Disclaimer: I don't own Lie to Me*. Never have, never will.
A/N: So, I tried to write an episode. Season 4. Constructive feedback would be very welcome. I don't have a beta reader, all errors are mine.
Summary: Wallowski requests help from The Lightman Group to find a kidnapped teenager.
Plot based story featuring established Callian. Mature themes. nothing worse than would be featured on the show.
The New World
Movie night. The kind of sappy American family tradition that any self-respecting cynic like him should absolutely despise. A wholesome weekly routine, designed to maintain a bond and sense of nostalgic sentiment that he would have told anybody he hated. Such an ingenuine, forced tool of American propaganda meant to disguise the real problems that families were too dishonest to recognise and embrace. Disgusting. The kind of thing that frauds do in between their infidelities and their secret longings for adventure.
But there he was, sitting comfortably slouched on his own living room sofa. Emily cuddled into his right side, gazing at the TV. Gillian on his left, wrapped around his arm, fingers intertwined with his own, head resting against his shoulder as she barely fought off the temptation of sleep. And he bloody loved it. A new tradition, tentatively suggested by Emily about a month previously after Gillian came over for dinner and they ended up watching a movie, all three of them together. Now, every Tuesday night unless something unavoidable arose, Gillian came over for dinner and the three of them would watch a movie together. Gillian insisted that Cal and Emily have at least one night of the week that was just for them. Wednesday was the standard "daddy - daughter day", as Cal mockingly but fondly called it, but if something came up Gillian always tried to make certain that they take at least one day during the week just for them. And date night was on Friday's, because Emily was usually out for one reason or another anyway. Of course, in the few months since Cal and Gillian had become a couple, they saw each other far more regularly outside of work than just those two nights, but those nights were the routine ones. The ones he would have told anybody he would have hated the concept of, before Gillian. Now he found that these were the nights he most looked forward to. Quality time with his girls.
The movie was trash. A terrible horror film that Emily had convinced them to watch. It was so bad that Gillian Foster, known cry-baby, was now a heavy solid weight against his side, her even breath a welcome heat against his neck as he moved his arm around her to cuddle her close, ensuring they were as comfortable as they could be while she fully slept against him now.
And then came the knock at the front door. Gillian began to stir slightly at his side as he and Emily looked at each other, asking in silence if the other was expecting an evening caller. Understanding that neither was overtly to blame for the unwelcome disturbance, Cal indicated that Emily should go answer the door, cheekily gesturing to the slowly awakening woman by his side as an excuse for why he was unable to get up at that moment, rubbing her arm to lull her back to restfulness so that he could avoid having to get up. With any luck, it was just a friend of Em's and he wouldn't be disturbed at all.
Emily rolled her eyes as she rose from the sofa, another more persistent knock sounding out from the front door. When the door was opened, Cal could hear what sounded like a female voice interacting with a less than pleased sounding Emily Lightman.
Looking exactly as happy as she sounded, Emily rounded the corner into the living room again. "It's for you Dad. She wouldn't take no for an answer", she grumbled as behind her a mildly sheepish looking Sharon Wallowski took in the scene before her. By now Gillian was drowsily becoming aware of the disturbance in the house, although she was still attached comfortably to Cal's side, gripping his waist as tightly as sleep tried to grip her. Sharon couldn't say that she was surprised by the discovery of their newfound intimacy.
"I have a case I need your help with", she said, not seeing the point in small talk.
"Couldn't wait until tomorrow? Stop by the office? Pick up a phone? You're interrupting family time here", gesturing at the TV he responded with playful disdain, more so at the fact that he would now have to deal with the fallout of this particular visitor to his home rather than at the prospect of a police case interesting enough to bring the cop to his door late into the evening.
"A kid's been abducted. A teenaged girl. My boss thinks some of the family may know more than they're letting on, even though there's no real evidence of that. We really don't have much to go on though. We have no leads on this one", Sharon returned, no nonsense in her tone. Gillian sat more upright at this revelation, turning her eyes to Cal, then back to Sharon before lightly clearing her throat involuntarily.
"Actually, Dr Foster, it's a good thing you're here too. There are voicemails, left on the mother's phone from the girl. Sounds like one was left during the abduction. I understand that's something you might be best to help us with? Lightman mentioned before that that's a specialty of yours".
Both Cal and Gillian were rising up at this point, glancing apologetically at Emily as she waved them off with understanding.
"There's a search party being organised as we speak, the kid is fourteen, she's apparently never been away from home without explaination, but she's been gone since this morning with no trace", Wallowski continued to fill them in on the basics as they went about turning off the TV and tidying up briefly.
Once they had the key information, Wallowski moved on to the logistics of their involvement. Sharon had recommended their involvement to a skeptical incident room, and she would be chaperoning them initially to get them started. "Cal, you want to carpool with me, start to get this thing organised? Dr. Foster you could meet us there once you get home to get a change of clothes or whatever you need?"
Cal and Gillian exchanged glances before looking down at themselves and again at each other assessing their attire with amusement at the detective's clear discomfort for the fact that they were each dressed so casually, far more casually than she had ever seen Gillian at least. She was, unfortunately in her own opinion, already familiar with Cal's bunny slippers.
Gillian replied with a shred of smug amusement, "That's ok, I have clothes here. Cal and I can get changed and follow you out there. Thanks though."
Emily observed quietly, very curious about the dynamic between Gillian and Cal's "not-a-you-know". She had never seen Gillian quite so uncomfortable around another woman before. She knew that her mom and Gill didn't exactly see eye to eye, but they were at the very least civil around Emily, and they had certainly warmed up to each other once Zoe and Cal had stopped sleeping together and become more like friends. Gillian seemed to have a previously unseen coldness about her around this woman. Emily kind of enjoyed it, even though she knew she shouldn't. She still held a grudge about this woman breaking into her home.
Gillian and Cal were looking at each other again as the detective became increasingly uncomfortable. Cal looked amused while Gillian looked as though she were waiting for Cal to say something.
"Right! Well, we'll just go get changed then! Where we going? Precinct? Crime scene?", Cal asked with a level of false enthusiasm that betrayed his underlying discomfort.
"We'll head to the precinct first, give you time to check out what we have so far. Can't delay too late though if you want to get to the scene. The search party is assembling close to where the girls cell phone was found."
"Uh, no, not yet. They can't send the search party out yet", Gillian intervened, "Not until we get a team there to observe."
"Well, you better move fast on that then, the family want to start the search yesterday."
"I'm sure you know this, but whoever took this child may well be among the volunteers who show up to look for her. It's pretty common. If we have a team there, we may be able to spot something that your team can't", Gillian explained in full work mode now, forgetting entirely her instinctive dislike of the detective that had led Cal into trouble in the past.
"Gillian's right, you know she is. We need our people on scene before anyone goes and messes it all up."
Sharon sighed and scrubbed her hands over her face at his condescension, but knew she had a battle on her hands on both fronts between her own people and the infuriating man before her. "I'll see what I can do, but you and your people better get there quick if you want to have a hope of convincing the higher ups", she said turning heel and moving towards the door before adding, "I'll see you there! Don't delay."
Cal and Gillian spared an exchange, their eyes connecting in shared understanding before moving past Emily, each with an apologetic touch to her arm and Cal with a light kiss to her head, heading up the stairs to get changed and discuss their first steps. By the time they emerged, dressed to work through the night, Gillian was already on the phone to the Lightman Group's newest protégé Mark (they flat out refused to call him 'Key') while Cal spoke to Ria, explaining the situation and what they needed from them, and requesting that Ria contact Eli Loker to have him standing by in the lab.
