Disclaimer: I own nothing but the storyline. And I barely own that.

Warning(s): Strong Adult Language and Content. 'Nuff said.

A/N: 5-pages, and 2K+ words later, it is complete. One of the first Eye Candy fanfics to hit the web. I hope you all enjoy it! And remember, reviews are . Also, I'm not sure if I should turn this into a series and do a sequel or just make it a two-shot and do an epilogue of some sort. So let me know what you think I should do!

CHAPTER 01

Anger boils up inside of Lindy as she watches her psycho-stalker claim yet another victim. She was so sure it had been Reese behind all of the other murders and yet there he was, on her phone screen having his life snuffed out by the real perp. How many more people had to die before they caught this guy?

Well, no more. She was going to find this psychopath tonight or she would damn well die trying. "Enough is enough. This ends tonight."

Snatching her coat off of the back of Tommy's chair, Lindy makes a beeline for the door. But Tommy is faster and his big hand closes around her elbow before she can get very far, whirling her around to face him. "Where do you think you're going?"

Determined not to let Tommy talk her out of her mission, Lindy slips her coat on and turns her back on him, squaring her shoulders as she walks away. "To find the psycho who killed Ben and Reese and all those other innocent people. I'm ending this tonight."

The chill that runs up his spine at the thought of Lindy going one on one against the man who has been stalking her for the last month has Tommy on his feet and racing after Lindy before he can even think, grabbing at her arm to stop her from walking out the door to certain death. "Lindy! LINDY! Stop! STOP! You can't do this!"

Fighting back angry tears, Lindy turns on her heels and forces herself into Tommy's personal space, standing nose to nose with the taller detective. "I'm doing this Tommy, and there's not a damn thing you or anyone else can say or do to stop me. I won't let him kill another innocent person."

But Tommy knows better and he uses the one thing that he knows will get Lindy to back down from her suicide mission. "Doing this... putting yourself in harm's way... won't bring Ben back, Lindy. We both know that."

That's all it takes for Lindy's bottom lip to quiver and a few tears escape her brown eyes. "Ben would want me to catch his killer and get justice for the people he killed."

Tommy shakes his head and stares adamantly into Lindy's eyes, knowing full well that she doesn't even believe her own words. "No, Lindy. Ben loved you and he would want you to be safe and alive and happy. You know that better than I do."

She knows. Of course she knows how much Ben loved her, how much he wanted to protect her to the end. But she can't just sit idly by while the guy who took Ben from her claims more innocent lives. She won't. "What I know, is that the guy who took Ben from us is still out there somewhere and I'm not just going to stand by and watch like some helpless little girl while he claims more victims. I was helpless when my sister was kidnapped, and I was helpless when Ben was killed, but I'll be damned if I let this psycho make me helpless again. I can't... I can't be that helpless little girl again Tommy. I know he's out there somewhere and I know I can find him, so please, just let me go..."

Tommy wishes with all his might as watches more tears glide down Lindy's flushed cheeks that he didn't care so much about this girl because maybe then he could watch her walk away without a qualm. But damn it, he feels for Lindy more than he cares to admit and he can't just watch her throw her life away on somebody who isn't even worth the time of day. "I can't Lindy. I know you don't want to be helpless again but I made a promise to Ben that if anything ever happened to him I would make sure that you were safe and taken care of. And I promised myself when I took on this case that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you. I intend to keep those promises."

More tears escape Lindy's eyes and she wipes at them angrily, determined not to show weakness. "That's not fair, Tommy... You're basically asking me to give up and hide like some weak little girl."

Tommy shakes his head and has to resist the urge to take Lindy into his arms and hold her tight so that she doesn't run away. "No, Lindy. I'm asking you to let me do my job and keep my promise to my bestfriend."

Lindy only offers the tiniest wry smile and takes a single step backwards, away from Tommy. "If you had done your job, Ben would still be here."

It's a low blow, but one that Tommy readily accepts because, yeah, if he had done his job properly his bestfriend would still be alive. But Ben is gone and Lindy is still here, and for better or worse, he intends to keep Lindy alive. "You think I don't know that? You think I don't look over at his desk and regret not being there for him? Because I do, Lindy. Every. Damn. Day."

The pain and regret she sees staring back at her in his eyes would be heartbreaking, were she in possession of a heart to break. But her heart died with Ben, and Lindy finds that without it, there's not much purpose to life anymore. "Then why? Why can't you let me go?"

Tommy closes the distance between them so that he and Lindy are nose to nose and stares into her dark chocolate eyes, glittering with fresh tears. He hadn't ever imagined confessing to her like this, let alone at all, but if it keeps her from walking out the door to her death, he'll do just about anything. "Ben is gone, Lindy. He's gone and he's never coming back. I've already lost my bestfriend, I can't lose you too... Please, Lindy, I can't."

Realization dawns on Lindy like a new day and she wonders why she hadn't seen all along that what Tommy felt for her went beyond simple friendship. "Tommy... I... Since when?"

This wasn't how he had planned on revealing his feelings to her, in fact he hadn't ever planned on revealing anything to her at all, but if it keeps Lindy alive and out of the clutches of that psycho-killer, Tommy will gladly tell her whatever she wants to hear. "That night you and Ben met at the club for the first time... I... I was there. I actually saw you first but Ben beat me to the punch."

The memory strikes Lindy like a bolt of lightening, painting a clear image of Tommy in the back of the club staring at her with a heated gaze. But it was Ben who had introduced himself first, and so it was Ben to whom she had given her heart. "I... Why? Why are you telling me all of this now? What does that change?"

Tommy stares down at Lindy with an intensity and a vulnerability that makes her stomach churn in a way that it hasn't since the very last time Ben smiled at her. It makes Lindy shiver and take the slightest step backwards. "Nothing... Everything... I don't know. All I know, Lindy, is that I already lost you once and that was hard enough. I can't lose you again. I can't. So don't ask me to let you become that psycho-killer's latest victim, because I won't. You'll have to kill me first."

Lindy's bottom lip quivers again and this time she doesn't hold back the tears as they slide down her cheeks because maybe, just maybe, a part of her wishes that it had been Tommy instead of Ben who had approached her that night in the club and that it had been Tommy to whom she had given her heart instead of Ben. Maybe then things would have turned out differently and she wouldn't feel a little bit guilty about what she's about to do. "That's not fair Tommy..."

Tommy only smiles sardonically as he reaches up and gently wipes the tears from Lindy's cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "As long as it keeps you out of harm's way, I don't care if it's fair or not. All that matters is that you're alive, Lindy, and safe, and I intend to keep it that way."

It takes only a few seconds for Lindy to close the distance between them but it feels like forever until their lips meet in the gentlest and most seductive of kisses, and in that very brief moment she forgets how to breathe.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lindy knows that Ben is probably looking down at them from heaven and wondering what the actual fuck his girlfriend and his bestfriend are doing hooking up when the dirt hasn't even settled on his grave yet. But she also knows that as angry as he might be, Ben is probably happier knowing that it's Tommy, and not some complete stranger he can't trust, that is taking his place, because he knows that Tommy will do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy. Because they both know that Tommy was always meant to be Lindy's protector, the light in the darkness that shrouds her life.

Tommy's mind, on the other hand, is nothing but blank slate as he inhales sharply and crushes Lindy against him because dear god, this girl tastes like sin. He'll probably come to regret everything in the morning, but for now all he can focus on is the feeling of Lindy's lithe body pressed against him, of her lips against his. It's all he can do not to shove everything off of the nearest desk, which happens to be his, and take her right then and there.

But this is the precinct and it's Lindy in his arms, not some one-night stand. It's Lindy, the girl he's been in love with since that night at the club all those months ago, and Lindy deserves a bed and more than just a one-and-done. Because Lindy Sampson is more than just a one-night stand, she always has been. She always will be.

It's another minute before Tommy can pull away, resting his forehead against Lindy's as he tries to catch his breath and make some sense of everything. "Lindy... what are we doing?"

With one hand resting against Tommy's chest and the other curled into the hair at the nape of his neck, Lindy tilts her chin up and stares directly into Tommy's eyes as she whispers ever so softly against his lips. "We're giving me a reason not to walk out that door and throw my life away. So you can either take me home right now and make love to me, or I can walk out that door right now and never look back. What's it gonna be, Tommy? Love me or lose me?"

Talk about no-brainer. They would probably wake up tomorrow morning and regret everything, but he would rather regret having sex with Lindy so soon after Ben's death than regret letting her throw her life away when he could have stopped her. So he makes his choice to love Lindy now and worry about everything else later. "My place or yours?"

Lindy smiles seductively and presses a chaste kiss to Tommy's lips. "That depends on how you feel about Sophia and Connor being down the hall from us."

Tommy can only smile as he fumbles for his keys and presses another quick kiss to Lindy's pillow soft lips. "My place it is then."

It takes very little effort for Tommy to lift Lindy to his arms and as he carries her out of the precinct, Ben's voice rings loud in her head.

It only takes one star to light the way.

It's in that moment that Lindy finally realizes that Ben is that star and he has given her Tommy to light the way for her. It's Tommy who will help her find her sister and the psycho who stole Ben from them. It's Tommy who will protect her from harm, and ultimately it will be Tommy who will give her the happily ever after she thought she was never going to be able to have.

She knows that together they will make things right for Ben, and for Sara. She also knows that even though she doesn't love him right now, one day, Tommy Calligan will come to be her entire world.

And Lindy Sampson very much looks forward to that day.