorry for dropping in on you like this."

"You did get an invitation, didn't you?"

Allie threw a ball of paper at the pregnant detective.

"Hey! Stop chit-chatting and open some of these damn presents!" she called teasingly. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"We'll talk later, OK?" she said in a lower voice, and Manning nodded.

"Definitely."

Lilly rubbed her hands over Peanut, smiling as her daughter (it really did feel good to be able to admit to herself that it was definitely a girl) kicked fiercely.

"Valens!"

"Rush!"

They shouted for each other simultaneously, and moving in the direction of the other's voice, ended up toe to toe in the kitchen doorway.

"Hi," Lilly said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied, "what's up?"

"We're doing the presents. I'd like it if you were in here."

"Wouldn't miss it," he grinned. Vera looked up at her.

"What wouldn't he miss? Poker?"

"Presents," Lilly corrected. Watching the exchange in the doorway, Miller frowned thoughtfully.

"How long do you think Lil will stay 'Rush'?" she asked quietly. Allie and Maria exchanged glances.

"Not long," the older woman replied with a smile. Lilly reappeared in the living room, waiting for her partner to take a seat before sitting down in his lap. Julie passed her a plate.

"I saved you a piece of cake," she said. The blonde detective smiled gratefully.

"Thanks."

"OK, so let's get started with presents," Allie began as the six women shuffled around to make room for the men that had followed.

"Jesus! Watch it, fatass!" Miller exclaimed. Vera rolled his eyes.

"Well, why don't you move up?"

Lilly and Scotty exchanged amused looks, before she cleared her throat.

"Why doesn't one of you just sit in the other armchair?" she pointed out. Miller blushed, glaring at Lilly. The blonde smirked infuriatingly, noting that even now, neither of them moved to the spare seat.

"So who's first?" Allie said, watching the whole exchange with a grin.

"I am," Lindsey said as she handed over a present, watching as the pregnant detective readjusted her position so that Scotty could see. At an agonizingly slow pace, Lilly began to undo the tape, peeling each piece off one by one.

"This is worse than your birthday," Scotty teased, kissing her cheek.

"Shut up."

Lilly carefully removed the paper, smirking up at Lindsey.

"This won't come back to bite me on the ass will it?" she asked. Her friend rolled her eyes.

"Open the damn gift, Lil."

The blonde detective did, sliding off the final layer of tissue paper and smiling at the silver photo frame in her hands. Scotty chuckled, tracing his fingers over the engraving.

"'Mom, Dad and Baby'. Thanks, Lindsey," he said sincerely. She shook her head.

"No problem. Just make sure I get a copy of whatever picture ends up in there."

The doorbell rang again, and Lilly frowned. Scotty looked around, doing a quick head count.

"You invite someone else?"

"No. Did you?"

"No. You want me to get it?"

She stood up.

"No, I got it," she said, heading for the front door. "It's probably just one of Allie's neighbours complaining about the..."

The words disappeared from her tongue as she opened the door. Lilly felt her chest tighten.

"Hey, Lil."

For maybe the first time in her adult life, Christina wasn't plastered in make-up, and the still fading bruises on her face were clearly visible. Lilly took a deep breath.

"What are you doing here?" she asked quietly. Chris smiled shyly.

"I called the precinct. Said I was family. They told me where you'd be."

"What are you doing here?" Lilly repeated. Christina felt her smile fade.

"Don't worry. I'm not staying. I wanted to apologize, and to give you this," she said, offering up the small wrapped box. Lilly looked down at it warily. Christina laughed softly.

"Gift receipt is in the box, Lil."

The blonde detective stared at the gift, silently contemplating what to say. After a moment, she looked up, closing one eye against the bright sunlight.

"Where did you go? I woke up that morning and you were gone," she asked. Christina smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, it was kinda crazy. But I got a lawyer, Lil. She's doing it pro bono. Judge overruled my sentence. And I got myself into Temple. Business management, you know?"

A tiny smile appeared on Lilly's face.

"Wow," she said softly.

"Yep."

For the first time, the blonde detective noticed a third person on the path, and frowned slightly. Chris looked over her shoulder, and the guy stepped forward.

"Hi," he said with a smile.

"Hi," Lilly replied guardedly. Her sister took a deep breath.

"Lil, this is Ben. We're...friends."

The irony wasn't lost on Lilly, and she arched an amused eyebrow at her sister's obvious discomfort.

"Friends?" she echoed. Ben nodded.

"Good friends. We met at the hospital."

"Patient?" Lilly asked.

"Doctor," Ben replied with a smile. Her eyes flicked back to Christina, and seeing her sister's need for approval, Lilly felt a familiar twang at her heart strings.

"Are you sure you can't stay?"

"I don't think I should, Lil," Chris replied sadly, "but I just wanted to let you know that I'll be staying in Philly. With Ben..." her voice trailed off. He cleared his throat.

"I live on my own in a two bed apartment. I needed a flatmate," he explained. Lilly nodded.

"Just don't let her cook."

Christina started in surprise at the jibe, before a smile spread across her face.

"Thanks, Lil," she said sarcastically, secretly elated that her sister had accepted the proverbial olive branch. Ben laughed, and took her hand.

"We better go. It was nice to meet you, Detective."

"You too."

"I'll be a minute, OK?" Chris said quietly. Ben nodded, walking back to his car. Lilly watched him leave, approval evident on her face.

"He seems nice," she said nonchalantly. Christina nodded.

"He is."

"I'm still running a background check."

"Knew you would."

"You better go," Lilly said quietly, "he's waiting."

Lilly watched her walk back down the path, and found herself calling out before she could contain it.

"Wait!"

Chris turned back, and suddenly found herself wrapped in a tight embrace. Lilly felt tears appear in her eyes, and she blinked them away.

"I'm glad you came," she said. Christina hugged her back fiercely.

"You taught me everything I needed to know," she whispered. Lilly smiled, finishing the quote.

"And I was only in the sixth grade at the time."

Meh. Maybe just leave me areview to let me know what you thought? I always love reading them. Oh yeah, and who else is totally psyched that Cold Case is back for Season 7? I've already made a list of predictions of stuff that I think will go down. Or would LOVE to see happen. Yeah, ya'll know what I'm talking about! :D