I dont own Lie to Me, or any of its characters.

this is my first attempt at a fanfic so please R n R and let me know what you think. I enjoyed writing it so I hope you enjoy reading it.

Always There

Gillian sat alone in her office. The late evening sun casting long, deep shadown accross the room. As she sat swirling the remainder of her drink around the glass, lost in thought, she slowly became aware of his presence leaning against her doorframe, hands stuffed in his pockets. Allowing her head to lazily drop against the back of the couch, a smile crept accross her face as she looked up at him. "Penny for your thoughts luv?" Cal asked. "Nothing much, I was just - thinking" she replied.

"You wanna talk about it" he asked as he moved to sit beside her. His hands not moving from his pockets as he did. His posture drove Gillian mad at times but somehow also endeered him to her at the same time. He could se a small, sad smile which didn't quite make it to her eyes, as her gaze returned to her glass. He gave her a few moments as he regarded her face, eyes taking in the tiniest of movements which only he could see, which only he was allowed to see.

"I . . . . . . " she found it hard to tell him what it was she had been thinkin about. She already knew his feelings on the topic and could already gage what his reaction would probably be. She breathed in a slow, steadying breath, a part of her almost feeling betrayed by her own thoughts.

"I was . . . . . . I was thinking about Alec." She stared at the liquid in the glass as though it were giving her strength to continue. She could feel Cal tense at the mention of Alec's name as his shoulders hunched, his eyes narrowing.

"Yeh?" It was all he could muster, he could feel the emotions rising within him, the resentment he accumulated over the years of watching Gillian with him. The utter hatred it turned to as Cal sat back and had to watch the woman who had claimed his heart being used, betrayed and hurt by the man who was supposed to love, honour, and obey her.

Not able to make eye contact with him she continued, as though she were telling her thoughts to the glass she still clutched between her fingers. "Yeh, I - I had heard that he had started using again." Her words seemed almost pained.

Cal thought. "Sadness? Why the hell is she showing sadness???? Thats half the reason she left the bloody looser in the first place!?!?!" He tried hard to keep his feelings, his thoughts, tightly hidden behind his mask as he sat in silence, allowing her to talk.

"After we split he seemed to be trying to get himself clean again. He started going back to his meetings." She managed to tear her eyes from the glass and looked at him. "He even found himself a new sponsor." She huffed a slight laugh, they both knew about his last "sponsor".

"So what happened luv?" Cal asked in a soft voice. He could sense that there was something deeper, something more which was bothering her. Gillian took another deep breath, her eyes returning to the glass again. Cal could see tears forming in her eyes, her brows knitting together as she tried hard not to break.

"What is it luv?" he asked, his voice soft, caring . . . . loving. It tore him apart to see her like this. Hurting. Vulnerable. Loosing her composure. He so rarely saw her this way that when he did, quite simply, it broke his heart.

"I got a call, from the hospital, about an hour ago......" he could see her slowly cracking. Cal closed his eyes, not wanting to hear what may come next.

"Alec was taken there this afternoon. He uh . . . . . . . . he OD'd . . . ."

A tear left her eye and slowly tricked down her face. Cal gently leaned toward her, their arms only just touching.

Gillian turned to look at him, the tears freely falling now. She didnt want to finnish what what she had started telling him, but the words came regardless.

"They . . . they dont expect him to make it . . "

Cal breathed deep, his heart breaking at the sight of her pain. Placing his arm around her, Gillian rested her head on his shoulder. As he sat his chin on top of her head she finally let go of the sob she had been holding in, her hand clutching onto the fabric of his jacket.

"I'm here luv" he softly whispered into her hair.

"I'm here"