Here we are, ready for chapter 2?
Guest: wonder away, I would like to know what ideas you have!
Heads up: I am posting again tomorrow. As I said, the pace here will be a bit unpredictable so make sure you are following the story of whatever.
Cal had been nearly insufferable for the better part of the morning, although he could be somewhat justified. From the moment he had come into work he had put the bare minimum of attention into it, the rest of his mental, physical and nervous energy all devoted to the imminent arrival of Emily. He had spoken to her before she even left the college dorm to get to the airport, then chatted his way through her boarding process. Then he had tracked her flight on his phone, reminding anybody coming near him that his daughter was on her way and he wasn't to be bothered unless the place was on fire. And even if that was the case, to talk to Foster anyway.
Gillian had smiled inwardly throughout all that, knowing he had probably been that way since the second he had woken up in the morning. She knew him well, better that she could even understand, but over the past weeks she had discovered new sides of him. He had always been an incredibly loving father, and yes at times a little overprotective…traits that he curiously also displayed as boyfriend, which made the combination of him being apart from his daughter for the longest time since she was born and them getting together a rather complicated one for Cal to handle. He missed his little girl but was also enjoying being with the woman he loved, and even though Foster had been around Emily for years those two worlds were about to collide and the magnitude of the clash, however extremely welcomed and positive, was about to hit him like a nuclear blast.
Wisely, Gillian decided not to interfere. There was no point really: not even her, as business and romantic partner, could control that kind of energy, and instead opted for going around the office, reminding everybody that they had to bear with Cal only for a few hours before he'd make his way to the airport and start with his time off. Still, when the time came for him to leave, Gillian couldn't hold back the smile when she heard the knock on the door of her office. She was standing by the bookshelf, browsing through one of her books looking for a note, and turned around smiling at Cal.
"Time to go?" She asked, then went back to the book.
"Yes, almost. Em's flight seems to be on schedule." He muttered almost shyly, probably knowing he had been a tad annoying all morning. Then he stepped forward and stood behind her, throwing a quick look at the door behind him before circling her waist with his arm and putting his mouth close to her ear. "I've been a pain in the ass, haven't I?"
"Could have been worse," she replied absently, still going through the pages as if the warmth of his breath and the overall power of his proximity wasn't driving her crazy. "At least they all know it's for a very good reason, and that you'll be gone for a few days."
"Should we tell them I'm probably going to be in a foul mood for days after she leaves?" Gillian turned around a bit to shoot him a glare, clearly stating Emily or not she wasn't going to let him take it out on their staff. "Alright then, I guess you'll have to help me get through it then."
This time Gillian put down the book and turned around, looking at his teasing grin for a second before glancing at the door too. Then she smiled, a smile that made his look like nothing, and seized the collar of his jacket before pulling him with her in the corner. They had tried to implement a no touch rule at work, but to no avail: they had always been touchy friends and going cold turkey wasn't going to happen, and being in the early days of their relationship it was almost impossible to keep certain instincts completely at bay. No touching was an unattainable goal, so they had decided to accept they couldn't achieve it and instead opted for more reasonable solutions. They were careful around the office, creating little moments for themselves when the coast was clear and never - well, almost never - stepping over the line; after all, most nights they were the last two leaving the building and they didn't have to worry about anybody walking in on them.
They had also discovered convenient blind spots around the office, even in Gillian's office with that damn glass door she was seriously considering changing. The small niche between the wall and the bookshelf in the corner of her office wasn't huge, but at least big enough to hide them from indiscreet eyes for a quick make out session. That was why Cal was smiling when she pulled him there, knowing what was about to come and more than ready for it, then grinned in anticipation when Gillian pushed him up against the wall and crashed her mouth on his. Despite the claiming initial gesture the kiss was soft, gentle, both of them knowing that a different register would have easily led them to other actions they didn't have time for, and after a while Gillian pulled away with a small nod.
"I'll miss you too, love," Cal whispered then, composing himself as he stepped out of the corner.
"Stop making me feel like I'm trying to lure you back to me over your own daughter!" She huffed while rolling her eyes at him, especially when he smirked back at her.
"I'm just saying, you make some really good arguments." Gillian glared at him as he pretended to adjust the crotch of his pants. Then he went to the door, deciding it was wise to put some distance between them and because it was indeed time for him to go, but stopped before leaving the room. "For the record love, one of the reasons why I want to wait a bit before I tell Em about us is that I have the feeling the moment she knows she'll want to spend more time with you than me. Not to mention," he added with a smirk, relieved to see her smile fondly at the first part of his confession, "I am certain you two will immediately start ganging up on me about everything, and I'd like to keep my advantage while I can."
With that he was out of the door, leaving Gillian basking in a mix of feelings that went from love to amusement with a lot of stuff in between, and the distinct certainty he meant every bit of what he had just said.
Shortly after lunch, Anna buzzed Foster through the intercom to let her know that someone was asking for Dr Lightman at the reception. With her finger still on the button of the phone Gillian sighed, not fond of the scenario that sentence was painting: someone, without appointment, was there to see Cal when he most definitely wasn't around. She was used to screening potential clients on her own, but when people showed up unannounced looking for Cal she was usually in for some long conversations going in loop over the fact that they wanted him and he wasn't available.
She grumbled something to herself then told Anna that she was on her way, and started going through an all too familiar script in her head and she walked down the hallway to the main entrance. The moment she saw the man she immediately understood it wasn't going to be an easy dismissal; the man had refused Anna's invitation to take a seat while waiting for her and was instead standing by the desk, hands in his pockets not in a relaxed way but clearly to contain a hurried disposition. No, that was not going to be a man who would just say 'thank you very much, I'll come back' when told that Cal wasn't around.
"Mr Connor, I'm Dr Gillian Foster. Nice to meet you."
She went in with her best cordial smile and her hand stretched, but could easily see the faint disappointment on the man's face when she showed up alone.
"Dr Foster, nice to meet you." He was honestly polite, it was a let down that Cal wasn't there but he had nothing against talking to her instead per se. "I was hoping I could also talk to Dr Lightman?"
"He's left earlier today and will have some days off for personal reasons." Here we go! She thought, but kept up her smile. "I'm sure we can help out anyway, if you care to share what it is that you need."
Mr Connor seemed to ponder his option, and Gillian already knew what he was going to choose. Something big, something important and delicate had brought him there and he couldn't afford to go back to wherever he came from without having explored every possible avenue, including hiring the Lightman Group without Lightman. Eventually, he sighed and nodded, then Gillian motioned him to follow her.
"We might want to take this to my office for more privacy," she explained as they started walking. "I assume what you have to discuss is rather delicate?"
"How can you tell?"
Gillian smiled, the usual smile she had every time people came to them because of what they did and yet were surprised when they did it.
"It's what we do here," she politely explained. "But it does make things a lot easier when you tell us what you need."
"I'm an Assistant DA in Virginia, and we have a very delicate case we are dealing with in a small town near Sedley." They turned the first corner and he slowed down, so Gillian had to do the same. "Dr Foster, your firm came highly recommended and I have all the intention to get you to work with us on this case. But I would feel a lot better if Dr Lightman could-"
"I understand Mr Connor, and if he was available he'd be here with us to discuss this. However, as I said he's away for a few days but the Group is going to give you all the support you need." He was resistant to the idea still, but she still had one card to play. "He's just not physically available but his science is. And we can reach him if needed and get his insights no matter what."
Gillian wasn't a fan of the way her last note got through to Connor, they had plenty of skilled people working there and most of them had been trained by Lightman and herself, and it was almost painful to see how many clients thought they could only get good service from the man himself. She didn't fault Cal for it, it was his science after all; mostly she had issues with people who didn't understand the amount of work and knowledge the firm could offer as a collective effort. Still, she could see the prospect of getting what he needed even without Cal was becoming more and more enticing for the man, and she decided to step back and let him simmer a moment before-
"Gillian!"
Foster turned around in a bit of a panic, Emily's cheerful and happy voice the last thing she expected to hear. Even more so when she spotted Cal, dragging himself behind the young girl who was running towards her at full force, looking annoyed and stressed like she hadn't seen him in weeks.
"Emily, hi! You-" She was silenced by the tight hug the girl gave her when she was close enough, taking some time to recover from the surprise and not sure what to make of Cal's expression.
"It's so good to see you, it's been ages!" Emily chimed again, smiling from ear to ear.
"Yeah, it's good to see you too. I- is everything ok?" She asked then, more to Cal then to her.
""Yeah, all good. I just got to the airport and realised I didn't have my wallet. Figured I must have left it here-"
"Dr Lightman?" Connor jumped in, clearly not interested in the trio's dynamic but more in seizing his chance.
Cal looked at the man then at the both of them, reading the situation, then he focused on Foster who shook her head no in a warning gesture.
"That depends," He answered. "Who's asking?"
"I'm Julian Connor, Assistant DA in Virginia."
"You're not gonna bust me for driving without a licence, are ya?"
Cal quipped, tentatively returning the hand shaking gesture the man was offering, somewhat naively hoping that was actually the case. He had noticed Gillian's look as he had shown up, not the pleased surprise he had expected but more like a warning he should make himself scarce, and he knew the man meant business. As in, literally, business with the group and, likely, with him.
"I have a delicate case to discuss," Connor went on, knowing the momentum of the conversation was on his side. "I understand you're supposed to be on holiday but if I could have a minute of your time…"
He let his words trail off, his voice seemingly stopping but his hand still holding Cal's as much as his gaze did with his eyes. Cal could tell, and so could Gillian, that the case he was bringing must have been way more than just delicate, perhaps even interesting, certainly something he wasn't going to let them dismiss.
Eventually, Cal managed to get his hand back and looked at the man, then at Gillian who slightly shook her head no and finally to Emily. She was standing next to Gillian, having basically run to her to greet her, and they were both looking at him with a similar expression. Gillian didn't want him to do it; she had been one step away from convincing Connor he could get what he needed even without Lightman, and she wanted him to follow up with his plans and go home, enjoy some free time with his daughter. Emily, she was a smart girl: she could probably understand about 70% of the adults' interaction and she could see what was going on, that her father was on the verge of being taken away from her.
Cal found himself in quite the predicament, and he knew he had to figure it out fast. He was absolutely certain that Foster and the team could deal with whatever case Connor had for them, but he could tell by her pained expression that she had been struggling to convey that to the man himself. He could have walked away and let her deal with him, but he was well aware of how some clients felt entitled to his presence when hiring the group. He didn't like the idea of leaving her to deal with Connor, even though he knew she could handle him on all fronts. On the other hand, he had just gotten his daughter back after months and all he wanted to do was to take her home, hug her and sit through hours or whatever nonsense chatting she would unleash on him. The saying 'between a rock and hard place' couldn't have been more fitting, and more cruel: he loved both and he didn't want to fault either of them-
"Why don't you share a quick brief with us?" Gillian offered then, looking at Cal longer than what she looked at Connor. "Dr Lightman could share his insights before he leaves and we will prepare for your case accordingly."
God I love this woman! Cal thought, feeling his whole being warming up with affection, and something a little more naughty as it usually happened when his professional appreciation for his business partner flirted with his personal attraction towards his girlfriend. She was dragging him out of that uncomfortable place with an elegant move, which was likely going to please Connor and save his bacon too. He understood immediately what she was up to by the words she chose to use and the knowing look, that she was offering Lightman's presence to listen about the case without promising he was going to actually work on it. More astonishingly, when he flickered a look at Emily, Cal realised she seemed to have sensed something similar, because she was less distraught than a few seconds before.
"Sounds good to me," Cal said, then turned around to face Emily and smiled as widely and apologetically as he could. "Won't be a minute love, alright?"
"Sure," Emily replied, a quick look over his shoulder confirming that she had picked up on something too. "I'll go say hi to Eli and Ria."
"Ok love, I'll come get you." He quickly kissed her forehead and squeezed her briefly before letting her go, then turned around to face Connor. "Shall we?"
They didn't wait for the man to respond, both Gillian and Cal just headed towards his office and he followed, eager and seemingly content. Once inside, Cal pointed Connor to the chairs in front of his desk and he and Gillian went on the other side, Cal taking a moment to smirk at himself as he spotted his wallet right there by the keyboard. Gillian chuckled softly at his forgetfulness, hoping it wasn't going to cost him more than just a small deviation from his plans.
"Right," he huffed as he dropped on the chair. "What can we do for you?"
Conner sat as well and then fished in his pocket, retrieving a USB drive he handed to Lightman. Cal plugged it into the computer while Gillian set up the projector, and soon they were staring at a composite image showing the faces of five children. Cal's jaw immediately clenched and he looked at Gillian, serious and focused and, perhaps, a bit worried: they both started thinking that 'delicate' wasn't going to fully cover the description of that case.
What did you think about Cal and Gillian's interaction? And how about this Connor guy, not taking no for an answer?
More tomorrow