A/N I've just realised how long this chapter actually is! Thank you so much to everyone who's been reviewing- it really means a lot! You have to forgive any mistakes in this chapter, because it's 5:15, and I can't sleep, so...I think I must be ill, because I don't know what to write. Uh oh.

Disclaimer: I didn't write one of these for the last chapter, and nothing bad happened, so I've come to the conclusion that they're not actually needed, but if it stops me being sued for copyright, then what's a couple lines?

vol·a·til·ize

1. To become or make volatile

***

Scotty stormed into the bullpen, heading straight for his partner's desk.

"What the fuck were you thinkin'? You can't jus' walk out without protection!" he yelled. Lilly stood up, closing the height difference, and angrily threw her pen away.

"Don't come in here and start shouting at me, Valens!"

"Do you wanna get killed? Is that what it is?"

Lilly glared at him, not having a reply. Scotty's face fell, and he touched her cheek.

"You don't want to die, do you?" he asked quietly. She gently peeled his hand away from her face.

"Don't, Scotty..."

"Why'd you leave the house?" Scotty pressed, withdrawing his hand. Lilly concealed the pain in her eyes beneath an icy glare. The bruise around her eye had darkened over night, and added to the circles underneath her eyelids, there was no mistaking that she'd been through the ringer.

"Because I thought I'd be more welcome here," she replied softly. His jaw clenched, and he ground his teeth together, watching her walk into the Stillman's office. The door shut behind her, and Scotty shook his head. Inside the room, three pairs of concerned eyes stared at Lilly.

"What?" she asked shakily. Jefferies' eyes skimmed over her, counting the stitches in her head and narrowing his eyes at the bruises on her face. The nerve in his forehead twitched.

"You changed your clothes," he observed. She shrugged.

"Scotty's joggers just didn't do it for me."

"Right..."

Lilly blushed slightly, and cleared her throat.

"So what have we got?" she asked, her voice only wavering slightly. Vera eyed her warily, glancing at Stillman before he began to speak.

"We've been thinkin'. It ain't safe for you to be on your own, so we think you should have someone to, you know..."

She stared at him.

"You want me to have a babysitter?"

Vera shrugged.

"I was goin' more for a bodyguard, but a babysitter works just as well," he replied under her breath. Stillman took a deep breath.

"Lil, we don't know who this guy is, what he's planning to do next, wh..."

"He's planning to kill again. That's right, isn't it?"

Vera cleared his throat.

"Come on, Rush. You've seen what he does to those little girls. Just imagine what..."

"Why does everyone have to keep reminding what he puts the victims through? I am working this case, I have seen the crime scene photos!" Lilly yelled suddenly, turning on her heel and fleeing into the break room. Her hand trembled as she poured herself a cup of coffee. Behind her, the door opened and closed, and the faint smell of an all too familiar aftershave reached her nose.

"Are you gonna give me the Ice Queen treatment all day?" he asked, brushing a furtive hand along her back. Lilly jumped, jerking her head around to glare at him.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed, pushing his hand away. Scotty smirked, his eyes glinting teasingly.

"I ain't doin' nothin', Rush. Why? Am I distractin' you?"

"You bastard," Lilly seethed, feeling her cheeks turn pink. Scotty refused to take the hint, resting his hand on her hip and reaching around her to grab a mug. During the overly complicated manoeuvre, his arm touched her breasts, his skin warm below the thing material of her shirt. Lilly heard her breath hitch, and heat flooded through her.

"Scotty..." she warned, desperately trying to conceal the arousal in her voice beneath layers of rage.

"I ain't lettin' this go that easily, Lilly. I'll wait for you, until you tell me why the hell you flipped out this mornin'."

She turned around, suddenly finding herself pinned against a counter for the second time in 24 hours. His breath was hot on her cheek, and the blonde detective swallowed hard.

"Move," she ordered softly. Scotty pressed his hips to hers, his thigh resting between hers, and Lilly closed her eyes against the lust eating away at her inhibitions.

"Make me," he whispered. Desperate to regain some form of self-control, Lilly opened her eyes, regretting it the moment she saw his eyes darken with want.

"Move," she repeated, more firmly this time, and was satisfied when a frown creased his brow.

"Why are you fightin' this, Lil? You can't seriously tell me you don't want this."

Her eyes met his.

"I don't want this," she said. New level of low, Rush, she thought, lying to your partner's face.

"But you..."

Lilly pressed a hand into his chest.

"I swear to God, Valens, if you feel anything for me, you'll forget this ever happened," she said quietly, sliding past him. Scotty felt his cheeks burn red with shame, and turned his head to avoid her intense blue eyes. She was almost halfway out the door before he spoke again.

"I mean it, Lil. This means too much to me to jus' let you pretend it didn't happen. So I'll wait."

Lilly turned her head, and he caught the tears lingering in her eyes.

"Then you'll be waiting a long time, Scotty."

He'd watched them. He'd watched them fight. Then he'd stood outside, listening to them while they...danced. Danced a tango. His lower regions tingled appealingly, even at the memory of hearing her, and he shifted uncomfortably. Now it was only a matter of time until he claimed what was his.

"Here you go, sir. If you'd like to write a card..." the man behind the counter said.

"No card."

"Well, here you are then. I hope she likes them."

He smiled, nodding.

"She will."

Scotty slapped a file down on the desk.

"Susan Milbank, 1986. Janie Peters, 1987. Kate Arnold, '91. Attacks in '94, '99, two in 2000, etc. Right up to Caitlyn Jeffers last week."

Lilly felt a shiver of apprehension run down her spine, and she tried to focus on the words that seemed to leap off the page. Her partner continued to speak.

"All robbed, beaten, left in side-alleys and passages."

Stillman frowned.

"No sexual assault?" he asked in surprise. Scotty shook his head.

"Nah. Reports shouted the attacks were personal. Maybe he was usin' those girls as a replacement for someone else?"

The female detective managed to find her voice, swallowing the lump that had risen in her throat.

"There any link between them?" she asked faintly.

"All between the ages of 8 and 11. They all came from one parent families livin' in Kensington."

Stillman's frown deepened slightly, almost invisibly. Kensington...That's where...

As Scotty turned to the whiteboard, talking quietly, the older detective's eyes moved to Lilly, coming face to face with her tortured blue stare. Seeing the horrified realisation in his eyes, she felt her heart plummet. Crap, she thought, he knows.

"Lil? You listenin' to me?" Scotty said, his voice tinged with concern. She blinked, tearing her eyes away from her boss.

"Sorry," she mumbled. Her partner frowned slightly, and even though they weren't exactly on the best of terms, he reached out to touch her shoulder. Lilly jumped, looking between his face and the gentle hand on her shirt. Stillman cleared his throat.

"Good work, Scotty. Take Vera with you. Head over to Kensington and see what you can find."

"You're sendin' me on a wild goose chase, boss? I'd rather stay here wi..." he began, catching his tongue just in time. The blush that crept across Lilly's cheeks told him that she knew what he'd been about to say, and her lack of protest made him think that maybe his royal screw-up wasn't such a royal screw-up after all.

"You'd rather what, Scotty? I'm sorry if I made that sound like a suggestion," Stillman said. Cursing softly, the younger detective stormed out of the bullpen, yanking his coat from the rack. The lieutenant turned to Lilly, anger flashing in his eyes.

"My office," he commanded seriously. The softness of his voice cut Lilly deeply, for she caught his disappointment at being left in the dark.

"Boss, wait," she said hopelessly.

"Now, Rush."

Lilly followed him in, wincing as he harshly pointed to a chair. She sat, anxiously fiddling with her hands.

"You better start explaining," Stillman murmured, leaning against the wall behind his desk. The blonde hesitated.

"Please, Boss..."

"No, Lilly. I don't care how much you try to get out of it, you are not leaving this office until you tell me exactly what is going on."

"The guy who set my house on fire..."

"What about him?"

Lilly stared at the floor, flashes of mental pictures creeping into her mind as she receded into herself.

"We've...I've...he..." she whispered falteringly.

"Dammit, Lilly, spit it out!" Stillman snapped, regretting his angry words the minute he saw her flinch. Stamping down on his temper and taking a deep breath, he sat down again. Lilly pulled her hands up into her sleeves.

"I mean, I don't know his name, but…I know him. But not…" she began, incoherently stumbling over her words. Her boss watched the remaining colour slide from her cheeks.

"Lil," he said, gently this time. The blonde detective glanced up briefly, her eyes immediately flicking back to the ground.

"I know who he is because…because…"

"Lilly."

She took a deep breath.

"Because he attacked me 24 years ago."

Stillman's breath caught.

"The doer from your 49," he replied in astonishment, his own guilt overtaking the anger at having such a vital detail kept from him. Lilly nodded uncertainly, waiting for him to erupt.

"Yeah, boss."

"How do you know, Lil?" he asked, and Lilly blinked as she realised that he didn't sound at all angry with her. She managed to look up, meeting his concerned gaze with her own tortured eyes.

"Trust me, boss. There are some things you just don't forget," she said softly.

"Lilly…"

The blonde shook her head, feeling her cheeks turn pink.

"I...don't...really wanna talk about it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before, but..."

"Does Scotty know?"

Lilly looked up, a frown creasing her forehead.

"Scotty? Why would he know?" she questioned in confusion. Stillman couldn't help but chuckle at the complete bewilderment in her voice.

"Because you're living with him, Lilly. And because he's your partner."

"About living with him. I don't think that's going to work out."

The lieutenant studied her carefully, watching her cheeks turn pink.

"Why not?" he asked slowly. The blush deepened, and he sighed heavily. Lilly coughed, the sudden action racking her body. She blinked tears away from her eyes.

"I need to go by the store later, so if someone could give me a ride..."

Vera tapped on the door. Stillman beckoned him in, grateful for the interruption.

"What have you got, Nick?"

"Nothin' yet. We need you guys. My head hurts from just tryin' to work this out."

Lilly had been sitting in silence at the back of the room, watching each photograph as it was stuck up on the whiteboard for the second time. With blank eyes, she observed her colleagues as they studied the images. Vera tossed the pen to the table.

"I need coffee. You comin', Will?"

"Yeah. Boss?"

Stillman nodded, eyeing his female detective carefully.

"Lil? You need anything?"

"No," she replied softly. As the three men lingered in the doorway, Scotty walked towards them, carrying a long white box. Her heart plummeted at the look on his face.

"This was just delivered," he said gravely. Lilly stood up, moving towards him.

"For me," she stated in reply. Her partner nodded, using his free hand to surreptitiously give her arm a comforting squeeze. Lilly took the box from his arm, placing it on the desk.

"Don't open it, Lilly," Stillman warned. She shrugged.

"Why?"

"It might be rigged to blow," Vera replied.

"So this guy goes from beating children to death and arson, to blowing up a whole police building?"

The doubt in her voice made them realise how unlikely that particular scenario was, and with baited breath, they watched as Lilly gently lifted the lid of the box. Her face paled, and she took a tiny step back, colliding with Scotty's chest.

"Lil?" he questioned softly. She took a deep breath, reaching into the box for the newspaper clipping; she quickly glanced at the date, before hiding it from sight. Scotty carefully moved her to one side as he looked down into the box.

"Fuck," he whispered, the colour draining from his face. Feeling bile rise up in his throat, the male detective clapped a hand over his mouth and sprinted for the bathroom, leaving a trail of confusion in his wake. Lilly sighed, watching him leave.

"Scotty..." she murmured under her breath. Stillman stood beside her, emptying the contents of the box onto the desk.

Ten beheaded lilies fell onto the table.

Jefferies clenched his fist, and Vera could be heard grinding his teeth together. Lilly attempted a smile, but it failed.

"Think he's try to tell us something?" she joked miserably. Stillman blew out a breath, eyeing the piece of paper in her hand.

"What's with the note, Lilly?"

She looked up at him, casting scared glances towards her other colleagues.

"Boss..."

"They have to know sometime, Lilly," he replied gently. Sighing, the blonde detective silently moved to the board. She closed her eyes, before unfolding the newspaper article. Fighting back tears, she taped it to the board and stepped aside. With the pen in hand, Lilly quickly wrote a series of letters beneath the numbers, and stepped back.

"Oh God," Vera breathed.

The headline read 'GIRL LEFT FOR DEAD IN ALLEY'. A photo of a smiling ten year old took up most of the page, a ten year old whose intense blue eyes were too familiar. As things started to come together in his mind, Jefferies flicked his eyes to her writing for confirmation.

LILLY RUSH, OCT. 17th 1985

Vera shifted in his seat, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"I'm gonna kill him," he muttered. Lilly placed a hand on his shoulder, sliding past him to disappear into the bull pen. Their faces pale in shock, Vera and Jeffries looked towards Stillman. He met their stares with sad eyes.

"This stays in this office," he said quietly. Vera shook his head.

"Boss, what the hell is goin' on?"

"And what has Lilly got to with this?" Jeffries added. Vera frowned.

"An' why do we have to keep this quiet? Ain't Lil safer if we're all lookin' out for her?"

Jeffries had been watching Lilly carefully, noting the way she carefully avoided being anywhere near her partner.

"Scotty doesn't know yet," he said in realisation. Stillman sighed.

"For whatever reason, Lilly can't bring herself to tell him."

The detective in question reappeared in the doorway, a case file held in her hand.

"I thought you might want to look at this," she said, her voice wavering as she extended her arm. Jeffries took it from her.

"Lil, you know we're gonna have to reop..."

"NO!" she interrupted sharply, "You can't reopen it!"

Seeing their confused looks, Lilly took a deep breath.

"We work this like any other case. Forget me. Focus on the cases that we're supposed to be investigating."

"But this guy is trying to kill you!"

With a sad smile, she nodded.

"I know."

"So let us help you," Vera said gently. Lilly shuddered.

"I'm fine, you guys, really. Just...leave it alone," she replied, shutting the door behind her as she headed for the bullpen. Jeffries cleared his throat.

"What just happened?" he asked slowly. Stillman sighed.

"I think she just gave up."

Sitting back at her desk, Lilly cleared her throat.

"I've booked a hotel room, so I'll be out of your way," she said quietly. Scotty glanced up, nodded once, and returned his eyes to the page. After a moment, he stood up, walking to the break room and slamming the door. The blonde detective sighed. Dammit, Scotty. Why'd you have to make me fa...Last night was...a big mistake.

Dropping her head to the desk for a moment, she walked quickly to the door, only stopping when a gentle hand caught hold of her wrist. Lilly turned to glare at him, yanking her arm away.

"Where are you goin'?" Scotty asked quietly. She rolled her eyes.

"Let me go, Scotty."

"Where are you goin'?" he repeated dangerously.

"To the roof. Don't worry, Valens. I won't jump."

Her eyes widened as she realized what she had said. Scotty blinked in surprise, pain rocketing through his chest.

"Shit, Scotty, I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"No, I get it, Lil. I get it," he interrupted, "Have a great time on the roof."

Lilly rested her elbows on the railing, looking out over the city. Out of all the thoughts flying around in her head, one refused to budge- that after thinking about it overnight, she had realized that she didn't actually have a reason for turning Scotty down. It was like trying to build a mystery: you needed a beginning, a middle, a twist in the plot, and the end. Lilly had the beginning, the middle, and was currently somewhere around the plot twist.

With a sigh, Lilly realised that no matter what way she approached it, she had a decision to make: whether to give Scotty the chance he deserved or not. Turning to lean back against the railings, she knew she needed to do what she did best. She needed to study the evidence.

Point 1: He slept with her sister, and then lied to her about it. The detective swore softly, running a tired hand over her face. For God's sake, Rush. Is that all you can think about? She winced as a finger caught the tender bruise surrounding her eye. Chris wasn't a reason, she was an excuse. An excuse for ignoring feelings that otherwise would have been completely ignored.

Point 2: He'd held her when she needed holding, listened when she needed to talk, talked when she wanted to listen...and pushed when she needed pushing. So what exactly had made her call things to an abrupt halt?

The implications for their professional lives could be handled, there were no problems with the sex (what she had experienced of it, she thought in embarrassment) and she highly doubted that anyone else would object. Lilly felt her breath hitch at the answer she had just reached: there was no reason for doing what she did, and that thought made her sick with guilt. You better hope Scotty gives you a second chance, Rush, otherwise you're screwed.

Scotty, she realised, made her feel alive. Made her feel loved, even if it was by a simple grin across the bullpen. And as much as Lilly had enjoyed being with Kite, her heart had somehow had other ideas. The feeling of being loved, of being needed...that was something she was suddenly reluctant to let go. Lilly pushed off the railing, needing to tell her partner of this recent change of heart.

She would deal with the man trying to kill her later.

When she arrived in the bullpen, some of the weight lifted from her shoulders, her partner was glaring at the floor. Lilly came to a stop beside his desk. Scotty glanced up, and found that seeing her there brought back all the hurt and anger from the night before.

"Hi," she said nervously.

"Hi," he replied shortly, turning back to his paperwork.

"We need to talk."

"Thought we did," Scotty said roughly. She stifled a sigh, taking a few steps towards him. He glared at her, waiting for her to speak.

"I know you're mad, but..." Lilly began. His face remained blank, and the blonde detective coughed nervously, "Can I talk to you?"

"I ain't interested in your BS, Lil," he replied coldly, turning away.

"But what if I'm changing my mind?" she blurted. Scotty spun around to face her, his eyes widening. Lilly blushed.

"What if I'm realizing that maybe being with you...isn't such a bad thing?"

"Yeah?"

The uncertainty in his voice gave Lilly the courage to move even closer.

"You're everywhere, Scotty. You're here at work, you're there when I leave work, you're in my head...I don't think I can ignore it anymore," she admitted softly.

"What are you sayin', Lil?"

"I'm sayin' that I do want to give us a try, but...not right now."

Her partner narrowed his eyes.

"So you expect me to jus' be there whenever you feel like a quickie in the break room?" he said angrily.

"No, Scotty, that's not..."

"'Cause I can't do it, Lil. I can't pretend that you mean nothin' to me."

Lilly felt frustration tug at the edges of her mind.

"I'm trying here, Scotty. I know you're mad, and I'm sorry, but…dammit, I'm really trying!"

He looked up, and seeing that she was close to tears, felt his face soften.

"Lil…"

She hastily wiped her eyes, taking a step backwards as he stood up. Scotty swallowed, feeling guilty for almost being the one to reduce her to tears again.

"I've lost everything, Scotty. My home, my independence. Everything. I can't...I can't lose you too," she finished hurriedly, walking into the break room before Scotty had a chance to speak. He closed his eyes, pressing a cool hand to his forehead. You've really got me goin' crazy here, Lil.

Grabbing Lilly's 49 report from where it sat in his desk drawer, he stood up to follow the trail his partner had taken. She was sitting at the table, fiddling with her fingernails and staring straight ahead. Hearing the door shut with a click, Lilly's breath caught, and she turned her head away from him. Scotty sat down opposite her, sliding the folder across the table. Lilly glanced at it, her eyes widening in dread. Her partner waited, noting her inability to look at him. Inside, panic was clawing at the walls of Lilly's heart.

Seeing the fear in her eyes, Scotty tried not to feel guilty. Anyway, he reasoned, she was the one that left the damn report for me. She expected me to read it.

"Did you read it?" Lilly asked in a small voice. The moment seemed to stretch on forever, and after an eternity, he shook his head.

"No."

The male detective hid a smile at the mixture of relief, confusion and disbelief on her face.

"You didn't read it," she echoed in soft surprise.

"Lil, I want you to be able to tell me 'cause I'm your...friend, because you want me to know. Not 'cause I made you feel guilty."

Lilly stood, moving to stare absently out of the window. Scotty admired her slender curves, the way the dim lighting reflected off her hair. They were silent, until Lilly spoke in a whisper.

"Thank you."

There you go. Scotty's being a bit dense- he still hasn't worked out what the connection is between their victims and Lilly! But I guess they've taken one step closer to being 'a couple'. The next chapter gets kinda fluffy. Well, as fluffy as it can under the circumstances. I'd really appreciate any reviews, and any advice you can give would be great! Sigh. I love you guys.