Part Four

The ride back to Scotty's place was quiet, except for the cats that loudly let Lilly know how they felt about having been left alone in the car. Scotty thought about going to a motel for the night, but he decided against it. His building was secure and his apartment had an alarm. It was also on the eighth floor, so he could plant himself between Lilly and the door and rest assured that she was safe.

He carried the bags from the grocery store; Lilly carried the cats. As they rode up in the elevator, Scotty stole a few glances at his partner. She was exhausted - he could see it in the slump of her shoulders and her heavy-lidded eyes. The cats were exhausted as well - they'd even stopped grumbling about the way Lilly was clutching them.

Opening the door slowly, he checked inside to make sure nothing was disturbed. Then he ushered Lilly in behind him and check the outside hallway twice to make sure no one was out there. Lilly stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, holding the cats while Scotty fastened the locks on the door.

He smiled reassuringly, or as best he could considering the circumstances. "You can let them go, you know."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted them locked up or something."

Never having owned pets, Scotty didn't know any better. "Nah, they're fine."

Lilly released them immediately, letting them free to investigate their new surroundings. She stifled a yawn as she watched them sniffing about the room. "I'm beat, Scotty. If you have an extra blanket, I'll take the couch."

"No. I'll take the couch. You take the bed." He grinned, remembering her words from earlier that night. "And if I had a spare bedroom, you'd be welcome to it."

She smiled, not needing to voice her apology. "It's ok. I don't mind the couch. I actually sleep there a lot."

"Why?" Even as he asked the question, he realized that Lilly probably fit on a couch easier than he did and therefore probably found them much more comfortable.

"Because I can sleep anywhere, as long as my girls are there." As if understanding Lilly's words, Tripod wound herself around Lilly's legs before she returned to exploring Scotty's apartment.

"You're taking the bed anyway. I'm sure the girls would like to spread out after all they've been through tonight."

Lilly shook her head. "No, really, Scotty, the couch is fine."

"If you think there's a chance in hell I'm not staying between you and this door, you are sadly mistaken."

She smiled as she looked uncertainly down the hallway. "Afraid I'll escape?"

He rewarded her attempt to lighten mood with a broad grin. "Hey, I've got a beautiful woman sleeping in my bed. I'm not about to let you leave now."

"I think I'll take the couch after all."

He shook his head as he walked away, retrieving a blanket and pillow from his bedroom. He tossed them on the couch. Lilly watched him and he knew she wasn't sure what to do. Being as tired as he was gave him audacity that he normally would have lacked with her - he pulled her toward the bedroom by the hand. He stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaving down to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to tell everyone you slept here anyway."

She jerked her head to face him; the shock in her eyes reflecting her fear that he wasn't joking.

"Relax, Lil." He stepped back toward the door. "He's not getting past me." They both knew he had no intention of going back to sleep as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

By the time the sun came up, Scotty had come to a single conclusion - that he should have gotten some sleep. The only noise he'd heard in the few hours Lilly slept, besides the cats prowling around, was when Lilly had gotten up only a moment after he'd left to open the bedroom door. He told himself it was just so the cats could get to her if they wanted, but part of him believed that she didn't want to have that barrier between them, that she wanted to be able to hear him in the next room.

He still held his gun in his hand, but he'd abandoned his post on the couch. He was leaning on the doorframe of his bedroom, watching Lilly sleep. He was taken by her beauty - she looked like an angel when she was sleeping and he couldn't tear his eyes off her. He hated himself for not stopping George earlier because he knew how violated Lilly must have felt knowing that he'd been in her house.

Although his own life hadn't been particularly easy by any stretch of the imagination, Scotty wanted nothing more than to ease the pain hidden behind Lilly's clear blue eyes. He'd had a hint of what she didn't want to reveal - her mention of being poor, her knowledge of social workers and the welfare system - but the biggest clue had come from George when he'd revealed Lilly's real secret - that she'd been the victim of a violent crime. She'd only been a child, but George's interest in her told him that she'd fought back. Little Lilly had the same spunk as grown up Lilly and the thought brought a smile to Scotty's face.

The memory of that day, however, burned the smile away. He remembered it so clearly, regardless of the six months that passed in between. He'd stood with Vera and Jeffries and Stillman and listened to Lilly's interview with George. He'd felt her pain, her humiliation, when George mentioned her history. Scotty had wanted to kill George right then - because he'd hurt her, because his interest in her was disturbing. But mostly it was because Scotty had an insuppressible desire to protect her from all the evil in the world. She worked in it every day, but that was different, that didn't touch her. He hated that she'd finally been touched by it. He wanted to make it better. He knew he had no right to feel protective of her; he knew she'd hate him if she found out. But he still wanted to keep her safe because no one else ever had.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Lilly's eyes opened.

"You planning on shooting me?"

"Huh?" He followed her eyes and realized she was staring at the gun clutched in his hand. He tucked it into the holster he'd never removed from the previous day.

"Maybe you just wanted me to get up so you could get dressed. But really, you don't need to resort to violence." She sat up and stretched her arms out over her head; her slow, relaxed movements belying the tense situation.

"Yeah, I, uh, I'm going to take a shower." He had no excuse for why he'd been watching her; he could only be thankful that she hadn't called him on it.

She stood up and cross the room to where the cats were still sleeping. She bit her lips as she looked back at Scotty. "I'm really sorry about this."

"About what?" His mind searched for what she could be sorry about; the cats had been model guests as far as he was concerned. She was shoeing them away from the spot they'd curled up on - one of his black suit coats. He watched as she brushed her hand across the fabric, sending fur flying in every direction. She looked truly apologetic and he felt bad that she even thought he'd be mad. "Don't worry about it. It'll come out at the cleaners."

She grimaced. "Not necessarily. I'll buy you a new one if it doesn't."

"You're not buying me a whole new suit. If it doesn't come out, then I've learned an important lesson about hanging up my clothes."

"But you looked so nice in this one."

He smiled at her words - she probably hadn't meant to say them. He was glad she'd noticed because it was one of his favorites and he'd always thought he looked good in it. "I look nice in all my suits, don't I?"

"That's true." She blushed and dropped the jacket back on the floor before she turned it back on him. "I bet you'd look good in anything, Scotty."

He didn't have a comeback ready. He hadn't been expecting her to flirt with him like that. He stepped past her and picked a suit out of the closet. "I'm taking the first shower cause I think you'll use up all the hot water. I know about you girls and your long showers."

"I don't think I'm going to bother with a shower. Somehow looking disheveled when you're clean seems more pathetic than when you're dirty." She looked down and picked at the hem of her oversized sweatshirt self-consciously.

He blamed it on the lack of sleep when he approached her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head before she had a chance to look up at him. "I think you look adorable."

Her eyes met his and he could almost see the myriad of emotions dancing across them. One side of her mouth crept up in a wry smile. "Let's just hope Stillman feels the same way."

He shrugged. "Or not." He didn't want to think of anyone else feeling the same way about her. He knew it was odd that he wanted it to be exclusive; he wanted to be the only one to protect her. He decided it was because he didn't trust anyone else to do it right.

"Yeah, maybe not." Her eyes darted to his lips for a moment. "I think it might be a little awkward if he kissed me." Scotty grinned on his way into the bathroom - to him, her comment meant that his kiss hadn't been awkward.

The conversation returned to their normal level of banter after he showered. Scotty actually enjoyed getting ready for work with her there - especially when he was shaving and she popped her head in the bathroom to ask if she could borrow his toothbrush. He nodded and went back to shaving, making room for her to join him in front of the sink. While she brushed, Scotty said a silent prayer that she never peek in his medicine cabinet and discover the spare toothbrush he kept for mornings when a woman spent the night. He liked the idea of her using his, but he quickly ignored the thought. He was glad for the relaxed mood, for the calm that seemed to exist between them. After not getting any sleep, he wasn't really in any shape to deal with stress.

But the calm didn't last long. They'd already decided to talk to Stillman first thing and Scotty had already decided he was going to insist that Lilly be placed in protective custody, although he kept that to himself. The lieutenant hadn't arrived yet when they walked in; in fact, there were only a few cops in the building at that early hour.

Scotty saw the box first and unconsciously reached for Lilly's arm, wanting to keep her from seeing it. Under normal circumstances, he would have had a good time teasing her for the long box with the beautiful box that only came from florists. It wasn't normal circumstances, though, and he had to watch in horror as Lilly slowly lifted the lid.

She was scared; he could tell by the way she held his eyes as she opened it. Her chin trembled when she looked down, taking in the dozen dead roses inside.

It was the card that finally made the tears fall - it simply read "See you soon, my dear."