Day Three, December 21

Before leaving the house, Lilly paused for a moment, her gaze once again locked on the little angel that had been given pride of place at the top of her tree. The warm, fuzzy feeling that she got every time she looked at it was something tat she had never experienced before and, quite honestly, hadn't believed would ever happen to her. While she could still feel faint traces of the fear that had overwhelmed her the previous evening, they were easily ignored in favor of the excitement that rose when she thought about what she might discover when she got to work.

It seemed like an eternity before she reached the police department, her distraction having caused her to miss her exit on the highway for the first time in her career. Lilly flew through the lobby, barely acknowledging the various greetings that were called out to her as she passed, her mind already in the office. Never before had waiting for an elevator been so torturous.

Finally having made it to her destination, Lilly headed straight for her desk, ignoring anyone who might have been trying to catch her attention. When she reached her desk, she felt her heart plummet. There was nothing there. Everything was as she'd left it the night before, notebooks and files scattered over the surface, stray pens and pencils left where she'd dropped them. All was where it should have been, but there was nothing from her secret admirer.

Lilly felt as though all of the energy left the body in a sudden rush, leaving her tired and drained even though she'd just begun her day. By now she should have known better than to get her hopes up, to trust that someone she didn't know wouldn't let her down. Lilly's entire life had prepared her for disappointment but, somehow, she'd forgotten just how great the pain could be. It was a lesson that she wouldn't soon forget.

For the first time that week, Scotty was running late, wandering into the office as Lilly stood with her eyes still locked on the top of her desk. He was oblivious for a moment, preoccupied with the task of peeling away the multiple layers of winter gear that he was wearing. It didn't take long, though, for him to notice the unnatural pallor that had come over her already pale face.

"Is something wrong, Lil? You feeling alright?"

Lilly swallowed hard, fighting to speak past the lump in her throat. " I'm fine, Scotty. Just a little tired. Now remind me, where did we leave off yesterday?"

She worked steadily through the day, throwing herself into the comforting routine of the investigation, following leads and filling out paperwork. The lulling rhythm of it all almost made her forget the crushing blow that she'd received that morning. She would have continued working were it not for the fact that she hadn't eaten all daymaking itself known. Noting that Scotty seemed to have reached a break in his own work, Lilly figured that now was as good a time as any for a break.

"Hey, Scotty. You feel like grabbing some lunch before we go any further?"

Scotty glanced at his watch. "Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready. I have to wait on a phone call."

Before Lilly could go back to her own paperwork, a commotion coming from the front of the office caught her attention. It was a delivery man, his arms full with what appeared to be a floral arrangement wrapped in white paper to keep out the cold.

"I've got a delivery for Lilly Rush that I need someone to sign for."

All eyes were on her as she went to sign for the delivery. Lilly could practically feel the heat of the blush that turned her face a brilliant red as she faced the scrutiny of an entire roomful of detectives. It was times like these that she cursed her naturally pale complexion.

Vera smirked as she passed him, her arms loaded down with flowers. "Lilly's got a boyfriend."

She managed to free up one hand and Vera just laughed when he caught sight of the obscene gesture that Lilly sent in his direction.

She set her burden down in the center of her desk, pulling back the paper to finally get a glimpse of what it contained. For the second time in two days, Lilly felt the sting of tears burning behind her eyes. It was gorgeous, an arrangement of the most lush, most perfect red roses she'd ever seen, their color glowing against the deep, shimmering green of the holly leaves that surrounded them. And laced throughout it all were several pure white lilies.

It wasn't just the beauty of the gift that struck her heart and battered at her emotions. For Lilly, there was a much deeper meaning. She'd never received flowers before, had never really thought of what she was missing until the moment that all that changed. The feeling that she'd experienced earlier, of being cherished and cared for, returned full force, leaving behind a warm glow in place of the bitter resignation that had taken hold.

Scotty suddenly appeared at her side and Lilly realized that she hadn't even noticed that he'dleft his desk.

"Nice flowers. I took care of the call, so if you're still ready?"

Lilly smiled, feeling happier than she could ever remember. "Lead the way."

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They'd decided to walk to a nearby café and Lilly had quickly begun to regret the decision. While Scotty was fully bundled in a coat, scarf, hat and gloves, Lilly herself had only her coat for protection since she'd been in too much of a hurry that morning to grab anything else. Rather than complain, she tried to make due, jamming her frozen hands in her pockets and doing her best to ignore the frigid wind that blew down the back of her neck.

An involuntary shiver that caused her teeth to chatter drew Scotty's attention in Lilly's direction. He frowned when he noticed the way she was huddled in her coat, trying desperately to conserve what little bit of heat she could find.

"What are you thinking? It's like 10 degrees out here. You're gonna freeze to death. He stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, forcing Lilly to stop with him. "The gloves would be too big for you but here, take my scarf."

Lilly shook her head, never taking her hands out of her pockets. "Quit playing around. I'm not taking your scarf, so let's just go, alright?"

Scotty continued to unwrap the scarf from around his neck, completely ignoring her protests. "Why don't you quit arguing and just take it. Then we'll go."

As he spoke, hebegan to wind the scarf around her neck himself, standing close enough that she could feel the heat of his body as he pulled it up around her chin. Very gently, he pulled her hair from beneath her collar, being careful to keep from snagging a single, silken strand. As he did, Lilly felt the brush of his fingertips, lightly calloused and a little rough, brush down the side of her neck.

Lilly drew in her breath, shocked at the sparks of sensation that shot down her spine as a result of the simple, careless touch. When she looked up, caught his eyes with her own, she realized that Scotty had just shared in the same experience. They were standing so close now, frozen in the moment, that Lilly could feel his breath on her lips.

And then a passerby bumped into Scotty, mumbling an apology as he went, and they sprang apart breath rushing and hearts pounding as though they'd just finished a race. Scotty shook himself visibly, clearing his throat before trying to speak.

"You ready to go get something to eat?"

Lilly just nodded, still incapable of speech. With every breath she took, she inhaled the clean, woodsy scent of his cologne. Just when she thought things were as complicated as they could get, this had to happen.