Post by jezyk on Jun 1, 2006 21:59:09 GMT -5
Tunnels
By Jezyk
Spoilers: Vaguely anything that's aired, but really nothing specific.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I'm just letting them have some fun. Or not so much.
Pairing: Lilly/Scotty (consider yourself warned)
The case was hard. It was a bad one. Not that solving the murder of two children could ever really made it better, but sometimes it made him feel a little pride to know that someone who'd thought they'd gotten away with so heinous a crime was finally put away. Sometimes, but not always. Not when it turned out that the murderer had been their father. Not when it turned out that he'd done it because he feared the six- and eight-year-olds would reveal the way he'd abused them.
Scotty took it hard. One of the team usually took a case harder than the others. But that time, Lilly had taken it hard too. The partners had lapsed into a depressed silence as they'd progressed toward the arrest, each one of them too wrapped up in their thoughts to try to draw the other out.
He'd actually taken to carrying a picture of the two girls with him, the way he knew Lilly did with every case. He'd taken one look at the picture - a happy shot in their back yard where they stood with their arms around each other - and been struck with the sadness of it. It had been taken the week before they'd been killed. It wasn't just the tragedy that got him; no, he'd gotten used to that in his time with homicide. It wasn't just the blonde hair and bright blue eyes that wouldn't let him depersonalize the victims. It was the striking physical resemblance of those girls to Lilly and Chris that choked him every time he thought about what had happened to them.
He'd seen it immediately and when he heard the sharp gasp from Lilly, he knew that she'd seen it too. His protectiveness kicked in, wanting to make it right, even though it was impossible. He wanted to fix it for them, the way he wished he could have fixed it for Lilly and Chris. Even though the murdered girls' father had unfortunately been very much in the picture, he learned there were other similarities as well - the poverty, the drunken mother. He despised the woman who'd turned to a bottle to blind herself to what her husband was doing to her daughters just as he despised Lilly's mother for allowing a bottle to blind her to how much her babies needed a mother to love them.
It had been bad, but it was over. He had put the picture back in the box, bumping into Lilly on her way to do the same. But when they'd returned to the office, the mother was waiting for them.
Twenty years had passed, bringing the woman sobriety, a divorce, and the haunted look that revealed the anguish inherent when nature's scheme went awry. Mothers weren't supposed to bury their children; it was meant to work the other way - without her children, she was no longer a mother. She finally had an explanation, but it was clear that time had done nothing to heal her wounds. She was there to thank them for finally finding the answers, even tough the answers hadn't helped. The petite woman pulled a shocked Scotty into a hug; her face pressed comically against his stomach as he awkwardly patted her shoulder. Vera and Jeffries laughed, perpetually amused by Scotty's discomfort regarding overly emotional women. The woman had pulled away and reached out to Lilly, cradling the younger woman's face in both of her hands.
"You remind me of my Beth. You look so much like her."
Lilly's panic was more obvious, more intense, than Scotty's had been and she looked to him for help. The laughter from Vera and Jeffries disappeared as they began to understand what had been bothering Lilly and Scotty. In the silence, Scotty wondered what the woman would think if she ever found out that Lilly's little sister looked just like Beth's younger sister Vicky. If it hadn't been for the gruesome photos of the girls' bodies, Scotty would have wondered if they weren't really the same sisters.
It was only a few moments after the mother left when Lilly muttered something by way of a good night and uncharacteristically left work before anyone else had. Scotty was frozen, staring after his partner and wondering if anyone else had seen the distraught look in her eyes, if anyone else knew as acutely as he did that she wasn't all right, if anyone else would follow her.
He didn't wait to find out. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and ran down the stairs after her. He hurried, partly to avoid losing her by falling too far behind, but mostly because he feared he'd lose his nerve before he reached her. It wasn't like either of them was particularly open; it was simply that for once he knew what was on her mind and he couldn't let the opportunity to connect with her slip by without trying to reach out to her.
His eyes quickly scanned the lobby, hoping she'd still be there. His shoes squeaked as be bounded across the empty space. If she made it to her car, it would be too late for him to stop her from walling herself up again. He threw open the door so hard it slammed back at him. He barely noticed it as he fought to keep his balance and not run into Lilly at the same time. She was standing at the top of the steps with her hand on the handrail, one foot lowered to the step below. She wasn't moving; it was like she'd been suspended mid-step.
Once he was sure he wasn't going to fall and send both of them flying down the stairs, he stepped to the side to peek at her face. Her eyes were staring straight ahead with the same lost look she'd had throughout the case.
"Lil?" He reached out, laying his hand on her shoulder.
She turned to him, her eyes slightly unfocused as though she was just waking up. "Scotty?"
He'd been concerned before that, but he grew even more worried that she'd managed to get lost in her thoughts so quickly. He'd seen her upstairs only a few minutes earlier. "Are you ok?"
He expected her stock answer - an unconvincing shrug and a half-hearted smile. Instead she just stared at him. He found her stare inviting because he'd never known her to not brush him off if she possibly could. "Lil?"
She stared at him, the lost look slowly fading into one of gratefulness. The corners of her mouth quirked up the slightest bit. "I want to forget, Scotty."
He'd never been more proud of himself than he was at that moment. She trusted him completely if she was willing to make a statement like that. He smiled at her, nervously reaching out to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes didn't waiver from his despite the contact and she didn't flinch away. Encouraged, he grew bolder, reaching down to entwine their fingers. "Come with me." She offered no resistance, only light pressure on his hand as she held on to him.
He wasn't sure where he found the audacity to hold his partner's hand, especially not when they were at work where they were bound to be seen by any number of people. He didn't dare let go, however, because he didn't want her to close back up, because he didn't want her to think she couldn't depend on him when she needed support, and, if he was being honest with himself, because he loved the way her touch made him tingle all over.
By Jezyk
Spoilers: Vaguely anything that's aired, but really nothing specific.
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I'm just letting them have some fun. Or not so much.
Pairing: Lilly/Scotty (consider yourself warned)
The case was hard. It was a bad one. Not that solving the murder of two children could ever really made it better, but sometimes it made him feel a little pride to know that someone who'd thought they'd gotten away with so heinous a crime was finally put away. Sometimes, but not always. Not when it turned out that the murderer had been their father. Not when it turned out that he'd done it because he feared the six- and eight-year-olds would reveal the way he'd abused them.
Scotty took it hard. One of the team usually took a case harder than the others. But that time, Lilly had taken it hard too. The partners had lapsed into a depressed silence as they'd progressed toward the arrest, each one of them too wrapped up in their thoughts to try to draw the other out.
He'd actually taken to carrying a picture of the two girls with him, the way he knew Lilly did with every case. He'd taken one look at the picture - a happy shot in their back yard where they stood with their arms around each other - and been struck with the sadness of it. It had been taken the week before they'd been killed. It wasn't just the tragedy that got him; no, he'd gotten used to that in his time with homicide. It wasn't just the blonde hair and bright blue eyes that wouldn't let him depersonalize the victims. It was the striking physical resemblance of those girls to Lilly and Chris that choked him every time he thought about what had happened to them.
He'd seen it immediately and when he heard the sharp gasp from Lilly, he knew that she'd seen it too. His protectiveness kicked in, wanting to make it right, even though it was impossible. He wanted to fix it for them, the way he wished he could have fixed it for Lilly and Chris. Even though the murdered girls' father had unfortunately been very much in the picture, he learned there were other similarities as well - the poverty, the drunken mother. He despised the woman who'd turned to a bottle to blind herself to what her husband was doing to her daughters just as he despised Lilly's mother for allowing a bottle to blind her to how much her babies needed a mother to love them.
It had been bad, but it was over. He had put the picture back in the box, bumping into Lilly on her way to do the same. But when they'd returned to the office, the mother was waiting for them.
Twenty years had passed, bringing the woman sobriety, a divorce, and the haunted look that revealed the anguish inherent when nature's scheme went awry. Mothers weren't supposed to bury their children; it was meant to work the other way - without her children, she was no longer a mother. She finally had an explanation, but it was clear that time had done nothing to heal her wounds. She was there to thank them for finally finding the answers, even tough the answers hadn't helped. The petite woman pulled a shocked Scotty into a hug; her face pressed comically against his stomach as he awkwardly patted her shoulder. Vera and Jeffries laughed, perpetually amused by Scotty's discomfort regarding overly emotional women. The woman had pulled away and reached out to Lilly, cradling the younger woman's face in both of her hands.
"You remind me of my Beth. You look so much like her."
Lilly's panic was more obvious, more intense, than Scotty's had been and she looked to him for help. The laughter from Vera and Jeffries disappeared as they began to understand what had been bothering Lilly and Scotty. In the silence, Scotty wondered what the woman would think if she ever found out that Lilly's little sister looked just like Beth's younger sister Vicky. If it hadn't been for the gruesome photos of the girls' bodies, Scotty would have wondered if they weren't really the same sisters.
It was only a few moments after the mother left when Lilly muttered something by way of a good night and uncharacteristically left work before anyone else had. Scotty was frozen, staring after his partner and wondering if anyone else had seen the distraught look in her eyes, if anyone else knew as acutely as he did that she wasn't all right, if anyone else would follow her.
He didn't wait to find out. He grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and ran down the stairs after her. He hurried, partly to avoid losing her by falling too far behind, but mostly because he feared he'd lose his nerve before he reached her. It wasn't like either of them was particularly open; it was simply that for once he knew what was on her mind and he couldn't let the opportunity to connect with her slip by without trying to reach out to her.
His eyes quickly scanned the lobby, hoping she'd still be there. His shoes squeaked as be bounded across the empty space. If she made it to her car, it would be too late for him to stop her from walling herself up again. He threw open the door so hard it slammed back at him. He barely noticed it as he fought to keep his balance and not run into Lilly at the same time. She was standing at the top of the steps with her hand on the handrail, one foot lowered to the step below. She wasn't moving; it was like she'd been suspended mid-step.
Once he was sure he wasn't going to fall and send both of them flying down the stairs, he stepped to the side to peek at her face. Her eyes were staring straight ahead with the same lost look she'd had throughout the case.
"Lil?" He reached out, laying his hand on her shoulder.
She turned to him, her eyes slightly unfocused as though she was just waking up. "Scotty?"
He'd been concerned before that, but he grew even more worried that she'd managed to get lost in her thoughts so quickly. He'd seen her upstairs only a few minutes earlier. "Are you ok?"
He expected her stock answer - an unconvincing shrug and a half-hearted smile. Instead she just stared at him. He found her stare inviting because he'd never known her to not brush him off if she possibly could. "Lil?"
She stared at him, the lost look slowly fading into one of gratefulness. The corners of her mouth quirked up the slightest bit. "I want to forget, Scotty."
He'd never been more proud of himself than he was at that moment. She trusted him completely if she was willing to make a statement like that. He smiled at her, nervously reaching out to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. Her eyes didn't waiver from his despite the contact and she didn't flinch away. Encouraged, he grew bolder, reaching down to entwine their fingers. "Come with me." She offered no resistance, only light pressure on his hand as she held on to him.
He wasn't sure where he found the audacity to hold his partner's hand, especially not when they were at work where they were bound to be seen by any number of people. He didn't dare let go, however, because he didn't want her to close back up, because he didn't want her to think she couldn't depend on him when she needed support, and, if he was being honest with himself, because he loved the way her touch made him tingle all over.
