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

Spoilers: Season 3, episode 10

Holder gets out of his car at the crime scene that he had been called to, taking out a cigarette and lighting it. There's the usual police activity and radio chatter as he walks across the junk yard. Approaching a burnt out car, he looks around at the ground nearby. Linden comes up from the other side of the car without him noticing.

"You're late," she tells him. No greeting, no small talk. Right down to business, as if he hadn't seen her almost break down the day Seward was executed.

He turns around to look at her, surprised to see her there. No, shocked was a more accurate word.

"I thought you'd be halfway to Chicago by now," he told her.

She makes a face at him, choosing to ignore that statement. It's not as though she's never given him a reason to expect that of her, and she knows it. On the contrary, she had even surprised herself a little by being there after everything that had happened with Seward. She'd actually expected him to make a much bigger deal of her presence than he had so far. And yet… she's there.

She holds up a plastic bag in her gloved hand to show him what they'd already found.

".45. Two more in the backseat," she tells him. "Fire was probably set yesterday afternoon. Guy who opened the yard this morning found it. Firemen called us when they found the body."

"They don't got no security here?" he asks in surprise, letting her slip without further teasing, at least for the moment.

"Not on Sunday, apparently. Not sure whether we've got a John or a Jane Doe. Coroner's en route."

"You interview the guy who called it in?" he asks.

"I thought I'd wait for you," she replies.

Holder pauses and looks up at her. She's full of surprises this morning. He continues his walk around the burnt out car without speaking. Linden knows that she got off easy so far as far as Holder's teasing is concerned, and she's pretty sure he's going to make a big deal out of this. At least it seems like it, judging by the genuine surprise that shows so clearly on his face.

It's in his voice, too. "Oh… So, this is for real then? Detective Linden. You're not gonna… peace out on me, leave me to crime fight with Jank-Ass Jablonski?" His slow circle around the car has brought him back around to where she's standing.

She's looking at the car as she says evenly, "Well, you're my ride, so… I guess you're stuck with me." Her tone says that it's no big deal, but her words speak volumes.

He comes to stand beside her, looking at the car, leaving about six inches between their arms.

"Good," he responds quickly. "I mean, not that I need you…" he backpedals. He says it jokingly, trying to maintain his normal nonchalance. He wants to tell her how glad he is that she's there without getting all serious. They don't do serious, not on purpose anyway.

"But it's good," he concludes.

She suppresses a smile, because the message is coming through loud and clear. She's not used to this feeling... that someone wants her there. As much as she doesn't want to like it, she does.

They both turn their heads to look at each other at the same moment, both with small but meaningful smiles for the other. Their eyes have just said more in that second than their entire conversation so far. There's a connection between them unlike anything that either of them has with anyone else, even if they don't ever talk about it. They don't have to.

They look back at the burnt out car in front of them.

"You look nice. I see you changed your… thingy," Linden falters, referring to Holder's hooded sweatshirt. She motions to her neck area to indicate what she's talking about. It's been a long time since she remembers seeing him switch it out for a clean one.

"Mm-hmm," he says simply.

"And shaved. Kind of," Linden adds.

"Yup," Holder replies. "Even got a shower. Got to keep it fresh." He draws out the "sh" at the end of the word, and she smiles, looking up at him with amusement on her face.

"One step at a time," she deadpans.

They both looks back at the car ahead of them.

Holder examines the charred body again. "Damn, that's a crispy critter."

"Let's do some work," Linden suggests.

"Yeah," he agrees. And just like that, they're back in their old groove once again, the way they both work best: together.

Holder

I honestly didn't think I'd see Linden today. Or tomorrow for that matter, or for a really long time after that either. I really thought that after everything with Seward, she'd take another self-imposed time out, quit the force again and hide out somewhere, or whatever the hell you wanna call what she did before, after the Rosie Larsen case. I guess I just assumed that she'd run, since it's generally how she deals with things.

So I guess you could say that seeing her at the crime scene this morning was a surprise. No, surprise would be an understatement. It was a shock. It's like all of a sudden she's back to her old self, the way she is when she's in the zone, which I sure as hell didn't expect. It had been a long time since I last saw her like that… Like she found a freakin' reset button or something. I mean, it's good, really good, to see her look… happy? I guess that what happy looks like on Linden.

I wonder what made this time different, because she sure as hell seemed like she was about to break down there when Seward's stay was denied, or even before that, for that matter. Whatever it was that made her stay, I'm glad. I'd been expecting them to stick me with some dumb ass rookie today, and if she hadn't been there, they probably would have. It's just my luck.

So I was glad she was there because she saved me the trouble of breaking in a new partner, but not just that. Mainly, I'm glad she was there because… she was there. For once, she didn't run. And even if she's not quite as okay as she seemed… she was there. It's a victory for her, whether she knows it or not. Besides that, as obnoxious as she can be, I'm glad she was there because as dumb as it sounds, it's like I tell her… she's my BFF.

Linden

It's hard to surprise Holder, but obviously I did, and just by being here. I didn't think it was that big a deal! But he really thought I was going to leave after what happened with Ray Seward.

I mean, I guess I can't blame him for thinking that. It's a fair enough assumption, considering that running away is kinda my thing. That was exactly what I did after the Rosie Larsen case… and I probably seemed way farther gone this time than I did before I left back then. I know I've been off the deep end a little bit lately. Okay, I've been off the deep end a lot lately. Okay, I'm pretty much off the deep end most of the time. But I'm doing my best.

I could say "It's this case, it just got to me…" But really, when I look back, it's pretty much every case. They draw me in and consume me… and I let them. Because it's easier that way.

In some ways I feel like I spend most of my time in that place… the one that everyone else kinda considers "crazy." It's scary how quickly it all just gets to be too much. People tell me that it's because I let it, but by the time I realize it, it's always too late… but it's better that way. I'd rather be consumed by work than any of my other demons.

Of course, I can't say I didn't consider running this time. Of course I did. It's pretty much my first instinct, and Holder knows it. I mean, he recognized that about me before I recognized it about myself. And dammit, I hate when he has to be right, like he knows me better than I know myself… even though he probably does, as scary as that is…

So as much as I wanted to run, somehow I just… didn't. I sat at my dining room table, put the files away where I didn't have to see them anymore – I mean, what's the point now? – and I just… sat. And I stared at the door, and told myself I could go if I needed to, like I had permission or something stupid like that… But it was weird, as if once I gave myself permission to go, I didn't need to anymore.

Of course, the only thing I've ever been running from is the stuff in my head… and in the few moments every once in a while when I can sit and be rational, I know it. I just… I wish it didn't all have to be so… much.

…

Holder had gone by the office that he shared with Reddick – the same one he'd shared with Linden back in the day – for the first time since he'd shown up at Reddick's house and punched him in the face. He felt guilty when he saw Reddick packing his things, and wasn't surprised when Reddick had announced that he'd put in for a new partner. How could he blame the guy, after what had happened between them? Holder knew that he shouldn't have reacted that way after Bullet's death, but hindsight was 20/20.

They said what needed to be said, and Holder was amazed at how calm Reddick had been, and when he left, Holder had sat down in his desk chair and stared at the open doorway for what felt like a long time. He was having trouble finding the motivation to move. There was always more work to be done… and yet, he sat frozen to his chair, waiting for… what? He didn't know.

He had zoned out, he realized when he suddenly snapped out of the daze he'd been in, deciding that he needed to get out of his office and do something. Anything, really. He pushed himself out of his chair and walked into the hallway, toward the hubbub that surrounded the common areas of the station during the peak hours of the day. He stopped briefly at the vending machine for a bag of Funyons, his favorite snack, and continued walking.

Something caught his eye down the hall, and he realized that it was Linden, standing outside of Skinner's office. He squinted from down the hall, trying to figure out why she looked strange. Something was out of place about her… and then he realized what it was. Linden was… smiling. And not just a little bit. What the hell is she grinning about? he wondered. Linden's default expression was a serious one, and even Holder usually had to try to get her to smile. Yet there she was, standing outside of Skinner's office, of all places, with a grin on her face. It just looked… wrong.

Despite how carefully he'd assessed the situation, he'd only been watching her for a few seconds. He continued to observe her, baffled by her behavior, and saw her smooth her hair with both hands, running them back over her head to the ponytail that always hung low in her hair. It was the kind of thing he didn't remember ever seeing Linden do before. She didn't care about her hair. Then she stepped forward into Skinner's office, leaving Holder completely confused.

Wait, what just happened? Holder wouldn't exactly consider himself an expert on women, but he liked to think that he was a rather observant guy. After all, it was a big part of his job to be observant about people and their actions. What Linden had just done had been a self-conscious, nervous gesture if ever he'd seen one. Linden and… Skinner? he thought, slightly shocked.

He'd been around the two of them plenty of times before and never seen anything out of the ordinary. The idea of Linden and anyone, really, was strange enough. Holder couldn't work it out in his head. Linden didn't like… people. She didn't open up to anyone unless it was absolutely necessary, at least as far as he'd seen. Not that he didn't think she should. Hell, if Linden had found someone, then good for her…

So why did the idea leave a bad taste in his mouth? Linden and… Skinner. It felt wrong. Sure, he seemed like a decent enough guy from what Holder knew about him, with the exception of the fact that he was their boss, and that he was married. Not that Holder was in a position to judge other people's choices or anything, having made some very fucked up ones of his own…

But Holder's choices weren't on trial at the moment. When it came to Linden, well, she was his BFF. She made herself tough so she didn't shatter into a million pieces, but Holder knew that the cracks were always there. Skinner wasn't good enough for her. He couldn't think of anyone who was, really.

You're thinking WAY too much about this, said a voice in his head. What's wrong? Are you jealous?

His thoughts came to a crashing halt all of a sudden. Am I? he wondered for a few seconds. He decided that was impossible. It wasn't like that with him and Linden. After all, he was with Caroline. He felt protective of Linden because she was his friend and his partner – no matter whether they were officially partners or not – and that was all it was.

Holder suddenly realized that he's been so consumed by his thoughts for the past few minutes that he'd ceased to hear what was going on around him. The sounds of the station – people talking, phones ringing, doors opening and closing – suddenly seemed to fade back in around him. He decided that he must be more exhausted than he'd thought.

He glanced up to see Linden still in Skinner's office, standing in front of him with that stupid grin still on her face.

"Holder," Collins called from down the hall. Holder looked over and nodded at the uni who was calling his name. "Coroner's got something on that body that came in this morning."

"OK, thanks," Holder called back, nodding at him again. He remembered the Funyons that he was holding and ripped them open as he walked slowly toward the open door to Skinner's office to retrieve Linden. He wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but Linden and Skinner weren't exactly talking in private. He distinctly heard the words "lake" and "fire" and "wine" as he approached the open door and knocked on it loudly. Whether she wanted him to or not, Holder had the urge to extract Linden from that situation as quickly as possible, for her own good.

"Uh… sorry," Holder said awkwardly. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to witness. "Collins said you were here." Only a slight bending of the truth… he thought. "So, uh, the coroner's got something for us."

"Mm-hmm," Linden replied, then turned from Skinner to look at Holder to acknowledge what he'd said. She hoped that Holder would wait for her in the hall, but there he stood, crunching noisily on his Funyons. He was clearly waiting for her right where he was. As Linden turned back to Skinner, Holder pretended to be oblivious to what was taking place between them.

"Um, it's our case, so I should go," she told Skinner awkwardly.

"Yeah," he replied in a throatier than usual voice, or so it seemed to Holder.

"Yeah. Maybe I'll s-see you later," Linden said. Her continued awkwardness only confirmed Holder's suspicions.

"Yeah," Skinner replied again.

A real conversationalist, this one, Holder thought dismissively. Then, just as quickly, the other voice in his head asked, And why do you care?

Holder waited until Linden had caught up to him at the door before turning to leave, noticing that she turned around to glance back at Skinner even as she walked. Damn, he thought, she has it bad. He wasn't quite sure what to do about that particular choice, but he had a feeling that there was going to be fallout. It seemed like unfortunately for her, there was always fallout when Linden was involved.

Only time would tell.