Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or the Wall Street Journal.

A/N: this is just something I wrote that is based completely on a personal experience. Gillian's perfect world is the same as mine. I am expecting lots of criticism, considering I'm guessing, and this is just a guess, that not many of you can relate. If you're looking for an actual story, do not read this. By the way, I have nothing against Obama.

Utopia

"I'm going for a walk," Gillian said suddenly.

Cal looked up. "It's raining."

"Yeah, I know."

For a moment, Gillian thought he would say no, and try to stop her. He must have seen something in her face, though, because he just shrugged and said, "Have fun."

Gillian nodded, but Cal was already reading his Wall Street Journal again.

"Obama is such a lying bastard," he muttered to himself.

Gillian forced a smile, not for Cal's benefit, but for her own. She stood, put on her long black raincoat, and strode to the door. Pausing with her hand resting on the silver handle, she glanced back at Cal. He didn't look up. With a quiet sigh, she turned away and left. Gillian almost wished that he had noticed. But he hadn't. Cal missed nothing, except when it came to her.

At a fast walk, Gillian went through the building and found the lobby. She pushed the double front doors open and stepped outside, pausing under the small overhang. Instantly, the rain comforted her. The constant patter of the falling drops was calming and familiar. Overhead, the sky was a dark, foreboding grey. Gillian watched as people hurried by in front of her. Most of them were protected by wide umbrellas or hoods. They just wanted to get out of the pouring rain as soon as possible.

Gillian carefully made her way down the stairs, feeling the rain around her. The water soaked her through almost immediately. Droplets slid down her nose, hanging on the tip for an indecisive second before falling to the pavement below. They dripped into her eyes, sliding down her cheeks and encompassing her in their icy shield. Gillian turned and strolled down the street. No one looked up at her. Everyone stared down at their feet or at the pavement. For some reason, this bothered Gillian. The whole world could pass these people by and most of them would never notice. Maybe it was just that she didn't want anyone else to waste their lives, like hers had been. She had spent years with Alec. All that time was for nothing.

Gillian stopped at a corner. She turned her face up to the sky and closed her eyes. Rain trickled down, forming glittering diamonds in her hair. It helped her. The rain was her savior, and her escape. Standing there, Gillian could almost forget. Where she was, there were no broken hearts or empty words, only hopes, dreams, and promises of a brighter tomorrow.

Gillian smiled, a real smile, for the first time in weeks. Alec was the past. She still has a whole future that lay ahead of her. She could do what she wanted with her life, whether it be running away or taking a stand. Gillian felt a strange uplifting in her chest, a kind of lightness. It was a sense of freedom, carried on the back of better days.

An image came to Gillian out of the blue. She was standing on an open field. The bright expanse of clear blue sky stretched out above her, from horizon to horizon, completely unbroken. Hawks wheeled around her, calling to each other. The hazy purple peaks of mountains sat on the edge of her view, shrouded in a light fog. The sun hit her upturned face, warming her and widening the carefree grin on her face. In this world, there was no one and nothing that wasn't supposed to be there. Alec was missing from the scene, along with Heartbreak, Worry, and Stress.

"Gillian." She heard her name on the breath of the wind. "Gillian." Could winds be insistent? "Gillian." It wasn't the wind, was it?

The same smile plastered on her face, Gillian opened her eyes. The rain had slowed to a light drizzle. She turned to face the source of the voice. It was Cal. He looked at her, his curiosity turning to surprise and wonder. He had planned to simply tell her that he hadn't missed anything like she assumed, and let her take it from there, but at the look on Gillian's face, his plan evaporated. The micro expressions he saw on Gillian were incredibly unique. The gleam in her eyes was like nothing he had ever seen in the years he had been working. It was that of a mother looking into the eyes of the new life she held, like a free stallion galloping on the Great Plains, like a first love. Gillian showed freedom, an overwhelming sense of joy, trust, and most of all, hope. Cal knew that she had managed to find a distraction and release herself from the tight shackles that bound her to the world, and all her problems. For a moment, she had caught a glimpse of all that could be. It had been her dream, her Utopia.

EDIT: A/N: Well, this story went over alot better than I ever expected it would. I'm forever thankful for all of you who reviewed! I did just want to say that since it was a personal experience, it was a one time thing. Just don't be waiting for anything like this, because I'm not that great of a writer. Anyway, thanks and don't get your hopes up,

-Cookie