This chapter is for MacGyver- I hope you enjoy!

Title: Mischief Managed

Rating: K+ (for... erm... a 48 year-old in love with a 23 year-old)

Summary: Lightman thinks she's fragile. She proves him wrong.

Disclaimer: AHHHH! I DON'T OWN IT! DON'T HURT ME!

25 years. That was the age difference between the scientist Cal Lightman and his protegee, Ria Torres. Double and half a decade. A fourth of a century. When Lightman started kindergarten, Ria's parents had just met. When Lightman started high school, they started dating. When he started college, they got married. It wasn't until he landed his first job that she was even born. He had a daughter over half her age. It was a void. A huge gap. One that neither of them intended to cross. But, often times, things happen like dominoes. One thing happens that leads to another thing, that leads to another, to another, until a huge pile of dominoes surrounds you and you are left with something you never wanted in the first place.

And that was what Cal got when he brought Torres into the Lightman Group. A pile of dominoes. An emotional, rash, passionate young woman who seemed to leave young men melting in her wake. Loker was the first, then that idiot FBI boyfriend of hers. Then Lightman himself, and though he knew how wrong it was, that had never stopped him in the past. But the past is the past, and Ria was special.

He wasn't sure when it first was that found himself falling into the contours of her cinnamon skin, unable to pull himself out of her high cheek bones and sparking eyes and smooth mouth... He had her face memorized by now, every little detail. The sound of her voice, too. Everything about her.

For the first time, he hated his age. He had never minded being a little bit older, and women never seemed to mind, either. But 25 years? That was a stretch, even for him. He longed, desperately, to be even 15 years younger. But even 10 years was too much, when it came to Torres. No matter how tough she acted, they all could tell that she was on the edge.

It started with her father. Lightman knew all about him. He had abused her emotionally her whole life, and when she seven, physically, as well. Then she dated a series of awful men- beaters, cheaters, crooks, and just general scumbags. Then, as soon as she had finally found a decent guy, he got blown up and sent into a coma, from which he never recovered. For all Lightman knew, he was still a vegetable, being fed by a tube in his stomach.

Cal didn't want to hurt her. Never. But he didn't want to live the rest of his life, watching her and longing for her, either. But, he reminded himself, he was 48 and she was 23. She wouldn't want anything to do with him.

"Yo, Lightman," Ria called. He looked up. She stood in the door, a file in her hands. He cursed the sudden swoop in his stomach.

"What, Torres?" he asked. Using her last name was distancing language. But it didn't seem to help.

"New case." She tossed the files on his desk. "Ben asked me to give this to you."

"Thanks," he started. "Listen, Torres-"

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Alright," she said, turning to walk away.

"Wait!"

She turned around, staring at him expectantly. But for the first time in many years, Cal Lightman was speechless. Smirking, she walked over to his desk and bent down so their faces were only a few inches apart.

"Dilated pupils," she purred. "Shallow breathing, and, of course, the tell-tale lip-lick. Someone's in trouble!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he forced out. Then her lips were on hers and for one, blissful moment, his mind was wiped completely blank. Then her mouth was off his, but her face was still so close. What did she want? He searched for the answer in her eyes, but found nothing other than mischief.

"What about now?" she asked.

He shook his head wordlessly, unable to pull his eyes away from hers.

"Sorry," she whispered. "I don't like older men."

Then she was the door, in the hallway, walking away. And he was left with her hot breath in his mouth and the thought that she wasn't as fragile as he thought.

"She's playing with me," he murmured incredulously. And he had a feeling that he was in for the ride of his life.

Well, I ended up rewriting it three times. But I like the end-result. I hope you do to! How about you review and let me know? Stay tuned! As always, I take requests. I'm thinking the next chapter will be a Cal-Gillian or Eli-Ria fic. But let me know what you want, and I PROMISE to incorporate it! I got their ages from the ages of the actors, btw. Now. Please R-E-V-I-E-W!!!