Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters, places, themes, etc. I also don't own House or America's Funniest Home Videos, or anything about them. No copyright infringement intended.

1000 Themes Challenge Number 230

A/N: The beginning is a bit boring, or at least I think so, but I'm thinking this story will get better. If not, then I'll just abandon it like I tend to.

And guys? Yeah, um, sorry about the too many stories at once thing. Don't bother reading 'em.

Endurance: Chapter 1

"Zoe," Cal said. She turned to look at him. "Can you take Emily home?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure Cal."

Emily looked up at her dad, one eye brow raised.

"I have some work I need to get done, okay?" Cal said to her.

"Yeah. Whatever." Emily shrugged and went to join her mom.

"Bye, Zoe. And thanks," Cal said.

"Bye."

Cal gave Zoe a quick kiss on the cheek. He glanced down just in time to see an expression of disgust cross his daughter's face. Cal knew that Emily didn't want him and Zoe to be together. She had always hated their fights and prolonged silences. Still, Cal loved Zoe, and that just couldn't be helped.

Emily turned away from her parents and strode down the hall, trying, and failing, to keep her anger in check. Moments later, she heard Zoe's heels clicking on the floor as she came down the hall after her daughter.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Zoe asked, laying a hand on Emily's shoulder.

"Yeah, fine." She shrugged off Zoe's hand and sped up.

Zoe sighed, wishing Emily would just talk to her. When she got outside, Emily was already leaning against her car, arms folded, and face blank. The ride home passed in a tense silence. The minutes seemed to drag by.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Zoe asked when they were back at her house.

"No, mom. I'm good."

"Okay. I'll be upstairs if you need anything."

"Which I won't," Emily muttered.

"Well, just in case, hon."

"Then that's just good to know," Emily said sarcastically.

"Em, what's bugging you?" Zoe asked.

"Nothing," she responded flatly.

"I'm not your dad. But I can at least tell when you're not happy."

Emily paused. She knew she couldn't tell her mom, though. It wasn't like she would even understand. "I'm fine," Emily said after a minute.

"Emily-"

"Just don't worry about it," she said irritably.

Knowing that her daughter would never open up to her, Zoe just said, "Alright. Be in bed by eleven, okay?"

"Mom, it's summer. Does it really matter?"

"Yes, it does. I want you to get enough sleep."

"Whatever," Emily said. She crossed her arms and waited for Zoe to leave. There was no way she would be in bed by eleven, though. Her mom would be asleep by ten thirty. Emily didn't actually have to listen to someone who was sleeping, did she?

"Okay," Zoe said. "I love you, Em."

"Yeah, sure mom."

Zoe didn't say anything. She turned and went upstairs to her room. When she was out of sight, Emily dropped onto the couch and picked up the remote. She turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. House was on. She decided to watch that. The episode was from last season, it was the one that was about Thirteen and Spencer. But since she had already seen it more than once, she let her thoughts wander.

Emily liked her mom, and she liked her dad. When they were apart, anyway. She just didn't want them to get back together. It had been bad enough the first time, before the divorce, with all of their constant fights and yelling late into the night. They had cursed at each other well past midnight when they thought she was already asleep, and they had blamed each other for anything and everything. More than once, Emily had cried herself to sleep listening to them scream at each other. Even though she was acting really angry about it, she wasn't at all mad at her parents. She was scared about what would - could - happen.

Besides, Emily really liked Gillian, and she had just divorced Alec. Emily also liked how happy her dad was when he was around Gillian. He was carefree in a way he hadn't been since he had met Zoe. And Emily saw the way his gaze lingered on his colleague. Cal may have liked Gillian, that was true, but he loved his ex wife. There was a big difference, and to Emily the gap was just too wide.

Emily yawned. She focused on the TV again. Cuddy had just caught Thirteen giving herself IV fluids as a shortcut hangover cure. Now they were both in Cuddy's office. House came in… Thirteen was fired. Bored, Emily changed the channel to America's Funniest Home Videos. She watched the videos play out. The only problem was, none of them were really all that funny.

Emily flashed back to a moment from a month or so ago.

Gillian Foster had just found out that Alec, her husband, was cheating on her. Where did she go? To Cal, of course. She showed up in the middle of the night, crying her eyes out. Cal had gotten her calmed down, but she was still depressed to have found out about her husband. The solution was to watch AFV. Emily remembered the three of them sitting on the couch, laughing themselves to tears at the videos. Gillian and her dad kept glancing at each other the whole time, grinning, and looking away. It reminded Emily of sixth grade. But finally, she said she was tired, though it was only nine, and went upstairs, leaving her dad and Dr. Foster alone downstairs. That was the only time she had ever laughed herself to sleep.

Just thinking of that time made Emily smile. She turned off the TV and grabbed a random book off the coffee table. After a hot shower, she changed into her pajamas and hopped into bed, reading until she couldn't stand to look at another word. Then she turned off the lights and drifted off to sleep, wondering what would happen if her dad ever figured out his feelings for Dr. Foster.

TBC... Probably.