Disclaimer: I don’t own Cold Case, I wish I did though. But sadly I don’t, so let’s try to move on…

A/n: The chapter you’ve been waiting for! Sort of, the ending will leave you in a bit of a shocker. Will Scotty find out? You have to read on to see!

See you at the bottom!

Chapter 8

Scotty’s POV

Something was definitely up with Lilly lately. I didn’t know what it was and it was bugging me to no point that she wasn’t telling me what it was. Typical Lilly but I see it as no shock.

I’ve known Lilly since my first day here. At first, it looked like we didn’t want to bother to know each other, let alone work together. But as time went on, slowly we came close. I remember one day I made her laugh as I told about that one domestic call that West always kept getting.

Ever since then, I guess we were inseparable if you could call it. However, I don’t think she doesn’t know that if anything, she could come to me and talk about it. Like I said a few weeks earlier, ‘just say ‘hey’ and I’ll be there.’

I was at my desk, just staring at her desk when Vera walked in and noticed what I was doing.

“Missin’ her already?” he asked.

“Who?” I asked, coming out of my trance.

“Scotty don’t play dumb with me, you’re sad cause Lil went home early” he pointed out.

“And you know this how?” I asked.

“Saw her runnin’ out of the building, weird part though is her car is still in the parking lot” he muttered.

“Has she said anything to you?” I asked him.

“No, what is with you? It’s like you’re being a worrywart over nothing” Vera said.

“I’m not it’s just…” I started to say as Vera raised both of his eyebrows, waiting for me to rebut back to him.

“Look, Lilly has been acting really weird lately, she said that she’s fine but she’s isn’t and of course she’s not telling me anything” I said.

“Maybe it’s women’s problems” he said.

“Vera, I think I know when it’s women’s problems I have a sister I should somewhat know but it’s not that” I said.

Vera shrugged and left the bullpen while I sighed and looked at the clock, which read only 6:15pm.

I can’t wait to go home.

“Okay here’s something to check out” Vera said later on, handing me a yearbook.

“And this is suppose to help us how?” I asked skeptically.

“That was from Alex’s freshman year in high school. Check out the dedication page in her memory. This yearbook was given to her family along with everyone’s signatures. Listen to what her ‘best friend’ wrote” he said. He cleared his voice as he read from the book:

Alex,

We go way back since first grade. I still can’t believe that you’re gone. None of us can. I miss you and love you for now and forever. Best friends until the end. That is always our motto and it forever will be. I just wish that I would take back what I said earlier the last time we spoke.

Love always.

Maxie.

“Seems now that we have to talk to her again” I muttered.

“Yeah, looks like it” he said. We grabbed our coats and head out to talk to Alex’s best friend again.

“You left us one part of information out” Vera said walking into the store where Maxie was standing behind the counter.

“Look I gave you what I know about Alex” she said.

“You never told us about the yearbook” Vera said.

“What yearbook?” she asked, confusingly.

“The one from your freshman year in high school. Does this ring a bell?” I asked, pulling out the book and flipping it through the page where she signed it. “Care to explain this?”

“Where did you find that?” she asked nervously.

“A witness gave it to us. Now can you explain what you meant when you wrote, ‘I just wish that I could take back on what I said earlier the last time we spoke’?” I asked.

“Looks whatever I wrote, it isn’t what you think” she said.

“That’s what they say when they’re telling us the real deal” Vera said, looking intensely in her eyes.

Maxie sighed as she stood up straight from leaning over the counter.

“We had a fight. To me it was a big deal, but you know Alex, she thought it was pretty stupid. God I remember it and I could almost never forget it” she said.

“When did this happen?” Vera asked.

“The night before she died, it wasn’t about Brad surprisingly, my parents grounded me the day before and I was mad of course but when I told Alex after school at my place, it was before my parents came home…”

---Flashback---

Alex and Maxie were sitting in Maxie’s room. It was around four in the afternoon.

“I can’t believe they grounded you” Alex said as she was flipping through a magazine.

“Yeah only because I came home five minutes late after curfew, count that FIVE minutes” she complained.

“I don’t blame you Max, but you’re parents have got to get their sticks out of their asses once in awhile” Alex said.

“What’s that suppose to mean?” Maxie asked.

“All I’m saying is that you’re in high school now, but what’s going to happen when you’re off in college. They can’t baby you forever” she said.

“Why are you even questioning my parents’ parenting skills for?” Maxie asked defensibly.

“Why are you defending them?” Alex asked angrily now.

“Alex, what gave you the right to ask about that. They’re my parents. I don’t go ahead and question your parents. They dealing with three kids , not two, three.” Maxie said angrily as well.

“Well at least mine aren’t control freaks” Alex snapped.

“Gee, I’m sorry that your parents don’t know how to control you and Jared when they fight”

“If you don’t like it then maybe we shouldn’t hangout anymore” Alex said.

Maxie’s face expression went for angry to hurt in a matter of seconds.

“You seriously don’t mean that, do you?” she asked softly.

“You tell me” Alex said and she grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room.

---End of Flashback---

“Saw her in school the next day, didn’t say one word to me” she said finishing her story.

Vera and I looked at each other for a second. Somehow we don’t seem convinced.

“Scotty, you mind asking me something?” Vera asked while we were in the break room later that night.

“Shoot” I said not paying attention.

“Can you tell me why Lil’s car still here though she went home?” he asked.

“Lil’s car here? Then how did she get home then?” I asked worriedly.

“Beats me, she could’ve walked home” he said.

“It isn’t like her” I mumbled.

“Who is?”

“Lil, she seemed jumpy, she’s always fine when she’s isn’t and she leaves her car here and she had a scrape on her hand from today” I pointed out.

Vera’s face had a shocked and angry expression. What does he know that I don’t?

“Vera, you know something that I don’t.” I said.

“Look, I don’t know what your talking about and even if I did, you would’ve been the last to know, in Lilly’s case that is” he replied.

“It doesn’t make sense” I said aloud.

“What the fact that you’re totally and completely in love with her, which by the way it’s not surprise to me and I’m pretty sure almost Will and Boss knows or the fact that some crazy stalker is after Lilly and she was going to tell Boss and then you about it?” he asked.

“What?!” I asked angrily at him.

“I just saying’ that is completely…” but I cut him off.

“Someone is after Lil? Who is it?” I asked.

Realization hit his face. “Crap, crap, crap, she’s not going’ like this” he muttered to himself.

“Well?”

Vera sighed heavily and continued, “ She was going to tell you, I told her to tell you and Boss right away but you know her, heh, but George is after her. She was going to tell Boss and then you,” he said.

I didn’t know what to think. I wanted to hit something. But I couldn’t. Not when someone who I’m falling in love is in danger. Sure, just realize this now while Lil’s terrified out of her mind.

Oh shut up.

“I got to go see her. See you tomorrow and Vera, I know Lil’s not going to be mad at you, I just hope that she’ll be alive” I said, grabbing my coat and making a beeline for my car.

Damn, Lilly, why couldn’t you tell me.

Lilly’s POV(switching it back!)

I didn’t know how long I sat there. Olivia and Tripod were curled up at the bottom of the stairs as I stared off into space.

Then, a knock at the door came, pulling me out of my zombie trance. I stood up slowly, making my way to the door. My gun was in my hand. You never know, he could be here.

I got to the door and looked through the peephole and it shocked me that Scotty was there. What in the world is he doing here, eleven at night?

I put my gun down on the table near the couch and opened the door slowly.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. As soon as he heard my voice, he looked up and relief washed over his face.

“Thank god” he said and what shocked me even more, he grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I stood there confused at first but I held on to him, taking in his cologne.

“Lil, why didn’t you tell me?” he asked.

“About what?” I asked confused. What the hell?

“Why didn’t you tell me about George?” he asked.

Oh. That.

A/n: Whew! 6 pages on word. New record for this story. For now.

Aha, now it was Vera who told Scotty accidentally and now Scotty knows! *cue in soap opera music* Now that’s out of the way, how do you think Lilly will react? What excuse will she make? And will those two ever admit to how they feel about each other?

A whole lot of questions and so much more on the next chapter of Hunting for Love. They’re not going to be all in the same chapter. It’ll take time. Trust me.

I can’t believe we made it to 15 reviews! You guys rock!

Stay tune for next week’s chapter!

Signing out for now,

Spikeluver89