A/N So in this chapter, we start to get an idea of how Lilly is really feeling- now, I promised fluff, and there is fluff, but Lilly keeps letting me know that she's not in a very fluffy mood right now. But I'm working on it, I swear! ;)

On a more serious note, I just want to send my best thoughts and prayers to the families of those killed or injured in the DC Metro crash yesterday. I treated a lot of those injured in the accident, and I wish that they will all be OK.

Disclaimer: I did buy myself some lillies for the living room, and I did use a Cuban recipe for dinner the other night, and I did...sigh. No, they're not really mine.

"Hey, Will?" Miller asked, eyeing her computer screen, "what date is your PC showing?"

"The 7th. Why?" he asked in confusion. His colleague released a growl of frustration, reaching for her cup of coffee.

"Because Fatass changed my calendar again."

As Jeffries chuckled, Scotty stormed into the bullpen, followed by a very smug Lilly. Miller choked on her coffee, spitting it back into the mug.

"You should be at home!"

Hearing Kat's exclamation, Stillman appeared from his office.

"Rush! What the hell are you doing here?" he exclaimed, and if he wasn't so pissed off, Scotty would have laughed at the outrage in his voice. The blonde detective cradled Maddy against her shoulder, smiling in satisfaction.

"We were bored," she stated innocently, fiddling the hood of her sweater. The boss turned to his male detective, eyebrows raised questioningly. Scotty narrowed his eyes at Lilly, who poked her tongue at him.

"You ever tried arguin' with her?" he asked defensively. Stillman chuckled knowingly, reaching out to take the sleeping baby. Miller hugged Lilly, grinning.

"I hate you, Rush," she said, "did you actually put on any baby weight at all?"

Lilly laughed.

"You'll never find out," she replied. Scotty's jaw set stubbornly, and he glared at her. Her smile faded slightly. Vera ambled in, chomping on a donut.

"Mornin' Valens, Rush," he said, walking towards his desk. He stopped. The others exchanged amused glances. "Wait…" Vera turned around. "Lil?"

Miller punched his arm.

"You, fatass, stop changing the calendar on my computer!"

"Ow! Jesus, Kat!" he whined, rubbing the sore spot.

"Touch my stuff again and you'll be gettin' a lot worse than that," she warned. He grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. Lilly rolled her eyes.

"You're a pig," she muttered. Jeffries chuckled.

"Welcome back, Lil."

"She ain't back," Scotty interrupted sharply. His partner glanced up at him, a faint blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Can we not do this here, please?" she said quietly. Scotty narrowed his eyes, storming off into the break room. Manning, who had arrived just in time to see the door slam shut, raised her eyebrows.

"I really should get here earlier. Everything interesting always happens before I arrive."

It was really no surprise that the cold case squad got very little work done with a two week old baby in the room. Stepping out from his office, Stillman had to chuckle at the sight of Vera cradling Maddy in the crook of his elbow.

"She was cryin', OK? Gimme a goddamn break," the burly detective muttered. Jeffries shook his head, fighting back a grin.

"I think you're doin' a fine job, Nicky," he said in mock seriousness. Vera glared at him, gently rocking the baby from side to side. He glanced down, and a broad smile split his face.

"Hey, I think she's smilin'!" he exclaimed. As if appearing from know where, Miller appeared behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"Nope. It's just gas."

Stillman laughed at the disappointment on his detective's face.

"Don't you have work you should be doing?"

"You see anyone else busting their asses around here, boss?" Miller replied in amusement.

"I just don't see anyone else."

"Manning's taking a phone call..."

"Dean again?"

"They're fighting over whose weekend with Tyler it is, and Lilly's..."

"Right here."

Lilly glanced between the empty car seat, the break room (where Scotty still be seen glaring into a case file) and the finally to her colleagues, searching for her child. Seeing Maddy settled comfortably in Vera's arms, she couldn't help but laugh.

"That's a good look for you, Nick."

"Bite me, Rush."

She took Maddy from him, lifting the baby over her shoulder and rubbing circles on her back. Maddy burped, and Vera rolled his eyes.

"Why does she get to do that, an' I don't? Talk about double standards."

"She gets to do that because she's adorable," Miller retorted. Jeffries chuckled.

"And because Miller would kick your backside if you ever did that in public."

"Damn straight," she said proudly. Stillman cleared his throat.

"You're distracting my detectives, Rush."

"Sorry, boss."

"I actually needed you for something anyway," Stillman said, and handed her a file, "Arson suspect from '06 waiting in Interrogation. You want it?"

Lilly stared at him incredulously.

"Really?" He nodded.

"If you think you're up to it."

She took a deep breath, her cheek resting lightly on the top of Maddy's head.

"I'm up to it."

"Good. It's a fairly open-shut case, but a confession would be real nice, Lil."

"Got it."

Miller tried not to take Maddy too eagerly from the blonde detective.

"I'll look after Maddy for you, Lil," she said, barely hiding her excitement. Vera shook his head, sighing in defeat. There was just something about holding a tiny baby that made all women, including his normally tough-as-nails partner, turn into hopeless, brainless morons.

Morgan Everett was a fairly non-descript young man, looking all of his nineteen years. He glared at Lilly as she entered.

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded.

"You can call me Detective," she replied. He scoffed.

"You're not a detective."

Lilly shrugged carelessly.

"Let's see if you're still saying that when I'm done with you."

"Whatever," he muttered, folding his arms and slumping down in his seat. Lilly eyed him for a moment, listening to the rate of his breathing increase when the tense silence began to get to him.

"You don't have to say anything," she said eventually, "I know what happened."

"You don't know shit," Morgan replied sharply. The detective chuckled.

"Oh yeah?"

The defiant certainty in his eyes wavered.

"You've got nothing."

"OK, then let me lay it out for you. Frost House was your last chance. Rehab, or juvy. People were always giving you a hard time, making you life miserable. So that night you decided to show them what you really thought. You knew everybody else would be at the Gala. You got all dressed up in your second hand suit, and your dirty tie, then as soon as the lights dimmed, you hitched a ride back to Frost."

The color had drained from Morgan's face, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"You don't know that," he said, the false bravado in his voice almost comical. Lilly's face split into a smirk.

"CCTV footage has you walking out at 7:32pm."

"Fuck," he muttered. Lilly shrugged, looking down at the folder for a second, and then back up to her suspect.

"Oh, I'm just getting started. You went in, changed clothes and left the suit in the woods outside. Started the fire, stripped, then threw the clothes into the flames. Instant evidence disposal. You put the suit on again, caught a taxi cab back to the Gala before anyone even knew you were gone."

She paused.

"It was clever," she admitted, "but you screwed up, Morgan."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"You forgot that Mikey West had the flu. He and Nurse Atkins were holed up in the medical room. Couldn't go to the Gala because he was full of cold."

Morgan barely concealed a gasp. His mouth fell open, as if he was searching for something to say. Lilly nodded understandingly, sitting back in her chair.

"Yeah. You killed two people. You must be so proud."

"I didn't...there wasn't supposed to be...what? No. You're wrong."

"No," Lilly said sharply, "I'm not. It's all in the file, Morgan. Every last little bit."

A sizeable lump rose in his throat, and his eyes darted between Lilly, the file, and the floor.

"I want a lawyer."

Lilly closed the door on Morgan's barely concealed tears, watching the lawyer attempt damage control. Stillman handed her a mug of hot chocolate, nodding his approval.

"Good job, Lil."

"I guess. You think the lawyer will deal?"

"Probably. Now go take a break. Scotty's already hopping mad that I let you do that interview."

She looked around, noting her four colleagues working busily at their desks.

"Where's Maddy?"

"With Daddy. Last I knew he was changing her diaper and about to give her a bottle."

"Thanks, boss."

Lilly knew as soon as she stepped into the break room that maybe this time she had taken her workaholic outlook on life too far. Maddy was in her car seat on the table, fast asleep and smiling slightly. The blonde detective pressed a gentle kiss to the baby's forehead, before moving closer to her partner.

She gently touched his arm, her blue eyes wide and searching.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked softly. Scotty glanced at her briefly, before returning his gaze to the folder.

"Nope."

"Scotty..." she pleaded. Her partner sighed heavily, setting the file down and turning to face her.

"Blowin' off Maddy for some scumbag arsonist?"

"I didn't blow her off, Scotty. She was falling asleep, so I gave her to Miller. If I thought she needed me, I would have stayed. You know I would have stayed!"

"You shouldn't have done that interview."

"Why not?"

"I jus' think you should be takin' it easy. You ain't slept properly in days. I mean, last night you were in so deep you didn't even hear Maddy cryin'! An' she was right next to you!"

Lilly looked at him aghast, the color draining from her cheeks.

"She was crying? Why?"

"'Cause she was hungry, Lil."

"Oh," his partner replied in a tiny voice. Scotty shook his head.

"You ain't Superwoman, Lilly. Nobody's expectin' you to be here. In fact, I don't even know why you ARE here?"

"Because I like it here."

"Lil..."

Her reply almost broke his heart.

"Because I don't trust myself to be on my own with Maddy."

"Why didn't you say anythin'?" Scotty breathed, moving closer and lifting a hand to her cheek.

"'Our greatest weakness lies in giving up'," she whispered, shutting her eyes.

Scotty let his hands fall to the small of her back, and pulled her against him. At the unexpected jolt, Lilly's eyes flew open, looking up at him in surprise. She stared at him for a few moments. From the look of hesitation in her eyes, he knew she was deciding on something, most likely making up her mind and then thinking of a thousand things to persuade her otherwise. Eventually, Lilly managed to speak.

"Can I ask you something?"

Scotty's eyes darkened.

"It ain't good if you gotta ask if you can ask me," he said seriously. Lilly folded her arms, taking a few steps away from him.

"So is that a 'no'?" she asked tentatively. He sighed.

"Go ahead an' ask. Won't guarantee an answer..." His partner hesitated.

"Do you...regret, not having this...with Elissa?"

Scotty pulled away from her in surprise, a frown creasing his forehead.

"Have what wit' Elissa?"

"This," Lilly explained softly, gesturing between them, "the house, the baby..."

He moved his hands down her spine, and then back up, caressing each smooth ridge beneath his fingertips and committing their feel to memory. He took a deep breath.

"I...don't know, Lil. I can't answer that, 'cause I don't know what me an' Elissa woulda been like now..." Her eyes were fixed on his chest, and the male detective lifted her chin to look at her.

"But I do know that I wouldn't change anythin' for the world."

Scotty had worked hard and fast until all of his work was finished. Now he leant against the doorframe at the entrance to Stillman's office, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Jeffries peered over his shoulder, and chuckled. Lilly lay asleep on the sofa, with Maddy curled up on her chest. The baby slept peacefully on top of her mother, sucking on her fist.

"I'm proud of you, Valens," Jeffries said quietly, patting Scotty's back. The younger detective nodded.

"Thanks, man. I know...I know earlier, when I lost it over Lil bein' here, I sorta screwed up, but..."

"You have every right to screw up a couple of times, Scotty. Just don't make a habit of it, OK?" Jeffries warned in a soft voice. Scotty swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" he asked. Jeffries once again patted him on the back, moving around in front of him.

"Anytime," he replied. The younger detective took a deep breath.

"When you wanted to...propose...to your wife..."

"I created a moment."

Scotty nodded slowly.

"Created a moment..." he echoed. Jeffries cleared his throat.

"I don't have much," he said awkwardly, "but..."

"Yeah," Scotty interrupted, hearing his colleague's voice trail off, "I know."

Pushing off the doorframe and crossing the room to his partner, Scotty grinned, and scooped his daughter up into his arms. Maddy stirred, her small fist clenching around his shirt. Scotty kissed her head, before passing the baby to Jeffries. The big detective held Maddy gently, his hand easily cupping her head. Scotty straightened, nodding in the direction of Lilly's desk.

"Her car seat is over there."

Jeffries nodded, carrying the baby into the bullpen. He groaned as Miller squealed, and Scotty chuckled as he heard his daughter being passed over. He sat down on the edge of the sofa, bending his head to kiss Lilly's forehead. She stirred, and feeling that the weight had been lifted from her chest, she sat up suddenly.

"Maddy!" she exclaimed breathlessly. Scotty placed a reassuring hand on her waist, kissing her gently. Breaking away, he smoothed his thumb over her cheek.

"She's with Miller. She's fine."

The blonde detective breathed a shaky sigh of relief. She sat up, allowing Scotty more room on the sofa. Lilly rested her head on his shoulder.

"What's up?"

"I'm done, Lil. We can go home."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked softly, rubbing her eyes. He chuckled, and the pair fell into a thoughtful silence.

"We made a person, Rush," Scotty said in a whisper. Lilly met his astonished eyes.

"I know. Believe it or not I was actually there," she replied teasingly. He kissed her temple, running his hand up her arm. Lilly sighed contentedly, and as she tucked her head under his chin, wrapped her fingers around his.

"I'm glad you didn't give up on me," she whispered. Scotty nodded, smiling softly.

"No-one else I'd rather fight for, Lil."

It was later, when they were back in the safety of their own home, that Lilly remembered something Miller had said. Scotty looked up as she appeared beside him.

"Am I too skinny?" she asked.

"Nope."

"You didn't even think about it!"

"Didn't need to," Scotty replied easily, "you're perfect."

Lilly realized that she was being silly and childish.

"I'm sorry. It's just...I was looking in the mirror, and you can't even tell I've been pregnant, Scotty! The mirror just shows some skinny white girl who still has the figure of a thirteen year old."

He gave her a sparing glance over the top of his magazine.

"We need a new mirror," he stated, returning his eyes to the page. She frowned.

"Why?"

"Because the one we have is lyin' to ya, Lil."

That last scene really didn't seem so random when I wrote it...but maybe I'll just have to insert a random scene every so often? Weird. Anyway, thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing! If you could keep it going, because there ARE only five chapters left, that would totally make my day! :D