"Fine." Mac ground through his teeth, glaring at the officer who sat across from him. He rubbed his eyes and sat up a little straighter so he wouldn't slide completely out of the chair and onto the floor. He had spent the better part of an hour with Detective Cassidy and he was out of excuses. He couldn't just ignore the fact that Steven's hit-and-run accident took priority over Lulu's life choices. That didn't mean he had to like it.

"Thank you, Sir." Evan beamed at the news he had been longing to hear for a while now. Ever since the run-in with Lulu's brother, he realized that the entire situation was ridiculous at best. She had moved from numb drug addict to paranoid delusions and he shuddered to think what the next leap might be. It was just as possible that she had faked the freak-out, but he didn't think so. The terror in her eyes had been too sudden, too well-played. He wished he could have figured out what she had seen, but chalked it up to something else he didn't want to know. She was unstable to say the least and no matter what he tried to do was working. He couldn't make her care about her own life and he was done wasting his.

"I have to meet my daughter. Is there anything else you want?" Mac grumbled. His tone held a subtle threat in it, one that Evan heard clearly.

"No, that's all. I'll let you know what I can dig up on this hit-and-run." Evan promised, heading for the door.

"You do that." Mac threw on his pea-green jacket and shoved out the door in an obvious hurry. Evan must have let a smile slip because the commissioner through his final order on the matter over his shoulder, "By the way, you're telling Lulu."

And just like that, the air rushed out of the sails and Evan was left in the middle of the police station with his mouth hanging open. Why did he have to be the one tell her? It wasn't like she would care one way or another. He pinched the bridge of his nose and expelled a breath. This was not the way he had seen this going.

"You finally manage it?" David asked as he made his way over to the younger man. It had been no secret that Cassidy wanted off this case, the sooner the better. He hadn't actually thought Cassidy would manage it, but apparently the idea of pushing to investigate Steven Webber's hit-and-run more closely wasn't as dumb as it had initially sounded.

"With conditions." Evan sighed. He stared at the ground as if he wished it would swallow him whole.

"Conditions? That is never good." David tried to hide his smirk.

"I have to tell Lulu." Evan provided.

"Can I come to watch? There's nothing good on TV tonight."

"Funny." Evan rolled his eyes. "So glad my version of hell is so humorous to you."

David shrugged his shoulders. "Well you had to be good for something. I assume you at least know where she is so you can get this last part over with?"

"She's at the club on Main." Evan told him. He had a few ears over at her favorite club who had filled him in on the week's latest events. Apparently, little Lulu was getting herself deeper and deeper by basically making herself Vermin's groupie. He knew she was helping him unload his supply, but he hadn't been there to witness any such exchange.

"Then I suggest you get over there before she skips on you again." David pointed out. If there was one place Lulu Spencer always seemed to outrun Cassidy it was in the club. She was an expert at hiding in the shadows and disappearing into the crowd. Even as close as Samantha could follow there didn't seem to be a way to stop Lulu from vanishing into the night.

"Take it easy." Evan said before walking out into the chilly night. He had lived here for a little under six months now, but it would take him another six to understand the weather patterns. When he climbed into his car, he checked the outside temperature and his eyes widened when the little numbers caught his focus: fifty-two. It was September for Christ's sake. Why was it so cold?

He pulled out of the lot and took a back street that ran parallel to Main. No one would notice this car. It was gunmetal gray with an acceptable amount of dents and scratches. He had found the ad for it in the local paper and paid little to nothing for it. If anyone ever saw his real car, the one that was safely housed in his garage at home, they would never believe he brought home a cop's salary.

He brought the car to a lingering stop at the curb, grabbed his keys, and stuffed them into his back pocket. This would be a quick job. He would be in and out in no time. He clicked the lock button on his keypad and wasn't surprised when nothing happened. Grumbling unintelligibly under his breath, he manually locked it and avoided eye contact with the thugs he encountered first. They took one look at the car and then said he was too poor to be messed with. It was all the same to him. He jerked the back door open and stepped inside.

Where the night had been cold and intimidating, the club was warm and cloudy. He breathed in a mouthful of smoke and fought back the urge to choke. He hadn't seen her car outside, but she could have just as easily walked here. She actually thought she was a force to be reckoned with. At a hundred, maybe a hundred and five pounds, she couldn't have been any less intimidating. He spotted her without a moment's hesitation—like she could fit in with this crowd. She was standing between Vermin and the Incredible Hulk. Why couldn't anything with her ever be simple?

Seeing his now familiar form crossing through the crowd, Lulu fought back the urge to roll her eyes. Why did he always have to stand out? Evan may have tried to brag about his ability to blend in with any crowd, but he stood out worse than a sore thumb. The self-conscious slouch, the hair that never seemed to stay down no matter how hard he tried the easy stride. Evan Cassidy was born without the ability to blend in. No matter how often she tried to ignore him, he was always there, an irritating constant presence.

It was going to get him busted. And while she didn't care about him per say, it wasn't like she wanted to sentence him to anything close to what she knew Derek and Vermin did to those they considered threats. And Detective Evan Cassidy would most definitely be considered a threat.

Just leave, she tried to order him telepathically. Just completely miss the fact I'm here, walk out the door, and leave. Come on, just this once do what I want you to do.

"I have to tell you something." Evan told Lulu without preamble. "Just let me know now if you can see straight, because I'll save this for later if you're going to forget it." He didn't miss the anger in her eyes. What else was new? At least this was the last time he'd have to see it.

"Who are you?" Vermin narrowed his gold colored eyes in the direction of the newcomer. No one got this close to him or who he considered a friend without an introduction.

Evan gave Vermin a bored look. "Leslie's boyfriend. Who the hell are you?"

Vermin gave Derek a barely perceptible glance. "Boyfriend? Didn't you tell me about our little Lu wanting to be more than friendly with you in the alley? Didn't sound like to me like she has a boyfriend."

"She's promiscuous." Evan stated. "And if you don't mind, we were in the middle of a conversation."

"I mind." Derek took a lumbering step. "And I don't think you're her boyfriend."

"Like I'd share my personal life with you?" Lulu finally spoke up from behind all three of them. It was a good thing Derek somewhat blocked her view of Evan or the death rays she was shooting for that promiscuous remark would have made her defense seem even lamer.

Turning back, Derek gave her a leer that caused a shudder to work its way through her spine. "You seemed to want to share plenty that night. I'm sure the cop here remembers."

"The...the cop?" Lulu spat out incredulously. She had told all of them repeatedly Cassidy would get his cover blown, but she hadn't guessed Derek to be the one to blow it.

"You heard me. I saw those handcuffs he had."

"This again. Did you see a badge too, because the last time I checked handcuffs had more than one use." Evan tried to look bored. He hadn't expected her to help him again. He wasn't sure he wanted it now.

"Really?" Vermin smirked. "You want to confirm that little Lu?"

"That's none of your business."

"She's right. It's not of your business." Evan reminded them. It was futile. There was going to be a fight. Great. He had known this wouldn't be easy.

"I suppose I always was a show-and-tell kind of guy myself." Vermin said, almost to himself. He ignored the seething glare Evan sent him. He felt like a kid with a remote controlled toy.

"You want a show Vermin?" Lulu purred as she moved toward Evan. "I'll give you a show." She might regret this later, but it would end this male pissing contest. Besides, like she didn't know full well that Cassidy would chicken out before anything actually happened. Then she could fake a breakup in front of Vermin and Derek and divorce herself from his mess forever.

Evan caught Lulu by the waist and tugged her forward, tilting his head and focusing on her eyes. They just needed to put on a good show and then he could tell her why he had stopped by. He told himself that this had been necessary, coming to find her, because even though he knew she would continue to make stupid choices, he wanted her to realize that he wouldn't be watching her back anymore.

He should have started them off at a relatively innocent level, but he couldn't help it. She felt too good pressed against him. He brushed his thumb across the seam of her lips and then came in for a kiss that had her standing on her tiptoes. He hadn't expected her lips to separate and, from her muffled moan, he realized that it wasn't a conscious decision on her part either. Her mouth was softer than he remembered and sweet. It reminded him of honey. Sweet, but not overly rich. He wanted to devour her.

"Satisfied?" Evan demanded, pulling away far too soon for his liking. He smirked when he saw that Lulu's eyes were still closed and that she was gripping a piece of his shirt collar.

Vermin was grinning. "What do you think, Derek?"

"I'm keeping my eye on you two."

"You had to talk to me?" Lulu managed to find her voice. Damn Vermin must have increased the potency of his goods for her to feel this affected. No way Evan Cassidy had had such an effect on her. If he could kiss like that, there would be no way she would have completely erased it from her memory.

"Yeah. Over here. If that's okay with you two gentlemen?" He didn't wait for an answer.

She waited until she was reasonably sure the music would drown out any discussion they were going to have. The kiss had left her shaky, her mind spinning. Not that she was going to let him know that. "What the hell is going on?" She hissed.

"I've been assigned to another case." Evan informed her, waiting for some kind of reaction.

Blinking, she tried to process the information. He was assigned to another case. "What exactly does that mean?"

"It means I'm out of your hair." Evan clarified.

"You're done? This is it?"

"I thought you'd be shoving me out the door." Evan admitted. "And anyway, you were right all along."

"I'm always right. But what specifically are you talking about?"

"That you're an adult capable of making your own decisions. And, while I don't agree with what you're doing..."

"If this is you trying to do a graceful goodbye, it needs work."

"Then I'll just go." Evan snapped, turning away from her.

"Cassidy." Lulu called after him.

Evan stopped in his tracks. "What?"

She knew going in it would be a mistake. She shouldn't ask the question. She should just let him walk out of her life and become nothing more than an annoying footnote she would one day look back on and laugh at. But the words spilled from her tongue before she could bite them back. "Why did you go along with that kiss? I thought...I thought you would stop me."

"Stop you?" Evan repeated.

"Yes stop me. You had to know what I was planning. Or guess it. I saw that look in your eyes."

This was kind of fun, Evan thought to himself. "What look?"

"That look you get when you think I'm planning to do something crazy."

"It was a pretty crazy move." Evan allowed, giving nothing away.

"Which you generally stop. Or try to."

"Are you really that clueless?"

"Your baby-sitting is done. You've served your penance. You are officially under no obligation to save me from whatever it is you think I need saving from."

"I wasn't trying to save you."

"Then what the hell were you trying to do?"

Evan chuckled. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining what it was like to kiss you. I thought for sure it couldn't be as great as I remembered, but it was better."

Taking a step back, Lulu was stunned by his words. "Be...Better?"

"Better." Evan nodded, leaning in to kiss her just once more. Though it didn't last half as long as the one before it, it was no less bone-melting. "Stay out of trouble please." And then he walked away.