Breaking Down Her Walls
Summary: He was surprised that she didn't fight him, pull away or shift out of his arms and kick him out for privacy's sake. Instead, she pushed herself closer, entrenching herself in him embrace.
Pairing: Lilly/Scotty
Disclaimer: Don't own them. Sorry, no suing for youhoo!
Author's Note: I just got into Cold Case, so I apologize if something is off. If it is, do me a favour and politely inform me of where I went wrong so I can fix it in the future. There's also a second part... it's short. Let me know if you want it.
Lilly had finally completed an absolutely horrible day. In her line of work, she'd gotten used to horrible and disturbing cases, but even this one had thrown her for a loop.
A father had killed his own daughter.
Family cases killed her. Anything that attempted to delve into familial relationships tore at Lilly's self control. However, she'd never felt like curling up in a ball as much as she did now. She'd managed to resist that urge up to this point, Olivia content in her lap and Lilly content with the warm body against her. It reminded her she was there and breathing.
The knock at the door startled her almost as much as the man on the other side. Scotty Valens was standing in her door.
"Hey," he greeted softly. She gave him a weak smile.
"Hey." She stepped aside to allow him in without asking questions. He stayed silent, just looking at her, evaluating her state of mind. Lilly smiled weakly again and lifted Olivia back to her lap, waving him to sit. Scotty followed, still just watching.
"I'm okay," she told him softly, when the silence became suffocating to her. He looked down at the hands in his lap.
"It was bad, Lil," he spoke, his voice as quiet as hers. He wouldn't admit it, but he hoped that his sharing would lead to some of hers.
"Yeah," she agreed after a few minutes, "it was bad." She didn't tell anyone about her past, determined not to let it affect her daily life and the things she worked on. But sometimes that line got a little blurry. This had been one of those times.
If she was honest with herself, it meant the world to her that Scotty had shown up at her door. Her subconscious mind caught it as someone who was possibly trying to care, trying to save her from drowning in memories until she couldn't breathe. Nevertheless, her conscious mind wouldn't allow him to try.
"How can someone do that?" His voice slowly dragged her out of her depressing pessimistic thoughts. She shook her head.
"His own daughter…" Scotty continued. Lilly could feel the tears creeping into her eyes and managed to pull on Olivia, hugging the animal until it mewled in protest. However, Lilly didn't hear, her head spinning with thoughts of the case. Nevertheless, she felt the cat being pried from her grasp and something just as warm, but much bigger, taking its place. It took her a few minutes to register the object was a body, Scotty's body, and she valiantly held back her tears for another few moments. Still, her resistance was futile and – as if she was separate from her body – she felt herself wrap herself around him. He let her cry without saying a word. He sat down, manoeuvred her comfortably across his lap and allowed her to continue crying. He was surprised that she didn't fight him, pull away or shift out of his arms and kick him out for privacy's sake. Instead, she pushed herself closer, entrenching herself in him embrace.
"Lil?" he called softly, twenty minutes later. Originally confused with her lack of response, Scotty leaned over and found Lilly sound asleep. He couldn't stop the tired smile that flitted across his face. Gingerly he picked her up, carrying her into her bedroom and settling her on her bed, pulling the covers to her chin. He couldn't resist the urge to kiss her and therefore pressed his lips softly to her forehead. Hopefully, in the morning, she would feel better
Lilly woke to her alarm the next morning and could smell fresh coffee. Knowing her coffee maker was not set to come on, Lilly sat up in confusion. She padded to the kitchen. What she found there surprised her. A piece of notepad lay under a coffee mug.
Lilly,
What happened last night?
Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me.
Scotty
Lilly smiled as she poured her first cup of coffee. She had been surprised at how easily she'd broken down the previous night and how easy I t was to lean on Scotty. Lilly prided herself on her ability to stay strong, but the previous night had snuck up on her. The fact that Scotty understood enough to let her know that he was willing to pretend nothing happened cheered her up immensely.
Scotty was sufficiently surprised to see Lilly happy and smiling when she entered the bullpen the next morning. She settled the gourmet coffee and croissant. When he met her eyes they shone in gratitude. He couldn't stop the grin from flicking around the corners of his mouth.
"So, Rush. What did you do last night?" he asked.
"Curled up with my girls," Lilly replied nonchalantly. Scotty chuckled and turned back to the file in front of him.
"'92 case. Vic is Samantha Willows."