For how long can you keep truth away? For how long can you keep it outside your life? There comes a time when you have to open the door and let it in. You might be surprised at what you find.

--

"No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong."

Einstein

It had been one hell of a day and Cal Lightman felt the need to just relax. He had left the building without saying a word to anyone and was now driving around the city. He wasn't sure of where he was going but he didn't really care as the only thing he wanted was to clear his mind from the incident. He had been in dangerous situations before but somehow he had never felt like he had so much to lose like this time. It was actually weird because he was now officially divorced but there was something else… someone else…

He had seen it, he had seen it with both eyes; his eyes, the ones that had always been loyal to him. They had shown him what he had been looking for; they had showed him the answer to the question that had been keeping him awake at night… it was reciprocal. So why was he so afraid? He didn't know and he just didn't feel ready to discuss the situation with himself.

Seconds passed by; minutes passed by; hours passed by…

He found himself parked in front of his ex-wife's house where he knew he would find his daughter, Emily. He took a deep breath and leaned back on his seat while he looked at the house where Zoe now lived with her boyfriend Roger. What had happened to them? Why weren't they together anymore? He shook his head as he knew that it was just loneliness talking.

Remembering what he had done that morning, he reached out for his jacket and removed the business card he had been given by the honey woman. He stared at it for quite a while before grabbing his cell phone from another pocket, dialing the number without even taking the time to check the messages that had been left on his voicemail.

"So, describe your ideal woman."

Her request had made him stop and think. He knew what kind of answer she was expecting; he knew that she was waiting for him to describe her using his words but he just couldn't. No, he wasn't going to lie just to satisfy her fantasy; he wasn't going to lie just to satisfy his biological needs. No, it was time to face the truth. He had spent hours with a gun pointed at his head for God's sake! He owned himself the truth; he owned her the truth.

"You'll never know until you try, right?"

He had spent so much time convincing himself that the signs he was seeing and the emotions he was feeling were just hallucinations. They had gotten worse after the divorce conversation but he had still been able to find a way of justifying their aggravation.

Compassion.

He had been quite aware of how stupid it was as he knew how hard he had had to fight not to just pull her close and kiss her when she said they were separating. Do friends kiss each other when they feel compassionated? No. And if they do, it wouldn't be like what he had imagined; it wouldn't be like the little movie that had played in his mind before he excused himself and left to the hospital.

"I shouldn't be here."

Of course not. He didn't belong there. In fact, for the first time in a very long time, he knew exactly where he belonged.

"I am sorry."

He had left the bar with an image is his head, an image he couldn't describe as there weren't enough words in the whole wide world to explain the person that was now on his mind; actually, the person that had been on his mind since he had woken up earlier that morning; actually, the person that had been on his mind since the day he had decided to finally open his eyes and study the world that surrounded him.

And there she was now, looking at him with a soft smile on her face.

"I am sorry I ran out that way."

He really was sorry. He had left running because he had been scared; he had been scared for himself and for all the people that had experienced the situation with him; he had been scared because he knew that his human fragility was showing up and he couldn't afford to let people read him; he couldn't afford to let her read him.

"Can I sleep on your spare bedroom tonight if it's not too much of a problem?"

He was finally able to hold her in his arms and it felt so good that he just didn't want to let go. Ever. He could feel her breath against his neck, her heartbeat slowly calming down, her body relaxing against his… No, he wasn't aroused. He just felt like he had found home. And hey, once you find home, you just don't abandon it, do you?

--

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. It's my first "Lie to Me" fanfiction and I know it is kinda blah but hey, it's just an introduction to the story that has been playing in my mind since one of the first episodes.

If you totally hate it, blame it on the last episode [second season, episode 4]. I just couldn't stop myself after watching it.

R&R if you feel like it.

:)

P.S. Sorry for the English mistakes but I am afraid I am not English and I have no Beta-reader.