So my kid is still stick, I thought we were fine but not so much..gotta take her to the docs today, see what's up. Anyway, wanted to get this out before I start my day...late...this is my fav chapter so far, I really liked writing it and I hope you like it too. Not M yet though...we're almost there :D

Shot Me Down

Cal was on the ground in her arms, blood was streaming out of his mouth with no end. Gillian didn't understand where all the blood was coming from. It was covering her hands, soaking his shirt and pooling out around them so fast she couldn't comprehend it. His hazel eyes were glazing over, no longer holding the tender love she saw when ever she looked into them and it broke her heart. "Cal, don't leave me. Please." She begged cradling him to her chest. "I love you. Oh, god, Cal, I love you." She sobbed. Hot tears streaked down her face, dripping off her chin onto his graying skin and mingling with the bright red blood that still flowed even though his heart had stopped beating.

Gillian couldn't hold back the heart wrenching sobs, she screamed out her anger and anguish. It changed nothing so she did it again and this time she opened her eyes.

"Foster?" Torres calling her name brought her back to reality. Gillian sat up slowly, still openly crying. The young woman came in from the only open door, worry clear on her face. Gillian wiped away the tears wishing she could wipe the emotions that caused them away just as easily. "Gillian, are you ok?" Torres asked and Gillian nodded not able to use her voice. She looked up at Torres and gave her a weak smile that both of them didn't buy. "Do you want me to get Lightman?" Torres asked after a moment of awkwardness.

Gillian shook her head. "N-." She cleared her throat and tired again. "No, it's fine. I'm fine." Her shoulder pulsed in pain suddenly and she grimaced. She wondered how long she'd been sleeping for. "Has Wallowski come back yet?" She asked changing the subject.

Torres still looked unsure but she shook her head. "No, but she called and said they were on their way. Look, are you sure…?"

Gillian stood up and took a deep calming breath. "Yes." The residual emotions were ebbing quickly, so it all just felt like it had happened years ago despite the still very vivid images in her mind's eye. "I'm going to get a coffee from the lunchroom, if Cal asks where I've gone." She squeezed past Torres in the small space and left quickly before any more questions were directed her way.

She hadn't wanted to cut Torres off, she just didn't want to talk about her dreams. She knew what they meant, she didn't need another opinion and if she wanted to talk to any one about them she would go to Cal. Until then they would probably go away and her shoulder would be healed and the whole mess would be behind her.

The lunchroom was blissfully empty and Gillian busied herself with putting on a pot of coffee instead of thinking about how realistic her dream had been. She felt a lump in her throat as the image of a very dead Cal came back to her. She figured that was exactly how he had felt when he had held her in his arms.

She didn't even realize she was crying again until Cal came into the room and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Shhh, don't cry. It's alright, Love. I'm here." She didn't wonder how he knew what she had been dreaming about. She could only guess that if she woke up crying and Torres had been alerted of her distress that she'd said something in her sleep and Torres had told Cal about it as soon as she found him.

"I know. I know." She sobbed and snuffled. "It's only a dream. It isn't real." She met his gaze and felt intensely relieved when she saw life in his piercing hazel eyes. "In the dream it's you." She said and she didn't know why. His brow furrowed slightly, understanding washing over his face and he nodded, pressing his forehead to hers.

"It wasn't me. It was you, though." She nodded at his words and felt guilt that he had to feel that way for real, in real life and not just from some stupid dream.

"I'm sorry." Cal rubbed her good shoulder and stood back.

"Don't you apologize for that." He said fiercely. "You don't blame yourself for what some ruddy git did. Now, he's in the lab. Are you coming?" Gillian nodded and rubbed her face with the sleeve of Cal's sweater. She frowned at the wet smears from her nose. "You can apologize for getting bogeys on my favourite sweater though." He scrunched his face up in disgust but she should see the laughter in his eyes.

She chuckled. "I'll wash it before I give it back."

"Oh, no it's yours now!" He threw his hands up as if he was worried he might get some on him and it grossed him out.

She gave him a dirty look. "Because washing it won't get it clean." She said flatly, handing him a mug of coffee.

He shook his head, trying to look innocent. "No, it won't. Now it's forever tainted with Gillian germs."

"Grow up." She said taking a sip of her drink. He looked at her incredulously.

"Me? You're the one using your sleeve to wipe your nose."

"Shut up." She replied, feeling her face heat up. "Let's go."

Gillian took a deep breath before she walked through the doors to the lab. Cal was right behind her, his free hand on her lower back as if he sensed she needed the physical reassurance. But then she knew he didn't sense it, he read it all over her face.

Detective O'Brian hadn't waited for her and Cal before starting at Nick Miller. The young man was in his late twenties but dressed like a teenage boy in an over sized hooded sweater and puffy feather down jacket. His jeans were also over sized and hung down so a strip of his boxers were showing. Gillian noticed he wasn't wearing any of the same clothes, which wasn't a surprise. He was trying to appear confident and curious as to why he was being questioned by the police but Gillian could see the kid was scared.

Gillian stepped forward and placed a hand on Loker's shoulder. "Can you push in on his eyes for me?" He nodded and clicked a few buttons on the keyboard in front of him. Nick's brown eyes filled the screen and she recognized the small beauty mark on the ridge of his nose just below his right eye.

"He look familiar?" Wallowski asked as she came up on Gillian's right side. Gillian nodded.

"It's him." Even though his eyes held fear instead of malicious intent, she knew they were the same. She wasn't ever going to forget his eyes. She felt Cal's hand on her lower back and she turned, not expecting him to be so close. He was asking her with his eye if she was ok and she nodded.

"Torres can talk to Mr. Miller, I'm taking you home." He said and she didn't argue. She could worry about Nick Miller tomorrow, her shoulder was really starting to hurt and she was feeling drained despite the caffeine she'd just consumed. She avoided the worried and concerned expressions from Torres, Wallowski and Loker as they said their goodbyes.

"No one leaves until you get where he stashed the gun." Cal pointed at Torres but instead of giving her usual defiant glair at being order around so rudely, she nodded solemnly.

Gillian decided once she was better she would do something with Torres other than get her drunk on very expensive scotch.

While she was still able to walk, Gillian let Cal support her to the back door of his house from his car. Inside he left her to take off her coat and boots and disappeared up the stairs. He returned by the time she had finished and she was sitting on a barstool, cringing in pain.

Cal handed her a glass of water and a pill from the prescription bottle. She took it gratefully. "Can I run you another bath?" He asked waggling his eyebrows.

She was about to come up with a witty and suggestive reply when Emily came bounding down the stairs. She stopped short at the bottom, fear fading into a smile when she saw Gillian. "Oh, hey. I heard Dad running around and was worried something was wrong." She moved around the island but stopped short of touching Gillian and hugged herself instead. Gillian smiled and reached out to her, bringing her into a tight hug. "Guess this means you're staying in our guest room?" She asked innocently enough but Gillian caught the flicker of amusement as Emily glanced at her father.

"The doctor said I couldn't leave unless I had someone to take care of me." Gillian offered.

Emily bit her lip and Gillian couldn't help but think how alike the girl was to her father as the young woman tried, almost successfully, to cover her mirth. "Oh, he'll take great care of you." She tired to sound innocent but Gillian couldn't help but hear the double meaning.

"Oi!" Cal asked sounding indignant and a slight bit outraged that his daughter was making sexual innuendos in front of him. "Haven't you got homework or something?"

Emily rolled her eyes and turned towards Gillian with a wide smile. "Have a good night, I'll be in my room if you need anything. Sorry if I make too much noise in the morning." She shifted on her foot then dashed back upstairs as quickly as she had come down. Two seconds later loud music blared from her general direction.

By the curious and slightly surprised expression on Cal's face Gillian decided Emily's volume choice was new. "Is it usually louder?" She asked after a moment.

"No." He replied, his tone flat. "I'm guessing she's giving us a bit of privacy." He waggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

It warmed her heart that Emily had welcomed her into their family as easily as she had. She wanted to explore the though a little while longer but the pill was taking effect quickly. She wavered to the side and Cal was there instantly to hold her upright. "Whoa there. Let's get you to bed, then." He said guiding her onto her feet.

"Your bed?" She asked when she meant to say not his bed but her own.

"Slow down there, Gilli, I don't take advantage of women under the influence." He replied and she gave him a disbelieving look even though she knew she should have argued that she hadn't meant to proposition him. "Naw, that's alright. We got loads of time before we need to go there." He said as he helped her up the stairs into the spare room and to the bed. She sat as still as she could on the corner of the bed where he placed her as he turned down the bed for her. "All set, Love." He came back to her and helped her out of the sweater. "I'll tell Em to pack it in with that rubbish as soon as you're set."

She nodded, her head becoming fuzzy from the Vicodin. She closed her eyes, lying back on the bed then opened them again when he kissed her forehead. "You are so amazing." She murmured, unsure of where the words were coming from.

"Don't tell me, Love, tell your friends." He drawled, jokingly, smoothing her hair. Gillian smiled and inched her head closer to his hand, wanting the comfort of his touch. He stayed for a moment longer before pulling back but she stopped him by taking hold of his hand, not ready for him to go yet. "Careful, Gill, Em is just down the hall." He said taking a seat on the bed next to her.

She ignored his light teasing, her drug addled brain on a different track. "I saw you cry." She said simply but her words were heavy in the air.

Cal nodded, not hiding his feelings. "I was terrified, Gillian." She reached up and stroked his cheek.

"I'm sorry." She apologized unnecessarily. He rubbed his face in her hand, obviously needing the comfort or her touch as well.

"No need, Love." He shook his head, a small smile curling the edge of his lips. "Good thing you wore my sweater to the office, that shirt is damn near see through." His tone was light but not teasing.

"Yeah, ok." She replied smiling but not bothering to fix the blankets. She understood he didn't want to continue down the dark path they were on and she didn't mind, they didn't need to talk about it right then.

He pressed another kiss to her forehead before tying to stand up but she grabbed him again, pulling him down so she could give him a kiss on the mouth. "Now, Love, I told you I won't take advantage of inebriated women."

She let him go, shaking her head, her lips pressed together. "Since when?" He feigned innocence and she pushed him away.

"Good night, Gill. See ya in the morning." He replied, turning off the light before closing the door behind him.

AN: My fav part is between Gillian and Cal and the sweater...and before you second guess her ability to wipe her nose on her shirt, check out Delinquent in the kitchen. Never too old for a good bogey wipe :) Also not pronounced BOO-gie but Bow-gie...like in Harry Potter...that's how I pictured it anyway ;)