Disclaimer—I don't own this stuff.

A/N—This is the sequel to SHADOW; it starts up about a month after the first one left off.

ENIGMA

1-Black and White

"Hey, Lil, I made you a smoothie," said Scotty handing Lilly a Styrofoam cup filled with a thick pink liquid. Lilly studied the contents with raised eyebrows before glancing up at her partner.

"Are you trying to kill me, Valens?" she demanded. "This doesn't look edible."

"Lil, this is the third smoothie I've made you this morning. The first one wasn't the right flavor, the second one wasn't thick enough, and now this one isn't…what's wrong with this one?"

Vera shuffled over to the pair and peered over Lilly's shoulder at the smoothie in question. He deftly swiped the cup out of her hands and drained it in one gulp. "Huh, she's right—it's not edible. Still not thick enough, kid."

Scotty frowned as he swatted Vera in the back of the head with a rolled up paper. "What are you? The official test taster?"

"I still want a smoothie," announced Lilly waving a file around.

"Yeah, yeah. But this time you better drink it yourself." Scotty pointed a finger at Lilly sternly before disappearing back into the break room. Lilly and Vera dissolved into laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Jeffries coming to sit on the other side of Lilly's desk.

"Lil's got Scotty waiting on her hand and foot," answered Vera wiping his eyes.

"Is this why my break room looks like a tiki bar?" Stillman stopped in front of the detectives, waiting for an answer.

Lilly shrugged nonchalantly. "You'd be hard on him too, Boss, if you had to endure Scotty every moment of every day. Did you know he has the nerve to call me at three in the morning just to make sure I'm not hungry?"

Stillman sighed. "Lil, be nice. He's a first time father…each one handles an impending baby differently."

"Sure, and I'm just thrilled with the morning sickness, back pain, and bladder problem." Lilly snorted before she began shifting through the other folders on her desk. Stillman shook his head at the blonde woman.

Jeffries was the first to voice the unanimously unvoiced opinion. "Why don't you two just move in together? I thought you were working on your relationship."

"Being pregnant doesn't make me want to spend the rest of my life with Valens. Right now our lives are too hectic to decide what's right for us and what's right for the baby," returned Lilly glibly.

"In other words," murmured Vera, "they can't decide whose place to move into and whose place to sell."

"Scotty wants me to get rid of my cats!" exploded Lilly.

"All I want is for them to stay as far away from me as possible," stated Scotty handing Lilly another smoothie. Lilly stirred the straw in her latest drink and sipped it with satisfaction.

Stillman rubbed a hand over his weary eyes. "Remind me to send the Mayor a thank-you card for everything he's done to my department." He was halfway to his office when he called out, "Lil, I need you to make an appointment with your doctor soon. You need to prepare your maternity leave paperwork so I can shift all your cases around. You hear?"

"Yeah, I hear you, Boss." Lilly slumped in her seat as her fellow detectives drifted back to their respective desks. Nearby she could hear Scotty on the phone making her a doctor appointment. At least she wouldn't have to do it. Last time she had ended up yelling at the secretary for being nosy; and Scotty had been pissed that he had to find her a new doctor.

"Alright, Rush, me and you got a date with a Dr. Cunningham in two hours. She had a last minute cancellation." Scotty flashed a smile at Lilly as he began working on the mountain of paperwork sitting atop his desk.

"Lucky me," muttered Lilly. She moved to grab another folder when a woman hovering near her desk got her attention. "Hi, is there something I can help you with?"

"Are you Detective Lilly Rush?" replied the woman in a naturally soft voice. Lilly nodded and motioned for the woman to take a seat. As the woman settled, Lilly took the chance to study her. Dressed in black slacks and a black silk shirt, the woman fit the bill of one in mourning. Her color treated hair was in the process of returning to its natural blonde from the dark brown it had once been. She wore no make-up, but the grief in her green eyes spoke volumes.

"How can I help you, ma'am?"

"My name is Cordelia Martin. I…I was wondering…perhaps you could…that is…I would like someone to reopen my daughter's case. Her name was Abigail Martin. She…well, she was killed three years ago this week. I…want her case solved," said the woman. She clutched a charm around her neck tightly and avoided any eye contact with Lilly.

"Well, what can you tell me about Abigail's case?" Lilly took out a pen and pad of paper to jot down notes. Cordelia bit her lip and glanced around the department in a furtive manner. She was afraid of something.

"Abby was just seventeen. She was an honor student in her high school, the school president, captain of the cheerleading squad, and even a member of the debate club. She was very outgoing…so full of life. Her death shocked…all of us. Her sister, Annabelle, took it the hardest.

"The police found Abby's body in an alley downtown. She had been shot twice in the head. They said under the circumstances, and with evidence at the crime scene that Abby…my precious Abby had been killed for…drugs." Cordelia broke off into sobs as Lilly listened patiently.

"Was Abby on drugs?"

"Never! How could you say such a thing…she preached against drugs…alcohol…sex…she was a model student!"

Lilly took a deep breath. "Mrs. Martin, high school today isn't the same as it used to be. In large cities like Philly, it's all too common to find more and more teens using drugs. They're widely available for a price these days. Would you have known one percent everything Abby did before, during, or even after school?"

"Of course! I raised my children to know right from wrong! Abby would never have fallen for the temptation of drugs! She spent her time working at the YMCA on weekends, helping kids like her get over their addictions and grief—Abby was perfect!"

"Uh-huh," Lilly was unconvinced. "Were there any leads in Abby's death three years ago? Drug deals gone bad are always hard to solve…it's a whole other world than the one you and I live in."

Cordelia took a piece of paper out of her purse and handed it to Lilly. "This is the address of Abby's sister, Annabelle. She and Abby were two peas in a pod. They're twins, you know. Anna can tell you all about Abby."

"Thank-you, Mrs. Martin, I'll be sure to give your daughter a call."

"Maybe you should visit Abby's grave as well—perhaps it will inspire you to get out of your chair and solve my daughter's murder. You seem to have nothing else going on." Cordelia eyed Lilly coldly as she got to her feet to tower over the female detective.

"You're right; I'll make sure this is top priority. Just as soon as I complete some unfinished business at the doctor. I can assure you, Mrs. Martin, I haven't found a cold case I couldn't solve yet. Just give me some time."

"I've been waiting three years, Detective Rush. I won't hesitate to call in the F.B.I." With that Cordelia Martin marched away from Lilly's desk with her head held high. Grief or no grief, she meant business.

"What the hell was that?" asked Scotty as he and Stillman walked over to Lilly's desk.

"A high profile case from the sounds of it," replied Lilly pulling on her coat. "Come on Valens, we have a doctor to see. Hey, Boss, while we're out, have Vera and Jeffries pull out the box for an Abigail Martin. She's our vic."

A/N—It's been a while…but I've been putting thisplot together for a couple of weeks now so it'll flow. Aren't we all excited with the new season starting up? I figured it was time I started the story as well. I'm going to warn you ahead of time that for this story's sake I'm going to drag the case along for a while, only because I'm mainly focusing on Lilly and Scotty. I'm going to try and hit most of the pregnancy in this story…so bear with me. Enjoy!