There's not much to say here…

I don't own Lie To Me & I seriously hope you enjoy this chapter & THANK YOU so much for your REVIEWS.

Mmmmh, I think that covers it.

Here it is… the one and only… chapter 11 of Congratulations.

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Nothing prepares us to face war scenery.

Nothing.

Not the live images from the TV stations, not the photos taken of the victims or the bodies that lie on the street, not the printed articles that tell how an attack happened from the beginning till the very end, not the biographies from people who have fought in the field…

Nothing prepares us for the moment in which we land in a country under constant fire.

Nothing prepares us for the smell of death that seems to cling to our skin. Nothing prepares us for the silence of fear that invades our minds. Nothing prepares us for the tears of pain that roll down the cheeks of the ones we walk by. Nothing prepares us for the scars of the ones who keep trying to live their lives in the middle of a war which they didn't ask for.

Saying that Gillian Foster wasn't prepared to face war scenery is an understatement.

She hadn't been told anything about the case before accepting it as they had informed Heidi that it was a matter of great secrecy and that they couldn't take any chances when it came to it. Even when she said yes, they refused to give her any information before she actually left to Iraq.

She had wondered what that meant but she couldn't take any chances either; she couldn't just allow Cal to leave to Iraq right after Zoe's death. No, she couldn't put what was left of Emily's family at stake. She couldn't and she wouldn't. And so she had said yes without giving it a second thought.

Once at the airport she was told that a special agent would be waiting for her as soon as she left the plane. She had also been told not to talk to anyone besides that person and then been shown a photo just in case someone actually tried to use the agent's identity without her knowledge.

She hadn't said much in return. She had basically nodded at everything she heard and had taken a few mental notes as they didn't even allow her to write anything down.

She was scared. No, scared wasn't really the word to define her state of mind. She was terrified. But still she kept her blank face expression on and prayed that it would stick like the kind of make-up that advertises lasting for more than 12 hours.

She couldn't and she wouldn't break down. She was fighting her own war against herself and she was going to win. She had to.

She tried to remain calm as she abandoned the plane and went to get her luggage. She was very glad that it hadn't gotten lost somewhere in-between the whole process because the few things that she had brought with her were the only connection she had with her reality at the moment and she needed not to feel alone.

The only word she could find to describe the present state of the airport where she had just landed was: mess. Complete mess, to be more exact. She didn't really understand what was going on but it seemed like something very bad had happened.

"In my defense, I can assure you I was planning on a much more reassuring "welcome to Iraq" kind of thing. I guess it won't help now, will it?" She heard someone say from behind her.

Gillian turned around slowly and felt her shoulders relax almost immediately as she recognized the woman's face, causing the latter to smile.

"I have been known to have a terrible sense of timing." Said Gillian, smiling back at the woman that was now standing right in front of her.

"I'm Helena. It's a pleasure to meet you, Gillian." Said the woman, confidently shaking Gillian's hand.

"It's certainly a pleasure and a relief to meet you too." Responded Gillian before taking a look around and raising an eyebrow enquiringly. "I seem to have landed in the middle of a national crisis…"

"Oh, yes… Like you said, terrible timing." Helena said with a soft voice tone, grabbing one of Gillian's bags before starting to walk towards the main doors. "It's not really a national crisis but it's without doubt a sad event."

Gillian followed Helena closely, killing all the chances of her possibly getting lost in the middle of the mess. "What exactly happened?"

"I believe a plane crashed." Helena said, checking both sides of the street before crossing it, making sure Gillian was close behind her. "Mmmh, I actually think it was the plane that left to Iraq right after yours." She added as she stopped right in front of her car.

Gillian froze for a second as her brain worked out the information she had just gotten from Helena.

If the plane that crashed had been the one that left after the one she was on, the plane that had crashed was the plane on which she was supposed to come. If that plane had crashed, Heidi would be panicking by now and she would probably by already talking to…

"Is something wrong?" Helena asked as she reached out for the bag that Gillian had been holding.

"Do you know if there were any survivors?" Gillian asked, her voice coming out as a whisper.

"No, I don't think there were. It was a pretty ugly accident." Helena replied, raising an eyebrow as she noticed that the other woman was beginning to look way too pale. "Are you alright? You look dangerously pale Gillian." She said, her voice sounding rather alarmed.

"Oh yes, I am fine…" Gillian said, running a hand through her hair before letting her eyes finally meet Helena's concerned ones. "I do believe my partner thinks I died though."

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I know this was a very short chapter but get ready… action is coming.

Feel free to leave a review. :D I love those, you know? And it's almost Christmas and everything… *winks*

I will hopefully be posting another chapter very soon so…

See you,

Tess.