AN: This story came back to mind and a plot bunny appeared, so I chased it down and here we are at chapter 2. This should only be a couple more chapters, but I wanted to explore the relationship between Gillian and Cal in the early days. In this, they are both married to the future ex-spouses Zoe and Alec, but it is pre-Emily. This story is now AU since I made up some stuff to fill in the gaps since I can't remember what was in the show. It's more fun that way!

Thanks for reading…hope you enjoy!

Ch 2: CrossRoads

Cal was lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling as he reflected on the chance meeting he had with Gillian Foster two weeks ago. His mind wandered through the landscape of that day with her, beginning with when he first saw her standing in the rain. How he was drawn to her. How she knew of his approach, yet trusted him enough to keep her back to him. The warmth of her body as she allowed him to hold her and comfort her in such an intimate position; bodies pressed together as she wept. It was a mystery to him how she opened herself to him, even in light of her self-proclaimed trust issues. Equally unusual was the way that he allowed her into his own personal space.

Always one to encroach on other people's comfort zone, he rarely let people invade his own. Yet he stood there and within seconds she had removed his glasses and run her hands down the lapels of his jacket. Within minutes he embraced her from the side, then full on as she turned into him and let her guard down completely. He'll never forget how it felt to hold her in his arms, feel the contours of her back and the way she put her hands inside his jacket to hold him. He grinned as he remembered trying to get a rise out of her with bad table manners, which completely backfired. He was the one who got flustered when she wiped the sauce off his face. He was a gentleman, but never walked arm in arm with anyone, preferring to hold hands so he can disengage at will. Twice that day he had Gillian on his arm and couldn't figure why he even offered it to her.

He let his mind wander to the drive to her house.

~*~*~*~*flashback~*~*~*~*

It had started to rain again as he and Gillian left the diner. He unlocked the car and opened the door for her, before rushing to get in out of the rain himself. They weren't too wet this time as it was a short walk, but he made sure the heat was still on for the drive to her house.

"Where to, Gillian?"

She gave him the address and he was familiar with that part of town, so he set out on the scenic route to give them just a bit more time together. He smiled at her and returned his focus to the road, letting the soft strands of the music filling the car calm him. He felt her take his hand from the gear shift and squeeze it for a moment, but she didn't let go. He glanced at her briefly, wondering if she would recognize the unspoken question on his face.

"Just wanted to let you know how much today means to me, Cal. I feel like we've known each other for years, instead of a few short weeks. You were there to comfort me and cheer me up on one of the worst days of my life. I'm grateful for everything you've done and hope that I can one day return the friendship you have shown."

He saw her look down at their hands and watched as a frown settled upon her face. She removed her hand from his, letting her fingertips trail along his skin before losing contact.

"I'm sorry, Cal."

Her actions confused him and he wondered if she would explain.

"For being so touchy-feely. I don't normally do that with acquaintances, but as I said before, I feel as if we are already friends."

He pulled the car over into a parking lot and turned toward her again. So far, she was always open with her emotions around him, even after all she learned about what he sees.

"What makes you think that you need to apologize for that?"

"You flinched and held your breath when I took your glasses off, you tensed up when I turned into you and a couple other things. It's obvious you are either uncomfortable with people in general touching you or perhaps it's just me. It's a part of who I am, but I'll make sure to try and keep from doing it too much."

She gave him a small smile and glanced down at her own hands, unable or unwilling to meet his gaze. He was surprised by the accuracy of her perceptions and how observant she was, but he shouldn't be. Both of those traits helped her in her field and will be invaluable if she came to work with him. When. When she would become his partner.

"Gillian…"

He waited for her to look at him and when she didn't, he put his fingers under her chin to persuade her to look at him.

"You've got naught to apologize for. No, I don't really let many people in my personal space like that, but nothing you did today felt bad. Different, but in a good way."

He paused to look at her, watching the emotions dance across her face. It's been a long time since someone was so open with him once they knew what he could see. That was one of the things she did without him asking her to and it was how she gained his trust so early on in their relationship.

"I want you to be comfortable around me, Gillian. I don't want you to feel you have to change who you are when you are with me. As you said, we've known each other a short time, but I trust you. You know things about me no one else does and I already consider you a friend."

He took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze as the car was too cramped to give her a hug.

"Thanks, Cal. That means a lot."

He smiled back at her, then put the car in gear and continued the journey to her home. When he pulled up in the driveway, he pulled out his phone and asked her for her number so that he could call her about the business plans and contracts. They exchanged numbers; she thanked him again and got out of the car. He watched her as she walked down driveway only to stop and turn toward him, her eyes locked on his. He wasn't ready to leave and apparently she wasn't ready to go into her home. Unsure of what the right thing to do in this situation, he tried to make himself drive away, but found himself getting out of the car and walking to where she stood instead.

"Listen, Gillian. I'm truly sorry about your friend Laura. I certainly can't replace her, but if you ever need anything or just want to talk, give me a call."

He saw her eyes tear up and she moved into his embrace once again. He barely heard her words, but he would never forget them.

"Laura once told me that people come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. For us it was cut short, but I hope that you and I are slated to be friends for a lifetime. Everything just feels natural with you, just the way it did with Laura and I."

"Me too, love. Call me if you need anything and I'll be in touch about the formal stuff."

"Thanks again, Cal."

He smiled as he felt her hold him a little tighter before letting go and turning toward her home. He put his hands in his pockets as he waited for her to safely enter the house. Once she was inside, he went back to his car and set a course for his own house. What should've been a fifteen minute drive turned into an hour and a half as he drove around, not wanting to return home while he was so preoccupied with Gillian.

~*~*~*~*flashback end~*~*~*~*

Cal had been impressed by her abilities in perception and observation. Those talents would balance his skills at reading facial expressions and finding the lies people tell. He had been working relentlessly on getting the business proposal and prospectus to where it needed to be for Gillian. She was an intelligent woman and he knew that his normal mode of bullying and bullshit wouldn't get him anywhere with her. That was evident from their first meeting, which also happened to be his first session with her.

The first session he had with her was to be a chess match of sorts between them. He would open with being late and irreverent and she would have to throw him out shortly after for her next appointment. His agenda went right out the window as he laid eyes on her for the first time. Everything stopped for a moment in time when her eyes found his. He was not a romantic by any stretch of the imagination, but it was as if she had awakened something in the depths of his soul. Completely thrown off balance by this, he flopped in the chair she motioned to and listened while she spoke to him.

Rather than drown him in psychobabble, she quietly introduced herself and gave him a brief history of her schooling and journey that led her to the pentagon. What surprised him even more was that she continued on by engaging him in conversation about his science. He could tell by her questions that she didn't merely scan the most recent journal article he published, but she had probably read most if not all of his writings thus far. Intrigued by her interest and curiosity, he sat up and became animated as he answered her questions. They kept on in this manner and he reciprocated her earlier introduction by sharing where he went to school and how he ended up at the Pentagon. He even went so far as to tell her why he ended up in her office before he realized how much he shared with her. When he finally noticed that the sun was setting and hours had passed by, he actually apologized to her.

He remembered the hint of embarrassment on her face as she told him that she cleared her schedule in hopes of talking to him about his work, never expecting to make it that far with him after she heard the many stories from her colleagues. He was stunned by her admission and asked her what she had expected. He'll never forget the words she said to him. "I never expected you to take me seriously." It saddened him that she would think of herself that way and it bothered him even more that he fully intended to make that fear come true. Instead of confronting her, he settled for exchanging pleasantries and made a silent vow that he would never make her feel as if he didn't respect her.

Even as he reflected on his first session with her, he marveled at how she was able to disarm him and then completely engage him in what she wanted to talk about. Even more impressive was how she didn't use any manipulation or tricks to get him to open up to her. Her magic was her sincerity and genuine interest in her patient. It was obvious that she did her research on him, but didn't limit it to the negative anecdotes of the so-called doctors he cycled through. She read about his science. She was familiar with his file – who he worked with, his job and education history, and the few vague personal details that were dots on his timeline. What she did was like archaeology of the mind; using her knowledge of the person to brush away the debris and find the long buried bones and artifacts from their life.

It was his reckless behavior that landed him in hot water and his constant repetition of that behavior that cycled him through all the Pentagon shrinks save one. The final ultimatum came in the form of bullet wounds; 4 total in 3 members of his team when the job went wrong thanks to his screw up. That is what landed him in the office of Dr. Gillian Foster. She was his last chance to salvage his reputation and his career. What she wrote in her final report would change the course of his life, yet she never used it against him. In fact, the only time she ever mentioned it was to apologize for delaying the final report by taking up so much of his time in the first session. He spent six more weeks with her after their initial meeting; two 3 hour sessions per week at his request. The first two hours were to be spent focused on him and the remainder of the time he offered teach her more about his fledgling science and answer any questions she had. She put up an argument at the outset, but finally gave in when her desire to learn outweighed her sense of propriety.

When he made the offer, he never intended for it to be anything other than a friendly gesture to help negate the impression that he didn't take her seriously. Although his initial intentions were to discard her as he had the others, he thought he would be able to make up for this by giving her a small portion of his time. He knew that could apologize until he was blue in the face and it wouldn't matter to her, so he decided to show her that he did take her seriously, that he did respect her profession (only her mind you) and that he thought of her in the highest regard. The extra hour wasn't a burden to him as he was given the time off work without question, since he was actually cooperating for a change.

The first transition into 'Gillian's hour', as he had taken to calling it, was a little awkward. Neither of them knew quite how to go from the dark to the light, so to speak. Finally, he just stood up, let loose a string of proper British cursing and watched her with amusement as she laughed at his antics. With the tension dispelled, he started up his laptop and began to quiz her on the expressions being shown in the group of photos. He eventually wanted this to be worked into a training program, but he wasn't that far along yet. The next transition into 'Gillian's hour' wasn't difficult at all. When he heard her stomach growl for the third time, he offered to buy Thai, so he wouldn't "have to hear that infernal racket". She ordered for them and tried to suppress her amusement at his insistence of not eating unrecognizable meat. That is when the hour turned into two and sometimes three. Her appetite for his science seemed insatiable and it was easy to fill the time teaching her about his passion.

Throughout the remainder of the sessions they spent together, Cal's respect and admiration for her grew tenfold. He found that he enjoyed her company and looked forward to their time together – not just the time he spent teaching her, but all of it. She delved into his psyche, but never made him feel as if he wasn't in control of what he revealed. She challenged him to trust her, but never used her position to force him. She encouraged him to talk to her, but never made him feel that it was just a job. She never held a notepad or had a tape recorder present, but told him up front that she did make notes on their sessions after he left. He questioned her on her accuracy and to her credit, she showed him her notes from the first session. He was amazed at what he read. There were no judgments, no discrepancies, no inaccuracies and no embellishments. Only a thorough, accurate account of all they had discussed. He questioned her on whether or not she had surveillance in the room. She acknowledged that she did, but felt that it wouldn't help her case if the scientist became the subject, so she didn't use it even though he had already signed a waiver that granted permission. She had earned his respect and his trust. By the third week, he had decided that he would tell her nearly everything and let her dig up as many of the bones from the skeletons of his past as she could.

He was at a crossroads in his life and maybe fate had put her in his path to help him along. He had never trusted anyone as much as he did her and he marveled at the fact he had only known her for hours really. He never believed in the idea of a soul mate or kindred spirit, but meeting Gillian has forced him to reconsider. Cal thought long and hard about his life, his work, his science and his future before his fifth session with Gillian and he decided that in order for him to make a go at his passion, the science of microexpressions, he would have to face and shed most of his demons and change his cavalier existence. If he was going to make a difference in the world, he would have to change and Gillian seemed like the perfect one to help him.

When he walked into her office that day, he told her what he wanted to do. She cautioned him that it might take longer than the time allotted by the powers that be and let him know that she was willing see him beyond the contractual agreement if it was necessary. He saw she was holding back something and questioned her on it. He remembered what she said word for word.

"Cal, if you are serious about this, I have to tell you that it won't be easy and the repercussions could mean short term or long term sessions to deal with things. Everyone is different, so I don't have a firm answer on what happens when we start dealing with your demons as you call them. I do know that there is one that you have buried and hidden away that you haven't mentioned. I don't know the specifics and figure that you would leave that out of the mix, which is your choice. You'll have a difficult time moving forward in a new direction with the weight of that buried secret holding you back."

He studied her and her gaze never faltered under her scrutiny. She was being completely honest with him and left herself open because she knew that's what he needed. The depth of her compassion stole his breath away and he excused himself to go to the restroom. He didn't understand how she could know. He never told her about his Mum and her suicide, but talked in general about her so she wouldn't pick up on his avoidance as a red flag. If he asked her about it, he knew that she would prod him on it. If he didn't, it would drive him crazy eventually. He had no idea how she gauged that he was hiding only one and that it was significant enough to hold him back. He decided not to ask her right away and see where things led. Turned out that everything led to his Mum and that session was the one that changed it all.

TBC.