This is inspired by the episode "The Canary Sings". When Wheels was explaining how he met Cal or 'Jimmy the Mouth'. How Cal halped him out and all. Well this is sort of the smae thing. It's not really based on the show much it's just something I wanted to write.

"You want to go to my place?" Lila McGee watched as her date slurred his words as he tried to be seductive.

"I don't think so." She knew this date would be a disaster but she came along anyway. He got drunk off of whiskey within the first hour of their date. They didn't even get their entrees when she decided to end it.

"Why not honey?" He stumbled a bit and she grabbed his arm to steady him.

"I need to get you a cab." Suddenly he grabbed her arm.

"No need to be mean sweetheart. I just want to get to know you a little better." Yanking it away from him, she proceeded to step towards the curb to hail a cab.

"You're drunk. You're going home." Suddenly she was in a tight grip.

"You're coming with me sugar. I need some company tonight." She struggled against him but he was using practically all of his strength on her.

"Let me go!"

"Come on sugar." He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head.

"Stop!"

"Hey!" A voice from behind her sounded. Her date immediately let go. "Get off of her." It was a man with a British accent cab and pulled him off of her and onto the ground. "Get out of here." The drunken man was too shaken up to ask questions and he scurried to get to a cab that was across the street.

"I'll call you." He yelled back at Lila.

She watched as her date left in a cab, drunk and probably scared now. She sighed and crossed her arms.

"Thank you." She said to the man. She was still in front of restaurant where she had wasted an evening, with barely anything protecting her on this chilly night. She had dressed up in a short black dress and a shrug to match. No stockings or coats since she didn't even think she'd be outside on a sidewalk that night.

"He's not going to call you, but you already knew that didn't you?" Cal Lightman came up to her on the slow night. She looked up and studied the British man standing not far from her that had helped her. He was cleanly shaven in casual yet professional looking attire. He looked concerned for her safety.

"Yeah, he will. Or he'll come by tomorrow." He looked at her shivering form and started to remove his on coat.

"Are you cold love?" She nodded as she saw him removing his coat. He fixed over her shoulders for her. "There you are." Lila smiled and wrapped it around her. Remembering suddenly she didn't know the man, she held her hand out.

"Sorry, I'm Lila." He grasped her hand.

"Cal. You alright love?" She nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. It's DC you know, worse things to be scared of." Cal nodded.

"True, much worse things to be afraid of. But, if you're in danger, it's ok not to be ok." Lila smiled lightly.

"Well, I can assure you that I'm fine. Well, I might die of hunger if I don't eat in a bit."

"That's a bit dramatic." She smiled again. He liked her smile, it was small and happy. "Well, the least I could do is get you something to eat."

"You don't have to do that."

"But I'll do it anyway." He put his hand on the small of her back and started leading her to a restaurant. "I have just the place not too far away." It didn't take them long to reach their destination.

"Mamma Lucia." Lila read the sign as they walked in. It was small but it smelled wonderful.

"Best place around." Cal assured her as they sat. He ordered them a New York style pizza and they waited. "How did a lovely girl like you end up with that batty mess back there?" She blushed at the compliment.

"I was on a date with him. He's wonderful at first when he's sober but then he starts backing whiskey like it's his life support and oh glory he's Sir Kingsley Amis." She rolled her eyes and took a drink of her ginger ale. "I honestly didn't know anyone could get so drunk so fast."

"This isn't your first time being treated like this is it?" Lila ran a hand through her hair.

"There are worse things to be afraid of. I never pick the good ones." She noticed his extremely bad posture as she studied him. "You should really sit up; it's not good for your spine to sit like that." He shifted a bit and sat up a little straighter.

"You could do better." Lila shook her head and leaned back in her seat.

"Not by much."

"By much more." She shook her head.

"You don't know much about me." Our pizza came and Lila sat up.

"No, I don't know much about you. I know nothing about you to be straight." They both took a slice of pizza.

"Well to be straight, you did pick me up off the street." They both took a bite of their pizza.

"This amazing."

"I told you love, best place around." They were silent as they ate. Cal watched as Lila ate her food when he was finished. "What are these dates you go one? What's worse in DC?" Lila wiped her mouth.

"Why are you so concerned?"

"Well now I'm involved." Lila sighed.

"They're just jerks." Cal noticed that she was lacking some information but knew better than to scare her with his talent disguised curse.

"Most men are jerks." Lila nodded.

"Almost all of the men I know are."

"So do they cheat on you?"

"They cheat, yell, throw things, somehow always have a drug problem or an alcohol problem or something. But somehow recently I got one who…" She trailed off.

"You can tell me." Cal reached a hand out but Lila swiftly avoided it.

"Just hold on." She got up and went to the bathroom. When she came back she was looking down so her hair so that her hair covered her face as she sat down. Slowly she lifted her head up and pushed her hair long, pin straight, black hair aside. There was a dark bruise under her eye and on the side of her face. On her neck were the markings of a handprint.

"Oh love." Cal looked sorrowfully at her.

"These are worse than just a vice grip and a shake. I'm lucky this time but I'll get it when I see him again." She opened her purse and pulled out make up. She quickly applied it expertly as Cal watched.

"You should get help." Lila shook her head.

"It's fine."

"It's not fine. You get knocked around by plonkers for no bloody reason!" The few costumers in the restaurant looked over at their table.

"It's fine Cal. I'll be fine. I've been handling it for a long time."

"You're not handling it. You're allowing it. It's not ok to be ok this time." Cal repeated his previous words. Lila sat back again.

"I'll handle it." Cal sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Are you ready?" Lila nodded. Cal picked up the check and they walked outside.

"Don't be mad." Lila felt silly saying that but she did anyway.

"You shouldn't let whoever this prick is do that to you. But, if you're going to handle it I guess I can't convince you of anything." Cal pulled a scrap paper and pen out of his pocket, "Call me if you need help with anything. I don't want anything to happen to you." Lila took the paper with a smile.

"I will, thanks." She began to remove his coat but he stopped her.

"Keep it." She smiled again. Slowly she leaned forward and attached her lips to his. Cal accepted it. The kiss lingered but didn't last.

"You're the one man I know who isn't a jerk." Cal ran a hand through her hair.

"Take care of it." She nodded then backed away.

"I will. Goodnight Cal."

"Night love." They both turned and walked in different directions. Both marked by the time they just experience.