ok so this is my first Lie to Me/ Callian fanfic. Thought i'd publish it here because everyone's always so good at providing friendly advice. and i need it. lol :) don't own Lie to Me or any of the characters.
‘Foster, love?’
Gillian looked up to see Cal standing at her office door. It was ten at night, which wasn’t late for them both to still be stuck in the office. They were workaholics but also knew that at least while they stayed at the office they would have some company. ‘Not just any company’, Gillian thought, ‘Cal’s company’. She smiled slightly to herself before looking up.
‘Yeah Cal?’
‘What are you smiling about this time? It’s ten at night and we’re stuck at the office. You and your bloody optimism.’
He loved to tease her like this. He loved seeing her smile but pretend to be angry with him. Loved to play fight with her, banter back and forth. And when it came down to it, if he really had to admit it to himself, he knew that it was that optimism that kept him going too.
‘Well Cal, someone around here needs to bring a little joy. It’s not like you do. Hey, do you even remember how to smile, or are the muscles no longer working for you?’
That brought a smile to his face, he couldn’t help it. Even though he knew this meant that she had technically won, there was something about Gillian Foster he couldn’t resist.
‘Oh there it is. Looks like you found it Cal!’
Gillian loved these moments, the joking and the banter. In fact it was usually the highlight in her otherwise mundane daily routine. Not that she would ever tell him that.
‘Gill, it’s too late at night for your sad attempt at sarcasm. I do have a favour to ask though.’
Gillian looked up curiously.
‘Emily is still here after Zoe dropped her off this afternoon. I didn’t want her to be alone when she was feeling so down but now it’s getting late, she needs to get to bed. I’m going to be here for a while and while I know you love to spend all your spare time at the office doing paper work, you should go home too. So I was wondering if you could drop Em off on your way home.’
Gillian smiled again. She loved Emily as if she was her own. She has seen how upset Emily had been when her mum had dropped her off after school. Seen the hurt on her face when her mum kissed her on the cheek and said that they would ‘talk later’ as she was ‘running late.’ Cal had tried to talk to her but she had clammed up. So she had just sat in his office for the rest of the evening, curled in a ball refusing to talk to anyone.
‘Of course I will Cal. That’s no problem.’
She stood up and started clearing her desk of all the papers, grabbing her coat as she walked towards the door. She noticed him still standing there, hesitating.
‘Everything ok Cal?’
He didn’t know how to say it, how to articulate the words. He knew what he wanted to say was going to mean the world to Gillian, and it was completely true, but he didn’t ever want to make things complicated by having Gillian believe that Emily was her responsibility in any way. Not that she would ever mind.
‘Yeah love, it’s just...’ He trailed off, ‘Do you think you could try to talk to Emily for me? I know it’s not your problem but I know she loves you and trusts you. You might be the only one she’s willing to open up to.’
He saw her eyes light up and the micro expression smile before her face returned to normal.
‘Cal, I love Emily to bits. Would do anything for her. Of course I’ll try to talk to her. And no, I won’t use any psychobabble on her.’
He smiled at her, realising how amazing she truly was.
‘Thanks Gill. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
In that moment he wanted so desperately to kiss her, to show her how much she meant to him. But like always, he restrained himself and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, before turning and walking away.
‘Foster, love?’
Gillian looked up to see Cal standing at her office door. It was ten at night, which wasn’t late for them both to still be stuck in the office. They were workaholics but also knew that at least while they stayed at the office they would have some company. ‘Not just any company’, Gillian thought, ‘Cal’s company’. She smiled slightly to herself before looking up.
‘Yeah Cal?’
‘What are you smiling about this time? It’s ten at night and we’re stuck at the office. You and your bloody optimism.’
He loved to tease her like this. He loved seeing her smile but pretend to be angry with him. Loved to play fight with her, banter back and forth. And when it came down to it, if he really had to admit it to himself, he knew that it was that optimism that kept him going too.
‘Well Cal, someone around here needs to bring a little joy. It’s not like you do. Hey, do you even remember how to smile, or are the muscles no longer working for you?’
That brought a smile to his face, he couldn’t help it. Even though he knew this meant that she had technically won, there was something about Gillian Foster he couldn’t resist.
‘Oh there it is. Looks like you found it Cal!’
Gillian loved these moments, the joking and the banter. In fact it was usually the highlight in her otherwise mundane daily routine. Not that she would ever tell him that.
‘Gill, it’s too late at night for your sad attempt at sarcasm. I do have a favour to ask though.’
Gillian looked up curiously.
‘Emily is still here after Zoe dropped her off this afternoon. I didn’t want her to be alone when she was feeling so down but now it’s getting late, she needs to get to bed. I’m going to be here for a while and while I know you love to spend all your spare time at the office doing paper work, you should go home too. So I was wondering if you could drop Em off on your way home.’
Gillian smiled again. She loved Emily as if she was her own. She has seen how upset Emily had been when her mum had dropped her off after school. Seen the hurt on her face when her mum kissed her on the cheek and said that they would ‘talk later’ as she was ‘running late.’ Cal had tried to talk to her but she had clammed up. So she had just sat in his office for the rest of the evening, curled in a ball refusing to talk to anyone.
‘Of course I will Cal. That’s no problem.’
She stood up and started clearing her desk of all the papers, grabbing her coat as she walked towards the door. She noticed him still standing there, hesitating.
‘Everything ok Cal?’
He didn’t know how to say it, how to articulate the words. He knew what he wanted to say was going to mean the world to Gillian, and it was completely true, but he didn’t ever want to make things complicated by having Gillian believe that Emily was her responsibility in any way. Not that she would ever mind.
‘Yeah love, it’s just...’ He trailed off, ‘Do you think you could try to talk to Emily for me? I know it’s not your problem but I know she loves you and trusts you. You might be the only one she’s willing to open up to.’
He saw her eyes light up and the micro expression smile before her face returned to normal.
‘Cal, I love Emily to bits. Would do anything for her. Of course I’ll try to talk to her. And no, I won’t use any psychobabble on her.’
He smiled at her, realising how amazing she truly was.
‘Thanks Gill. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
In that moment he wanted so desperately to kiss her, to show her how much she meant to him. But like always, he restrained himself and planted a soft kiss on her cheek, before turning and walking away.