A/N This chapter takes place three weeks prior to chapter one. Usual disclaimer applies.
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Eli shifted in the passenger's seat, the soft leather of the Audi A3 moulding to his form. He proudly regarded at the woman seated next to him. Her eyes were fixed on the road, one hand on the steering wheel, the other casually resting on the gear shaft. Her honey blonde hair was twisted up in an understated chignon, her deep brown eyes sparkled. Isabel Farrow was enigmatic: she had an aura that drew people in with her easy smile and kind face. Eli had never met someone as empathetic as she – her capacity to love and to be loved seemed bottomless. A thousand high school English clichés ran through his mind: those dreadfully overused ones referring to phoenixes and rising from the ashes: people overcoming apparently insurmountable obstacles to find themselves 'reborn'. He scoffed at the thought, but Isabel did kind of epitomise the notion. Placed in foster care when she was nine, her family died in some kind of tragic accident that she hadn't fully disclosed. She bounced from one home to another until she was 15 when she was awarded a full scholarship to a prestigious all-girls high school just out of Washington DC. The world of academia became the only world she cared to know and was ultimately accepted into Harvard Law after completing a psychology degree. Her formative years, riddled with instability and loneliness, had catalysed her blossoming into a self-assured, intelligent and resilient young woman.
Eli studied her as she manoeuvred the car through a particularly busy intersection. The sheer cream blouse flattered her figure, tapering at her waist and disappearing underneath a knee-length, rather fitted, black corporate skirt. Eli noted the impressive black pumps on her feet – to drive in those probably took a bit of practice. In fact, right down to her manicured hands she was completely put together. She was truly elegant. He gently placed his hand on top of hers on the gear stick, squeezing it slightly. She smiled; her full lips were stained slightly pink and the tiniest of dimples formed in her cheeks. It had taken Eli a long time to work out what it was about her that drew him in like a moth to a flame. He came to the conclusion that it was her eyes. Those deep, dark pools of brown. They were breathtakingly beautiful; drowning Eli with their sincerity. They were soulful and kind; expressive and unguarded. They elicited an instant trust and lit up with warmth.
"What?" she giggled, looking to her right at Eli, "do I have something on my face?" He smiled, "no, your face is perfect". Isabel indicated as The Lightman Group came into view and the Audi rolled to a stop just outside. "So I'll collect you tonight then? Shall I meet you here?" Eli smiled at her, how did he get so lucky? "Would you like to come in and meet everyone tonight? We usually have a drink on a Friday afternoon when everything is winding down". Isabel smiled, the deep brown turned a little darker when her pupils widened, "that would be lovely" she whispered as she leant over and kissed him.
XXX
Gillian's heels clicked rhythmically on the polished concrete hallway as she made her way to her office. Rounding the corner she was met with a loud "oi!" and Cal's confused face came into view. "Good afternoon to you too Cal" she said, slightly mocking, as he took her elbow in his hand and began to guide her away from her office. "Cal, where are we going? I need to get some files together for this meeting I have in," she checked her wristwatch quickly "twenty minutes".
"This'll only take a sec Foster" she looked at him sideways, querying, as they crossed into his office. "I promise. And it's urgent". He bared his teeth at her in a pseudo-smile and shut the door firmly.
"Ok, what is it?"
"What the hell is going on with Loker?"
"What?"
"What the hell is wrong with Loker? He's been practically skipping all bloody day".
"This was the urgent thing you needed to talk to me about" the look on Gillian's face was incredulous, "you're a bigger gossip than a teenage girl!" There was a decisive tap at the office door, "we're busy!" Cal yelled as the door began to swing open and Ria's apologetic face appeared in the crack between the door and the jamb. "Sorry, but your three o'clock has arrived Dr Foster…They're early" she elaborated, lurking in the doorway, shifting on her feet. Gillian rolled her eyes, "I told you I didn't have time for this Cal" she patted his shoulder affectionately, teasing him, "Loker's fine but I will pass your concern along".
"Why wouldn't Loker be fine?" Ria was confused. Cal sighed, "he's been running around the place smiling like an idiot. It looks like he's in a bleedin' musical and I really don't want 'im breaking out into song. Ever."
"Oh…" realisation dawning on Ria's face. "He's got a girlfriend" she said simply. Cal walked to his desk, exhaling loudly as he sat down "well, that's certainly something. Who would want to go out with Loker?" Gillian rolled her eyes again and exited the office, "I'll talk to you later Cal". Cal looked at Ria, "I'm serious Torres. Who?" Ria smiled, she loved it when Cal was the last to know, it really got under his skin to know his colleagues knew something before he did. "You can meet her tonight. I think she's coming in after work to collect Loker and have a drink." She looked down at her watch and remembered the unfinished report that was sitting on her desk. The one she had told Lightman she had finished two days ago, "I've, um, got to get back to work now…" she began to pull the door shut again, "afternoon Boss".
The door clicked shut and Cal leant back in his desk chair, crossing his ankles on his desk. Well who would have bloody thought? Loker had a girlfriend and from the looks of it, she had him hook, line and sinker.
XXX
Anna popped her head into the break room where Gillian was perched on the edge of a table swilling a generous glass of red wine gently. "I'm off now Dr Foster. A couple of couriers came for you so I put the packages on your desk. They aren't urgent". Gillian smiled at the young girl, "thank you Anna. You're sure you don't want to stay for a glass of wine? Meet this girl of Loker's?" she raised an eyebrow mischievously; "she seems to have been the topic of conversation today". Anna laughed quietly, "thanks, but I need to get going. Have a good weekend".
"You too Anna".
It was starting to get dark and the noise of the traffic below the building had picked up. The steady rhythm of Friday night beginning to peak and flood the city. Gillian swallowed a mouthful of wine with eyes closed savouring the robust, rich flavour. Her thoughts drifted to Cal and she giggled to herself recalling his reaction to being told about Loker. She loved how antsy he got when he was the last to know something. "What's so funny Boss?" Gillian opened her eyes to see Ria at the bench filling a glass with the same wine Gillian was drinking, "oh nothing really. Just today. It was a weird day".
"I know what you mean" Torres replied, sitting in a chair facing Gillian who was still perched on the table, "Lightman did not like that he was the last to know about Isabel".
"Is that her name? Isabel?" Gillian asked. "Mmm" nodded Ria in confirmation as she sipped from her glass.
"It's a control thing. Lightman getting like that," Gillian gestured towards cal's office with her wine glass, "it's this hypocritical control complex he has. No qualms about hiding things from me. Us, rather. The company." Her free hand moved with a flourish, clarifying the point. Gillian knew that Ria understood quite well the nuances of her relationship with Cal. "But, boy, he cannot handle it the other way round" she continued, taking another mouthful of wine. Ria laughed, "I guess that's why he's as good as he is though. The control thing. He needs to control the environment to find the lies". She considered Gillian for a moment, "you'd think it would be a psychologist's dream to work with a walking case study, but perhaps not". Gillian smiled wryly, "it's definitely exhausting". The reverberation of footsteps down the hallway interrupted the pair's conversation as their attention turned to the glass windows, waiting to see who would round the corner.
XXX
"I'm nervous Eli" Isabel whispered as they pushed open the large door to The Lightman Group. "Don't be. They'll love you. I'm actually one of the lucky ones to have pretty decent co-workers". Eli squeezed her hand and shrugged his shoulder slightly, "Although…well, there is Lightman. I've worked for the man for years now and I still don't have the exact measure of him. He's unpredictable to say the least. But he will flirt shamelessly with you". Isabel returned the squeeze, "I'm excited to meet Dr Foster". No sooner had the name left her mouth, they turned the corner to see Gillian and Ria sitting in the break room, wine glasses in hand, peering into the corridor.
Gillian stood up from the table smiling. She placed her glass down behind her and clasped her hands at her stomach. Ria had followed suit, uncrossing her legs and standing to greet the pair. "Dr Foster, Torres, this is Isabel" Eli offered, slightly nervously, as they came to meet in the centre of the room. Isabel smiled politely and both women glanced at each other, this girl was absolutely stunning, "it's a pleasure to meet both of you" she said. "I'm Ria. It's so nice to put a face to a name. Can I get you both a drink?" she looked at Loker smiling, she thought she had better be nice to him for once. She could tease him all she wanted on Monday, but for the sake of his man-card, she would refrain from mocking him just this once. Loker nodded at Torres gratefully. He knew she would make up for this on Monday but he was thankful she had taken the high road this time. "A beer would be great thanks Torres". He looked at Isabel, his hand gently resting on the small of her back, "I'd love a glass of wine thank you Ria". As Torres moved towards the fridge to collect a bottle and another wine glass Gillian proffered her hand, "you seem to have thoroughly impressed our Eli here, Isabel". As Isabel grasped her hand Gillian could have sworn she saw her full lips curl in contempt but before Gillian could even register what she thought she'd seen Isabel's face broke out in a warm and confident smile. "It's such an honour to meet you Dr Foster. I have read your book back-to-front. I majored in psychology at college before I was accepted into law school". Gillian studied the beautiful face before her, wide brown eyes drinking in her surroundings, "that is very kind of you to say Isabel. Please, call me Gillian".
"I feel a bit star-struck" she confided, "you have been such an inspiration to me. The work you did on children suffering from PTSD", she gave Gillian an appraising look, "your later involvement at the Pentagon. Of course I don't know the finer details, but I understand you were an asset". She smiled, awestruck. There were no indications of deception so far as Gillian could tell, perhaps she was just nervous, she did seem impressed by meeting the 'illustrious' Dr Foster, but her expressions almost seemed contrived – lasting a fraction of a second too long. "I'm flattered. Thank you. It's always nice to hear from people who know my work". A glass of wine appeared at Isabel's side which she accepted from Ria.
Gillian stepped back, resuming her perch on the table, watching Ria and Isabel interact. There was something about her that bothered Gillian. There was virtually nothing to go on, bar her own gut instinct and a few fleeting expressions she thought she had seen. "So, what do you think?" Loker was at her side, like an eager child waiting to hear a parent's praise. "She certainly is beautiful Loker". As she met Loker's gaze she was distracted, over his shoulder she could see Isabel staring at her. The hauntingly beautiful brown eyes suddenly appeared calculating. But no sooner had Gillian blinked all she could see was Isabel was smiling warmly, her eyes twinkling in delight at Ria's conversation.
XXX
Gillian looked at the empty wine bottle sitting on the table that the four of them sat around chatting. She suddenly realised Lightman had still not turned up. Surely he hadn't snuck out without saying goodnight? And then, like he could tell she was thinking about him, Cal entered the break room. "Aye, aye, what have we got here then?"
Loker sprung to his feet, praying to any and all Gods that Lightman behaved himself. Evidently, they weren't listening. Isabel rotated in her chair to face Cal. Her striking face broke out into an animated smile, "Dr Lightman, I assume. Eli speaks very highly of your work". Cal made no attempt to hide the less-than-subtle once-over he gave Isabel. "Cal…" Gillian began to caution him; she might have her reservations about the girl but this was inappropriate. "Dr Lightman, this is Isabel". Cal removed the cap from a beer with flourish and took a long draught before stating matter-of-factly, "I once had a pug called Isabel". Eli cleared his throat, "Isabel is working in the DA's office." Lightman smirked, "oh God, my ex-wife is a lawyer. Assistant Attorney General in fact. Stubborn as all hell". For the second time Cal's eyes began roaming up and down Isabel's body, his gaze halting briefly over her impressive figure. "Oh," Isabelle held Eli's gaze confused and uncertain, "well, that's nice" she offered, her voice rising at the end making it sound more like a question than a statement. "Bet you're a hot-headed wee thing" Cal commented licking his lips. He loved how awkward this was making Eli despite the fact he was probably scaring the poor girl witless. "That's the problem with you lawyer types-" he continued before being rapidly cut off by Eli. "Ok! That's great Dr Lightman." Taking Isabelle's hand in his, he squeezed it reassuringly, "have a good weekend. I'll see you on Monday".
"Goodnight Loker" Gillian tried to convey a silent apology to the couple. Ria had been standing behind Eli, dumbfounded, for the duration. She silently gathered her belongings, muttered a "goodnight" to Cal and Gillian and quickly followed Loker and Isabel down the hall and out of the building.
They heard the heavy door at the reception closing with a resounding thud. Gillian turned to Cal open-mouthed. "Oh come on, I know you love to see Loker squirm".
"You are completely socially inept Cal Lightman", a smile was playing on her lips as she collected the empty glasses to put in the dishwasher. "Is that your personal or professional opinion, Dr Foster?" He drained the green bottle. Gillian rolled her eyes and gave him an exasperated smile before collecting her purse and coat from the back of a chair and making her way out to the hallway. "Both then?" he called after her retreating figure. "Goodnight Cal!" He saw her wave her hand above her head and he could have sworn he heard a giggle.