A/N I can guarantee that you're actually all gonna hate me at the end of this chapter, so I wrote you a whole load of smut to ease the blow! And just to warn you, I hate Scotty in this chapter. I'm gonna try and get the next chapter up at the weekend- I promise it's easing off the angst and heading more towards the fluff. So read and review, and as always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last section! ENJOY!

func·tion

1. The action for which a person or thing is particularly fitted or employed.

2. An official ceremony or a formal social occasion.

3. Something closely related to another thing and dependent on it for its existence, value, or significance.

4. The physiological activity of an organ or body part.

***

As children, we are taught that nightmares are simply fantasies and phobias that spring to mind during sleep. So then we grow older, realise that one man's dream is another man's nightmare, and suddenly we'd give anything to be a child again. Unless being a child was the biggest nightmare of them all. Unless a dream had already become a nightmare, a nightmare already changed into a reality, until it comes full circle, and you're sucked into believing they're one and the same.

Lilly had always suffered from nightmares, often having them progress to full on night terrors- shaking, screaming, falling out of bed. She found them worse after a great amount of stress...like a fight with her partner. Their goodnights had been brief, full of unspoken words and no eye contact. The luminous digits on the clock had just switched to 3:27. Lilly awoke with a start, a scream frozen on her lips, and she sat up.

Cold sweat trickled down her spine as she squeezed her eyes shut.

"Are you OK?"

Lilly jumped, her eyes flying open.

"Dammit, Scotty!" she gasped. Scotty was perched at the foot of his spare bed, listening to the unsteady breathing of his partner. He reached over to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Lilly flinched, and shrank away from his hand.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" she said shakily. Scotty shrugged, staring at his knees.

"Couldn't sleep."

"So you thought you'd just come and sit here instead?" his partner snapped. He blushed, refusing to meet her gaze.

"I guess I'll leave you alone," he muttered. Watching him stand up and walk towards the door, Lilly remembered what Scotty had tried to make her understand.

"You ain't dead yet!"

So with that thought in mind, the blonde detective closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"It's always the same."

Scotty turned his head, eyes flicking to her face for confirmation. Lilly continued, her voice holding only a fraction of the strength that it normally did.

"It starts off in the attic with George, and we've got our guns, just like what really happened, except he fires first. I'm just...standing there, not doing anything, and I'm about to fall, and then it changes."

By now, Scotty had moved closer and sat back on the edge of the bed, watching the different emotions play out on her face.

"What happens next?" he asked, dreading the answer.

"I'm back in my house. There's blood...so much blood...and this guy is throwing me around like I'm a rag doll, Scotty. And then the smoke comes," Lilly whispered, tears springing to her eyes. Scotty rested a hand on his thigh, and the blonde detective looked down at it in surprise.

"You're safe here, Lil. You know that, right?"

"I know."

"So, the smoke comes..."

"And he breaks my arm. Snaps it like a twig. Then my other arm. Then my legs. And he's reaching for my neck...and I wake up."

Noticing the trembling of her shoulders, Scotty tucked the sheets around her, feeling sick at the sight of the purple bruises tainting her perfect skin. Sitting back, he cleared his throat.

"I gotta ask you somethin'."

"I wasn't raped, Scotty," she replied softly. He frowned.

"How'd you know what I was gonna ask?"

A tiny ghost of a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

"Because I know you. I'm not blind. I see the way you think twice about every move you make."

Scotty was silent for a moment.

"So he didn't..."

"No. He tried, but..."

"I'm sorry, Lil. I shoulda been there."

Lilly looked up at him incredulously.

"Why? So he could've killed you too? Even if he had ra..." Her voice trailed off, and she sighed. "There's nothing you could have done, Scotty."

The silence returned, their minds both working overtime. Suddenly, Scotty pounded his fist into the bed, only just missing her leg. When he met her gaze, she felt her heart sink. His eyes were shining, not with joy, but in the darkest determination she'd ever seen from anyone.

"You ever broken a bone?" he asked, his voice lacking any emotion. Lilly took a deep breath. Fuck. This isn't good. She settled for the easiest answer, knowing that however simply she put it, it would never be enough.

"Yes."

Her partner waited, the muscle in his jaw twitching ominously.

"Is that all I get?"

"Yes."

Scotty blew out a breath, one that told Lilly he was about as close to the edge of his temper as he could get without losing it completely.

"Which bone?" he pressed slowly, his voice dangerous. Lilly lowered her heavy eyes to the sheets.

"My jaw," she said in a soft voice.

"How old were you?"

The blonde hesitated, knowing that it wouldn't be much longer before he put the pieces together. Eventually, she released a shaky sigh.

"Ten."

"Your 49 report," Scotty said in soft realisation, "That's why you're takin' this case so hard. Because you..."

As the words caught in his throat, Lilly looked up, offering him a sad smile. She wanted to scream at him, wanted to make him realise the missing piece.

"Got it in one," she replied evenly.

"What happened to you, Lil?"

"Nothin'."

"Nothin', huh?"

She stood up suddenly, making it to the other side of the room and glaring at the male detective.

"Dammit, Scotty! Just leave it! I'm not going to tell you!" she snapped, walking into his kitchen. Scotty followed her, his face dark in anger.

"Why not? What, you don't trust me or somethin'?"

"Why should I?" Lilly exploded, reaching for a glass and slamming the cupboard door. The look of shock and hurt on his face did nothing to calm her, only made her angrier.

"Why should I trust you? What reason have you given me to tell you anything about me? You lied to me about sleeping with my sister!"

"Yeah, go ahead an' bring that up again!"

"Go back to bed, Scotty."

"Why do you keep pushin' me away? Why are you so damn mad at me?"

"My house burnt down, Scotty. Someone is trying to kill me," she said, mimicking his tone from before, "isn't that what you keep telling me? So don't you think I've fucking earned the right to be pissed off?"

"Yeah, jus' not at me!"

Lilly turned around, gasping as she realised he was standing way too close behind her. She froze, feeling his hard warm body pressed against hers. Scotty felt his breath catch, and tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

"I don't want to talk about Chris," he said hoarsely, taking the glass from her hand and replacing it on the side. She nodded, firmly fixed between him and the kitchen counter. His arms hanging loosely at his sides, the male detective realised how easy it would be to kiss her. All he had to was lean forward, bend his head down, and...

At the flash of desire that appeared in his eyes, Lilly felt something stir at the bottom of her stomach. Suddenly brave, Scotty raised his hand to her hip, lifting the t-shirt and caressing the smooth skin. His eyes locked with hers, begging her not to let go of whatever was holding her in place. Lilly barely had a chance to get over his hand on her waist before Scotty captured her lips with his. The cut on her lip throbbed painfully, but the pleasure pooling between her thighs erased everything else from her mind except the feel of his tongue gently easing her lips apart and joining hers.

The blonde detective melted against the counter, and Scotty took that as his cue to move forward. He pinned her against the hard stone, tilting his head to deepen the kiss. Using what little strength she had, Lilly managed to tear her lips away.

"We can't," she protested breathlessly. He either didn't hear her, or was simply ignoring her, because Scotty moved his lips to her neck, nipping at the soft skin below her ear. Lilly gripped his forearms, trying to decide whether she wanted to push him away or draw him closer. The latter won out, and she dug her fingernails into his arms.

Scotty hid a noise of surprise by biting down on her neck. Lilly gasped, urgency causing her to tug at his pyjama pants. The male detective crushed his lips down on hers, gently pushing her down the hall to his bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind him, her knees hit the mattress and she stumbled. Scotty's hands landed on her ass, pushing her down. His erection was hot and heavy against her hip, and she fell backwards onto the bed.

Ripping the t-shirt over her head, Scotty forgot about her injuries. Lilly winced slightly, and her partner raised his face from her shoulder.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his voice coming out as a husky whisper. Instead of replying, the blonde detective took advantage of his momentary distraction to press a soft kiss to his collar bone. He shuddered, tossing the shirt to the floor and burying his face in the valley between her breasts. Lilly cried out as his teeth grazed her nipple, and she pressed his head more tightly against her.

"Scotty!"

"Lil..." he murmured, smiling into her skin. The burning in his pyjama pants was almost unbearable, and he tugged Lilly's boxer shorts down over her hips. Scotty slid a hand down to tease her clit, rubbing circles on her thigh and stroking the sensitive nub with his forefinger. Her cry of pleasure was lost as his mouth once again covered hers, and he increased the pressure of his finger on her core. She cried out again, and kicked the boxer shorts away from her. Raising a leg, her foot slid down his body, catching the waistband of his pants between her toes and pushing them away.

"I need...Scotty...you..." she stammered breathlessly.

It seemed like he got the message, because he was quickly reaching to his bedside table and pulling out a condom. His hand left his partner's centre, and he chuckled at her growl of protest. Before he knew it, Lilly had snatched the rubber and ripped open the foil, sliding it over his hardness. Scotty choked on air as her hand encircled him.

"You're pretty good at that, Rush," he said, pressing kisses to her throat and shoulders. She chuckled, feeling heat course through every part of her body.

"That's not the only thing I'm good at," she replied in a low voice, lying back on the bed and pulling him down on top of her. Lilly gasped as she felt him between her thighs.

"Oh God..."

Scotty ran his tongue along the curve of her neck. She arched her back, lifting her hips to press herself against him. Positioning himself at her entrance, the male detective slid into her, burying himself to the hilt. Lilly whispered nonsensical words to herself, clutching at his shoulders as he began to move, slowly at first.

"Lil..."

"Scotty...harder..." she moaned, biting his lower lip.

Sweat mingled between their bodies, adding to the friction causing them to cry out in pleasure. He held her hips to the bed, thrusting deep into her. Lilly fisted her hands in the sheets, throwing one leg over his shoulder, looping the other around his back to sit low on his hip. She felt the pace of his thrusts increase. He groaned, tilting his head back as he pounded into her.

"I hate you," she gasped, crying out as he hit the perfect spot.

"Why?" her partner grunted in reply. Her fingers scrabbled over his shoulders, pulling him closer.

"Because this isn't supposed to feel this good."

Scotty had always known that sex with Lilly would be out of this world. A good while later, as he exploded inside her with a low groan, his mind went blissfully blank, and her muscles clenched tightly around him.

"Holy shit," he moaned, nestling his nose into the crook of her neck. Lilly ran her hands through his hair and down over his back, holding him in place as she stifled a soft cry. They both went still, breathing heavily and clutching at each other. Scotty dropped into the bed beside her, pulling her with him. His breath hot on her skin, the blonde detective suddenly felt sick, as if her world was caving in.

"Oh shit," she whispered. Scotty raised himself up on his elbows.

"What?"

"Oh shit!" Lilly repeated, sliding out from under him as tears appeared in her eyes. Scotty grabbed her wrist, not caring whether he hurt her or not.

"Don't do this, Lilly," he growled.

"Don't do what, Scotty? Fuck! This wasn't supposed to happen," she said, hugging the sheet to her chest.

"We had sex, Lil. So maybe it wasn't the greatest timing, but next time..."

Lilly spun around in disbelief.

"Next time? What we just did was so...so...so stupid, Scotty, I can't even believe you think it's gonna happen again!"

"You really think it was stupid?"

"YES! And you know what makes it worse? I can't even blame it on alcohol."

He saw red. It was like a blanket of rage, covering him, wiping away all the intimacy that follows sex.

"Get out," he said in a low voice.

"What?" Lilly asked in disbelief.

"You heard me. I said get the fuck out."

Scotty tugged the sheet away from her and tied it around his waist, leaving Lilly shivering as she scrambled for her clothes.

"What the hell, Scotty?" she said angrily. Ignoring her, he opened his bedroom, glaring out into the hallway. Biting her lip to conceal her tears, Lilly slid the t-shirt over her head, walking out of his bedroom. Her back was barely clear of the door before it slammed shut.

"Scotty! Open the damn door!" she shouted.

"Fuck you, Lil!"

A repetitive thump started up from behind the closed door, and Lilly winced, knowing her partner was taking his anger out on his furniture.

"Scotty?" she called desperately. Tears spilled over her eyelids. "Scotty! Please, open the door!"

Getting no reply, Lilly heard her breath hitch, and heading into her own bedroom, she pulled the boxer shorts up over hips, more tears appearing when she realised that her clothing smelled of nothing but Scotty. Lilly collapsed onto her own bed, curling up into a ball. The thumping stopped.

For the first time since George, she didn't bother trying to conceal her soft sobs, letting her tears soak into the pillow.

"I'm sorry," she cried, her voice muffled by the pillow. The ache in her chest spread from her heart outwards, racing down her limbs until her entire body ached.

Outside her door, Scotty rested his head against the wood, tears springing to his eyes at the sound of her crying inside. His knuckles were already starting to turn black, and his hand moved to the door handle.

"Lil," he whispered brokenly. For a moment, he considered opening the door, going to her, kissing away the pain. What the hell were you thinking? Treating her like some cheap whore, and then expecting her to be OK with that?

Scotty wiped his eyes, taking the coward's way out and backing up into his room. All the things he'd said replayed over and over again, and his heart broke as he remembered the feel of her fists hitting his chest as she screamed 'I hate you'. He figured at least now she had a reason to hate him.

"Don't run from this."

"Don't run from what?"

"From this. From us."

He'd asked her not to run from them, so what had he gone and done? Pushed her away. Treated her like shit. The male detective collapsed on the bed, breathing in the smell of his partner that still lingered in the pillow.

Scotty reluctantly allowed his eyelids to flutter closed. He'd remember to be mad in the morning.

Lilly was already gone when he finally opened his eyes, but judging from the smell of coffee lingering in the air, he'd just missed her. Scotty wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. His lower regions reminded him of the night's events, and he buried his face in the pillow with a groan.

"Fuck!"

Hating himself for making what had to have been the biggest mistake in his life, the male detective walked into the kitchen. Hope Lil put some coffee on, he thought, 'cause God knows I need the kick to my system. His partner had indeed put the coffee maker on, and Scotty couldn't help but smile at the mental image of Lilly finding her way around his kitchen.

Something on the counter caught his attention, and forced his breath to catch in his throat. Moving slowly, Scotty reached out for the folder, sliding it along the counter towards him. What the hell? Where'd this come from? His eyes fell on the two Post-It notes stuck on the top. The first one was in Stillman's writing.

Lil,

Here's the folder you requested. Be careful.

Stillman

Scotty swore again. Amidst his own self-loathing, and anger towards Lilly, he'd completely forgotten that someone was trying to kill her, and now she was out on her own where God knows what could happen to her. Growling in rage, he threw an empty mug across the room, watching as it exploded into tiny pieces. Breathing heavily, the male detective clenched his fist, slowly bringing it down on the counter. He stared at the second note, tracing his finger over the neat curls and swoops.

I'm sorry.

Scotty swore softly, now knowing that his suspicions were confirmed. The male detective stared at the folder, daring himself to open it. He didn't know if he wanted to or not. Maybe I'll jus' open it. I won't read it.

Decision made, he flipped the file open, finding another note from Lilly on the inside.

If you've managed to open the cover, you might as well read the report.

She was right- of course she was right. Steeling himself for what the report might contain, Scotty sat down on a bar stool, taking a deep breath.

"October 17th, 1985..."

OK, OK, Scotty's an ass. Line to knock some sense into starts behind me. And if you didn't work it out, Lilly left him a copy of her 49 report to read. But does he read it? Tune in next time for...Yeah, whatever. Maybe just leave me a review?