awesome story!

LOL, I don't blame you for skipping over the meat of their relationship. It's SO complex, and addressing one issue seems to bring out sixteen others.

HEE, Scotty planning the wedding. I could see it.

Yep, Lilly would be much better at hiding the relationship than Scotty. I simply can't picture it any other way.

AWWW, Scotty the sappy romantic. Again, I can totally see that. And him thinking he's in trouble when he buys the ring. :)

LOVE PPD sitting on the bride's side. This makes me remember my own wedding; my husband's family is gi-normous, and mine is really, really tiny, so most of our friends sat on "my" side of the church to fill things out.

Scotty would totally, totally cry through his wedding. I cannot see it any other way.

Perfect ending. Just perfect. I love this story. It's so sweet and vulnerable and very true to character. You did a great job with this one, and I hope to see you write more!

I love how you describe their kiss. You have a real gift for colorful word pictures! And hee, drug of choice. :)

I can TOTALLY think of better ways for them to spend the day. :)

Stillman is such a badass. He's smarter than the rest of them put together. I love him.

Ooooh, the counter. Nice. And I love the "I get to do that, right?" He's so adorable.

Awww, in this forever...and LOL, when did I get to be so sappy? I love the way you balance the serious moments with humor.

And yay, the bed where it all started!

I love that Lilly notices that Scotty can be tender. Despite all his brooding and fire and all the other things you mention, we have definitely seen some guh-worthy tender moments from him over the years, and as we've discussed, I think he's capable of far more romance than the show gave him opportunity to display.

AWWWW he snuggles the pillow. That's just so freaking adorable and cotton-candy sweet.

Hee. THEIR bed. 3.

Hee, Stillman being less terrifying than Lilly. Don't underestimate the Lethally Quiet Wrath, Scotty.

"Why did talking things out have to involve words?" *dies laughing* INDEED!

Awww, I love that little hint of angst without her getting all whiny about it. It's there, part of her, but not front and center in a place it doesn't belong. The show could take some hints from this scene. :) And I love how she's cooking for him. That's very sweet.

HEE! Evaluating her pajamas and primping! Love it. The show didn't let Lilly be funny very much, and I think she's quite capable of humor. :)

LOVE Scotty's mental firewalls. That's a great image. As is "he had even managed words, a sentence, probably..." SO Scotty. :) And I love his thoughts as he's driving. Those are beautiful. And HEEEEE! being more comfortable entering an abandoned warehouse. Nervous Scotty is so freaking adorable. I love writing and reading him.

AWWW. They can't sleep. And AWWWW! She trusts him. That's huge! She doesn't trust anybody! And I love the image of him taking her hand and leading her through her own house. That's beautiful.

Hee, Scotty's throwing punches in the air, and they're both a mess. Love it.

Wow, SHE calls HIM! Nice!

AWWWW, can I come over! 3. And of course she says yes. Who wouldn't? :)

AWWWW, she is sleeping on the daybed. And I love the observation about how she feels close to him even though she's changed the sheets. I always knew she had it in her to be pathetic given the right guy.

BWAHAHA. Stillman. Because he knows all and sees all and is awesome. Of course he'd call them on it.

He does have a nice smile.

HEE! Vera! Of course he's the first one they run into. And leave it to Kat to bail them out. I love the Kat/Vera dynamic so freaking much.

And Head Over Heels In Love Scotty is so adorable. I love him. :)

Hee! Meowing. Awesome.

AWWWW. Scotty's sleep-fogged reaction is so stinking adorable. I love the dawning of his awareness that this is real! "She wasn't hurt or in danger, she was just there." Another great, great line.

Hee. "There was no way this would end well." So Scotty.

I love the difference in wake-up scenes between Scotty and Lilly. Lil is much more panicked, which is so true to her. Scotty's all, "hey, cool! Lil!" and she's all "Oh, crap! Scotty!" I love that.

"Holding Lilly-that had helped the most." Awwww.

Awww, Lilly. Panicking that he's going to see her as she really is. So true to character, and so adorably frustrating.

"This is gonna be an interesting night." HEE. INDEED.

HEE! "in a way the department would not be happy with." As an aside that has nothing to do with the story, I've never really understood why Lilly's nightmares centered around there not being anyone they can call. I can only assume that it's because of her mother's death and that she really has no family left, not that she had much to begin with, but...hello? The whole squad was in the waiting room at the time. And Scotty had just told her THAT DAY that he was there for her, whatever she needed. So I just don't get how she could've still thought she was still alone after that.

Okay, rant over. On with the review.

AWWWW. Scotty's nightmare is so adorable.

EEE! LOVE YOU! HE SAID IT! *wild applause* And awwww, they're spooning. That is so beautiful and sweet. I love it.

Hee, awkward explanation. Yep.

"How even in his sleep, it felt so much like love." ADORE that line.

Hahaha, a toddler protesting her bedtime. I know that scene well, and yes, that's exactly what she's acting like.

LOL, beauty rest! I can totally hear Scotty saying that.

Awwwww, she's letting him stay. That's something I've noticed about Lil, is that when necessary, she's great at taking care of other people. I don't think that came through quite as much on the show, but it definitely makes sense given her character and her background.

And awww, "thank you." Says so much with so little.

I like the idea of them celebrating together after "The Road!" For all the darkness and angst of that episode, it did have a happy ending, and I think people (myself definitely included) often forget that.

I LOVE Stillman. He's the best boss ever, and I think he's smarter than everyone else put together. Love how you've captured how he looks out for his squad.

"He wanted to be there to catch the pieces. And he would wait as long as it took." LOVE that. You've captured the essence of Scotty in two sentences. :)

"Do I have you?" AWWWWWW. And "Always." 3 3 3.

HAAAA. "Do or die, Valens. Or maybe do and die." Scotty's sense of humor and ability to joke even when things are really, really serious is one of my favorite things about him, and you've captured it nicely.

I love the way you end this. And he's right. She does have him. :)

I loved Scotty's line about washing his hair on the show, and I love it here. I don't know why it cracks me up every single time, but it truly does. That and the aftershave line, how Scotty's suddenly insecure about it. I love that.

Hahaha, driving privileges. Scotty losing it here has always fascinated me, and I've never quite been able to put my finger on exactly why he does. Lots of possible reasons, and the one you give is definitely a good one!

"Her voice was breaking. Her will was breaking." Chills!

"He cracked a smile." I love him. :)

Lilly! *headdesk* Therapy is not a sign of weakness! Although, and my memory may be fuzzy, I wasn't crazy about that department shrink, either. Seems like they maybe could've found someone better.

"Not so much catch, as feel." LOVE that. You've got a way with words.

HAHAHA, like a sister. Oh, Scotty. So close and yet so far.

"Things would be fine." SURE. You tell yourself that, Valens.

I feel your pain; "filler" chapters are always annoying to write. But yes, Scotty and Lilly are such blockheads that sometimes some filler is necessary. Besides, as my very wise beta told me, if every chapter is hard-hitting and uber-dramatic, there's no space for us as readers to catch our breath.

Oh, wow, I love your glimpse into Scotty's head during the shooting. Very true to life and true to character.

I've been exploring the shooting in my own work-in-progress, and I've come to the same conclusion you did: no way was Scotty not affected by what happened. No way would he not still be traumatized. I hate that the show glossed over that.

Hahaha, no, I don't think you'd have this much trouble moving on if it were anyone else. Good observation, Detective. :) Also a good observation that he's as bad at talking as she is. That's why it sometimes takes so long to get those two together.

Awwww, "if that's what it took to keep being her other half." That's SUCH a great line.

HEEE! Time for television! That's brilliant.