Eight: 2008 and 2009

March 20th 2009

New York City

Stella was very close to punching the air when she found it. The matching grooves on the bullet Sid had removed from Emma Kranz's brain, with the 33 year old bullet from Mary Beaumont's skull that had been sent by express post from Philadelphia and had arrived just as everyone else was leaving the lab, Danny and Lindsay itching to go home to Lucy, Hawkes mumbling something almost incoherent about a date, that had made Stella smile, and Flack… she didn't know where Flack was going. She thought maybe to see his sister, she hoped maybe to see his sister, it was better than the alternative: in a lonely, empty flat, with a bottle of Scotch for company, or worse, taking a trip down to the cemetery with a bunch of lilies.

Mac, it didn't surprise her to see, was still in his office, pouring over the copies of the Mary Beaumont case-file that Philly Homicide had sent up, a few hours ahead of the bullet. Adam was sat in the next room, the computer lab, hacking away at something on Emma Kranz's laptop hard-drive, hoping to salvage something from the computer. Stella ran the checking system one more time to make sure, and when the green letters MATCH FOUND flashed up on her screen again, she couldn't help but smile.

The Emma Kranz case had been proving to be one of those that would go dead quickly. There was nothing much at the scene, the rain had washed away pretty much any trace evidence they could find, and it didn't appear that the killer had even touched Emma before he shot her. Ballistics had been the only thing they might have had, and now, an exact match to Emma's aunt's murder and they might just have some sort of lead again, no matter how shaky. She was about to inform Mac when her cell phone rung from her lab coat pocket.

"Bonasera."

"It's Detective Valens. It seems one of our key suspects is currently residing in New York City, so my partner and I are coming down… we'll be with you in the morning.."

"Valens, the bullets are a match. Emma Kranz was shot with the same gun that killed Mary Beaumont."

She heard the detective report that to someone else in the background. "I guess we'll see you tomorrow morning, then." He said slowly, and Stella felt a small smile touching her lips. It was a small development, but it was the first step towards closing in on this guy.

"In the morning."

Philadelphia

"I'm not going to New York City with you." She said, folding her arms, "And Boss won't make me… he won't mind keeping me here."

Scotty frowned. "How long are you gonna keep doing this, Lil?"

She shrugged, almost with the air of a child for a second. "As long as I want to."

He laughed a little, making her frown deepen.

"Look… I didn't mean to hurt you… I jus' thought…"

"I don't want to hear it, Scotty."

But he was reaching the end of his tether, and this case was proving tough on both of them. He sat down on the edge of the desk, looking at her. They were the last people left on the floor, even Stillman had called in to go home ten minutes ago, and here they were, still studying the files and trying not to steal glances in each other's directions.

"What's going on here, Lil?" he whispered, leaning forward so she couldn't help but look at him. "I said I was sorry for what I said… everyone says things when they're angry… you sure as hell said some nasty stuff back… But I don't know what you want from me…"

She tried looking away, but finding her attempt useless, stared back at him, employing the Ice Queen stare that made her one of Homicide's best. "You left." She said slowly, and Scotty swore the temperature in the room dropped a little.

He shook his head. "I thought… I thought that was what you wanted…"

She shook her head. "I thought… you said you knew me, Scotty, and I thought…"

December 24th 2008

"Hey." he whispered, heart thudding in his chest as the expressions rushed through her eyes, wondering whether she was going to bolt, and whether he ought to take cover…

She blinked at him slowly, but, so slowly he was hardly sure it was really happening at all, a tiny smile touched her lips.

"Hey." flitted between them so lightly he had to question, again, whether this was real. He swallowed.

"You… uh… you ok?"

She nodded, the tiny smile progressing into a real smile, and then into an almost-grin.

"I'm… good… did, uh, did we?" she raised her eyebrows slightly, and he nodded, his own eyebrows headed for heaven.

"Yeah. Twice."

Both of them moved slightly at the same moment, as if they were leaning in for something more, not sure what was happening… Scotty's face broke into a smile.

"If you want me to kiss you, Rush, you just have to ask."

He held his breath for a moment, wondering if he'd crossed some unspoken line, maybe he'd been reading all the signs wrong… it flickered through his mind, panic, fear, and then a warm feeling that seemed so distant in his mind he could hardly remember it… that feeling of nerves and hope and relief when you touched lips with someone, when it was still new and strange, but you already knew it meant something.

Lilly's lips were light on his, and she rolled towards him slowly, lifting herself so she was half on top of him, and he realised he'd never been this close to her face before, the night before aside. And she was smiling…

He was trying to keep it light, not wanting it to end, but he could feel her teeth nipping at his bottom lip, tugging on it gently, opening his mouth and…

He flipped them, all thoughts of steadiness gone. She looked so small underneath him, but now it wasn't her vulnerability he could see, but her beauty. The triangle of freckles on her shoulder, the ice-blue of her eyes suddenly sparkling between kisses. And that smile… he thought it would probably be his undoing.

He rolled off of her, lying beside her, tucking his hands behind his head. She propped herself up on her elbow, looking down at him.

"There a problem?" she whispered, her finger tracing tiny, nervous circles on his chest. He wondered for a fleeting second whether either she was still hideously drunk, that was why she was agreeing to all this, or whether he was still hideously drunk and still dreaming. But there was still a smile on her face as her eyes turned worried, and he knew she was waiting for an answer.

"Lil… are you… are we…" he trailed off. That smile coupled with those eyes was stealing the words straight out of his throat. "You ain't runnin'…"

One corner of her mouth turned up higher than the other, and she kissed him again, gently. "I guess not." She whispered, shaking her head, her fingers twining through his, a promise. Not of any length of time, not of any future. A promise to try.

March 20th 2009

She started to say something more, but he put a finger to her lips, his heart leaping in his chest at the contact with her skin again, bracing himself for her to turn and run and keep running until she couldn't even find her way back if she tried. But she was frozen to the spot, her heart thudding so loudly she was sure he could hear it, she was sure he could read every inch of her fear.

"Come to New York with me." He said slowly, like he was dipping his toe in to test for warmth. "We'll get a hotel, we'll solve this case… we'll talk, Lilly."

His hand snaked away from her face, taking an awkward route into his back pocket, and she had to physically restrain her sigh as the contact was lost. When she didn't say anything, his face, which had been showing the beginnings of a small hope, fell. He eased himself off of her desk, started to walk away.

"All right." Her small voice cut through the empty room. "New York."

He couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.

As usual, I hope you like it :)