Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Case or Law & Order: SVU.
This story begins as Cold Case, but eventually crosses over to Law & Order SVU.
Highway to Hell/Love:
May 10th, 1975:
Song playing: Highway to Hell
The city of Philadelphia was full of life as its citizens enjoyed the warm spring day; for one couple, that meant having a picnic at their favorite spot. On a red and blue picnic blanket, a beautiful brunette laughed as her husband playfully kissed her. "Derek, cut it out. We're in public!" she said.
The now identified Derek, who was a tall but muscular built man with short black hair, laughed off his wife's embarrassment. "Don't worry baby, no one's watching us, and if they are, I'll beat them with a stick! He said, kissing her again, I love you, Danella," he said.
Danella looked lovingly into her husband's deep blue eyes. "I love you too, Derek. I just wish we could have more moments like these," she said.
Instantly, the playfulness left Derek's eyes as he registered his wife's words, and he let out a frustrated sigh. "Danella, we've been over this," he said, turning away for a moment.
The woman looked down in disappointment, wishing her husband could see her side of things. "I know, when this job is over with," she said, trying to keep the tears that were threatening to come at bay.
Derek, seeing she was about to cry, pulled her to his chest. "Hey babe, don't cry. It's only for a few more months, and then I'm all yours again," he said, lifting her tear-stained face in for a kiss. His wife's concerned brown eyes looked deep into his before finally conceding defeat. "Promise?" she whispered weakly.
Derek nodded. "I promise," he said.
Nov. 15th, 1975.
In Durham, North Carolina, a man's body lies on a small twin-size bed in a dingy apartment. The man's once beautiful blue eyes stare up into nothingness, almost as if he was thinking about something; It's a look that haunts the investigating officer.
Detective Jonah Mace looks at his victim in contemplation before turning to the officer securing the scene. "Did you find any identification on him?" he asked.
The officer shakes his head. "No, sir. My partner and I combed the scene for any identification, but we found nothing, not even an electric bill," he said.
Detective Mace shakes his head. "Damn, it looks like our guy's a ghost," he said.
Three weeks later, Detective Mace sits at his desk typing his last report on the John Doe case. It was sad and frustrating for him to have to close it without being able to give the guy a name, but there were other more pressing cases that needed his attention. So for now, the case was cold.
Present Day April 20th, 2011
Detectives Lilly Rush and Scotty Valens were making their way up to the Cold Case Unit. The partners were catching up with each other as they waited in the elevator. Today was Monday so were probably looking at starting an afresh case, something both were eager to get to.
The elevator doors opened and Scotty, being the gentlemen that he was, let Lilly get off ahead of him. As the two made their way towards their desk, Detective Kat Miller zoned in, her sights on Scotty. "Yoh! Valens! Where's my coffee?" she asked.
Scotty gave her a half-amused, half annoyed stare. "In the break room, Miller," he said, hanging his coat on the back of his chair.
The detective looked at him in annoyance. "How come you get Rush a coffee and not me?" she asked, watching as Lilly sipped a coffee from Dunken Donuts.
Scotty sent her a sly smirk. "Because A, she's my partner, and B, because she isn't nearly as picky as you are. Speaking of partners, why don't you badger Vera to bring you coffee," he said.
Miller was about to retort when their boss stepped out of his office. "Valens, Rush, my office," he said.
The two detectives glanced at each other, mentally wondering if they'd done something wrong. The two quickly made their way into Stillman's office, but not before Miller got one last jab in. "This isn't over Valens," she said.
Scotty resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he walked into his boss's office. "What's going on, boss?" he asked, stepping inside.
Captain John Stillman eyed his detective as he lifted a folder. "Scotty, when you worked in Narcotics, did the name Derek North ever come up?" he asked.
The younger detective's eyes widened. "Yeah, I mean everyone in Narcotics knows who he is or was. He's the reason Manning was so big on all us undercover, keeping him in the loop," he said.
Lilly, who had been silently listening until then, looked at her partner and boss quizzically. " Sorry to interrupt here, but would someone please bring me into the loop about who Derek North is?" she asked.
Scotty shot his partner a look of apology. "Sorry, Lil. Derek North was a narcotics officer back in the seventies who was deep undercover when suddenly went missing. The rumor is that he got hooked on the drugs and went rogue," he said.
Lilly's eyes were wide in surprise as Stillman cleared his throat. "Well, as of this morning, he's not missing anymore," he said, earning wide-eyed stares from his detectives.
Scotty looked like he was about to choke. "You mean we've finally found him, boss?" he said.
Stillman nodded solemnly. "Scotty, Lilly. Meet Derek North who, as of ten hours ago, was John Doe 678," he said, handing a file over to the detectives to look through.
Scotty read over the file for a moment before looking up at his boss in surprise again. "North Carolina? That's where he's been all these years," he said.
Stillman nodded. "I'm surprised as you are, as according to Manny, he was supposed to be in Jersey," he said.
Lilly raised a browl up. "North Carolina is a long way off from Jersey," she said.
Scotty shook his head. "It's honestly not that surprising. If the boss suddenly changes plans, we got no choice but to go along or risk blowing our cover," he said.
Lily looked at her partner in sympathy before turning back to their boss. "So what do you want us to do with this boss?" she asked.
Stillman looked at his two best detectives sternly. "I want both of you to pack your bags and get up to North Carolina, and figure out who murdered North. Consider this a favor to Manny," he said, looking at Scotty.
The younger male detective gave his captain a look of gratitude. "Consider it done, boss," he said. Lilly nodded next to him.
Stillman smiled. "Good, now both of you get out of here. Your plane leaves in an hour," he said.
The two detectives saluted, then left to go home. Miller watched as the two left the boss's office in wonder. "So, do we have a fresh case or what?" she asked.
Lilly looked at her as she put her coat back on. "Well, Scotty and I do. I don't know about the rest of you," she said, following Scotty towards the elevators.
Vera who was just sitting down looked up in interest. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"It means we're going to North Carolina," Scotty called over his shoulder.
Author's note: So here's the first chapter of Highway to Hell/Love. Tell me what you think, please. Thank you, Nerdzone6.