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

Spoilers: Season 2, episode 1

DAY 14

Linden had left Seattle. Or at least, she'd gotten as far as the airport. Whether she had changed her mind about Rick or Rick had changed his mind about her, in the end, it didn't really matter. She told Jack that this time they were staying in Seattle for good.

Of course, with Richmond having been shot, Linden had put herself back on the case. At this point it didn't matter what Oakes said, she had to see it through to the end. This meant that once again, she had to find somewhere to leave Jack while she was working. Today it had seemed like a good solution to leave him with his friend Nick at his church. Apparently Jack hadn't been happy with it, however, because now he's with Holder at the station.

Linden storms into the police station and heads straight to the office she had shared with Holder. Jack had called to tell her that he was there, and not with the "the Jesus Freaks," as he had called them.

Linden walks into the office to find Holder at his desk and Jack in the chair next to him. They seem to be having a great time. They'd always gotten along before, so it didn't surprise her.

"Hey mom," Jack says casually when she walks in.

"Oh snap! What's up Linden?" Holder's talking a little faster than usual, and his voice is a little higher and more cartoonish than normal.

"Hey." Linden wasn't in the mood for pleasantries, or for Holder's silliness.

Holder, on the other hand, found the situation very amusing. "Busted! You're like that monster in Friday the 13th. Only way to kill you is to chop off your head." Linden was giving him the death glare. "I was only kidding! You know you're my BFF."

"We gotta go, Jack," Linden told him.

"I'm not hanging out with those Jesus freaks."

"You know anything about the man? I mean JC did all kind of righteous shit," Holder interjected.

Linden just wanted to get Jack and get out of the station. "Get your stuff, come on."

"I gotta go to the bathroom," Jack protested.

"I'll go with you."

"God, mom, freakin…"

"You wanna wipe his booboo too?" Holder decides to stop teasing Linden and be serious for a minute. "Hey, yeah, I called you about Richmond."

"Yeah, I was busy getting us another flight. We missed ours last night." Linden said. "You wrapping up?"

"Yo, you left a mess," Holder tells her.

Linden looks at him intently. "Looks like we both did."

"What Belko did ain't on us," Holder assures her. He assumes that's what she's talking about.

"That's one way of looking at it."

Seeing that he's getting nowhere fast, Holder tries another topic. "So, why're you back? For real."

That's the moment Jack comes back from the bathroom. "Come on, let's go," she tells him, and with that she's saved from a conversation that she really doesn't want to be having.

After thinking she knew Holder pretty well over the past few weeks, she is now furious with him for that forged picture of Richmond on the bridge. She'd be quite happy to never speak to him again. Except that she's also like to give him hell for it at the same time.

Jack and Holder do their special handshake and hug.

"You take care, OK?" Holder says. He has always liked Jack.

"Later," Jack tells him.

"Later, man," he says to Jack, who walks out into the hall.

Holder turns to Linden. "Bet you're gonna get that same psycho stewardess you yelled at so you could get off that plane." Clearly Jack has filled him in on the events of last night. She cringes inwardly. Holder seems to have a way of seeing right into her, past her defenses, even when he doesn't have Jack as an informant. She absolutely hates that.

"Yeah, and good luck cleaning up the mess, I hope it was worth it," Linden replies, her tone calm but venomous.

They stare at each other for another minute, Holder looking slightly perplexed. Hadn't they left things on better terms than this yesterday? Linden walks out, leaving Holder sitting alone in the office to wonder.

Holder

Man, I knew that Linden wasn't gonna be happy to find Jack not in the place where she left him, but he clearly hadn't wanted to be there… I had to cut the kid a break. There's gotta be something else, though, some other reason why she seems extra pissed. I mean, we were on good terms yesterday… there has to be a reason she's super pissed at me today. Seriously, what did I do this time? I really can't do anything right around her, even when I think she's finally done giving me a hard time.

Whatever. I guess either she'll tell me when she decides she's ready to, or pissed enough, or she won't.

Linden

I'm so angry with Holder, I don't even know where to start. I would have loved to call him on the whole picture thing today, but not with Jack there, so it wasn't the right time. Jack's not part of this whole thing, or any problems between Holder and me, it wouldn't be fair to him. He looks up to Holder, God help us.

I wonder how long I can work the case without having to talk to Holder. I'm willing to hold out as long as possible. I certainly don't need to constantly wonder if my partner is telling me the truth. Carlson says Holder's on the case with me, so I guess at some point he'll force us to talk, but I'm in no rush.

I really didn't think Holder was the kind of cop who took shortcuts, who would fabricate evidence… but it's not the first time I'm completely wrong about someone. And to think, I had started trusting him… I should've known better than that, I guess.

…

As Linden and Jack walked out, Holder tried to figure out what had her so pissed off. Granted, it wasn't like she'd never showed up suddenly pissed off at him before, but usually – usually – it turned out later that she had had a reason. Maybe not one that made complete sense, but a reason nonetheless.

So what was it this time? He got out of this chair and walked slowly into the hallway. As he rounded the first corner, he saw her at the end of the long hallway with Jack, rounding the next corner. He continued down the hall, slowly, but still as if he had a reason to be there.

When he reached the exit, he walked along the side of the building to his usual spot, took out a cigarette and lit it. As he did this, he looked casually around for her car. He saw it at the far end of the parking lot, and noticed the two of them in the car having what didn't really look like a friendly conversation. Of course, knowing both of them, this wasn't exactly a surprise. There were so many things between them, and Jack was, after all, a teenager. Neither of them were easy to deal with, and they only had each other. Holder liked them both, but he knew it was hard for them.

Holder tried to watch carefully for something that would give him an idea of why Linden had seemed so angry with him. He was fairly sure there was more to it than just the fact that Jack had left the church group and ended up hanging out with him. Jack seemed to be in his regular teenaged boy mood, the same attitude he'd taken with Linden when she'd shown up to get him a little while ago. Linden, on the other hand, seemed extra agitated, just as she had in the office. Unfortunately, that was all he could tell from that distance.

He finished his cigarette and went back inside, resigning himself to the fact that this time he was just going to have to wait for the other shoe to drop. Hopefully, she'd tell him eventually.