TITLE: Temporary Girlfriend (17/20)
PAIRING: Lindsay/Cindy
DISCLAIMER: Women’s Murder Club does not belong to me. The characters do not belong to me. They are the property of James Patterson, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC. I have no problems with that as long as I can borrow them for short bursts and use them in pursuit of my own enjoyment. I am not trying to infringe. Though, I don’t know why anyone has a problem with fan fic. After all, it really is a compliment. If anyone wants to write fan fiction about my book, feel free.

(Lindsay’s POV)

Lindsay knew that they wouldn’t cancel the parade. She didn’t even ask, because after what happened, she knew that there would be more determination for the show to go on than ever before. She was starting to get that now. But she hadn’t really expected anyone to show up for it either. She’d expected a procession of resolute participants with no one to watch them. Because of the perceived risk to their safety, Lindsay had predicted barren sidelines.

How unbelievably wrong she was. It didn’t happen very often, so she was willing to admit to this one. There weren’t just spectators. There was a record-breaking turnout. It was more people than she’d ever seen downtown at the same time. Official counts weren’t in, but there were well over a million people, and it was impressive as hell. But not all that unexpected. That’s what Cindy had said.

Other than that, though, Cindy hadn’t said much of anything. In a very un-Cindy-like way, she’d been extraordinarily quiet all day long. Lindsay wondered how much of it had to do with their imminent return to reality, because that had definitely been the principal factor in her own lack of verbal communication.

They’d gotten dressed in virtual silence, eaten breakfast in virtual silence, and watched the parade with the minimum number of necessary words. Even when Lindsay had been unable to resist one last stolen touch, moving behind Cindy to put her hands on the barricade on either side of her for the parade’s duration, she hadn’t bothered to say anything.

As the festivities had come to a comparatively uneventful conclusion, and they climbed into her SUV to go home, the virtual silence had turned absolute.

Things were different now. Whatever had happened between them, and something had definitely occurred, they were in atypical circumstances. They were alone, cut off from their everyday existences, living a different life to some extent. That was the undercover world. This was their real world. Lindsay really didn’t know what to do with the two of those things now. And Cindy clearly wasn’t going to tell her.

When she stopped the car in front of Cindy’s building, Cindy unfastened her seatbelt, but she didn’t immediately flee.

As unnerved as she felt, Lindsay turned to face her, resting her hand on Cindy’s headrest.

“You okay?” she asked.

Cindy didn’t answer right away. She took time to consider, so Lindsay knew that, whatever she said, it wouldn’t just be the easy answer, which was comforting.

“It was bad,” Cindy finally said quietly. “But this is our life, Linds. These are our jobs… that we chose. It’s going to continue be our lives. You see things. I’m going to see things. We have to live with it.”

“So, that’s a yes then?” Lindsay asked, with a small smile. It seemed that Cindy said everything but the easy answer.

“Yes, I’m okay,” Cindy responded.

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

Boundaries were still a question, but Lindsay couldn’t stop her hand from dropping down, her thumb sliding gently over Cindy’s cheek. She really hoped it wasn’t her imagination the way that Cindy leaned into the touch. She automatically moved forward, but, mid-progression, she was seized by a moment of panic. Diverging from the intended course, she kissed Cindy lightly on the cheek.

She thought that the look on Cindy’s face when she pulled away might have been disappointment, but she just wasn’t sure.

“Goodnight Linds,” Cindy uttered.

“Night,” Lindsay said back.

It was all that she could get out. She was the person that abandoned the kiss, so why did she feel so slighted?

Before she could somehow make it right, Cindy got out of the car, opened the back door and grabbed her bags. She smiled up from the back seat before closing the door and walking off. When she reached her building, Cindy glanced back, then, with the turn of a key, she disappeared inside.