Right after he stopped talking, he moved his hand to the side. The gesture was so quick that it could have been mistaken for a move solely to get her attention, if his heart weren't beating its way out of his chest, and he weren't still staring deeply into her eyes.

Every emotion tore through her. A single quiet word causing a rockslide. More than anything, she was suddenly overwhelmed by her desire to sleep. Any boldness in the alcohol had worn off and she was left with only exhaustion. She couldn't process the situation, let alone come up with something to say.

Still staring intently, Scotty saw the currents running underneath, but mostly he saw her. Any illusion of normality she had created had vanished.

She looked like the ghost of his dreams.

"C'mon, Lil. Let me take you home." His voice was soft as he moved out of the booth to stand beside her, treading carefully on their new ground.

She looked up at him blankly. "No, no, Scotty, I'm fine." Lilly Rush had become child-like, a toddler protesting her bedtime.

Her demeanor was enough for him to help her out of her seat—Lily wouldn't be fighting him tonight. And when he had held her hand…it had felt…he just wasn't sure he'd be able to let it go.

"Yeah, sure you are, Lil, but I'm still takin' you home," He shook his head as she wiggled a little in his grasp.

She came to a firm stop. "Scotty, I don't need…I don't want this to be…because of…" She was pleading, ashamed almost, untrusting in that someone could want to help her, but wanting so desperately to accept.

If she could just let him take care of her. Just this once.

He smiled at her. "That ain't got nothin' to do with it. I don't want the beat cops who pick you up when you're fallin' over yourself on the way home to call me in the middle of the night. I need my beauty rest."

With that, her last protests fell aside easily, comfortable with the joking, big-ego Scotty she knew. Comfortable knowing he wouldn't push when she was so close to the edge. At least this time. He knew her so well it was scary. Or it would have been if Lilly had been aware enough to process it.

Now if she could only forget about his strong hands leading her out the door.

The night air had shocked her a little into focus. She still couldn't sort though the things in her head, but she at least had enough wits about her to unlock her own front door.

Scotty stepped inside with her, not wanting to lose this newfound proximity. She had let him touch her, a hand on her shoulder, her arm, little things, but completely new to them. The thought of things going back to the way they had been was too much. But he couldn't fall apart now. It was his time to be utterly composed. Only one of them could work out this mess at a time, and he knew her enough to know that if he had any chance of moving forward, he better let her have some time alone.

He stepped away from her, convinced she was awake enough to stand, when suddenly he felt the weight of his own sleeplessness cover him.

He stifled a yawn, trying to save face. "Now I know you won't be makin' trouble tonight, I guess I'm gonna head home."

Lilly looked up from Olivia and Tripod at her feet to see Scotty standing in the doorway. In the moonlight, he practically looked like a zombie. Despite the terror of realizing how bad she might look compared to him, she wasn't going to let him leave. It was her turn to take care of him.

"No way you are making it back alive, Valens." Before she even realized what she was saying, she added, "You're staying here tonight. The daybed's all made up."

She shut the door and led him on a quick tour, the kitchen, the bathroom, the spare room, all faster than her mind could catch up, before it could scream what the hell are you thinking?! What was she thinking? Scotty, staying in her home? When she was a hair away from some sort of emotional breakdown? When he just said he'd "always" be there for her? No one had ever lived up to that promise. And here she was falling for it.

It her body was working from muscle memory. She was treating this like she would a case, leading him around her home, her personal space, as if it were just another day at the office. Her emotional circuitry had been fried. Now it was just about making sure Scotty didn't fall asleep standing up. He didn't have her tolerance for sleep deprivation.

They had reached the daybed without Scotty saying a single word.

Finally recovering from the shock of this completely unexpected turn of events, he managed get his head on straight. He couldn't stay. She was just loopy from being tired.

He managed to spit out, "Lil, don't get me wrong, I appreciate it, but…"

One look at her ended his protest. She wasn't losing her mind. This was what Lilly wanted. There was something else there—fear, maybe; confusion—but this was right.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, I'm sure, Scotty." It sounded much more confident than she felt. "We both need to sleep as soon as humanly possible. Besides, you don't want anybody else seeing you looking as bad as you do," she teased.

In reality, even in his incredibly disheveled state, Scotty Valens was the most attractive man in Philadelphia, a thought that jumped into Lilly's mind with frightening force.

"Thanks, Lil. Goodnight."

His voice shocked her back into control, though if she didn't find a way to turn off her brain soon, the tidal wave forming there was bound to wash her away.

"'Night, Scotty." She was almost out the door when she paused. "Scotty?"

There weren't enough words to say what she wanted. If she even really knew what she wanted to say. But in the warm glow of the bedside lamp, her eyes told the whole story.

"Thank you."

She turned and walked out, not looking back.

Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! I am having a hard time with this writing thing, but I want my few loyal readers out there to know that I will absolutely not leave you hanging. Thank you for reading! I will try to make it worth your while!