This is a little twoshot I came up with as a response to the series finale (or that one episode that will have to serve as a series finale, since Cold Case won't get a proper one) Shattered. I don't know if I got all the details right, nor am I sure how old the baby was, but I hope you enjoy it! LS of course, because they're just such cuties.

Disclaimer: *Sigh* writing these is really quite depressing. I'm running out of creative ways to express how much I don't own anything. :(

Lilly Rush sat on the end of her couch, hugging her knees closer to her chest and suppressing a shiver. Her eyes travelled across her dimly lit kitchen, the hallway to her bedroom, around the living room. She'd been staring blankly at the same few walls since returning to Philly. Nothing looked different, since she'd left it behind 24 hours ago, and yet everything was.

All of a sudden, Lilly had to bite back a bitter laugh. How long ago had she been in this exact same position? Three years. Three years ago when her mother died, drank herself to death with no regard for her little girls she was leaving behind, she'd sat in this exact position, unable to move or think. Is this where her life had travelled? A full circle? Had she learnt nothing in the last few years?

Apparently not.

Christina… Lilly felt an unexpected wave of pain wash over her. The phone on her coffee table was exactly where she'd left it, when she'd put it down gently after hearing the news, reminding her… Christina was dead. Oh God. Christina, her sister, died. She died.

Lilly hadn't asked for details. The doctor on the phone had sounded tired, exasperated, and just too used to this to care. In a way so was she. Or she supposed she was because she just… couldn't bring herself to feel anything. Her sister was dead damn it, and sadness, grief, and tears - everything she was supposed to be feeling - had fallen by the wayside… to be replaced by a much more selfish feeling that Lilly hated herself for.

Loneliness.

Deep, bottom of her soul, lonely.

Because like it or not, Chris was the only family she'd had left. Despite all her flaws, all the times she'd shown up and made everything worse, all the betrayal and hate, they were blood… and you couldn't deny blood. Lilly wanted to slap herself for being so… so mean. And cold. For missing her sister because of what she represented - family - not because she loved her.

Lilly blinked the tears out of her eyes, scrubbing furiously at her face, the first sudden movement she'd made in hours. She let her eyes travel over to the soft chair that went with the couch, to the little pink bundle that lay haphazardly on the soft upholstery.

The baby.

The baby that was now hers.

She drew in a deep breath and raised her hands to put them over her ears, rocking slightly and blocking out the soft coos and gurgles of the little person lying innocently across from her. God, that poor baby girl. She'd done nothing wrong except been born into the fractured Rush family. Lilly gripped her hair tightly and bit her lip. What was she going to do? Give her up? Raise her? She didn't know if she was capable of either one of them.

"Lil?" Lilly's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. She didn't need to turn around. She knew who had just come into her house. Just like three years ago. He's going to tell her she left her door unlocked, his voice softly disapproving, and then he's going to sit next to her and whisper a few comforting words that mean nothing. She'll listen without saying a word, then ask him to leave, and he will.

"Left the door unlocked." He muttered softly, moving around to the side of the couch. Despite herself, Lilly felt the corners of her lips turn up in a bitter smile. There it was. She didn't reply.

"You, uh, you okay?" The moment the words were out of his mouth Scotty could sense how meaningless they would be. He raked a hand through his hair, looking down at her still form and wondering if she'd break if he touched her.

Lilly gripped her knees tighter, trying to stop shaking. If she kept trembling then he'd see how wrong everything was, he'd see how not okay she was. Her muscles ached from keeping up the façade and she knew that if he didn't leave soon she wouldn't be able to hold on any longer. She could practically feel him longing to put on his Superman cape and swoop in to save her. Lilly couldn't let that happen.

"Scotty I'm alright. Just… leave, okay?" She whispered breathlessly, "Please? Leave?" She added, just a tad desperately.

Her words slammed into Scotty like a brick wall. So this was the route she'd chosen. She was going to shut him out, not let him help her or be there. Anger flared in his chest. He'd just risked his fucking career to bring her sister back, broken all sorts of laws, crossed state lines, almost been killed… and she still didn't trust him? After all that? "No." He found himself saying harshly.

He heard her shocked intake of breath at his loud exclamation and for a moment, he felt bad for startling her… but only for a moment, because after that the frustration once again overtook him. "I ain't leavin' Lil." He affirmed, sitting down defiantly on her coffee table and crossing his arms, "You can keep sittin' there, but I ain't leavin'."

Lilly sighed. This wasn't going the way it went last time. Last time, he'd respectfully backed off when asked, and now… he was so close she could almost feel his warm breath on her cheek. Briefly, she wondered what had changed between them, but she decided not to dwell on it. The first thing she had to do was get him out of her house.

"Christina's dead." She blurted.

Damn it. That wasn't what she was supposed to say. Why didn't she ever think before talking? The words out of her mouth always managed to either hurt someone or dump her problems on someone. She could practically feel the shock and pity emanating from Scotty now as he struggled with his own words.

"I'm sorry." He managed, now biting back anger at Christina. At an intellectual level, he knew, it wasn't her fault she was dead, but still… what the hell? He'd seen Lilly when they'd found her sister, tears in her eyes, and anger at the bastard who'd done that to her. In that moment, Lilly had gotten her sister back, and now Christina had died and left her? Just like her mother.

"Don't be, I didn't love her." Lilly said, her rough voice masking the pain behind it. She winced. God, it sounded horrible out loud, didn't it? She let her head drop to her arms, "I'm a horrible person, aren't I?"

Scotty reached out for her then, placing a hand on her shoulder, hoping the soothing pressure would convince her more than his words would. "Nah." He whispered, "You just… been through some, bad times, with your sister, that's all."

Lilly didn't move, and Scotty could tell she didn't believe a word he was saying. "Hey… look at me." He commanded quietly. He grabbed both her arms, unfolding them from atop her knees and turning her around so that her feet slipped off the couch and she sat facing him. He didn't relinquish her elbows, instead using them to pull her closer. "You are… the kindest, warmest, most… beautiful… person I know."

He ducked his head, trying in vain to meet her eyes. Those eyes… they were often the only way he could get a handle on what she was feeling, and when he saw that they were clouded with pain and regret, he made his move. He shifted from the coffee table to the couch, sitting close next to her and putting an arm around her slim shoulders. He could feel her tense at his movement, and wondered if she was going to shake him off, or punch him in the face, but it seemed this much touching was allowed, at least for now. Scotty leaned back into the couch, bringing her with him and sending up a silent prayer that this wasn't too much.

"I… don't have anybody left." She said brokenly, again feeling the pressure of tears in the back of her eyes.

Scotty closed his eyes, feeling her pain wash over him. "Oh Lil." He murmured into her hair, "You got me. I'm somebody." Unconsciously, he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head, something he'd wanted to do for a long time now. "And it's gonna be alright, okay?"

"N-No, no it isn't, Scotty." She snapped, sitting up suddenly and leaving the space underneath his arm cold. "God, why do you always say that? You act like, like you can fix anything. The world isn't like that. My world isn't like that, Scotty. Some things you just can't fix. Some things just won't be alright. So, please, don't just sit there and tell me things are going to be okay when they're not."

Her words grew more and more rushed, while her breathing quickened and Scotty placed a hand on her back, rubbing slow circles until she calmed slightly. He knew she had reached the breaking point. This was the moment where she was no longer able to hold everything back. Scotty wasn't sure how to deal with it, so he continued rubbing circles in the loose material of her shirt, racking his brain for his next words.

She saved him the trouble, "What am I gonna do? " She asked helplessly, gesturing toward the other chair, where Scotty noticed for the first time the little pink blanket… and then he remembered. They'd found a baby, Christina's baby. Lilly's baby now, he guessed.

Scotty got up from the couch, crossing over to the baby in one second and scooping her up into his arms. He marveled for a second at how small and delicate she seemed, before sitting back down next to Lilly. He felt Lilly recoil slightly, but he ignored her trepidation, laying the baby down across both their knees.

Lilly hugged her arms to her chest, looking at him nervously, not knowing what to do. She chewed on her bottom lip and Scotty couldn't help but chuckle. "Go on, touch her." He encouraged gently. When she didn't move, Scotty grabbed her hand and brought it to the baby's cheek, rubbing the tips of her fingers down along to the baby's chin.

She gasped in wonder, looking at Scotty with a mixture of fear and amazement. He smiled at her fully, "Pretty damn amazin', huh?" He asked, and his heart soared at her wavery nod.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes, taking turns cuddling the baby girl between them, until Scotty remembered that she'd asked him a question - a question that he now had an answer to. "You're gonna come home with me, okay?"

Lilly's head snapped up, "What?" Was he really offering… what she thought he was offering?

Scotty stumbled a bit over his words, "I- you asked, what you're gonna do. An' I dunno much about anythin', but I know I ain't lookin' forward to bein' alone, and you- you're alone here. So… come home with me." He repeated.

"Are you sure?" She asked uncertainly.

Scotty nodded and stood up, giving her a reassuring smile. He looked on as Lilly readjusted the baby in her arms, tugging softly on the pink blanket and positioning the infant delicately over her shoulder. She stood up as well, swaying a little because she'd been sitting there for so long. Scotty wondered for a second whether he'd have to catch her, and the baby, wryly thinking that he wouldn't mind having her in his arms again, but she held her own, and together they walked out the door.

Hmm... Scotty + Lilly + Baby ... I wonder what will happen...

As always, review if you feel so inclined and you have a second to leave a few thoughts. I'll try and get the next part up ASAP.