Disclaimer: The dialogue in section ii is directly borrowed from 3.19 Beautiful Little Fool, with my own interpretation of the scene. I make no claim to the words, I only worship them. No infringement intended.
i.
It's after midnight when she shows up on his doorstep.
"Rush," he sighs, exasperated at her disregard for normal hours; then he looks closer and sees her eyes, dark and red-rimmed, and he's concerned when she just stands there without an excuse like she normally gives him when she shows up in the middle of the night.
"Lilly," he sighs again, gentler, reaching for her; it surprises him when she doesn't pull away, because she usually won't let him touch her until they're inside and she's stripped down to her underwear. "Come here." He guides her inside; through the motions of taking off her coat. "Rush?" he asks suddenly, examining her for any more dark copper smudges like the one on her shoulder. "You hurt?"
"No," she replies absently, sharking her head, but he keeps looking; her shirt is dusty and damp and the bottoms of her pants are caked with mud.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asks, making her sit down on the couch; he sits on the edge of the coffee table in front of her and drapes a blanket around her shoulders.
"I didn't want you to have to read about it in the paper first," she says but he has no idea what it means; something bad, though. "Want the bad news or the bad news first?" she asks with a smirk and he can't help but chuckle. "I shot somebody tonight. Killed," she amends hastily.
"Bad guy?"
"The worst kind," she answers.
"And it was either him or you?" He asks, even though he knows it was; even though that's probably an understatement. When she nods, he feels the tightness in his chest ease up for the first time that night. "Then you made the right choice."
ii.
He's still on speed dial and she tells herself it's because she's been too busy to erase his entry, but, really, she's never wanted to; and as she sways drunkenly, she's grateful he's still number three, because it doesn't give her any time to back out.
"Kite?" There's a pause as Lilly paces nervously because she hasn't called him in weeks and she stopped showing in the middle of the night months ago; she drunkenly leans against the wall for support. "Lilly Rush," she introduces herself formally, in case he's forgotten. "Well, you're workin' late, I bet. Look, I want to say something and...I know the ship has sailed with us, so that's not why I'm calling." She sighs, thinking of what to say; she presses the phone to her forehead, then back to her ear.
"I, uh, well, I'm just gonna say it," she takes a gulp of her drink, to brace herself, "look, I know it's on me, how we ended things. I got flipped up. I just - " she breaks off, "I just want to not end up like my mom, you know? But I don't wanna end up like this either. So," she says, like she's just made the decision, "I'm done. I'm done with having to walk home alone. She can't do it, but I can. I can change. I - "
And then the line clicks and she hears his voice call her name and suddenly the alcohol, the declaration, everything is a bad idea; and because it's the first response she can think of, she hangs up.
iii.
"Hey, Rush."
She switches the phone over to her other ear quickly when she hears his voice; angles away from Scotty and Vera so they can't see the smile on her face that she can't seem to control.
"Kite," she says it hushed, still smiling, "hi. What's going on?"
"What time do you get off work?"
"Late, Kite," Lilly sighs.
"What time?" he asks again and Lilly can just see him flashing those dimples at her.
"Midnight, but you don't have to - "
"I'll meet you, okay? Right outside," he tells her before she can even respond. "Dark hair, dark eyes, wrinkled suit - can't miss me."
"Okay, I'll see you later," she says and when she hangs up, Scotty and Vera are staring at her; she scowls ineffectively and stalks off to get a cup of coffee.
She follows Scotty and Vera out the door and Kite's waiting there, shoulder braced against the glass, true to his word.
"You look like you slept in that suit," she teases.
"That's because I did." He straightens himself out, and cocks his head in an invitation to start walking; they match their strides for a while, and it's quiet and the silence makes Lilly a little uneasy.
"So you have nothing better to do than walk me home?" she asks, giving him a sideways glance.
"Nobody in the DA's office makes it past nine," he shrugs. "And you city cops stay on the job until midnight."
"Only because the job's easier or less lonely than going home," Lilly chuckles wryly; she looks up at Kite when he laces his fingers through hers, and the corners of her lips turn up slightly. "Or it used to be, anyway."
Fin.