Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or ideas from The Killing. It's all just way too much fun.

Spoilers: Season 2, episode 4

DAY 17

Linden and Holder are in the car, waiting to tail Alexi when he comes out of Yannic's restaurant. They've been there waiting for a while.

Holder, being Holder, decides it's time to make more interesting conversation. And besides, he likes giving Linden a hard time. "So what's up with you and that fed? You and that Tom Waits wannabe ever hook up, or what?" Linden just stares into the distance, not acknowledging the questions.

"Oh, snap! Linden rocked the booty call." Linden smiles slightly and glances over her shoulder at him. "Dial 1-900-LINDEN" Holder says in a sing-songy voice.

"That's not even enough numbers." She wants to be annoyed, but she has to admit, he's the tiniest bit funny. She can't help but smile a little.

"Pretty slick Linden, that candy bar move in juvie."

"They trade them in there. It's like money."

"It did seem familiar," Holder replies.

"It was my first job I worked out of the academy," Linden volunteers.

"That right?"

"Yeah."

Holder decides to press her about her past, just a little bit. Sometimes he gets away with it, sometimes not so much, but he's a risk taker. "I thought you said you were running back in the day, when you were in that foster home."

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah you did. You said you bolted every six months." Linden just stares straight ahead, looking like she's kicking herself mentally for ever telling him that. Holder bravely – stupidly? – ignores the red flags that he should maybe have seen then. "It makes sense. You know, with Sonoma and everything."

Linden gives him an icy look. Though, of course, he hadn't mean anything critical by it, he has just crossed the line. He attempts to defend himself. "I'm just making conversation since we're wasting our time here anyway."

But it's too late. It's like something has just snapped in her, and her tolerance for his banter has just evaporated. "You're right, this is a waste of time. Get out." Linden starts the car and puts on her seatbelt.

"Come on, Linden... For real?" Holder stares at her, shocked, for a minute before he finally gets out.

"What am I supposed to do our here?" he asks her through the open window.

"Your job. Call in for a car and keep your eyes open for Alexi." With that, Linden drives away.

"Alright… I guess we're back to normal." Holder shakes his head. Just when he thinks he may have Linden figured out, she's still full of surprises.

Holder

Well, damn, that sure didn't go the way I thought it would. It was like one second we were having a nice little chat, and the next second she was kicking me out of the car. I guess I should've known better than to bring up Sonoma. She was only pleasantly annoyed with me before that… she would've claimed to have been annoyed, she could easily have told me to shut up… and yet, she smirked and played along. She would never admit it, but she likes the attention, I'm convinced. I'm just a charming guy.

But I admit it, sometimes I forget that there's a line with her, and that when I step over it I'm immediately shut out. I know that it's not that she doesn't trust me, or more specifically that she doesn't trust me in particular. She doesn't trust anyone past a certain point. She doesn't want to open up more than she has to, ever. I'm assuming that it's a product of growing up in foster care. Seems like that would've been hard.

I guess I need to work on not sticking my foot in my mouth around her. It seems to happen more around her than anyone else, somehow.

Linden

Most of the time, Holder is just harmlessly annoying. This time, however, he was over the line. You'd think he'd have figured out by now where the line is. Rick is none of his business. I guess I never told Holder that Jack and I are back here for good, of course, but still… He knows that things between Rick and I have been completely messed up, and it's really not his place to rub it in my face, kidding or not.

He may not do it deliberately – say things that get to me in such a personal way, and make me react without even thinking – but somehow I can't help but snap when he does. And push him away. I've worked so hard to never let anyone in… how does he do it, see through me, despite my best effort to stop him?

It's kinda scary when he sees through me to the truth. No, scratch that. It's terrifying. How am I supposed to protect myself when he can see right through me?

…

When Linden thought about it later, she knew that she shouldn't have kicked Holder out of the car. Sure, he could call the station and get a car brought to him, but still. It was the principle. He had said something she didn't like, yes. It had over the line – without question. He really should have learned to read her better by now, and have a better idea which topics were off limits – or at least she thought so. Holder wasn't one for subtlety – using it or picking up on it. After she had calmed down – which wasn't until she had long since left him behind on the side of the road – she did feel bad about her reaction. They'd developed a good working relationship for the most part. She knew that she tended to lash out when she felt threatened. She just never seemed to be able to stop herself.

In any case, they were due to meet up again in a few hours to go over what they had so far on Alexi. Linden generally kept up her stony exterior with everyone, even Holder for the most part, but she decided that in this case a peace offering was in order. She stopped on her way to the station and picked up a coffee and a maple bacon doughnut for Holder, as well as a coffee and a more normal flavored doughnut for herself. She left his on his desk when she got to the office, and then got to work reviewing what they'd learned so far. By the time Holder arrived 20 minutes later, Linden had forgotten that she'd even left him anything.

Holder stopped in the doorway and looked from his desk, to Linden and back again. He smiled ever so slightly – that charming smile that always seemed to get him out of trouble. "Oh, snap, Linden. How'd you know I was hungry?"

"What?" Linden looked up from the files strewn across her desk, momentarily confused. Her eyes rested on the items she'd left on his desk and she realized what he was talking about. "Oh, that? Well, to be fair, you're ALWAYS hungry…" she began. Holder nodded slightly. He couldn't argue with that. "And, you know, I…. uh…" Linden faltered. She was good at knee jerk reactions. She was not good at apologizing for them. "I shouldn't have kicked you out of the car. Sorry." She turned back to the files in front of her before the last word was even out of her mouth. It had come out as barely a whisper.

Holder set him jacket on the chair beside his desk and sat down across from Linden. "It's all good, Linden. You're a little abusive, but you're still my BFF."

She glanced up, surprised to have heard him call her abusive – wasn't that a little harsh? – to see him grinning at her. Ohhhh, he's joking. The corners of her mouth turned up the tiniest bit and she said "Can we talk about work now?" Still, Holder considered it a victory. Cracking Linden's tough shell was one challenge that kept him guessing all the time.

"That's what we're here for, ain't it?" he replied without hesitation.