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, episodes 3 and 4

DAY 16

Sarah and Jack are in their hotel room, where Sarah is allegedly "cooking" dinner. Ray calls on her cell phone, and they talk about the case. She goes online to download the files that Ray has sent her and Jack takes over the cooking. While they're on the phone, Linden gets a call on the other line from a woman she doesn't know.

"You gotta come get him."

"Who is this?" Her name is Clare, but she doesn't tell Linden that. She focuses on the reason for her call.

"Stephen. I got your number from his phone. Look, I don't really know him, but he's acting crazy."

Now she has Linden's attention. What has Holder done now? "Where are you?"

Linden gets to Biltmore Pier as fast as she can, where she finds Holder pacing on the median in the middle of traffic.

"What the hell are you doing?" Linden yells to him from the sidewalk.

He glances up then, and looks at her with a pained expression. However, he doesn't try to respond to her over the noise of the traffic rushing in both directions. She can tell that something is very wrong. He doesn't look like the same guy she's been working with for the past few weeks.

She tries to connect with him by using what she knows. "I know you switched the backpack. I know what you did, Holder." Come back here and talk to me, Holder. I'm pissed at you, but I don't want you to get run over.

They look at each other some more. Holder's eyes are glassy, and it's not clear whether he's going to come back to her side of the road or not. He looks like he could go either way, either into traffic, or back to where she's standing.

"Come on, get out of there! Before I leave you here!" Linden wouldn't really do that, but she needs to get Holder to focus on getting away from the median of the bridge and the danger of oncoming cars on both sides.

Holder takes a few deep breaths, then crosses the traffic to the sidewalk on Linden's side of the bridge. He walks past her without a word, and she follows him.

Today, it's Linden's turn to be the strong one.

Holder

Those lights. Coming at me every which way. Why did I go out there in the first place? Did I really think it would be better if something happened to me? No, of course not. That's not me.

I can't explain it, really, other than, it just seemed like everything was falling apart. I just couldn't figure out what to do. I can't explain how going up on that bridge seemed like the best option, though. Was it a cry for help? Maybe. Was it smart? Definitely not. Was it the dumbest thing I've ever done? Not even close.

I don't even really remember going out there, only that once I was there, I couldn't tear myself away from those lights. It was mesmerizing. I was in such a haze to start with, and the lights were all I could focus on. If it hadn't been for Linden, who knows what would've happened? Somehow, as hypnotized as I was by the lights, I saw her clearly. I guess it was like the same idea as how a lighthouse points ships towards safety, except that ironically she was the only thing out there that wasn't lit up. But it didn't matter. She was there.

I know she's pissed at me. Who wouldn't be? Hell, I'm pissed at myself. It's all one giant mess. Some of it's my fault, some of it's Gil, some of it was someone else in the department, or City Hall, or God knows who… I'm convinced that this goes higher up than just Gil. There has to be a way to fix it though. Linden and me, we gotta be able to fix it.

Linden

Sometimes I wonder what the hell goes on in Holder's head. Seriously, some of his ideas make a lot of sense, and then BAM! He comes up with crap that's just so unprofessional – sometimes just plain illegal – and it makes me wonder what exactly he thinks he's doing. There are certain things you just don't do.

As soon as that last thought formed in my head – that there are some things you just don't do – the little voice in my head shrieked at me, Oh really, Sarah? Are there things you wouldn't do to solve a case? Alright, conscience, you've got me there. Who am I to judge someone else about their methods? That's pretty fucked up, because I'm the first one to break the rules when need be. But the shit-storm Holder caused by the way he broke the rules this time… we're all paying for it, not just him. I guess that's why I'm so pissed – because I have to help clean up his mess. I don't even clean up my own messes especially well – though I'm especially talented at making them – and I certainly don't want to clean up someone else's.

…

DAY 17

Linden and Holder were on their way to the FBI building in Seattle to meet with a mob expert that Linden knew. She parked in the visitor parking area and took the keys slowly out of the ignition. Holder watched her, noticing that she appeared to be lost in thought. Her focus looked like it was on something on the dashboard, but at the same time, it wasn't.

"You OK, Linden?" Holder asked. The question seemed to bring her out of her haze, and back to reality. The scowl returned to her face – the one that she seemed to have reserved just for him in the past few days – and she turned slowly to face him. He'd seen that scowl directed at other people many times, but boy oh boy, he was almost afraid when that look was directed at him. Like a guilty man in an interrogation room, he immediately felt the need to confess – whether or not he'd actually done anything wrong. Anything to make her stop looking at him like that.

"Linden, I… I swear, uh… that picture. I, uh, I know you think it was me… Linden, I swear, I really thought… I mean, I had no reason to think that Gil would…" Suddenly he couldn't form a complete sentence. She continued to look at him, without blinking or changing her expression whatsoever. As if she were looking right through him. It was eerie.

Holder decided he needed to look away from Linden's death stare in order to get his words out coherently. He turned and stared straight ahead out the front windshield. Linden continued to watch him silently.

Holder took a deep breath and continued. "Linden, I'm sorry. Maybe you know this and maybe you don't, but I would not have knowingly turned in a faked piece of evidence! I know it seems easy for me to blame Gil, but I had no reason not to trust him." His voice cracked just a little with emotion at the last part. He turned back to look at Linden. There was nothing else he could say. If she was still mad, she was still mad.

"OK," said Linden. That was it, just one word. The scary look she'd been giving Holder for days seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. They stared at each other for a minute, neither one sure quite sure what to say next. "Come on," she finally said, "We've got work to do." She pulled on the door handle and was out of the door before Holder could respond. He shook his head and smiled slightly to himself. No time to waste, as usual, thought Holder, pushing open his own car door.