Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews.. Pff I have already written a lot of chapters... And I still have a few ideas, hope it isn't getting TOO long this story!

Chapter 25

Gillian opened her eyes slowly and concluded that she was lying in Cal's arm's. He was asleep too and had fallen from his previously hunched position against the headboard. He was lying with his whole body stretched on the bed now. And she was lying draped over him like a second blanket. She sighed. She wanted to move away but her body wouldn't react to the commands she was giving her brains. Instead she nestled herself closer to him, if that were even possible and enjoyed his warmth. She enjoyed how his chest rose and fell with each steady breath. How she would hear his heartbeat in her ear because her head was leaning against his chest. Ow, how she enjoyed this. She had missed being held by someone, being so close to a man. She stopped the nagging voice in the back of her head that told her that this was wrong, that this was over the line. It wasn't really over the line: she was still sick. She couldn't be held accounted for everything she did. Because her mind and thoughts weren't clear. Gillian smirked a bit when she concluded how creative she was in her attempts to fool herself. She closed her eyes quickly. She was still asleep of course. Gillian pondered about that she had never been this close to Cal. Her body was pressed against his and his arms were around her. She could ly like this forever. She remembered his ribs in shock as she carefully pushed her upper body up and her hand slipped under his shirt. She brought his shirt up slowly to study the skin around the ribs that she thought were bruised but was afraid were broken. She sighed in relief at the thought that they weren't broken, otherwise he would have had more trouble with them in the last days then he had had. She noticed the dark angry bruise that was still there.

'Oy, what are you doing?' Cal asked slowly with a sleeping voice as he cracked one eye open.

She had put her hand on the bare skin above the bruised rib. 'I was just looking at your ribs.' Gillian admitted as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

'My ribs? I should have known that you couldn't do without sneeking a peek at the thing of me all woman want to see: my ribs.' He smirked when he saw her blush instantly.

'Does it hurt?' She asked softly while she tried to ignore his cheeky comment.

'Nah.' He said nonchalantly. 'Yeah.' He admitted then. 'Just a bit.'

'I'm sorry.' Her soft voice came.

'Thanks.' He said lighthearted. 'Now stop undressing me woman! Before I'm gonna get shy yeah?'

She didn't hear his words, she just felt the need she had to place her lips on the bruised skin, as if she could make it better. Which was a foolish thought of course. She quickly looked away from his ribs to stop herself.

'Here.... There you go.' Cal said as he lifted her off him somehow and placed her next to him effortlessly.

She watched in surprise how he quickly wrapped a blanket around himself as he asked her how she was feeling. When she answered a bit better his eyes studied her shortly before he practically jumped out of the bed and was standing at the door in no time.

'Just a bit cold luv, that's all.' He said as he saw her gaze at the blanket around him. 'I'm taking a shower, be back soon.'

She nodded as she lowered herself into the pillow again. It didn't feel as good and comfortable as Cal's chest at all.

'Em.' Cal said half shocked as he almost bumped into her when he left his room.

Emily looked with big eyes at her dad who was walking clumsily away from his room with a big blanket wrapped around his middle.

'Sleep well?' He asked as he passed her.

'Uhm yeah. You?'

'Yeah great luv.' He said as he closed the bathroom door behind him. 'Just great.' He muttered as he lowered the blanket. He hoped that his trick to expertly reveal his extreme arousal had worked. He needed a very cold shower now, he thought annoyed as he took off his pyjama pants and his shirt. He pondered about how bad he was at controlling himself when he was around Gillian, and it seemed to get worse and worse. His breathing hitched the moment the cold water connected with his skin. It was like the contours of her body were imprinted on his body. If things would go on like this, it would be he death of him. He was sure of that.

Angela Pointer's house

'Why did you want to come with us again?' Reynolds asked Torres when they were standing in Angela Pointer's living room. Four other FBI agents were running around the house looking for something that could point them to her where abouts or other clues they could use for the case.

'I want to get a feel for her.' Ria answered as she gazed at the fire place.

'A feel?' Loker asked sarcastic as he raised an inquiring eyebrow at her.

'Maybe we'll find something that you won't find.' Ria clarified to Reynolds as she ignored Loker.

'Are you telling me that I'm not doing my job as I should do?' Reynolds asked.

'No.' Ria said quickly as she shook her head at him. 'I'm just saying that we saw her, and well... That could help. I don't know.' Ria sighed. 'I just wanted to see the home and belongings of a person who would do such a thing to others I guess.'

'Maybe we broke into the wrong house.' Loker's voice came from the other end of the living room.

'What makes you say that?' Reynolds asked as he looked up at the young man.

Loker held up some mail to them. 'They are all addressed to a Peggy Jackson.'

Reynolds narrowed his eyes. 'Maybe she doesn't live alone.'

Loker shrugged as he watched the room. He noticed that Ria had suddenly disappeared.

He looked back at the mail with a frown in his brows when suddenly a fear filled and shocked scream filled the entire house. Loker was so shocked to hear the screech assaulting his ears that the mail fell from his hands and he quickly hurried towards the cause of the noise, he knew instantly that it was Ria's scream.

Cal's house

'Did you read all the magazines I brought you?' Emily asked as she walked into Cal's room.

Gillian smiled. 'Yes, thank you. Most of them at least.'

'I could bring you others if you'd want. I can imagine that you don't like reading a lot about teens and everything.' Emily said as she sat down on the bed next to Gillian. Most of the magazines were from herself, describing stuff that probably only teenagers were interested in.

Gillian smiled. 'O, it's interesting. It might make me feel younger.' Gillian quipped. 'Maybe I'll even grow younger if I keep reading them.' Gillian suggested cheekily as Emily bended to pick the other two magazines on the other side of the bed up.

'So uhm… Did you read this one?' Emily asked as she showed Gillian a magazine with a purple pink front and a cheeky, bright smiling girl on the cover. Gillian remembered it to be the one she had taken out to the balcony.

'I looked through it quickly.' Gillian said as she nodded. 'But your father seemed very interested in one of the articles.' She added fondly as she remembered how Cal had told her that he indeed was interested in the article while he had only used it to deflect from a conversation he obviously didn't want to have.

'Yeah? Which one?' Emily asked surprised.

'The one about kissing boys and making their toes curl.' Gillian said with a smile as she read Emily's reaction carefully. She saw how the young girl flushed instantly.

'Did you read it?' Emily asked quickly.

Gillian shook her head. 'Should I?' She asked curiously. 'Does it say anything interesting I could learn from?'

Emily shrugged. 'I don't know. I'm not that experienced really.' She said in a soft voice.

'Well I'm glad. You're still very young, there's no rush.' Gillian's soft, sweet voice came.

'So do you know how to do this?' Emily asked carefully.

'Do what?' Gillian asked as she bended forward towards the article to see what Emily meant.

'How to make a man's toes curl?' Emily explained softly as she looked up at Gillian with big eyes.

Gillian smiled at the look on Emily's face. She could see that Emily was afraid to ask this personal question to her. Gillian felt if she opened up to Emily, Emily would open up to her.

'Well…' She began as she looked in the distance and thought for a moment. 'I'd like to think that I do.' She said with a grin on her face. 'Or that I did.' She added sadly as she thought of Alec. But somehow, she had made him run into the arms of someone else anyway. A blonde who was younger, taller, slimmer, had bigger breasts and well… How to fight against that? Not that she wanted to fight for Alec anymore. That need had left her years ago. She hoped Emily hadn't picked up on the slight sadness that had shimmered through her words. But when Gillian looked at the young girl she seemed to be fully engrossed in her own thoughts while she was staring at the magazine in her lap.

'But it's difficult you know.' Gillian said as she sighed and relaxed against the headboard of the bed. 'You really have to be in sync with the other person. And you'll just have to learn. I'm sure you will.' Gillian assured her.

Emily looked up at her with a glow in her eyes. She smiled widely at Gillian's caring and supporting words.

Gillian averted her eyes from the wall to Emily now and looked intensely at the young girl she was so fond off. 'Don't be afraid to learn or to make mistakes. That goes for every aspect of your life, even for this one.'

'You think so?' Emily asked unsure of herself as she pondered about how sweet Gillian's voice sounded.

'Yes well… Look at me. I'm almost forty and I was married for years. Now I'm alone again. That goes to show that you never stop learning. Especially in a relationship.'

'I'm sorry.'

'Don't be.' Gillian looked at the blanket in front of her. 'Sometimes you really want things to work out and they just don't.' Her fingers drew a pattern on the warm blanket for a moment before she looked up at Emily again. 'The only thing you can do then is learn from them. So if you kiss Rick and you feel that it doesn't go right, or that you're doing something not right, then that really doesn't matter. Because that is what will make you learn and it will also make you better. And he has to learn just like you do. I'm sure of that.'

'Sometimes I'm just afraid that… I don't know.. It's scary in some way.'

Gillian smiled. 'Yes, it's very scary.' She agreed.

'You think so too?' Emily asked surprised. She always saw Gillian as someone who was so experienced with things. She always seemed so calm and knowing. And of course Emily noticed that Gillian was very personal about her own feelings and problems, but still she seemed so wise. Like she knew exactly what to do in so many situations.

'Of course I do.' Gillian answered as if it was the most logical thing.

'But you're so experienced… I mean, you're older and… Well, you've got experience….' Emily stammered astonished.

'Well, I wouldn't call myself that experienced.' Gillian paused for a moment. 'Well, yes I do have experiences, but I wouldn't say that makes me experienced.'

Emily watched Gillian as she thought deep to find the right words.

'And about the older part, I'd have to speak a stern word with you about that some time!' Emily smiled at that. Gillian shook her head as she thought deep. 'With a new person it's always scary. The experience you have doesn't really count then. You make yourself vulnerable in a way, you let the other person close. That is scary isn't it?'

Emily nodded and then smiled widely. 'I'm so glad I can talk to you about this. You know my mom, and my dad.. Pfft!'

'O Em. He tries really hard, you know that.' Gillian said as she brushed a strand of Emily's hair out of the girls eyes.

'Yeah well but he isn't a woman.' Emily muttered as she stared at her lap again.

'Yes, I've noticed that yes.' Gillian said as she smiled.

'He wouldn't understand a woman the way woman do.'

'Maybe your dad understands more about woman then you think.' Gillian told her.

'You think?' Emily asked astonished as she looked up at Gillian and studied her. This is very interesting.

'And maybe you should explain him if he doesn't understand.' Gillian proposed carefully as she gave Emily a friendly and loving look.

'Or… You could explain him.' Emily said triumphantly.

'Explain him what?' Gillian asked confused.

'About woman. Sometimes he just doesn't see what's right in front of his face, on the woman subject.'

Gillian shook her head as she laughed. 'I don't think it's my place to explain that.'

'Why not? You're one of the only persons he listens too.'

Gillian was still shaking her head and smiling about the idea even.

'If a woman likes my dad she really has to be clear to him so he knows it.'

Gillian narrowed her eyes at Emily. Why did she have the feeling they were suddenly talking about something else then they were before? This wasn't about Cal not understanding Emily's need to go to the party and Emily wanting to be with Rick.

Emily kept looking at her, waiting for an answer.

'I don't think so. He has an eye for that.' Gillian said as she shook her head again, thinking of Poppy. Cal knew instantly when a woman was attracted to him.

Emily let out an exasperated huff. 'Ugh please. No he doesn't! Not woman he really cares about.' She eyed Gillian meaningfully.

'Well I wouldn't know.' Gillian answered her as her hand raked through her hair. 'That's not my place really.'

'Why not? I thought you were best friends?' Emily asked, pretending to be an innocent girl with innocent and just curious questions.

'Yes.' Gillian agreed as she looked at Emily with a big smile now. She raised one eyebrow at Emily. 'But we don't have to know things about all the aspects of each others lives, do we?'

Emily opened her mouth to say something against that when Cal walked in with breakfast.

'I made pancakes.' He said as he put down a tray with breakfast for all of them. They probably were half cold now because his feet had frozen to the ground next to the door the moment he heard Emily ask if Gillian knew how to make a man's toes curl. He knew he shouldn't have listened in but he… Well, he hadn't managed to tear himself away from there. So it wasn't his fault really that he'd been eavesdropping if you could call it like that...

Angela Pointer's house

Loker saw how Ria crawled over the floor covered in something red and his mouth fell open as he stared at the body she moved away from. Ria got up quickly and pushed herself against the wall in slight panick. Reynolds stormed in next to Loker and bended down immediately.

'Is that…' Loker began as he tried to recognize the face that was covered in blood.

'Pointer.' Ria said shocked as pushed herself as far as possible against the wall. She preferred to disappear into the wall if that was possible.

'What happened?' Reynolds asked as he looked up at Ria.

'I…' Ria pointed at the cupboard in the room. 'I opened the… And she…' Ria stammered, but the words wouldn't come.

Reynolds nodded as Loker hurried towards Ria.

'There's blood everywhere.' Ria said shocked as she felt Loker's warm hand on her shoulder.

Reynolds nodded as he studied the bullit wounds in Angela Pointer's body. He sighed annoyed as his nostrils flared. Great, so this meant that there was someone else behind all of this. He shook his head annoyed.

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