Title: Sisters
Author: Erin (erinm_)
Characters, Pairing: Stephen, Natalie and Gillian (mention of Kate, Cal, Therese, Frank and Eva [and three special guests!])
Rating: PG
Summary: Stephen and Natalie have more in common than Stephen knows.
Warning: post-series for Medical Investigation and pre-series for Lie to Me. *Written for Round 12 of prompt_in_a_box on LiveJournal. Prompt #04: "If it be love indeed, tell me how much." (William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, 1.1)
Disclaimer: The original characters of Medical Investigation belong to NBC and their respective actors. The original characters of Lie to Me belong to FOX and the respective actors. The OCs are mine.

Stephen Connor moved down the hallway of the National Institutes of Health offices with a report in his hand. He really was getting sick of all the questions as to his mental state.

Yes, his marriage had ended.

Yes, his relationship with his son had strained.

Yes, he had cracked a little before the earthquake in Colima.

Yes, he had been abducted and semi-tortured.

Yes, he had taken a leave of absence.

But he wasn't crazy.

Upon returning – which wasn't much of a vacation, really, as he still checked in every day – Kate demanded that he talk to someone. Actually, it wasn't a demand, so much as it was an order. Stephen insisted he was fine and ready to work, but Kate wouldn't back down.

His team was on desk duty until Kate was satisfied with the results of his "interview". The folder in his hand held a simple rundown of the things Kate had just told him:

Meet the psychiatrist.
Don't leave until the psychiatrist tells you to.
Be nice.

Literally, that's what the page inside the folder said.

Stephen huffed again as he reached the upper level of the library and turned toward the stairs. Back on "his" floor, Stephen moved past the stacks and headed straight for Natalie's office, bypassing his own. "Can you believe this?" he asked, flipping open the folder as he entered the room. "'Be nice'? I'm nice," he huffed as Natalie turned to face him.

Stephen reared back and blinked. Pointing with the folder, his eyes narrowed. "You aren't Natalie Durant." Granted, the woman was a dead ringer for Natalie, but her hair was shorter and she just seemed... not Natalie.

Smiling, Doctor Gillian Foster's eyes moved from Connor to the doorway behind him. "Told you," Natalie shrugged and flashed Connor a smile as she stepped past.

"I didn't even get a chance to sell it," Gillian frowned. Natalie nodded slightly and held up a candy bar before tossing it over the table. Natalie looked back to Stephen again.

"He's too smart, Jill."

"That's for me to figure out," Gillian mumbled with half the candy bar in her mouth. Swallowing, she pointed to Connor. "See. Confusion. And there's denial... and a smidge of anger?" Gillian asked as her attention focused entirely on Stephen.

Stephen glared at her for a moment before looking at Natalie. "Doctor Durant?" he asked in that tone.

"Oooh, definitely anger," Gillian said with a smile. Natalie raised a hand toward Gillian and moved toward Stephen.

"Stephen Connor," she started in that tone – Gillian noticed the muscles in Stephen's face and neck loosen – "Doctor Gillian Foster." Gillian waved with the candy bar. Natalie pulled the folder from his hand and nodded back to Gillian. "She's your psychiatrist."

"Nat," Stephen groaned as she moved away. Natalie rolled her eyes slightly and smiled – which Gillian also caught – before turning back to Stephen.

"Yes, Stephen. We are related." Gillian laughed at the look on Stephen's face and quickly recovered by looking away.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?" Stephen asked, pulling Natalie aside and dropping his voice.

"Because you never asked, Stephen," Natalie whispered back, turning slightly because she knew that Gillian was watching her. "Besides, as I recall, it's not exactly your favorite topic of discussion." Steven let out a deep breath.

How could he not know that one of his best friends – if not only – had a sister? A twin, by the look of it. What else didn't he know about his team? "Next you're gonna tell me Frank's got a brother who's a firefighter and Eva's got a cop-cousin somewhere? And Kate's got a boot camp twin? Well, Kate-" he shrugged.

Stephen was fairly certain he knew everything about Frank's family. And, knowing the system, it was entirely possible Eva did have a sibling out there, somewhere.

Gillian was having too much fun watching the man go through every possible expression in such a short amount of time. He just might throw her boss off. Natalie shook her head and turned back to Gillian. "Good luck with this one," she laughed, moving back to the table.

"No, this is fun. You should come, too," Gillian nodded with a cheery grin.

"Come where?" Stephen asked as Natalie looked up.

"To lunch. I work better on a full stomach," Gillian nodded. "There's a diner around the corner I saw on the way in." Natalie grimaced, knowing the place Gillian was referring to.

"God, you and the junk food obsession... it's not healthy, Jill," Natalie said, shaking her head.

"Those are the places with the best milkshakes!" Gillian exclaimed.

"She's definitely the older one," Stephen said to himself, more than to them.

"How do you figure?" Natalie asked, giving him a dirty look. Gillian, however, gave him an impressed nod.

"You're too serious. Therefore, she's older." Natalie leaned back and blinked. Stephen pointed to her and nodded. "See, I'm right."

"Explain," Gillian prompted, nodding to Stephen.

"Older siblings have a tendency to be more fun. Younger ones are too serious." Natalie made a face and was about to call him on the absurdity of the statement, but Stephen beat her to it. Taking a step toward her, he pointed again.

"Younger. Younger," he repeated, pointing to himself. "If you were any more like me, sometimes, Nat... we'd be related."

"Ten minutes!" Natalie shouted, throwing her arms up. "Ten minutes and you could have been putting up with this," she nodded to Gillian.

Gillian smiled again. Watching the two of them was definitely more fun than working.