AN:
Hi, sorry for needing so long to update this, but my health was not the best the last months-
but i did make a promise to Blue
that i won't abond this story and ...
I'll keep my promise.
This is my way to finally end it!
Hope you enjoy and leave a review if you like.
I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!
And for all of us- peace on earth.
So...
This will be the end.
A few months later ... it's Christmas now!
It was december when Lilly decided that it will be time to inform Boss about their secret relationship.
They had the decoration in Tennessee and went back two days later, both clear with the idea of hiding their feelings as long as possible and let nothing distrub their partnership at work.
Oh, it worked well- but now, there are things they can't deny any longer!
No kissing, nor sweetly exchanges during work-
they waited patiently for returning home to their
new appartment they got a few weeks earlier-
Lilly couldn't stand the thought of Christina being with Scotty in his appartment,
and he practically lived down in hers-
when they came to the thought that something new
will be good for their growing relationship.
They played „Last christmas" all morning in the radio now, and Lilly sighed and turned off the radio.
Scotty drove them to PPD and Lillys hands were trembling as she took the handle
to get out of the car. He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed her cheek.
„Everything will be fine, Lil. We don't have to fear anything- it is Christmas-
Boss will be in a great mood anyway!"
She looked sceptical but nodded.
Lilly didn't want Scotty to get the feeling
that she regetted anything what happend between them the last months.
„It will be alright. We will make it through this!"
she tried to calm herself and fumbeled with the small golden bond around her left ringfinger.
„Yeah. We will." he got out himself and offered her his arm.
„Come on, Misses Valens, let's go and give him our Christmas speech."
Lilly couldn't help but laugh at him and leaned into him a bit.
„This feels strange- after that long time of „No showing, no touching, no kissing in PPD public"."
she said and looked at her husband for a long moment.
„Strange as in bad terms or in good terms?" he asked and paused, too.
Snow was falling gently and their breath condensed in the cool air.
„You still can say you slipped and took my arm to steady yourself- that's all."
Suddenly all fears and doubts were gone when she looked in his dark brown eyes and saw
the love and trust in them.
„With you, there are only good times, husband of mine."
she mumbled and stood onto her tiptoes and did something really unexpected-
she kissed him right here and there, not caring if anyone will notice them standing here,
right outside the building, kissing like lovesick teenagers.
„And i won't deny the fact that we're married now- it was definatly long enough!"
she whispered against his warm lips and pressed herself a little bit more against him.
„I'm glad to hear that." he smiled his famous Scotty Valens smile, that one that brightened his whole face like a gleaming christmas tree and they went on to the trial that will follow when they got in.
When Lilly and Scotty got up to the bullpen, Kat Miller and Nick Vera fought about some donuts with whipped cream and Nick was wearing a funny red christmas dwarf cap.
Lilly could stop Kat before her colleque pour out her hot fruit juice over Nick
and rolled her eyes at Scotty who smirked and got Nick out of the field.
Nick entered Boss office and was no where to be seen for the next half hour.
Maybe Boss started with his christmas speeches for them earlier this year.
Lilly gave back the cup of juice to Kat and was nearly scared to death
when Kat suddenly jumped feet high as she got a look at Lillys wedding ring.
„Wow, Rush! What's that?!" Miller yelled in high tone and grabbed Lillys hand.
„Oh my gosh- you're married!
That one's beautiful- what did i say- it's stunning!
And.. i mean- when, where, what guy... i mean- i'm flushed!"
Lilly laughed a content little laugh and her cheeks turned slightly red.
„It is right- i'm a happy married woman now."
she said and Will looked over to them.
He came around and took a look at the ring, too.
After he congrated her too, he took her into a firmly embrance.
„I wish you all the luck and joy marriage can gives you and your husband.
When will we meet him?"
Kat clapsed her back and frowned.
„Yeah, when will we meet Wonderboy?
Who melt the heart of our ice queen of homicide?!"
Lilly winked at Scotty who tried to be polite while everyone shot on his wife.
Kat followed her glance and she shouted out:
„Hey, Valens, ya know 'bout that?! You're so quite over there!"
Now Scotty turned his eyes to Kat and slowly,
really slowly, lifted his left hand.
Kat's and Will's eyes widened when they realized his own golden wedding ring.
„Stop- stop it for a moment- please!"
Kat pointed out at Lilly.
„You're married now.
He's married now."
Both, Lilly and Scotty, nodded silently.
Kat looked bewildered at Will who stated the obvious.
„Man, Kat, they are married now.
And you are not a detective for nothing!"
She clapped a hand over her mouth
before she stumbled over her own words:
„You two have married each other- that's it!"
They both gave her a warm smile.
„And Yeah," Scotty said earnestly and that beloved smile glowed on his face again.
„ i should've known about her wedding when it was my own, too."
Will and Kat didn't say anything,
just throw their arms around both Detectives and hugged them as if there will be no tomorrow.
Kat grinned as big as a cat.
„Nick owns me fifty bugs! 'Can't wait to see his face!"
As if he had heard her, Nick opened the door to Boss' office and popped out his head.
„What's going on here? You're making noises as if the Phillies'd won the Championchip!"
Kat grinned from ear to ear.
„No-this is far more better than that!" she said happily and shoved Lilly towards their Boss'
door, on who's face was now a sly sight of fear.
Boss was her fatherly friend-what if he will be angry?
„Go on, go and tell them, Lil!"
One glance at Scotty and she saw the same fear in his eyes.
But he came over to her and grabbed her hand, interwined their fingers.
Vera threw them a look of astonishment and disbelief as they passed him.
They made it through the door without shaking knees
but when they stood before John Stillman's desk and saw the frown on his face,
Lil started to tremble again.
She had to squeeze her husbands fingers nearly to death to steady herself
but had to recognize that he also had to swallow hard and seemed to have problems
with resisting to flee the confrontation which's ahead.
Boss looked at them with what seemed to be a mix of knowing something they didn't
and some sort of complete calmness.
„Detectives..." he offered them to sit down on one of his couches and throw them an extremly friendly look. „How can i help you two?"
They both took a long shaking breath and started to speak in the same moment
so that John had to wave with one hand in the air to stop their mumbling
because he couldn't heard anything serious
within that river of words that was flooding their mouths.
„Okay, okay, stop that!
Rush, is it right that Miller said you could tell me something about that turmoil outside my office? Scotty- i don't want to hear anything from you now, it will be a pleasure to come to know of your secret marriage from your wife!"
John confessed that he already knew about their relationship.
Lilly looked around as if in searching for a camera that didn't existed and Scotty closed his mouth so sudden that you could have heard the sound of his teeth clicking together through the walls
of the office.
„Yeah, i know about you two.
Had known it for years-
sometimes i thought i'm the only one noticing what's going on between the two of you-
including yourself.
And a very nice Lady phoned me last week to talk to me about her son and her daughter in law
and conviced me, that it will be a great idea to look for a possiblility how her two loverbirds
can work together in the same squad although the internals will try to kill their boss...
and what can i say...
i found a way."
He took off his glasses and came around his desk and to a stop in front of them.
John smiled at Lilly and reached out to her,
touched her right shoulder lightly.
„I am very proud that you've had admitted your feelings at least and had the heart to give yourself into the hands of theonly man who really loved you for so long, Lilly.
I know he failed you, i know he lied to you about your sister,
but what i and hopefully you knows, too, is that he really cares about your wellfare
and you as a person.
He loves the ground you stand on.
He, although his ego is as big as the moon,
has no problem to stand back behind your shining presence and watches your back instead.
He understands who you really are, he is one of the few, who know who you were back in the days of your childhood and he was there when ever your life was in danger-
it was about time that you realizes how truly and deeply he loves you."
Lilly stared at her Boss and fatherly friend but his warm words put on a magical smile to her face
when she turned to Scotty instead and she nodded silently- knowingly.
„Yeah, it's time, Boss that i learned to see what was right in front of me all those years."
And she leaned back into the couch to watch now what will be coming,
and now she seemed to be completly at ease with the situation and relaxed.
„Scotty, i'm proud of you, too.
I never had a son but if i could've had one, he should have been the way you are.
I know you're a hothead, sometimes acting without giving a damn about the consequences,
but that's what makes you a good human.
And sometimes, when you grew old in that job we're doing, being a member of the police,
you started to forget to be a human.
With you we're all reminded that in fact we need to stay the same person
we were before we started being a cop.
Someone who cares about others, someone who watches above others
and someone who loves others without asking why or why not.
I saw the way Lilly started to respect you for that.
I saw it when the look she gave you started to turn from disgust to respect, and then to friendly concern.
And i saw the hurt and betrayal in her eyes when that Christina desaster nearly broke her heart- which belonged to you long before she was ready to admit it to herself that she felt about you the way she was feeling.
I know it was a hard way to gain her trust again, but you've managed it.
And she learned an important lesson from you- she learned to forgive.
Because of you she forgave her mom, she started to see her dad and her new family and she finally came to forgive her sister and, what is a lot more important to her in my opinion-
she learned to forgive herself for not being as perfect as she wants herself to be.
She started to relax and live again.
She started to be happy again because she felt that she will be loved for only being herself.
The true love you gave her, the steadiness of your partnership, the knowing that you are there for her every damn day did that to her.
And she learned to accept that love- she grew with that strength you gave her
without depending on it.
She learned that loving her is as natural as it shall be.
And with that conclusion she comes to realize that loving you is as easy as it shall be."
Lilly saw something glistening in Scottys eyes as he tried not to be to impressed by their Boss'
words.
She knew how important John's opinion about himself is for Scotty
and how eager he was to prove to Stillman that he is worthful to be proud of.
She always knew that John had fatherly feelings for her since the day they met
and she was happy that he announced them today, but she was sure of them for years now.
Now she was so happy for Scotty
because she have to admit that Scotty- with all his inner demons
about failing the ones he loves-
needed to hear those words from his Lieutenant far more
than she needed John to speak them out for her.
And so Lilly didn't wonder about the sound of his husky voice as Scotty said:
„Thanks Boss. Those words mean so much to me... to the both of us."
But she remembered Stillman's mention of a phone call from a certain someone-
yeah she loved Rosa Valens- but she will have to have a chat about that with her mother in law later- and needed to know now what his plans with them still working together will be.
„Lil, i know what you're thinking."
John said and got back to his desk.
He opened a drawer of his desk and took a few papers from it and placed them onto his desk.
„You know it was about time that i'll retire.
I want to start to live again with a wonderful woman at my side
and i need to take the time god will be giving me
on earth for being with the persons i love.
And what i know for sure is that i can't stand in your
way any longer- you've erarned that you will follow me."
He saw the shocked expression on her face.
„I know you've said that you can't accept my offer back when you two were in Nashville
because of private reasons, but i can't accept this lame excuse to make me stay!"
He pushed the papers over to her.
„Please sign your new contract, Lil and any problems with Scotty being your partner will be a part of the past. I am sure he will be able to deal with you being his Boss."
John smiled at them and they could see „victory" written all over his face.
But Lilly have to give him a sad smile.
„I really feel honored for that chance the second time, too, Boss, but i have to refuse once more."
She took Scottys hand once more in hers and laid it onto her belly.
„We don't tell you everything
and i suppose that this is a thing you didn't find out yourself so easy."
Scottys proud and bright smile told Stillman that second all he needed to know.
„Lil's pregnant, Boss. We'll be having a baby next autum."
Lilly caressed her belly happily.
„So, Boss, you see, i can't take that job of yours."
There was a moment of silence before he came over to them and took them both into his arms.
„Congrats, you two... three, i mean." John shook his head in disbelieve.
„Now i have a problem. Because i had send my papers last week."
Lilly gave Scotty a knowing look and opened one of the lamella to the bullpen.
„I think we can help you with that." she said seriously and pointed at Kat Miller
who's standing outside, fighting with Nick over a donut once more.
„Because we've made our own thoughts on that topic!"
Scotty nodded.
„Yeah and we have only the best intentions, Boss."
John laughed roughly.
„Oh, i'm curious to get to know these intentions, Scotty!"
But a small smiled played around his lips as he followed Lillys look at her female colleque.
He laid a hand onto Lillys shoulder and squeezed it.
„I am sure we all will find a successful solution that will gives us the chance to live the way we
want to. And a way we all can be happy with it."
Scotty left Boss and Lilly in the office and got back to the bullpen,
making his way to where Kat Miller stood, looking back at them questioning.
John affirmatvely raised an eyebrow and Scotty nodded.
The last thing Lilly saw as her husband reached her colleque
was that little and famous lopsided grin he gave her.
That one she had come to love over the past years and she sighed happily.
Maybe, sometimes, long buried dreams can at least become reality, Lilly thought contently
as she saw Kat frowning at Scotty who apporched her and pointed her to follow him to Boss'
office.
Lilly rubbed small circles around her abdomen and turned her wedding ring.
Yeah, life can be good if you make the right decisions at the right time.
When she decided to go to Nashville to close the Sugar case back all those years ago,
it was the right decision because- maybe with a little help from the powers above-
Scotty came with her and they both became a lot closer at that trip.
And after returning to that spot of their lives again
had brought these two lone wolves to the
insight that maybe they don't have to be alone anymore.
That instead of being two lone wolves any longer it is as good to form a pack as to be alone.
They both realized that something about their relationship have changed
since the last time they were in Nashville.
And they've had decided to risk another switch to change it
this time in Nashville,Tennessee.
Isn't life always about the right time, the right decisions?
Yes, Lilly decided and smiled to herself.
It is.