A/N: I was clearing out my hard drive and found some half-written stories that I hope will make for a good mix. The idea is to have one additional scene per season one-three that could have happened on the show (hence the title) and perhaps continue with more scenes/seasons after that if my muse lets me. Don't expect extraordinary plot lines. I'm just stretching my fingers here so that I don't forget how to write but hope that you will enjoy it even so.
Disclaimer: I own nothing regarding LTM. This is just for fun.
1x12 Blinded
The first thing Cal notices when he approaches the treatment room is how fragile Gillian looks. She hasn't seen him yet, is just sitting there in a hospital gown, battered and bruised, staring vacantly into space. The second thing he notices is that her husband is not there. For whatever reason. And not that he minds. It's no secret that he and Alec don't get along. For whatever reason as well. Howsoever, he would have expected the hospital or Gillian to have called him. Perhaps the wanker was indispensable due to his oh-so-important job. Cal watches Gillian some more through the pane. She wears a sling on one of her arms. Even if they prevented the kidnapping, her attacker did a good job during the few minutes he hauled her over the pavement. From what he knows so far, her shoulder had to be reset; she has to be in pain. Cal can't imagine one plausible reason as to why Alec wouldn't be here with his wife. She could be dead, blinded, raped, like the other victims. Cal pushes the horrible images to the back of his mind, reminding himself that none of this happened. She's alive. He opens the door and walks into the treatment room.
"You look good in black and blue," he greets Gillian.
Her smile is forced, but through the shock and pain Cal sees relief that he is there.
"We're quite a pair," she matches the casual tone of his voice.
Over the course of the case, Cal has received some injuries, too. Nevertheless, this is what they do, who they are. The familiar banter grounds them and helps them get through difficult situations.
Neither of them mentions Alec's absence. Not when Cal apologizes to Gillian for dragging her into this mess. Not when the doctor comes in and discharges her on condition of someone watching over her during the next 24 hours. Not when Cal drives her home after a nurse helped her to get dressed.
When Cal pulls up in front of her house, Gillian remains seated.
"The long con," she says without looking at him. "That's what you were going for, right?"
She overheard him talking to Torres on the phone when they were at the hospital, his voice giving away that he successfully manipulated her. Ria didn't notice. She is a natural when it comes to reading faces but still has a lot to learn regarding voice analysis.
The long-con. Yes, he'd had a plan right from the start. A plan that almost cost her life. Cal feels the guilt physically, a burning in his chest that won't go away ever since he saw her being hauled over the pavement, kicking and screaming.
"Yes," Cal admits. He is glad that she doesn't look at him since he can't bring himself to look at her either. "But the part where you get hurt was never supposed to happen."
Gillian nods. He perceives the movement from the corner of his eye. She knows; he already told her at the hospital. I'm sorry, luv. Not worth it. She knows and understands. He can't blame her, though, for being tired of the men in her life making momentous decisions. Drugs. Dangerous mind games. More often than not, it's her who gets hurt in the end.
Cal only realizes that Gillian is trying to get out of the car when he hears a clicking because she has trouble opening the door. It's her right arm that's in the sling. She shouldn't move it at all.
"Wait, let me do this." He gets out of the car and quickly walks over to the passenger side to help her.
"It's okay, Cal. Get back in the car. I can do this." Gillian's voice is surprisingly steady considering the amount of pain killers they gave her at the hospital. Her body language betrays her though. Even if she somehow managed to get out of the car without his help, she stumbles the moment she tries to walk inside on her own.
Cal puts his arm around Gillian to steady her, taking great care to not touch her injured shoulder. Through her coat, he feels the limpness of her muscles due to exhaustion and medication but also a determined rigidity underneath. She wants to do this on her own. Save that he can't let her. He glances over at the house. The windows are dark. As far as he can tell, Alec is not there. When she was released on condition that someone would take care of her during the next 24 hours, he thought that her husband would be that someone, that he would be at home, if nothing else. She can't actually believe that he will leave her to herself, can she? They struggle ever so slightly when Gillian unsuccessfully tries to not lean on him and Cal refuses to loosen his gentle grip before they come to a silent understanding.
"OK, you can go back now," Gillian mumbles the moment they have reached the front door.
As if. Cal watches her fiddle with the keys with her left, unharmed hand. Gillian is right-handed. It takes her three attempts until the key fits into the lock. He lets her. The least he can do is let her have the little bit of control over the situation that is left.
The atmosphere of the house confirms Cal's assumption. They are greeted by silence and darkness. There is no one here although it has to be late by now. Where the hell is Alec?
"I can sleep on the couch," Gillian's voice sounds defeated.
She moves toward what Cal supposes must be the couch. He was here just once and can't remember the furnishing. It's dark; she hasn't turned on the light.
Gillian must have hoped that Alec would be here. Anger joins Cal's guilt. Aside from the fact that he doesn't like Alec, it would have been nice if her husband was there for her since her partner let her down already. In his world, the fact that he saved her doesn't diminish his responsibility. He might have prevented that Gillian was harmed even more. Yet, it was his fault that she was harmed at all.
"No, luv, no." Cal tries to pull her away from the couch toward the stairs that he can make out even in the dark. "Injured like that, you have to sleep in your bed. Couch is too uncomfortable."
As he fumbles around for the handrail, his hand touches a light switch at the wall and he turns the light on. It's so bright that he has to squint his eyes. When he opens them, Gillian's face is right in front of him and behind her a living room full of boxes. She doesn't turn around. Just looks at him, her face pale but composed, while he is trying to understand what he sees. Gillian didn't mention that Alec and she were moving somewhere else together. The fact that Alec wasn't at the hospital, isn't here. Her persistence that he should not accompany her inside. It all makes sense now. They are right in the middle of separating and she didn't want him to know as yet or perhaps she simply didn't want him to find out and have to talk about it on this of all days.
Cal reaches out and caresses her cheek. She holds his gaze, the look in her eyes exhausted for more than one reason as he knows now. But there are no tears in her eyes. Gillian is very emotional, tears up easily. He teases her because of it time and again even if it is one of the attributes he loves about her. That there are no tears now tells him that the decision to separate is not recent, at least not on her part. This is not a wound anymore but a scar. She didn't call Alec when they were at the hospital, Cal realizes. Didn't want him there or knew he wouldn't come, knew he wouldn't be here either. All the time after the attack, injured and in shock, she knew she would be going home to an empty house. He doesn't say anything; if Gillian doesn't want to talk, he for sure won't make her. Instead, Cal hugs her and feels her cling to him, taking deep breaths. When he gently pushes her upstairs after a moment, she doesn't put up any resistance.
They don't talk about it afterwards. Not about the boxes and not about the fact that Cal helped her undress and spent the night on her couch before he called a friend of hers the next morning to take over. He had no intention to up the awkwardness of the situation even more by helping her take a shower. Only when he walks in on Gillian crying after a phone call several weeks later, Cal asks her if she's all right, and later that day, she eventually tells him everything.
To be continued