Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or ideas from The Killing. It's all just way too much fun.

Spoilers: Season 1, episode 9

DAY 9

Linden and Holder stand side by side across the desk from Oakes in his office. Unbeknownst to Linden, Holder had tried to get a wiretap on Ahmed's phone using the Patriot Act… after the recording had taken place – which was definitely not the way he had explained his actions to her. Oakes is now playing the recording of Ahmed's phone call over the speaker.

Oakes stops the recording at the end. To say that he's angry is an understatement. "You know, I wish I could play for you the phone call I got from ADA Bernstein this morning, asking me why one of my detectives is going directly to a judge to obtain an illegal wiretap!"

"Sir…" Holder began, but Oakes didn't let him go any further.

"I don't give a rat's ass how you do things at County. Now you obviously don't like being a City homicide detective, do you?"

"It was my idea. I told him to set up the tap," Linden volunteered, despite the fact that she had done no such thing, hadn't even known that that was what Holder had done. It was the least she could do, since she had at times actively tried to prevent him from helping her until this point.

This didn't make Oakes feel any better, however. "You're supposed to keep him from screwing up, not show him how!"

Linden remained calm. "We don't need the tap as evidence. We get the phone company to unblock Mohammad's number, track its location, we get Mohammad, we get Bennett."

"With that little stunt last night? A public defender could get that thrown out." Oakes was angrier than Linden had ever seen him.

"So is that it, then?" she wasn't going to stand in his office any longer than absolutely necessary.

"Look, I asked you to stay here to solve this case, not ruin my career."

Ruin your career? Excuse me? With sarcasm dripping from her words, Linden replied, "I didn't realize that's what I'd been doing all these years." Then she left his office without another word, before she said something she would regret later. Holder wasn't far behind her.

Holder

I don't know what happened in there, except that Linden just took a bullet for me, so to speak. I sure as hell did not see that coming! This is the same cop who has been almost nothing but a pain in my ass practically every day that we've worked together…

And yet for some reason I care about her opinion. Why? Crazy as it is, I do, because she is damn good at her job.

So why the hell did she tell Oakes that she told me to set up the wiretap? After finding out that I'm an addict, suddenly she's willing to lie for me? It would make more sense if it'd been the opposite, that she found out about my past and then shut me out. And how did she change her mind that fast, because that meeting was yesterday! Guilty conscience, maybe? She finally felt bad about never really giving me a chance?

This whole situation is kind of insane. But then, this is Linden we're talking about. I wouldn't exactly call her stable. I've never met someone who seems to operate so completely based on her emotions. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, I have no idea.

Linden

Why did I tell Oakes that I told Holder to set up that wiretap? Am I crazy? Since when am I covering for Holder, of all people?

Then again, I guess it makes sense when I really think about it… Oakes did have a point when he said I've treated Holder like a lapdog. I guess I just felt bad about all that, and I didn't want him to get taken off the case before he really had a chance to work on it. Because that was my fault, not his.

Granted, he did something stupid. OK, lots of stupid things. But it's not his fault that I hate working with a partner and always have. That's not his fault. And since I'm still here and he's here, and we seem to be working this case together, the least I can do for the guy is not screw up his career for him – he seems more than capable of doing that on his own – and for no other reason than I don't like working with people.

So basically, I felt guilty about acting like a bitch.

…

Though Oakes had read them the riot act, it didn't mean for a second that there wasn't still work to be done on their case. There was actually more work to be done now to make up for the wiretap that had blown up in their faces.

However, neither of them had eaten breakfast that day, because they had needed to be in early for their meeting and because of their varying degrees of nerves. But Holder had made it clear that food was going to be their first priority after they met with Oakes. His exact words had been, "Linden, you're gonna eat. No discussion."

Therefore, after their verbal lashing, the pair headed for the car without a word. Linden would have gone straight back to work, of course, but Holder had insisted that they needed to eat something. Linden had the keys, and this time Holder didn't care one way or the other who was driving.

As a matter of fact, since they left Oakes' office, Holder hadn't said anything. He hadn't spoken since being interrupted by Oakes at the beginning of their "conversation." It was definitely not like Holder to be so quiet, and certainly not for this long. Linden buckled her seatbelt, put the key in the ignition, but didn't turn it. Instead, she stopped and looked at him with concern. "You ok, Holder?" Holder had been staring out the window, but her question seemed to bring him back to the present.

"What? Yeah, I'm OK," said Holder unconvincingly, still looking out the window. After another minute he turned and looked her, holding her gaze before he spoke. Linden could see the wheels turning in his head. "Whatever made you do it, thanks, Linden." There was no question that he was talking about the fact that she had taken the blame for the wiretap that had just gotten them in so much trouble.

"Yeah, well, it's about time I was helping you instead of shutting you out," she replied, referring to their conversation by the docks. She glanced out the front window before looking back at him. "Besides," she continued seriously, "you clearly need all the help you can get." She raised an eyebrow and grinned ever so slightly at her own joke.

The smile that crept over Holder's face made him look more like himself than he had only a minute before. "No doubt about that!" he agreed. "But right now, what I most need help with is getting some food. You up to the challenge? Or should I drive?" Yep, Holder was definitely back to normal, thought Linden.

"Nope, I got this." Linden turned the key in the ignition and maneuvered out of the parking lot.

Just like she wasn't going to let Holder get booted from the case – for reasons beyond her comprehension, since he sure was a pain in the ass – Holder wasn't going to let her get away with not doing the basics of taking care of herself, like eating.

It occurred to Linden that though she hated to admit it, knowing that someone was looking out for her for a change kind of felt good.