So I'm breaking the most important (well in my opinion) rule of fanfiction by posting this, which is posting before writing. I haven't had a chance to write another chapter, but I'm posting this anyways, because I didn't want to leave you guys hanging again. Anyways, hope it's up to par. Chapter title by Kt Tunstall.

Disclaimer: Wouldn't we all like to have Scotty Valens/Danny Pino for ourselves. *Frown* Ah well, a girl can dream can't she... hope the husband doesn't mind :D (jk.) Anyways, don't own anything, probably never will. Did I say probably? I meant definitely.

Chapter 20: The Other Side Of The World

Lieutenant Stillman walked into the bullpen the next morning, put away his gun and then proceeded to open the blinds in his office. Sighing happily, he noticed that he was one of the first ones in today, which meant he'd get first dibs on coffee and breakfast. He booted up his computer, which always took a good 5 minutes to hum to life and made his way slowly into the break room.

Come to think of it. Why exactly was he the first of his team to get here this morning? He was dedicated to his job, sure, but he'd found a balance between work and home, one that most of his other detectives hadn't mastered yet. That was why, most morning, he found Valens, Rush, Miller, and Vera, already hard at work and well into their third cups of coffee. Stillman poured his own cup of coffee, growing increasingly worried. A million possibilities ran through his mind. The one that featured though, involved Wayne Simms catching up with Lilly and the rest of them getting killed defending her. John shook his head, almost chuckling at his own ridiculously. His detectives were just sleeping in, of course, it made sense. They'd been working themselves like crazy and it'd finally caught up to them. He should be thankful, all of his non-stop nagging for them to get some rest once in a while had finally paid off.

His spirits significantly improved, coffee in his system, and a chance to get a head start on paperwork this morning, John instilled himself into his desk chair. That's when he opened his emails and saw the messages from his supposedly 'resting' colleagues.

To: Stillman, John
From: Valens, Scotty
Subject: A few days off…

Boss,
Believe it or not, my sister is eloping, and she needs a witness to her marriage. And, well, long story short, she called me. I'm gonna have to take the next few days off. So sorry for the late notice.
- Valens

To: Stillman, John
From: Miller, Kat
Subject: Kids these days!

Hi Lieutenant,
Veronica's class is going on a field trip to some resort for the next 4 days and I'll be damned if I'm letting a six year old sleep overnight without me. What are teachers thinking these days? Anyways, I hope nothing's too busy and I'll see you when I get back.
- Kat.

To: Stillman, John
From: Rush, Lilly
Subject: Going to NY…

Boss,
Christina's gotten herself in trouble, have to go bail her out… you understand. Wish I didn't have to take a few more days, me just getting back to work and all.
Don't be mad,
Lil

To: Stillman, John
From: Vera, Nick
Subject: My Lost Hours.

Dear Lieutenant Stillman,
It's recently come to my attention that if I don't use up those lost hours from this year, well the new year will arrive and they were truly be 'lost'. Anyways, I got trapped in an impromptu family visit, so I'll see you all in a couple of days.
-Vera
P.S. Don't let Miller bully you guys. The doughnuts aren't all hers.

Disbelief and anger flared in his chest. Oh, he wasn't fooled for a moment. Those damn idiots went to Portland, he knew it. He also knew that it was too late to stop them at this point, that they'd probably left as soon as the unbelievable lies they'd typed out left their emails. He dropped his pen on his desk and rubbed his forehead, the good mood of this morning all of a sudden completely dispelled.

What the hell were they thinking? Hadn't he made himself clear? Was he not completely adamant when he refused their whines to go to Portland? Damn it. He knew he was. He knew that there was no way he could've been any clearer. At all. Ever. So… why?

With a sigh, Lieutenant Stillman knew. There was just no way that group of headstrong detectives could leave well enough alone. They couldn't just trust other cops to do their jobs and sit on their asses back in Philly. Especially not Valens. It just wasn't who they were. Ruefully, Stillman could admit that he understood their feelings. He knew them all too well, inside and out. And he should've known better than to trust them to simply follow his orders. In fact, he himself had broken enough rules in his time to know that as cops, they expected to get away with murder. How ironic.

Still, that didn't stop him from calling them and tearing them a new one over the phone.

That's exactly what he decided to do. On the rare chance that he'd catch them before they left, he thought they'd try their home phone numbers first. Lilly was his first try, knowing that she and Valens were most likely behind this harebrained idea.

The phone rang in his ear, each trill a reminder of the shit he'd get from the higher ups once they found on his entire team had upped and left. He felt the frustration building.

"Hey, you've reached Detective Lilly Rush. I'm not available right now…"

Stillman hung up on Lilly's voicemail, deciding not to leave a message she would never hear. To be fair, he decided to check on the others as well, just to see if one of them, maybe, had been telling the truth.

Vera Home. Miller Home. Valens Home.

No answer on any of them. His suspicions confirmed, Stillman wondered whether he should make his call directly to the Portland police station. That way, none of them would have the opportunity to screen his calls, and they'd know that he knew exactly where they were. Thinking better of it, he tried Lilly's cell phone.

"Pick up, Rush." He muttered under his breath.

"Boss…" Lilly's tentative voice from hours away filled his ear.

They'd arrived at Portland early in the morning, just as the sun rose above the horizon. Nick and Kat had been absolutely exhausted and looked aghast at Lilly and Scotty's apparent desire to head straight for the precinct and demand information. In a compromise, they'd checked into a hotel, ordering two rooms, one for Kat and Lilly and the other for Scotty and Nick, no one being happy with the arrangements, but no one daring to protest either, lest their separate secrets be revealed.

Scotty paced around his room, listening to the sound of Vera's snores, impatiently throwing the luminous alarm clock a glare. It was only 7 in the morning, and they'd agreed not to start banging on the doors of the precinct until at least 9. After all, they didn't want to piss off the authorities this early into their visit. They wanted to help. It was only 2 more hours of waiting, Scotty told himself grimly. Two hours was nothing, right?

He flopped down onto his small twin bed, grimacing as he felt the individual springs of the bed making their presence known. Hotel furniture… in small cities… Scotty fought the urge to roll his eyes. Briefly, he wondered whether he should go see Lilly, if his presence in their room wouldn't be seen as intrusive.

Miller would kick your ass out faster than… well than the sprints to the last donut she and Vera fight over. He thought with a smile. That was no doubt true. She'd probably throw in a few mutters about him and Lil being love struck teenagers for good measure, seeing as she was the only one who knew. Oh, and a threat to his physical wellbeing was never out of the question. The thought of Lilly though, just one wall away, it made Scotty want to punch a hole in the wall just to see her through it.

He shook his head, wondering if he was going crazy. After all, he and Lilly had only been dating for... just over two weeks. There was no reason he should be feeling this… crazy… about her. In fact, he'd dated women for longer than that and had no problems cutting them loose, especially in his post-Elisa days. It sounded horribly insensitive, but Scotty could admit, that's exactly how he'd been for a while now. And then there was Lilly, who could not even begin to compare with the other women he'd been dating. That brunette whose name he could no longer remember, the red head with the flower tattoo and the art collection…

It made Scotty cringe to think of what might have happened to him if he hadn't burst into Lilly's house that night, demanded answers, and fallen into bed with her. Would he still be sleeping around, drinking, throwing his career - his life - away? Instead of being in the best relationship he could wish for? Because that's what Scotty realized it was. Lilly was exactly what he needed. Breathtakingly beautiful and frustratingly enigmatic. Scotty knew he was in love with her, deeply and irrevocably in love, and he had been for who knows how long. And even though they'd had that one conversation, during that dinner in the fancy restaurant, looking like two homeless people, Scotty wanted answers from her. He wondered if her subtle hint at 'the long run' last night was the only thing he'd be getting. It was amazing. It was wonderfully reassuring, but it wasn't enough. It wasn't enough to keep saying there was no pressure, that this would go where it would…

He wanted to say he loves her. He needed to say it. And he wanted - no, needed - to hear her say it back to him.

"You know, you keep pacin' like that an' the floor's gonna wear out." Vera informed him. Scotty spun around, not realizing his colleague was awake as Nick continued. "That carpet ain't lookin' too sturdy to start with."

"Sorry," He muttered sheepishly sitting down on the edge of his bed, "Didn't know you were awake."

"What's eating you, Valens?" Nick asked, immediately clueing in to his other male colleague's melancholy mood.

"Nothin'." Scotty replied mysteriously, knowing Nick wouldn't be fooled for a minute.

As expected, Nick snorted derisively, "We're all detective's here man, just cut the crap okay? You're wearin' a look that says either family troubles or woman troubles."

Scotty shot him a dark glare before muttering something about minding his own business. He was confused enough about what to do with Lilly. He definitely didn't need Vera sticking his nose where it didn't belong.

"It is my business," Nick insisted. "I'm the one whose gotta share this miserable excuse for a room with you for the next two days, an' if you're gonna keep actin' like a pissy teenage girl then…" He trailed off, contemplating a good threat, "… someone's gonna lose some teeth."

"Ain't gonna be the only one, brother." Scotty bit back sharply. God, why couldn't he just be left alone? The Lilly Problem needed rational thinking, not Nick Vera.

"Who do you think you're talking to Scotty?" Vera barked. "I was playing hockey, knocking guy's teeth out way back in high school, while you and Elisa were probably making out in some closet."

Scotty was forced to laugh. Well, the man had a point. In high school, he'd indeed been a scrawny little kid, and… making out with Elisa had occurred on a regular basis. Immediately, the tension between the two colleagues dissolved, and Scotty leaned back on his bed, reaching between them for the mini-refrigerator, stocked with 7 dollar cans of beer. He cracked one open, and handed it to Nick, before reaching for one for himself. They drank in silence for a few minutes, and then Scotty realized that Nick was definitely not even close to letting this go.

"So I'm thinking… it isn't family stuff… seeing as your mom was on the phone two days ago begging you to let her come over and do your laundry." He reasoned out loud, "So it's the women?"

Much to Scotty's chagrin, Nick was making sense. He was doing the detective processing out loud, and whether or not Scotty said anything, Nick would come to logical conclusion after logical conclusion. "Yeah." Scotty found himself confirming.

Nick smiled and then he remembered what Kat had told him in the middle of the previous night, on the shoulder of some miserable freeway. It was Lilly. Scotty's girl was Lilly. The Lilly who was almost like a little sister to him, the Lilly who was the best friend of the woman he was in love with.

Maybe this is the time to do some detectiving of my own. He mused. Find out if Valens is serious about her, and if he is, Nick decided he'd back off. If he wasn't, if there was a possibility Lilly could get hurt… well he might just have to make do on that threat to knock out some teeth. "Tough lady?" He asked, taking a sip of beer and appearing nonchalant.

"You could say that…" Scotty chortled. He ain't got a clue how close he is.

"And what's the problem?" Nick asked, genuinely curious.

Scotty sighed tiredly, "She's… got some issues…" He began to explain and stopped, wondering how on earth he could get Nick Vera, of all people, to understand. It wasn't like he was an expert on relationships.

"And what woman doesn't?" He asked rhetorically, with a helpless wave of his hand. Scotty only nodded along. "You thinking you about calling it quits?" He tested gingerly. Say no. Say no. Say no…

"Hell no, that's crazy." Scotty burst out, looking at Nick as though he'd just sprouted antlers or something. "You outta your mind?" He studied his drink. "Or is this not really beer?"

Nick sighed in relief, but continued his interrogation. "What's crazy about it? If it ain't working out then…" He shrugged helplessly.

"It is workin' out." Scotty insisted defiantly. "It's workin' out perfectly fine just the way it is."

With that, Nick understood all the unspoken things that Scotty had left out. "But you want more." He finished for him quietly.

Scotty scrubbed a hand over his face. Was it that obvious? Was it really that freaking obvious? And if it was then why the hell wasn't Lilly seeing it?

Shut up, idiot. Scotty told himself. You outta be glad Lil ain't seein' how head over heels you are for her, otherwise she'd be runnin' for the hills.

Nick continued as if unaware of Scotty's thoughts. "You got it bad for her, don't you?" Inwardly, he was glad that Scotty wasn't playing with Lilly's emotions, that he wasn't planning on dumping her when the going got tough. As bystander to the post-Elisa parade of bimbos, Nick had looked on as Scotty did this time and time again. He was more than thrilled that the cycle was coming to an end, it seemed.

Scotty shrugged, no point in denyin' anything now. Besides, ain't like Nick knows who it is. He told himself. "Yeah. I do." He felt a wide smile split his face and couldn't help adding. "She's… all I think about, and, I think maybe… I love her." Scotty continued to gaze fondly at the ceiling tiles, unaware of Nick's wide eyes.

"So tell me again what the hell's the problem." He demanded. If Scotty loves her, well it would definitely be a change for them, but if it meant the two of them being happy… then Nick would most definitely adjust. That is, assuming Lilly felt the same… and if the grinning idiot next to him bothered to find out before they all got old.

"I, ah, haven't exactly told her yet…" He said sheepishly, turning back to Nick and fully expecting the pitiful gaze he got. "You haven't tried… talkin' feelings with this woman, Nick. It's damn near impossible." He added defensively.

"Valens-" Vera began. But Scotty wasn't finished with his tirade.

"And what if I, you know, I say it, and she freaks out?" He asked, almost in a panic. "Or what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"You ain't gonna know if you never bother to find out." He replied wisely, and Scotty's latest worried questions died on his lips.

Nick was… absolutely right.

He would never know. Scotty would never get his answers until he put himself out there. "When d'you become such an expert?" He asked, attempting to change the subject.

Nick just shook his head wisely. If only Scotty knew about his own struggle with the words 'I' 'Love' and 'You', all strung together, not so long ago. It'd turned out well for him, he thought happily as he pictured Kat and Veronica, his family. "Just promise me you ain't gonna chicken out." He requested.

"Deal." Scotty said, with a spurt of bravery. "I'm gonna tell her man, next opportunity I get."

They clinked their almost empty cans of beer together in male solidarity.

I'm still thinking whether I should go the happy fluffy way for the next two chapters, but the angsty, and more in character/realistic way. If you guys wanna give me some pointers, that'd be great. As always, please leave a review if you have a second.