Author's Note: Hello everyone!!! Sorry I haven't updated the story in a while - I went to Cuba for two weeks and therefore couldn't update. The trip was awesome by the way))) Missed you all, hope you missed me as well)))

Here's the new chapter, not too long, but there's more coming soon. It's a promise)

Enjoy, thanx everyone for reading!

Love.

A.

The chapter in which Cal surprises Gillian and she returns the favor.

"Gotta come up with something brilliant NOW" Cal looked around the room, taking in Carla's worried form and Gillian's shiny eyes. Meanwhile Gillian approached the girl

"We can help you out of this." She said, taking hold of the girl's hand.

"You won't tell James?" Carla's tear-filled eyes looked up for the first time.

"It's not our place to." Gillian said seriously, settling down on the couch beside the girl. "You have to remember this. Sometimes a lie is really a way out, but it doesn't justify it. Lies stem from our mistakes." Gillian fell silent not wanting to give a big speech, just giving Carla something to think over. The girl was not saying anything, her shoulders were hunched, her gaze glued to the floor. With a sigh Gillian looked at Cal pleadingly waiting for him to tell her his idea.

"As if I had one." Cal smiled reassuringly at her and stood up. He still wasn't sure about it, and even though Gillian insisted they help the girl out he needed some kind of proof she was worthy of it. Moreover, the so-called test would give him time to come up with some idea of how to get her out of this mess. Cal crossed the room and faced Carla.

"Answer one question. If I were to call the FBI guys and accuse Margareth of abducting you, would you justify?"

"I'm sorry?" Carla frowned a little, getting her hair out of her face.

"Would you say "Yes, I was abducted"? It would put her in jail and you're free to go." Cal explained, tilting his head to the side, studying her face. Carla shook her head slowly.

"But that's a lie... She did blackmail me, but abduction I faked... I won't lie to put anyone in jail. I need to stop, you know, to break this circle where one lie triggers another."

Gillian concealed a triumphant smile, her eyes twinkling, saying "Told ya!". Cal had to suppress his own smile. "We've played this game a million times and victory still makes her that happy. Incredible"

Cal shifted his eyes to Carla, trying to come up with a plan. "The FBI idea wasn't too bad... What if..."

"I'm calling the FBI guys and you are going to justify to having been abducted." He said firmly.

"But they will put her in jail for several years" Carla tried to object, "I can't do that."

"Yeah but we will give her a chance to make a deal." Cal said in his favorite "wait-and-see" manner.

"You mean to make her leave me alone by threatening to put her in jail?" Carla's eyes widened. Cal shrugged his shoulders, stealing a surprised look from Gillian. He picked up his phone and dialed Locker.

"Hey. Margareth still there? Ok, let her go. And send Reynolds with two other tough looking guys to her house." He hung up the phone and smiled happily, raising his eyebrows. "This is gonna be fun."

***

As they left the building and got in the car, Margareth showed up, and in five minutes Reynolds and two other FBI guys appeared. Cal explained his plan to them:

"So you go up, knock on the door, I don't know, say you're pizza delivery or something," he shot a dirty look at Gillian who was trying to suppress a giggle, "then you rush in, pull out you guns, act all FBI. You" he pointed at Reynolds "yell at Margareth, just be your angry self. Scare her, accuse her of abducting Carla and then give the girls a chance to talk alone. That's it."

Reynolds frowned: "you want us to pretend to be arresting her?"

"That's right" Cal's hands were in his pockets and he looked up at Reynolds.

"We're FBI, not some clowns. You said you needed tough guys" His face had anger written all over it.

"Hey" Cal let some anger slip into his voice as well. "You get a chance to act out without shooting anyone and help a girl at the same time. And I hope you get me right, I'm not asking you to do this. I'm telling you to." Reynolds nostrils flared as he tried to stare Cal down, which didn't really work out. After all, Lightman was right, he was officially under his command, however FBI called this "collaboration". He tried to keep up the angry attitude and motioned for his men to follow him into the building.

A content smile was playing on Cal's lips. "That will teach him a lesson. Interesting case, that one, so damn stubborn." he turned to face Gillian who was leaning on his car.

"Well, that was a bit excessive, but effective one the less" she admitted.

"And of course she's not talking about Reynolds"

"Just like your dance session earlier?" he countered, circling the car and getting in. She got in herself and looked at him intently.

"What?" he turned to face her, and they sat in silence for a few seconds, just staring at each other. Then Cal saw a slightest twinkle of a newborn smile in her eyes. "Nothing" Gillian turned away from him and he could see a small smile reaching the corners of her lips, curling them up a little. He suppressed his own smile and drove off.

"And still I managed to surprise her."

***

Thу case was officially closed. Reynolds, reported with marked indifference that Cal's plan worked: Margareth promised to leave Carla alone and the girl was free to go. She told her family one last lie about being abducted by Margareth who repented her actions and let Carla go in the end. They fell for it, too happy to see Carla well and alive. Cal dismissed Reynolds and glanced at his watch - it was high time to get back home, he desperately needed to get some sleep. He grabbed his coat and headed for the exit, running into Gillian and Alec right in front of his office.

"They look better today. Not as troubled as before."

"Hey" Cal shook Alec's hand.

"I hear you did well today." Alec smiled genuinely and wrapped his hand around Gillian's waist.

"I wouldn't put it as "we", it was mostly on Gillian's part." Cal answered heartedly.

"Really?" Alec's features reflected pure surprise.

"Sure, without her we wouldn't have got all the information we needed." Cal nodded. Before he could continue, Gillian interrupted him:

"It was nothing special really, just did some persuasive talking", she said, clinging closer to her husband and smiling at him almost genuinely, giving Cal a warning look.

"She didn't tell him about Rodrigo?" This not so pleasant surprise seemed to have hit Cal in the stomach and he felt a strange burning sensation which could only be classified as anger inside of him.

"And we all know how well you can master that" Aleс said somewhat bitterly and was going to say goodbye, when Cal faked remembering something important.

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something. Mind if I steal her for a moment?" he asked Alec, ignoring Gillian's angry stare. Alec shrugged his shoulders:

"Ok, I'll just wait here."

"Thanks." Cal opened his office door for Gillian.

"I'll just be a minute" she promised apologetically, entering Cal's office. Inside she spun on her heels and faced Cal.

"What?" she spat defensively, letting him know she knew exactly what he was going to ask her about. Cal took in her angry posture and saw Alec, looking at them through the glass walls of the office.

"Not here" he said and went into his study. Gillian followed him and closed the door. He turned to face her immediately.

"You didn't tell him" he stated accusingly.

"Leave it alone, Cal." she said taken aback by his rude violation of "the line". For once Cal was too angry to care.

"You're lying to your husband when you just saw where it can get you?" he knew he wasn't supposed to be talking about this things but he just couldn't help it.

"It's not the same thing, Cal" she said pointedly, leaning on the door.

"Yes it is." He approached her and put his hand on the doorframe, so that she was completely trapped. Cal searched her eyes and read anger with a hint of something else, something he couldn't quite place. The air around them felt really thick now as Cal realized just how close they were standing.

"You're projecting." She said, suddenly very calm and then Cal knew exactly what that hint in her eyes had been - it was her search for an explanation. Now that she found it, she was confident again.

"How did she guess?" all of a sudden Cal felt very exposed.

Gillian went on:

"You're projecting the case we just had onto our lives, but it has nothing to do with it. You know things between me and Alec have not been going too well, he doesn't need to know about Rodrigo. Just forget it, Cal. Go home."

Cal let out the breath he was holding and Gillian mistook his relief for defeat. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Goodnight, Cal". He let her go and watched her leave with Alec. For a few moments he was just standing there, then grabbed his coat again and headed for the exit.

"You're right, luv. I was projecting. Wouldn't want you to lie to me like that."

Next up: The chapter comprising apple cobbler, lightman group internal affairs and Emily deciding to leave her boyfriend.