A/N So here we are, you guys. The chapter in which everything must come to an end. I normally try to avoid epilogues, because then I get sucked into writing a whole other story, but I had to do this one, because I am fully aware that there is something I purposely didn't answer/do. Hence the epilogue! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: For the final time (until I start something new!), I don't own the main cast of Cold Case, or any events which the actual characters have experienced. It's all just my imagination! :)
One Year Later
"Gampa!"
Stillman turned, a broad smile splitting his face. The tiny blonde limpet attached itself to his leg raised an arm, and without hesitating, he picked her up.
"Hey there, little one. How are you today?"
Maddy babbled on unintelligibly, sucking on her fist while she spoke. Stillman kissed her forehead, and settled the child more comfortably on his hip.
"Baby, please don't eat your hand."
Chuckling at the familiar voice from behind him, the lieutenant turned just in time to see Lilly swoop in and retrieve Maddy from his arms.
"Is this the latest development?" he asked in amusement. The blonde detective nodded, pressing a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
"She's one. Everything goes into her mouth! She's worse than Vera."
Maddy tugged on her mother's sleeve.
"Down!" she commanded, and Stillman chuckled at the familiar tone of voice. Lilly nodded.
"Kiss Mommy," she said, smiling when she received a wet kiss to her cheek. Maddy wriggled some more, until Lilly reluctantly set the little girl down on her feet.
They watched her head off, her footsteps cautious but unhesitant, arms outstretched. As Maddy stopped beside Manning's desk, captivated by the small engagement ring now present on the young detective's finger, Ellie smiled down at her.
"What's up?"
Maddy babbled a reply, unintelligible to anyone besides Scotty and his partner. Lilly sighed heavily.
"My baby's growing up too fast," she said sadly. Stillman patted her gently on the shoulder.
"No, she's not. She's just growing up."
All he had wanted to do was sit at his desk with his coffee. And his tub of bite-sized donuts. But no. The gods were against him. Even his relaxation time had to be disturbed.
"Go away," he said gruffly, earning nothing but a grin from the tiny person clambering onto his knee.
Vera eyed her warily. Maddy struggled for a moment, his pants too slippery for her to get hold of. She hesitated, looking up at him with big blue eyes (Vera made a mental note to 'thank' Rush for passing on her most powerful tool), and waited.
After a minute of staring her down, Vera rolled his eyes, lifting her onto his knee. Maddy patted his cheek, smiling and chattering away. The burly detective nodded along sensibly, occasionally offering the tub of mini donuts.
Her tiny fingers fumbled for a single one, and Vera helped her out, breaking it into pieces.
"What? You can't even do that? What kinda baby are you?" he muttered, raising a piece to her mouth. The little girl reached eagerly for his face, but leant too far forward, and it was by the grace of Vera's quick reflexes that Maddy didn't end up on the floor.
Seeing her startled expression, Vera chuckled slightly, hugging her against him.
"It's OK, little Peanut," he reassured, "you're OK."
"Down?" Maddy asked in a small voice, a frown creasing her brow.
"Nope. Only if you want to."
Her face split into a smile that instantly reminded Vera of Lilly, and he shook his head in wonder.
"You're really somethin', kid," he said softly. She raised a hand to his cheek, animatedly chatting away until her eyelids began to droop. Feeling her release a soft sigh, Vera glanced down just in time to catch Maddy's sleepy yawn.
As he was about to stand up, Scotty appeared beside him, his coat shining with tiny droplets of water. He shrugged off his damp jacket, hastily rolling up the sleeves of his shirt.
"I got her, man."
Scotty smiled as he lifted his drowsy daughter off Vera's lap. Maddy lifted her head.
"Dada!" she said happily, livening up now that there was someone new around. He kissed her forehead.
"Hey, baby girl," he replied. Maddy giggled, her hand rubbing against the slight stubble on his chin. She yawned again, and Vera nodded.
"I was about to go get Rush. Kid's way past her nap time."
The younger man grinned.
"You sure you don't wanna keep her wit' you?" he teased. Vera narrowed his eyes, obviously wanting to reply sharply, but fully aware of the young ears within hearing range.
"Hey, you get anythin' from the vic's wife?" Miller said, coming to a stop beside them. Scotty shook his head, pulling a funny face at his daughter.
"Nope. Says he had no enemies."
"You know it's really hard to take you seriously when you're makin' faces?" Miller teased. Her friend rolled his eyes.
"Come on, Maddy. We know when we're not wanted."
Miller chuckled.
"Oh, Lil wanted me to remind you that it's nap time."
"I'm not tired, Kat," Scotty replied, "but thanks for askin'."
"For Maddy, moron."
Scotty shifted his position on the sofa, feeling Maddy nestle into the softness of his shirt.
"An' the Prince was feelin' happy, because it was his birthday," he said softly, "an' he got to spend the whole day with the Princess Lilly, the most beautiful princess in the entire world."
Maddy stared up at him, her breaths soft and even.
"Princess Lilly was the best thing in the prince's world, so when he got to the castle that mornin', he wanted to surprise her," he continued, lightly tickling his daughter's stomach, "He snuck up behind her, an' the Princess suddenly threw herself at him."
"I did not throw myself at you," came the voice from behind him, and Scotty turned his head, smirking.
"I distinctly remember you throwin' yourself at me."
"Liar," Lilly said as she moved around in front of them.
"Don't interrupt," Scotty chided gently, "I'm tellin' the story."
Rolling her eyes, Lilly sat down on the sofa beside him. Maddy crawled into her mother's lap, and with a fist returning to her mouth, she tucked her head under Lilly's chin.
"So anyway, Prince Casanova caught the beautiful Princess before she knocked them both over, an' the Princess whimpered in..."
"I did not whimper!" Lilly exclaimed in outrage.
"Ssh," Scotty reprimanded, reaching over to smooth a strand of honey-colored hair from his daughter's face. Maddy giggled sleepily, snuggling further into her mother.
"The Princess whimpered in surprise, 'cause she thought that Prince Casanova was the handsomest..."
"Pig-headed."
"Most handsome, bravest, kindest man that the Princess knew," Scotty continued, completely ignoring his partner's addition to the tale. Lilly rolled her eyes, hiding a smirk in her daughter's soft blonde hair.
"That's what you think," she muttered. Maddy's breathing slowed, and Scotty leant over to kiss her head.
"An' they all lived happily ever after," he finished, his voice barely above a whisper. Lilly smiled softly, leaning back to look down at the sleeping child.
"She's gone."
Scotty nodded, one of his hands drifting to the curve of her neck. Lilly tilted her head into his touch.
"That was a good story," she murmured. He chuckled.
"I liked it."
"I love you," she said, moving Maddy's small body closer into her. Her partner nodded.
"Love you too, Lil."
Lilly stood up then, lifting Maddy with her. The baby stirred, her grip tightening on her mother's shirt.
"I think I'm gonna go put her down in Boss' office, OK?"
"Sure. Hey, you wanna look over this case file?"
She rolled her eyes.
"You sure know how to charm a girl, Scotty."
Vera glanced up from his paperwork, looking across the desks to the blonde detective.
"Hey, Lil. You started thinkin' about schools yet?" he asked. Lilly frowned, shaking her head.
"Sort of. Why?"
"I hear all the best places have got a real long waitin' list. An' we all know you don't like waiting."
She shrugged off the veiled insult, smirking.
"We already have her on the waiting list for three pre-K schools within a two mile radius of PPD," she replied, "but we haven't talked about anything after that."
"Have you decided which surname you're gonna put on the application form?" Miller teased. Scotty grinned, wrapping an arm around his partner's shoulders.
"Maddy R..."
"Valens," Lilly interrupted, "Maddy Valens."
The male detective frowned in confusion.
"But I thought..." She nudged him with her elbow, standing up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
"Do you really want to propose to me in front of all these people?"
His breath hitched, knowing that he was the only one that had heard.
"You mean...?" he asked quietly. Lilly nodded seriously, pulling back to meet his confused gaze. A whole conversation was exchanged without words, until the blonde detective finally opened her mouth.
"I'm not pretending to be asleep this time, Scotty."
She slid past him to walk into the break room. Blinking, Scotty hurried after her. The team watched as he caught her wrist, tugging her into a fierce kiss. Vera arched an eyebrow.
"Thought the hormones were meant to stop?"
When the couple finally broke apart, red-faced and wearing matching grins, Lilly planted a quick kiss on his lips before turning away to get a freshly woken Maddy. The team raised eyebrows in amusement as Scotty staggered back into the bullpen.
"What was that about?" Jeffries asked curiously. The younger detective was silent for a moment. He looked around at them all, grinning like a fool.
"I think I just got engaged."
"Well, then I guess you might be needing this," Stillman said quietly, extending his arm.
Scotty felt his smile fade as he took the small black box. He stared at it, like it was suddenly about to explode in his hand. Seeing the doubt on his face, Miller reassuringly wrapped her arm around his back.
"Let me see."
He opened the box, his fingers trembling against the velvet. Miller couldn't help but smile. The ring was simple, nothing overly fancy, just a silver band, and two small diamonds either side of a slightly larger blue topaz.
It was Lilly all over.
Manning leant over his other shoulder, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek.
"You know what they mean?" she asked quietly. Scotty shook his head, his eyes fixed on the ring. Miller squeezed his waist.
"Topaz means fidelity. Trust, honesty," she explained as she moved opposite him.
"And diamonds mean eternity," Stillman finished. Jeffries chuckled at the dazed expression on his colleague's face.
"Create a moment, Scotty. Remember?"
"I remember."
"She's comin'," Vera muttered, and Scotty hid the ring in his pocket. Standing in the doorway, a semi-awake Maddy in her arms, Lilly frowned in suspicion, but didn't say anything.
"What's going on?"
"Nothin'," Scotty replied casually, and she believed him.
At least he thought she did.
"OK..." Lilly said, turning on her heel and moving towards the chair at her desk. Scotty hurried after her, and the other five pushed each other out of the way in their haste to get the best viewing spot for what they knew was about to unfold.
Scotty took a deep breath.
"Hey, Lil?"
She turned back at the sound of his voice. He knelt down on one knee, grinning infuriatingly and chuckling as her cheeks began to glow bright red. Lilly shifted, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.
"You don't have to do this, you know," she muttered in embarrassment, knowing without looking that everybody's eyes were on her. Scotty's smile faded, and he nodded.
"I know. I'm jus'...I just wanted to do it right, Lil." He took a breath. "I though o' so many different ways I could do this. Should I do the dinner, roses, champagne? Or should I do it with flower petals on our bed when ya got home?"
Lilly stared at him, tears pricking the back of her eyes. She noted that her colleagues had all of the exits covered. Guess I'm not getting out of this so easily...
"Say it," she breathed. Scotty stood up, moving towards her, their eyes locked together. He lifted a hand to her cheek, sliding his fingers backwards through her hair.
"Marry me," he whispered, his other arm sliding around her waist.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and for a horrifying moment, the people around her thought she would run. And then she smiled, her eyes still closed, and nodded.
"Yes."
It was later, when the department had started to empty, that Lilly finally got a moment to think. She loved Scotty, there was no question over that, and she had agreed to marry him. OK, so it had technically been her proposal ("It seemed like a good idea at the time!"), and Lilly didn't regret that, but...there was just something.
This was it, she realized suddenly. This was who she had become, who she had grown into. These were the people who brought her to life, put her back together when it looked like she wasn't going to make it. They were her family, and it had only taken her seven years to realize it.
A soft smile spread from her lips as she looked around: Vera having his cheeks poked by tiny fingers, Jeffries chuckling at his friend, with the red Elmo in his lap, Miller and Manning looking over the latest pictures of Veronica and Tyler...and then Stillman, keeping an ever watchful (and ridiculously over-protective) eye on the child babbling away.
A familiar warmth radiated from her heart outwards, and Lilly folded her arms over her chest. Maddy looked up suddenly, sending her mother a sunny grin.
"Mamma...dada!" she exclaimed brightly, clapping her hands together.
Smiling, Lilly tensed for a second as a pair of arms tightened around her waist, but feeling a kiss land behind her ear, relaxed into her partner's chest. Scotty hugged her back against him.
"What are you thinking about?" he murmured. His partner shrugged, fiddling with the ring on her finger.
"Just thinking."
They stood like that for a while, just watching their daughter and enjoying the closeness. After a moment, Lilly looked up at him, and then let her eyes return to Maddy.
"I wish all the people in the world could have somebody," she said softly. Scotty rubbed her arms, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"Somebody?"
"Somebody like us."
OMG I'M SO SAD! There are actual tears in my eyes. So that's all folks!
The End.
Thanks SO much to everybody who has reviewed:
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If I've forgotten anyone, I'm truly sorry, but know you all made me very happy with your reviews!