Hey. I know, I know. It's been a while since I've posted a chapter. Things have just been so busy, what with final exams and all. Hopefully, I'll be able to update more often now that it's summer. As always, please take a second a leave a review just to let me know what you think. Happy reading.

Disclaimer: -.- I don't own them. You gotta rub it in?

Chapter 4: Leave Out All The Rest

It was a little while later – it may have been hours, or just seconds – but neither Scotty nor Lilly knew, nor had the desire to know, as they collapsed on her bed in a sweaty, panting heap. Scotty tried to articulate how much she meant to him, how beautiful she was, and how insane he was about her.

What he could get out of his mouth, "God, Lil…", seemed way too insignificant for the places they'd just been together.

"Mm?" She asked. Scotty grinned when he saw that Lilly's mind was no more coherent than his.

Turning around and wrapping an arm around her waist, Scotty wanted to hold her close, press soft kisses to her golden hair and whisper endearing things until the morning. But to his chagrin, he found his eyelids drooping and the stress of the past few weeks finally seeping into his bones. Eyes fluttering shut, he tightened his hold on Lilly, buried his head in the curve of her neck and let a small smile cross his face as he drifted off to sleep.

Lilly could feel Scotty's frantic heart beat slowing against her back and his breathing even out into slow, deep breaths. After a few minutes, when she was fairly sure he was asleep, she raised her head slightly to glance at the clock. 3:12 AM. The glowing digital lights reminded her how close it was to the morning, and how much work she'd have to put in, covering the dark circles under her eyes when the time came.

Sighing in frustration, she knew that though her body was completely spent, in every way, and yet there was no way she was getting any sleep tonight. Not with the events of that night swimming around in her already crowded mind. Cringing slightly, recent memories of sounds and expressions made in the throes of passion filled her mind and Lilly knew she couldn't be around Scotty and expect to think straight at the same time.

Throwing her legs out of bed and wincing slightly at the protest of overused muscles, Lilly picked up a shirt that had been discarded and was hanging over a lamp, slipped it over her shoulders, and padded toward the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she was huddled comfortably in a cozy niche near the window, both cats curled in her lap, clutching a cup of hot tea. Leaning her head against the cold window, Lilly reflected on what had happened that night. Somehow they'd gotten from a night at the bar, to makeshift walls crumbling in her kitchen, to… the bedroom. Silently, Lilly cursed her inability to keep her personal life separated from work. There was Kite, and then there was Joseph, and now there's Scotty.

Scotty isn't like the rest of them. Lilly reminded herself softly. And at this thought, Lilly couldn't help but allow a smile to cross her face. Scotty definitely wasn't like the rest of the men she'd dated and just the thought of the way he looked at her sometimes made her heart melt.

But… starting something with Scotty, her partner, her best friend, was definitely what Vera would call ill-advised. It would mean putting her career on the line if this – whatever this was – crashed and burned. And it would mean putting herself on the line. Her heart and her pride and all the little things she kept buried away for all those years. All of that risked being exposed, wounded, and … loved.

Her head snapping up, Lilly felt the imaginary clouds above her head clearing. That was what was missing in her life, love, and she wanted Scotty to fill the gap. Because she trusted him, because over the 4 years they'd worked together, he'd somehow pushed his way past the iron clad walls she kept around her and he wasn't sorry, nor was he turning back. In the heart of hearts, she knew she wanted Scotty in her life, but how to tell him? That was another issue all together.

Stirring slightly in his sleep, Scotty felt around for the warm body of none other than Lilly Rush, hoping to catch a few more minutes of slumber before they were officially called for duty. Maybe more than a few minutes. He thought happily as he realized that they'd worked through Saturday on the last case and a glorious Sunday stretched in front of them. As novel and different curling up with Lilly was, nothing had ever felt more natural or more wonderful.

To his alarm though, his arms met not with the beautiful blond he expected, but cold bed sheets and – if he wasn't mistaken – the black bra he'd torn off of her mere hours before. When he saw a light in the hallway, he decided to investigate what Lilly was doing awake at… 4:30 in the morning. Scotty tried – and failed – to locate his shirt and settled pulling on his boxers and venturing into the kitchen.

Immediately, the mystery of his shirt was solved. There it was draped over Lilly's thin shoulders, the light blue appearing almost white in the light from the streetlamps. Deciding right away that Lilly looked far better in the shirt than he did, Scotty walked up behind her, not sure how to disturb the quiet, faraway look on her face.

And then he remembered a conversation they'd had a few weeks ago. If you need me, just say hey. And she definitely looked like she needed him.

"Hey." He said. Probably a bit more loudly, and a bit more abruptly than he wanted because her start of surprise didn't escape him.

"Scotty," She breathed a sigh of relief. " Don't… sneak up on me like that."

"Sorry." He hastened to apologize. "Whatcha doin up so… early?"

"Couldn't sleep." She replied shortly.

"Yeah, well. Me neither, not without you there." He shot her a flirty grin and hoped to wipe the slightly worried look off her face by reminding her of … everything that night.

Unfortunately, Lilly was in no mood to be distracted. There was something she had to say. Something she had to make clear.

"I've… gotta tell you something Scotty."

Sensing her serious mood, Scotty crouched down beside her and said. "Aythin, Lil." Tell me everything.

"We've been, toeing the line, for a lotta years now Scotty. But tonight, we, God, I can't believe we…"

"Jumped the line and left it in the dust?" He offered.

Chuckling slightly, Lilly continued, "Yeah. And well…" She patted the spot in front of him and indicated he sit down opposite her. "I think, you and me, we could be something Scotty. We could, I mean maybe, we could give this a shot and maybe it would end up somewhere good. And I… really need good, Scotty." Realizing that she was rambling now, Lilly ordered herself to shut up and looked down at the patch of upholstery between them.

Deeply touched by her words, Scotty reached for her hands and was relieved when she didn't pull away. "I wanna be with you Lilly. And when I'm with you… all I wanna do is make you happy."

For the first time that night the full force of The Lilly Rush Smile filled the room and made it seem like morning. "So, Scotty. Do you wanna… I mean, should we…"

Seeing where Lilly was going, Scotty silently reprimanded himself. You gonna make her do all the work Valens? And picked up where she left off. "Would you like to go out with me sometime, Lilly Rush?"

"Out? Like in public?" Lilly's dear in the headlight look told him that that was not where she was going.

Scotty frowned, "Well yeah, Lil. I mean, we got all day."

All day. Lilly couldn't remember the last time she had a whole day ahead of her and didn't dread the flashbacks her unoccupied mind would give her. With Scotty though, a full 24 hours seemed almost blissful. "Where would we go?"

"I dunno, dinner, or a movie." Scotty observed Lilly's unimpressed look. "A walk along the shore line watching the sunset?" He offered, only slightly joking.

Lilly couldn't help but laugh, however there was something she hadn't said yet. Something she had to be totally honest about, and something that she was sure Scotty would be opposed to.

"Scotty." Lilly's joking demeanor had suddenly completely disappeared. "I gotta tell you something else as well."

Scotty frowned, "You breakin up with me Lil?" Again, only half joking.

"No, no" She quickly responded. "It's just that… I'm a private person. And you… you are definitely not."

"I get it, Lil. You wanna keep this under wraps."

Lilly smiled in relief. He understood, just like he always did, and even if deep down inside he didn't, for her he was pretending like he did. And that's all she needed at the moment. "Yeah, Scotty. I just don't want everyone to know about this – before we even know how it's gonna go."

They exchange a look that says a million words without a sound. It's a look about where they both want this to go, how they can only hope it will go that way and an acknowledgment that they no longer have control over it. So Scotty says the only thing he can think of. The only thing he hopes will assuage her fears that were ever present, even when they were hidden under that brilliant smile.

"No one has to know."

So there you have it. I dunno if the dialogue was a bit boring. Review for the next chapter!