Post by jessa4865 on Dec 20, 2004 2:13:55 GMT -5
Part Three
Scotty could feel her shaking as he took her hand and led her down the stairs. He offered no false assurances, no words of encouragement. There was nothing to say. George had been there. He could have killed both of them. Scotty had never felt so helpless in his life. He silently cursed himself - he was there to protect her. A lot of good it had done.
Lilly went with him willingly; shock allowing her to follow him without hesitation. She paused at the front door. Scotty pulled on her hand. He didn't know what to say. He just wanted her out of there.
"Lilly, let's go." He was at the front door, one hand holding his gun at the ready, the other clamped around Lilly's wrist. He realized he was probably hurting her from the force of his hold, but he couldn't bring himself to release her.
"The cats, Scotty. I won't leave them here."
"Lilly, he's not here for them." Even as he said it, he knew George probably wouldn't draw a line at not hurting animals. True, he thought animals were stupid, but he'd know they meant something to Lilly.
"I'm not leaving them." She wrenched her arm, trying to pull it free from his grasp. Her attempt did nothing to free her, but he saw her wince in pain.
Tripod was sitting on the couch where he'd been when Scotty had left him. Olivia was cowering behind the coffee table. Scotty grabbed Tripod and handed her off to Lilly. Then he grabbed Olivia and thrust her into Lilly's arms as well, leaving him able to keep a hold on Lilly and his gun.
"I need their food and stuff. They can't be loose in the car."
"We'll stop somewhere." Lilly continued to struggle with him, nearly losing her grasp on the unhappy cats in the process. "Lilly, we have to go now!"
It was when they were in the car, when Lilly mentioned that she hadn't brought a change of clothes for work, that Scotty realized how upset she was. Someone was trying to kill her, had snuck into her house while she was sleeping to leave a threatening message on her bathroom mirror not quite ten feet away from where she was sleeping, and she was worried about her work clothes.
He peeled out of there so fast he left tire marks halfway up the street. Paranoid that George was following them, Scotty drove aimlessly for some time. The cats were perched on the back deck, meowing angrily from time to time. Lilly was silent and Scotty thought she'd fallen asleep, but when he glanced at her, he realized she was wide awake. She looked terrified. Scotty grew even angrier at himself. He'd been there to protect her, to keep her safe, and he'd done nothing. He knew full well that he could have woken up in the morning and found Lilly murdered or missing and she probably knew it too. The only reason she was still alive was because George wanted to toy with her first.
She was the first to speak, breaking the eerie silence in the car. "Are we just going to drive around all night?"
"The thought had occurred to me." The trouble was, nothing better had occurred to him.
"I'm tired, Scotty. I want to go to bed."
He looked at her and felt guilty for not being able to do more. He smiled at her. "Are you hitting on me?" His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat; she didn't even seem to have heard him.
He pulled into the parking lot of an all-night supermarket. "What do you need for them?" As much as he wanted to, driving around all night wasn't really an option. They were going to have to go somewhere eventually.
"I'll get it." She reached for the door handle, unable to control her shaking.
Scotty glanced at the deck where the cats had fallen asleep. "They'll be all right for a few minutes." It was Lilly's lack of argument that told him she hadn't really wanted to go alone.
They made quite the pair, he realized, as they crossed the short distance from the car to the door. His suit was impossibly wrinkled; her ratty sweatshirt was about three sizes too big. He stayed close to her side as she grabbed a basket and made her way through the unfamiliar store. As unused to their proximity as he was, he bumped into her quite a few times when she moved. She didn't seem to mind. The store was nearly deserted in the wee hours of the morning, except for the skeleton crew working. Scotty eyed the people he saw suspiciously, thinking each time he saw one that it might be George. He felt through his jacket for his gun unconsciously every few seconds, needing to know that it was still there.
One of the stock guys steered a pallet of boxes into the aisle. Not being the most conscientious employee, he'd stacked them too high and not very carefully. The uppermost box tumbled off the stack, slamming loudly into the ground.
Lilly jumped. Scotty grabbed for her, simultaneously shielding her and pulling his gun. The guy froze after raising his hands. There was an almost comical expression of shock and fear on his face, but neither Scotty nor Lilly noticed it. Scotty lowered his gun and the guy took off running.
"I'm ok, Scotty." Her soft, unsteady voice belied her words.
"Good for you. I think I just had a heart attack." He tucked his gun back into his holster, trying to will himself to stop shaking.
"Scotty, I said I'm fine." There was a hint of impatience in her voice, but Scotty chalked it up to stress.
"Yeah, I know."
"Let go." As she spoke, he felt her pushing against his arm and he realized for the first time that he was still holding her firmly against him.
He looked down at her; his eyes falling on hers as she looked up at him. He could feel her pressed against him. He could feel her hands braced against his chest where she was lightly trying to push him away. Despite the circumstances, he was once again taken by her beauty. Her eyes still sparkled the way they always did. Her mouth still fell slightly open the way it always did. And for just a moment, he let himself revel in the contact of their bodies. His eyes darted to her lips for only a second. He thought about kissing her. When he looked back, he noticed her eyes were a bit slower in returning to his. She'd thought about it too.
She jerked away and he released her. Lilly quickly grabbed a few more things from the shelves while Scotty stood behind her. He wanted to give her space to collect herself, to give himself space to gather his thoughts. He felt certain that he was still close enough to grab her if he needed to, so he shut his eyes for a second. He'd come too close. She was his partner, his friend. She'd accepted him from the start, valuing his input, while the others were still giving him a hard time over a year after he'd joined their ranks. He couldn't mistake her friendship for anything more and he couldn't let her see that his feelings for her ran deeper. She would never be interested in anything more than being his partner. He wasn't about to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable. She'd never forgive him. He'd never forgive himself.
"I think I've got everything."
His eyes snapped open at her voice. He couldn't tell if she was talking because she was nervous or because she was trying to steer them back to their normal balance after that intimate moment. "Yeah, good. I don't want to know what those girls are doing in my car right now."
"Maybe I should drive."
"Nah, I'm good."
"You're asleep on your feet, Scotty."
He half smiled at her. "So are you."
She grinned. "I'll give you that. It is nearly three."
She turned then and started walking toward the registers, catching him entirely off guard when her hand snagged his. He was so dumbfounded that it was all he could do to stagger along with her. The only thing he was aware of at that moment was the amazing feeling of her fingers laced through his.
Scotty could feel her shaking as he took her hand and led her down the stairs. He offered no false assurances, no words of encouragement. There was nothing to say. George had been there. He could have killed both of them. Scotty had never felt so helpless in his life. He silently cursed himself - he was there to protect her. A lot of good it had done.
Lilly went with him willingly; shock allowing her to follow him without hesitation. She paused at the front door. Scotty pulled on her hand. He didn't know what to say. He just wanted her out of there.
"Lilly, let's go." He was at the front door, one hand holding his gun at the ready, the other clamped around Lilly's wrist. He realized he was probably hurting her from the force of his hold, but he couldn't bring himself to release her.
"The cats, Scotty. I won't leave them here."
"Lilly, he's not here for them." Even as he said it, he knew George probably wouldn't draw a line at not hurting animals. True, he thought animals were stupid, but he'd know they meant something to Lilly.
"I'm not leaving them." She wrenched her arm, trying to pull it free from his grasp. Her attempt did nothing to free her, but he saw her wince in pain.
Tripod was sitting on the couch where he'd been when Scotty had left him. Olivia was cowering behind the coffee table. Scotty grabbed Tripod and handed her off to Lilly. Then he grabbed Olivia and thrust her into Lilly's arms as well, leaving him able to keep a hold on Lilly and his gun.
"I need their food and stuff. They can't be loose in the car."
"We'll stop somewhere." Lilly continued to struggle with him, nearly losing her grasp on the unhappy cats in the process. "Lilly, we have to go now!"
It was when they were in the car, when Lilly mentioned that she hadn't brought a change of clothes for work, that Scotty realized how upset she was. Someone was trying to kill her, had snuck into her house while she was sleeping to leave a threatening message on her bathroom mirror not quite ten feet away from where she was sleeping, and she was worried about her work clothes.
He peeled out of there so fast he left tire marks halfway up the street. Paranoid that George was following them, Scotty drove aimlessly for some time. The cats were perched on the back deck, meowing angrily from time to time. Lilly was silent and Scotty thought she'd fallen asleep, but when he glanced at her, he realized she was wide awake. She looked terrified. Scotty grew even angrier at himself. He'd been there to protect her, to keep her safe, and he'd done nothing. He knew full well that he could have woken up in the morning and found Lilly murdered or missing and she probably knew it too. The only reason she was still alive was because George wanted to toy with her first.
She was the first to speak, breaking the eerie silence in the car. "Are we just going to drive around all night?"
"The thought had occurred to me." The trouble was, nothing better had occurred to him.
"I'm tired, Scotty. I want to go to bed."
He looked at her and felt guilty for not being able to do more. He smiled at her. "Are you hitting on me?" His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat; she didn't even seem to have heard him.
He pulled into the parking lot of an all-night supermarket. "What do you need for them?" As much as he wanted to, driving around all night wasn't really an option. They were going to have to go somewhere eventually.
"I'll get it." She reached for the door handle, unable to control her shaking.
Scotty glanced at the deck where the cats had fallen asleep. "They'll be all right for a few minutes." It was Lilly's lack of argument that told him she hadn't really wanted to go alone.
They made quite the pair, he realized, as they crossed the short distance from the car to the door. His suit was impossibly wrinkled; her ratty sweatshirt was about three sizes too big. He stayed close to her side as she grabbed a basket and made her way through the unfamiliar store. As unused to their proximity as he was, he bumped into her quite a few times when she moved. She didn't seem to mind. The store was nearly deserted in the wee hours of the morning, except for the skeleton crew working. Scotty eyed the people he saw suspiciously, thinking each time he saw one that it might be George. He felt through his jacket for his gun unconsciously every few seconds, needing to know that it was still there.
One of the stock guys steered a pallet of boxes into the aisle. Not being the most conscientious employee, he'd stacked them too high and not very carefully. The uppermost box tumbled off the stack, slamming loudly into the ground.
Lilly jumped. Scotty grabbed for her, simultaneously shielding her and pulling his gun. The guy froze after raising his hands. There was an almost comical expression of shock and fear on his face, but neither Scotty nor Lilly noticed it. Scotty lowered his gun and the guy took off running.
"I'm ok, Scotty." Her soft, unsteady voice belied her words.
"Good for you. I think I just had a heart attack." He tucked his gun back into his holster, trying to will himself to stop shaking.
"Scotty, I said I'm fine." There was a hint of impatience in her voice, but Scotty chalked it up to stress.
"Yeah, I know."
"Let go." As she spoke, he felt her pushing against his arm and he realized for the first time that he was still holding her firmly against him.
He looked down at her; his eyes falling on hers as she looked up at him. He could feel her pressed against him. He could feel her hands braced against his chest where she was lightly trying to push him away. Despite the circumstances, he was once again taken by her beauty. Her eyes still sparkled the way they always did. Her mouth still fell slightly open the way it always did. And for just a moment, he let himself revel in the contact of their bodies. His eyes darted to her lips for only a second. He thought about kissing her. When he looked back, he noticed her eyes were a bit slower in returning to his. She'd thought about it too.
She jerked away and he released her. Lilly quickly grabbed a few more things from the shelves while Scotty stood behind her. He wanted to give her space to collect herself, to give himself space to gather his thoughts. He felt certain that he was still close enough to grab her if he needed to, so he shut his eyes for a second. He'd come too close. She was his partner, his friend. She'd accepted him from the start, valuing his input, while the others were still giving him a hard time over a year after he'd joined their ranks. He couldn't mistake her friendship for anything more and he couldn't let her see that his feelings for her ran deeper. She would never be interested in anything more than being his partner. He wasn't about to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable. She'd never forgive him. He'd never forgive himself.
"I think I've got everything."
His eyes snapped open at her voice. He couldn't tell if she was talking because she was nervous or because she was trying to steer them back to their normal balance after that intimate moment. "Yeah, good. I don't want to know what those girls are doing in my car right now."
"Maybe I should drive."
"Nah, I'm good."
"You're asleep on your feet, Scotty."
He half smiled at her. "So are you."
She grinned. "I'll give you that. It is nearly three."
She turned then and started walking toward the registers, catching him entirely off guard when her hand snagged his. He was so dumbfounded that it was all he could do to stagger along with her. The only thing he was aware of at that moment was the amazing feeling of her fingers laced through his.
