A/N HEY YOU GUYS! I missed you. So I meant to have this up and ready to go a little while ago, but Real Life did that nasty thing of shooting me down when I was all set, meaning it took me longer to get my groove back! Anyway...this takes place when Lilly's around 27 weeks pregnant, a few months after the end of 'Just Like This'. Did I mention you might wanna read that first? Well...you should...but I hope ya'll are ready for a whole load of fluff! I know that before I've tried to juggle L/S stuff and a case, but the case is taking a back seat this time. ENJOY!
Disclaimer: I reckon by the time you've read all the disclaimers on Better This Way and Just Like This, you might have got the message. Am I right? Yeah...
Scotty Valens had things pretty easy. He had a job that he was good at, a girlfriend that loved him, and absolutely no work sitting on the end of his desk. That final thought brought a smile to his face, and he chuckled.
"Hey, Nicky," he said, flicking through a magazine.
"Yeah?" Nick Vera answered, sitting back and folding his arms over his ample stomach.
"Did you know that newborn babies ain't got no kneecaps? They develop later."
"No kiddin'! That's...kinda weird."
An irate voice reached their ears.
"Valens!"
Scotty sighed, banging his head down on his desk. Nick Vera chuckled.
"She's callin', man. You better go before she reports you missin'."
Glaring at his colleague, the younger detective walked into the break room. Lilly turned to glare at him.
"What's up, Lil?" he said calmly.
"I can't reach the peanut butter," she snapped. At any other time, Scotty would have laughed, but the sight of his pregnant girlfriend standing with folded arms sent shivers down his spine.
"Which one do you want?" he asked, moving to the cupboard, "Crunchy or smooth?"
Lilly thought carefully for a while. She stamped her foot in frustration.
"Dammit, Scotty! I hate this! I can't even decide which peanut butter I want!"
This time, he couldn't help the grin that appeared around his mouth.
"Come here," he said gently, reaching out for his partner. Breathing out slowly, the blonde detective gladly accepted his embrace, sliding her arms around his waist.
"My back hurts," she grumbled. Scotty smoothed circles on her long sleeved t-shirt.
"Go home, Lil. Boss doesn't want you to overdo it."
She pulled back to glare up at him.
"And what exactly am I supposed to do at home, Scotty? Cook? 'Cause we all know how that's gonna turn out. And you won't let me start decorating the nursery, so I can't actually do anything useful, and I can't even go for a walk because my feet hurt!"
"Lil. Relax," he said gently, his lips curving up in a smile. His partner sighed.
"I need a sandwich."
He kissed her gently, easing away the pout of her lips with a slight pressure. After a moment of stubborn refusal, Lilly responded to his kiss, snaking a hand up to the back of his neck. Breaking away, she smiled against his lips.
"We have to stop doing that," she murmured.
"Why?"
"Because I don't want our baby corrupted just yet."
"You think our child hasn't already been corrupted? What about the shower, yesterday mornin', or the..."
"Enough."
Chuckling, Scotty turned her around so that she was facing the counter, and slid his arms around her waist. He pressed his chin into her shoulder, stroking the roundness that stretched her shirt.
"What kinda sandwich do you want?"
"Peanut butter and jelly, funnily enough," Lilly replied, the stress sliding away with every pass of his hands over their baby.
"Cute, Lil. You want me to make it for you?"
She laughed softly.
"I can't cook, Scotty, but I can make a sandwich. Besides, you always put too much jelly in it."
"There's a right way o' makin' PBJ?"
"Oh yeah."
Squeezing her hand, Scotty led her out of the break room, chuckling at the smudge of spread at the corner of Lilly's mouth.
"Since when does it take twenty minutes to make a snack, Lil?"
"Since I had to make two because this little parasite is stealing all the goodness."
"Goodness?"
"Shut up, Valens."
A burly figure brushed past her arm, and Lilly jerked out of his way.
"Hey, watch the sandwich!" she cried. Vera chuckled.
"Hungry, Lil?" he teased. She narrowed her eyes.
"You always pick on pregnant women?"
"Like you can't still handle yourself," he scoffed. Ellie Manning all but bounced into the department, her smile brighter than usual.
"I'm back!" she chirped. Lilly narrowed her eyes.
"You're not supposed to be happy," she grumbled. Manning shrugged easily, flipping a strand of light brown hair behind her ear.
"And you're not supposed to be here, but I guess things just don't always work out the way we want."
Lilly took another bite of her sandwich, collapsing into her chair. Scotty chuckled, bending down to press a soft kiss to her hair line.
"Ain't that what I jus' said?"
"I'm not going home."
Miller grinned, shaking her head.
"Yeah, yeah. 'What maternity leave?'. We know," she teased, and was pleased to see a smile begin to spread across her colleague's tired face. The curly haired detective took a moment to truly study Lilly carefully. The bags under her eyes were dark and heavy, although lighter than they had been recently. Her figure was fuller, yet still impossibly slim, and Miller envied her ability to eat anything and not gain any baby weight.
And Lilly's bump was, without a doubt, flawless. Kat chuckled. Just goes to show that anything Lil does turns out perfect.
A UFO suddenly broke through Miller's thought bubble, and she blinked, just in time to see Vera catch the marker Manning tossed him.
"Thank you kindly, Ellie," he said, oozing fake charm. He crossed to the oversized calendar on the wall. Uncapping the pen, he put an X through the date. Lilly rolled her eyes.
"I can't believe you started a pool on arrival dates."
Miller squinted at the calendar.
"Who bet on today?" she asked incredulously. Manning chuckled.
"Louis. He reckoned Rush wouldn't let him down, and I quote, 'she'll jus' pop that thing out an' win me some green'."
The look on Lilly's face sent them all into gales of laughter.
"Nothing will be 'popping' out of me!" she said aghast.
"Except maybe a little boy..." Scotty attempted, desperate to settle the ongoing debate. His partner rolled her eyes.
"For the last time, I am not going to tell you whether we're having a boy or a girl!"
He released a growl of frustration.
"Why?" he whined. Lilly smirked.
"I like knowing that there's something I know that you don't."
"You know what it's like to be pregnant," Scotty pointed out. Vera grinned.
"Yeah, man, but Rush and Miller won't quit tellin' us all how much it sucks," he said. Miller threw a balled up wad of paper at his head, scowling.
"Hey, I only hated the first trimester. Second and third was plain sailing."
"Whereas I just hate it completely," Lilly added grumpily. Scotty crouched down beside her, rubbing his hands up and down her thighs. He tilted his head, catching and holding her gaze. An unspoken exchange took place, ending in the male detective leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his partner's forehead.
Reaching for his own chair, he wheeled it beside her, drawing the blonde woman into his side. Lilly let her eyes close as she smiled slightly, rubbing her extended belly and snuggling into his warmth. Vera rolled his eyes.
"You're doin' it again," he said. Scotty frowned, more concerned with calming his partner.
"Doin' what?"
"That. Communicatin' without speakin'."
Manning waved a vague hand in the air, perching on the edge of Jeffries' desk.
"Well I think it's sweet," she replied brightly. Lilly opened an eye, her smile sticking around now that she'd relaxed some.
"You don't have to keep sucking up to me, you know."
Miller laughed.
"I don't think she knows the meaning of how to suck up," she teased, nudging the youngest detective with her elbow. Manning shrugged, her eyes sparkling.
"What can I say? I'm a nice person!"
"Nobody's that nice," Vera muttered. Scotty grinned, and as Will Jeffries appeared in the department, he raised a hand in greeting.
"How'd it go?"
"Same old, same old," the big man replied, his deep voice bringing a sense of calm to Lilly and the baby.
"You didn't miss much," Miller said. Jeffries looked around at them all, noting the various positions of casual indifference.
"Don't you have work to do?" he asked, looking pointedly at the pile of folders sitting on Vera's desk. Vera himself sighed in feigned irritation.
"I think Philly's underworld musta heard Rush is knocked up, 'cause we ain't had a proper case in weeks."
Miller slapped the back of his head.
"Don't say that, dumbass," she said in horrified disbelief, "Every time you say somethin' like that, we end up working five days straight!"
Her sentence had barely left her mouth when Stillman appeared from his office.
"A body's been found in the Schuylkill. We have a new case," he said. Miller narrowed her eyes at Vera, scowling fiercely.
"How about that?" she growled. He shrugged, a witty retort ready on the end of his tongue.
"Any ID on the vic, boss?" Scotty asked, interrupting before his colleagues could get too out of hand. The lieutenant handed Lilly a folder.
"Wallet and driver's license. Meet Nick Reeves. Went missing October '97...and aren't you supposed to be taking it easy?" he said. Ignoring his closing statement, the blonde detective studied the case file, frowning slightly.
"He was a lawyer? That means we've got thousands of suspects."
Stillman chuckled at the frustrated expression on her face.
"You three, head over to Chestnut Hill. Check out the family address, and see who is around. Manning, run through the vic's financials. I want to know anything that jumps out."
"Yes, boss."
Lilly narrowed her eyes, looking up.
"What about me?" she asked dangerously. Stillman held her gaze, mildly arching an eyebrow.
"You just sit there and look good."
"I'm not a goddamn pot plant!"
Vera barely concealed his grin.
"No, you're more like a cactus. You're all...prickly."
Lilly sniffed as they pulled on their coats, affecting an air of indifference. However, seeing the dejected slump of her shoulders, they all knew how much she hated being confined to desk work. Scotty hid a smile, motioning for Vera and Miller to go ahead without him. He went back, crouching down in front of his partner. Lilly frowned.
"What are you...?"
He put his head to the baby, kissing the small round bump.
"Hey, baby. Be nice to your mama while I'm gone, OK? You gotta look after her, baby, 'cause she's givin' up a lot for you. Don't make her feel like crap."
Lilly gently slapped his arm, failing to hide a tiny smile.
"Watch your mouth around the unborn," she reprimanded softly. He straightened, bending down to kiss her deeply. His laughter came from deep in his chest, and she wrapped a hand around the back of his neck to keep him in place.
"I love you," he murmured. His partner sighed heavily, reluctantly releasing him.
"I love you too. Now go! Leave me and AJ Feeley here to the hard work. That's fine!"
"So it's a boy?"
"Nice try, Valens."
I have a feeling this story is going to be on a downward spiral from here, but I'd really love to hear your thoughts! I hope you have a moment to review! :)