A/N: Okay, look. I said it wouldn't be months, but it's been months. Again. I can only apologize and ask that you hold me accountable!

She'd kissed him. She, Lilly Rush, had kissed him, Scotty Valens. Fine, on the cheek. But her lips had been touching his skin, he reasoned, therefore it counted, and he'd have words with anybody who said otherwise.

Scotty tugged at his tie, feeling heat prickle down his spine as he recalled the brush of her lips and the smell of her perfume. He wondered what she'd taste like, if he pulled her hair to the side and spent time at the top of her spine. Shaking the thought away - he was at work, after all - he cleared this throat and straightened his tie.

Lilly Rush had kissed him.

With a spring in his step, he headed for the surprisingly busy break room, working his way to the coffee pot.

"Dammit, Vera, how have you managed to eat all the jelly donuts already?" Miller complained, glaring into the half empty box. Jeffries, from his seat at the table, chuckled at her mutinous expression. Vera, on the other hand, merely shrugged.

"Snooze, you lose."

Scotty grinned, pouring coffee into two mugs.

"Mornin', guys."

"Morning, Scotty," his boss replied, peering over the rims of his glasses, "It's going to be a slow one today. Get your paperwork squared away for the Jones case."

"Did we close it?" Scotty asked in surprise. Jeffries shook his head.

"No, but we're making slow progress. Waiting on DNA results from the FBI."

Scotty nodded, but before he could reply, Vera let out a loud curse.

"Goddamn it," he growled, clutching one hand to his chest and glaring at his recalcitrant partner.

"Snooze, you lose," Miller said blithely, a donut in one hand and a fork in the other.

"You stabbed me!"

She shrugged. "Your hand was in the way."

Jeffries chuckled, shaking his head. "So, Scotty," he said, "Any birthday plans?"

Scotty shifted uncomfortably as three pairs of eyes turned to him.

"Nah," he replied with an awkward chuckle, "Not really."

"Unacceptable," Miller interjected.

"It's just a birthday," he protested, laughing. Stillman studied him for a minute, his eyebrow raised in question. Scotty had been on the receiving end of that look before, and it had never ended well for him.

"No date, Scotty?" the lieutenant asked, and Scotty felt a wave of uncertainty dance along his neck. He knows, whispered a voice in his mind. He shook his head.

"Nah, boss. At least not that I'm…"

Miller gasped suddenly, and leaned towards him. "Are you seeing someone?"

Jesus, he thought, feeling her hand tighten around his wrist as her eyes gleamed in anticipation. What was he supposed to do now? Miller was like a dog with a bone when she thought she had gossip.

"Not exactly," he hedged, looking around for an escape. Grinning, Vera shrugged, and he and Jeffries slid from their seats. Scotty glared at both of them as they left him to Miller's interrogation. He'd get them back later, he reasoned.

Stillman stayed in his seat, facing the door, and watched the interaction with calm curiosity.

Miller scoffed. "'Not exactly'. You're a shitty liar. Who is she? Do I know her? How long? Give me a name, Valens."

"Look, Kat, she's amazin', but it's not…"

"A name, Valens!"

A movement to his left caught his attention. "Lil!" he exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of his chair, "Got your coffee."

His partner, smirking in a way that told him her convenient arrival had been anything but coincidence, took it from him.

"Thanks. Morning Kat, Boss. What were you talking about?"

Miller, slightly put out that her interrogation had been halted in its tracks, pointed to Scotty.

"His disappointing birthday plans, and he's seeing someone."

Lilly turned to him, arching a delicate eyebrow in surprise. "Oh really? Disappointing birthday plans?"

Their colleague rolled her eyes. "Really, Lil? You're not even gonna ask about Romeo's love affair?"

Feeling mischievous, and knowing that her lack of interest would drive Miller crazy, Lilly shrugged. Stillman hid a grin behind his coffee cup.

"Nope," she said simply, "What are your birthday plans, Scotty?"

His partner was enjoying his discomfort far too much, Scotty felt, so turnabout was fair play.

"Nothin' much. Work, then maybe grab dinner with my friend." Miller's uttered response to his emphasis was succinct, and to his satisfaction, Lilly's eyes narrowed in warning. He went on with a grin, "Maybe watch a movie."

"Wow," Miller said, "I thought you were thirty-somethin', not sixty-somethin'."

"I think it sounds like a great plan," Lilly responded, and Stillman's smile grew at the passionate defense of her partner. Miller arched an eyebrow.

"Well," she replied slowly, "Hopefully Valens' girlfriend doesn't drop him for being boring."

Lilly had to bite her tongue. Scotty chuckled, shifting in his seat.

"Gee, thanks, Kat."

As Miller launched into her proposal of what she deemed to be a more age-appropriate birthday celebration, Stillman took the momentary distraction as an opportunity to slip away, satisfied that his long-held suspicions - since before Lil was shot - looked like they'd be confirmed sooner rather than later. He'd seen Lilly arrive, a good few minutes before she made her presence known. He'd seen the way her eyes lit up when they landed on Scotty, and the pink blush that had risen in her cheeks as she watched him, and how the corner of her mouth had curved prettily when Scotty said that his mystery woman was amazing.

They hadn't made him a detective for nothing, he thought wryly.

Throughout the morning, between paperwork and phone calls, Miller continued to hound Scotty about his birthday plans, but was magnanimous enough to let the subject of his mystery romance drop. Lilly had kept up her defense of his ideas, but had flushed pink when she became the subject of Miller's dogged interrogation. When one particularly humiliating account of a previous birthday had her colleague howling in laughter, Lilly rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to get more coffee," she said. Scotty had been more than conscious of the fact that his relationship with Lilly, or whatever the hell it was, had almost been blurted out in front of their boss, but hadn't had a chance to get her alone to clear it up. He stood as she did, too suddenly, for his partner looked at him in confusion. He waved his empty coffee mug at her.

"Me too."

Following her into the break room, and making sure none of his colleagues were sneaking up on them, Scotty curled a hand around her elbow, gently tugging her to a stop.

"Look, Lil, I didn't…earlier, Miller, you know, she cornered me. I didn't…"

"It's okay," Lilly said with a quick smile, "I heard."

"I wouldn't have…Boss was there, and…"

"It's okay, Scotty. Really."

Scotty blew out a breath. "So…tomorrow. Dinner and a movie at my place?"

Lilly felt her cheeks pink again, unbelievably pleased that he wanted to spend his birthday with her.

"You're not going to see your parents?"

Scotty hesitated. He hadn't thought about that. His mom would be disappointed. She'd probably made tamales. But…Lil. He shrugged. "I'll see 'em at the weekend."

"Then I'd love to," she replied, and he grinned.

"Great."

Lilly hated her own birthday, but was more than happy to celebrate other people's. She arrived earlier than usual - even Stillman wasn't there yet - and set Scotty's gift on the table in the break room. She'd just brewed coffee when she heard Vera's cheerful whistle behind her.

"Mornin', Rush."

"Morning, Vera. You're here early."

He grinned, "Gotta get the best donuts before Miller gets here."

"Would it kill you to be nice?"

"I am nice. Besides, she stabbed me with a fork. In a police station," he replied, eyeing up the box on the table, "Those fancy donuts or somethin'?"

He reached for the lid, but a sharp slap on the wrist had him hastily pulling his hand back.

"This is for Scotty," Lilly said, narrowing her eyes and dragging the box protectively out of his reach. Vera studied her warily.

"You didn't cook, did you?"

Her eye roll had him chuckling, but he dropped into a chair. While Lilly carefully stood a card against the box, fiddling with it until it stood upright, Vera watched her. He'd never talked about it, but it had taken him a while to forget the sight of her lying, bleeding, on the floor of the interrogation room. They'd spent hours in the hospital that night, waiting and wondering. Some days, he still wondered.

"We missed you, you know," he said. Lilly looked at him, and granted him a small smile.

"You're only saying that because I brought cake," she replied, but the warmth in her eyes took the sting out of her words. His grin returned.

"Maybe."

"Morning Lil, Nicky," Stillman said, "Good news. The FBI lab called. They managed to pull DNA from the necklace Dillon took from Katy, the one he gave back to her mother. It matches DNA in an old assault case, taken from one James Robert Walker, a.k.a. Bobby Dillon. His DNA was found under a trace of Katy's blood. We got him."

Lilly sighed, a weight lifting off her chest. Vera let out a whoop, pumping his fist. Miller, having just walked in, blinked in surprise.

"The Phillies win a game or something?" she asked, nodding in Vera's direction. Stillman chuckled.

"We have Dillon's DNA at the crime scene. It's enough."

The light of victory in her eyes, Miller nodded.

"Now we just have to catch him."

Scotty had always enjoyed his birthday, ever since he was a small boy, but this year, the anticipation seemed a step above. He'd get to spend the whole day with Lil. Detective Rush first, he corrected, then Lil.

As Scotty dropped his jacket over the back of his chair, Vera raised a hand in greeting, his desk phone pressed to his ear. He pointed to the balcony, and Scotty nodded.

"Thanks, man," he said quietly. Vera grinned, then returned his attention to the call.

He pushed the balcony doors open, and Lilly turned. Scotty heard his breath catch. Every time he thought he'd got his feelings under control, that he could wait until this case was over, she stole his breath and rendered him speechless.

She must have been deep in thought, because he'd made it all the way across to her and called her name before she knew he was there.

"Mornin', Lil."

His partner jumped, spinning to look at him, but the alarm faded quickly, to be replaced by a beaming smile.

"Morning, Scotty. Happy birthday."

Before he could move, Lilly had stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug. She'd caught him off-guard, and he wobbled slightly, catching her by the waist. The momentum had them both spinning in a circle, and Lilly laughed breathlessly, until Scotty steadied them both.

"Thanks."

Lilly slid out of his grasp. "I got you something," she said shyly.

"Oh yeah? Don't you still owe me a massage?"

He looked so pleased with himself, so happy and smug, that Lilly was struck with the sudden desire to kiss the smirk from his lips. Instead, she took a step back, fixed him with a hard look, and headed back inside.

Scotty chuckled, the barely-there quirk at the corner of her mouth telling him that she wasn't really upset. Glancing over her shoulder, Lilly led him to the break room. He felt a small lump rise in his throat at the cake and the card stood peacefully on the table. Seeing the smile fade from his face, Lilly frowned in concern.

"It's just a cake," she said hurriedly, "And I didn't bake it. Di did. So…"

Scotty grabbed her hand, and the sudden movement strangled the words Lilly was about to spew forth. She looked at his large hand covering her own, and was silent.

"It's perfect," her partner said, "Lilly, you didn't have to go to all this trouble."

Lilly looked up at him, and granted him another one of those smiles that made his heart stop.

"I wanted to," she said simply, then dropped his hand to move around the table. She passed him the card. "You can pass it on, if you don't want it. The gift. I mean, it's nothing big, so…"

She fell silent at Scotty's glance, biting her lower lip. She held her breath as he opened the envelope, but when his eyes widened and his face split into a wide grin, she let it go in relief.

"Seriously? Lilly! These are amazing!" he said, grabbing her hand again and pulling her into a tight hug. Lilly smiled into the fabric of his shirt, then stepped back just as Vera stuck his head around the doorframe.

"Did I hear someone mention cake?"

Scotty laughed. "Sure, but it's not going to taste as good as the sweet taste of victory when the Phillies beat the Mets in the National League playoffs."

Vera looked outraged when his colleague held up two tickets, the red 'P' of the logo shining under the lights.

"Lil, you got him playoff tickets? All Miller got me for my birthday was a punch in the arm and a 'Congratulations on being one year closer to retirement'."

Scotty grinned. "Be nice about it, Nicky, an' I might take you wit' me."

Vera smiled sweetly. "Here, Scotty. Take a seat. Put your feet up. Let me get you some cake. Have I told you how nice you look in that tie?"

Now that the case was winding down, the detectives were filled with a renewed optimism and drive. Coupled with the lightened mood brought about by birthday celebrations, the day seemed to fly past, and before they knew it, Lilly and Scotty were the last ones in the office. They'd put away all of the paperwork and case files, so sat on the break room sofa, shoes off, the cake box between them. The cake itself had been demolished, and the two detectives were just finishing off the crumbs.

"Thanks, Lil," Scotty said suddenly.

"For what?"

"For makin' today special. For bein' you. It was good to see you laughin'."

Her face suddenly serious, Lilly looked away. "I'm just glad being me is enough."

Scotty stiffened. "Lil…"

"Don't you two have somewhere else to be?"

At Stillman's voice from the doorway, Lilly jumped, turning her head so fast it made her dizzy.

"Boss. We thought you'd gone home."

"Meeting upstairs," he replied, making note of how Scotty's hand lay awkwardly between them, as if it had been halfway towards her when it dropped, aimlessly. The younger detective cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably, feeling that, once again, their lieutenant knew more than he let on.

"Did you need us for somethin', boss?"

"No. You should head out, Valens. What with your remarkable birthday plans and all."

Scotty chuckled nervously, then stood, rubbing his hands on his pants and slipping his feet back into his shoes.

"Lil, I'll, uh…want me to walk you to your car?"

"Sure," she replied, "I'll just clear this up."

Stillman, who had tried not to chuckle at their awkward interaction, set his glasses down.

"Scotty, Lil, get your things. I'll clean up."

Scotty nodded, then with a final glance at his partner, headed back to his desk. Stillman swept a few stray crumbs into his hand. Lilly lingered, and hummed softly, if only to break the silence.

"How was your meeting?" she asked, tossing the empty cake box into the trash.

"Long," Stillman replied. He straightened. "Scotty's right, you know."

Heat prickled under her collar. "About what?"

Stillman's kind eyes were knowing as he looked at her.

"It was good to see you laughing."

Lilly had left him at his car, saying she wanted to go home and change. He'd watched her until she'd reached her own vehicle, and while his primary motive had been her safety, he couldn't help but notice once more how beautiful she was.

Scotty rushed home, throwing discarded shirts and pants into the long-forgotten laundry basket. Grabbing the empty glasses and mugs from the coffee table, he loaded them into the dishwasher, then jumped in the shower. No point smelling like the office, he figured.

He'd just lit an ancient candle, one he'd found tossed in a drawer, when his doorbell rang. Lilly had swapped her pantsuit and shirt for jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt, her now untied hair curling slightly from where it had been restrained all day.

Smiling nervously, Lilly held up a paper bag, and Scotty's mouth watered.

"You shouldn't cook on your birthday," she said by way of explanation, "And Di says she added extra fries, just for you."

Grinning, he stood aside to let her in. Lilly headed straight for his kitchen, smiling slightly at the candle on the counter. Scotty, who had decided he would take every opportunity just to watch her, closed the door.

"Best birthday ever."

A/N: So we're past the halfway point in this story. I'd like to say it's all fluff from here, but it's not. Sorry.