Chapter 3! I love-love-love the reviews! Thank you so much and I hope you keep reading!

Three weeks had passed since Lucy crawled into Gillian's bed. It was the first day that really showed change in Lucy and now she was acting almost like a normal child. Emily had started stopping by Lucy's school on her way to the Lightman Group. As much as Gillian appreciated it, she almost worried that would eventually annoy the teenager who had a social life. She may have not minded even enjoyed doing it now, but sooner or later it was going to start seeming too much like a responsibility.

Still, Gillian was always sure to pass the girl at least a twenty on the last day of the week. It was there little secret since Cal insisted that Emily didn't need to be paid to help out because he never paid Gillian for helping out with Emily. He didn't quite see the difference.

Gillian had lost track of time dealing with a case involving a cult, not to mention remember that she did indeed break the law today and put her guardianship at risk if Loker decided to not help cover her ass (not to mention Cal was helping Zoe on a case and this always made for a bad week), so she was pleasantly surprised when Lucy came walking in and dropped her backpack next to her desk before throwing her arms around Gillian.

"Today was so much fun!" Lucy told her as she climbed into her guardian's lap. Her smile was impossibly large as she smiled real big up at her. Emily must have went ahead and headed home. "We painted in art class, and my teacher said I was really good, Mommy!"

Mommy.

Gillian caught it, but wasn't sure if Lucy did as she immediately kept going with her story. That was something that Gillian had never been called. Sophie was too young to even think about calling her that and… Well then again, Lucy may have not meant to say it. It may have just slipped out.

"… But when we had recess, I got the best swing! I did just like you told me, Mommy. I kicked really hard and I did it all by myself!"

There is was again. She had meant to say it. The girl had been with her for over a month now and she was really accepting the fact that she may never leave. She hoped she would be in Gillian's care forever. She wanted Gillian to be her Mommy.

"Oo! Oo! And look!" Lucy touched one of her front teeth with her tongue and wiggled it. "My tooth is loose! My tooth is loose!"

Gillian smiled at her. "Oh my goodness! That means the Tooth Fairy will have to come visit you!"

Lucy's eyes got real big. "Really? Emily said that she didn't lose her first tooth til she was seven! She made me feel better because everyone else in my class has lost one already."

As usual, Gillian's affection for Cal's daughter only increased as she beamed at the little girl in her school uniform. Then sudden the little girl looked a bit sad. "Will you promise not to get mad? I swear it was an accident."

Lucy slowly climbed off Gillian's lap and stood in front of her. She no longer moved more than arms distance away, sure the Gill would never hurt her like people have in the past. Still, she wouldn't quite look her in the eye.

Gillian leaned forward and lifted Lucy's chin with a soft finger. The big blue eyes the girl had looked nervous as she search the other woman's expression. "Honey, I won't be mad if it's an accident."

Still, Lucy hesitated before taking a step back and revealing her tights were torn at the knees and she had Band-Aids over both kneecaps. The one on the right knee was twice the size of the one on the left. "I was running and I fell… I'm sorry about my tights…"

Gillian frowned, but not because she was upset with the child but because it looked like it probably hurt. "I'm not worried about the tights. Do your knees still hurt?"

The little girl nodded sadly.

Gillian scooped up the child and gave her a big smile. "Then lets got get Cal's first aid kit and see if we can make them feel a little better."

Torres and Loker both watched as Gillian carried the little girl out of her office. She was so smiley when Lucy was around it was amazing. After the horrid day today had been, just seeing Lucy had completely turned her mood around.

The smile she wore didn't had hints of sadness or exhaustion from the rough week, it was just a blissful gleam that was almost contagious.

The first couple times Lucy came in, she stuck close to Gillian, eventually moving to wear she stuck just as closely to Cal. By the second week, she was running around passing on her giddy giggles and goofy grins to everyone. Heidi was the first to point out that she nearly had Gillian's personality. When someone looked sad, she saw it and wanted to help. When they were angry, she knew to refrain. All she wanted to do was help.

One time Loker had be particularly frustrated at Cal and Lucy placed one of Gillian's pudding cups on the side of his desk. He looked up at her and gave her funny look as she slowly pushed it toward him. Gillian had seen the interaction and was standing in the doorway watching as the girl tried to make a new friend.

Immediately Loker was sold and it wasn't because of the pudding cup.

Gillian let herself into Cal's office and set Lucy down on one of the chairs. Cal came in just as she was opening one of her desk drawers.

"Oi, I take no responsibility for any kinda magazines you find in there," he teased making her raise an eyebrow at him as she pulled out the white first aid kit. He then gave her a once over. "Who's hurt?"

Lucy raised her hand and Cal moved toward her, noticing the bandages on her knees. "I fell on the playground."

Cal gave her a look. That was a half lie. "Really?" he asked earning another look from Gillian. She walked around the desk and also studied Lucy's expression.

"Well… Actually Josh Mason knocked me down but it was an accident." There was a half shrug showing that she didn't believe it was an accident even if the boy had told her it was.

Cal frowned and took a seat next to Lucy on the couch as Gillian gently started to removed the bandages. "Do I need to come to the playground and tell this Josh Mason that no one messes with my Lucy?"

Lucy shook her head, her eyes wide in horror. "Oh no, Cal. No, no, no! They think I'm weird because I only gots a mommy, we can't let them know you talk funny!"

Despite the slight sadness in the first part of her sentence, the last bit had Gillian throwing a hand over her mouth to try and keep herself from outright laughing. She looked up at Cal who took feign offense to the statement before going back and taking care of her left knee. Her left knee there was only a couple scrapes, but she had a feeling that the right knee was not going to be pretty.

"Oi, I talk funny do I? How do I talk?"

Lucy scrunched her nose and thought for a moment. "You talk like Nigel Thornberry! Eliza's dad!"

And the laughter from Gillian started all over, this time twice as hard. After applying the antibiotic ointment, she placed a fresh bandage over her left knee and gently removed the one on her right. The blood had made the bandage stick to the wound and by the way Lucy flinched she knew this one was not going to be as easy to look past.

"Well," Cal went on, trying to distract her from the pain in her knee. "You may only have a mummy and a friend that talks like Nigel Thornberry, but I bet I can teach you how to make that boy stop being mean." Lucy opened her mouth but Cal held up a finger. "Even if he just did it on accident."

Lucy flinched against as Gillian applied ointment to the much larger gash across her knee. It was probably going to scar, but little girl got scars from play grounds. It would probably the only on that Gillian would be able to look at without getting ungodly angry.

"How?" she asked him, her eyes wide.

"First, you stand up," he jumped up and motioned for Lucy to do so when Gillian finally put on the new bandage. She jumped up next to him and mocked his stance. "We're gunna pretend that Gillian here is John Mason, alright?"

Lucy gave Gillian a look but then nodded at Cal. "His name is Josh though."

Cal waved her off as though his name was not important.

"Okay, you stand up and then you walk up to Josh Mason at recess." Cal took a few steps closer to Gillian as she watched him with unhidden humor. Lucy followed Cal up and stood nearby, watching as Cal gave Gillian a fake glare. "You look at him and you say," he glanced down at Lucy, "repeat after me al'ight?" Lucy nodded. "You say, 'Oi! Jonah Markson-'"

Lucy giggled. "Cal," she drug out. "His name is Josh Mason!"

He leaned down over her and poked her in the belly. "Are you going to repeat after me or what?"

She giggled again and nodded. Cal straightened up and looked back at Gillian who was now doing her very best not to completely lose it. Truthfully this was absolutely the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"Alright Luce, you say, 'Oi! Josh Mason!'"

Cal glanced down at Lucy who gave her best glare at the stand in bully. "Oi, Josh Mason!"

Gillian had to cover her mouth now. The little darling sounded like an angry British kid and it was so adorable it was painful. Cal gave the girl an approving nod before looking back at Gillian who he was nose to nose with.

" If you push me down, or tug on my ponytail, or tease me anymore…"

Lucy took her cue to repeat.

"I will tell my best friend Cal Lightman."

Lucy repeated again, smiling up at Cal this time.

"And he will make you wish you never stepped foot…"

Lucy repeated it again and tilted her head, anticipating more.

"On my playground!"

This time she stomped her foot for extra emphasis.

"Now stick that in your juice box and shove it!"

Gillian was now laughing so hard tears were welling in her eyes and her ribs were hurting as Cal grinned at Lucy. "I guarantee he will leave you alone!"

Lucy grinned and ran up to hug Cal. He lifted her into his arms and she looked back at Gillian. "I don't need a daddy when I got Cal, right Mommy? He'll teach me the stuff that daddies are supposed to teach right?"

The question left Gillian completely shocked. Yes, Cal had become a huge part of their lives, even larger than Gillian had expected, but it was turning out to be the best thing. She didn't quite know how to answer until Cal met her eyes. They were so gentle and fatherly. Lucy was becoming a second daughter to him.

"I think Cal wouldn't mind that, would you?" she smiled at him as he put Lucy on the ground.

"Hmm…" He squinted his eyes at the little girl. "I think we can work something out."

Lucy grinned but then spun around and looked at Gillian. "Mommy, can I show Ria and Eli how I'm gunna make Josh Mason stop being mean and show them my loose tooth?"

Gillian nodded. "When you come back we'll grab an after school snack, alright?"

She barely nodded before taking off to look for her two other friends in the building. She was a truly special kid. For a split second she wondered if Lucy would have looked at Alec the same way she looked at Cal, and she had a feeling that she wouldn't. Cal was definitely special, especially to them.

A hand was placed on Gillian's arm and she turned to see Cal smiling at her. "Thank you," she told him. "Six year old bullies, I'm not sure if I know how to handle those."

He laughed and they both sat down on the couch in his office. "Tell ya what. I'll take the bullies and you can take the conversation I have to have with Emily later." Gillian raised an eyebrow at him and he immediately groaned. "Fake ID's and birth control."

Suddenly she was glad Lucy was nine years younger than Emily, more time to prepare. "She's a good kid, Cal," Gillian reminded him. "She's just a teenager."

Cal studied her for a moment. "Were you having sex when you were her age."

Gillian hesitated but then opened her mouth to answer before Cal held up his hand and stood up. "Never mind, I don't want to know the answer to that, love."

"Cal…" It was no secret he was having problems adjusting to the fact his little girl was not so little anymore. The relationship he and Emily shared was the most important thing to him and he had to understand that just because she was a teenager didn't mean she wasn't still his little girl. She was changing, but she'd always need her father.

"I know. Don't say it," Cal groaned. Gillian stood and moved toward him.

They both took a deep breath. "Wanna do dinner tonight?" she offered. It was a Friday night routine lately and it seemed to do them all good after a hard week.

Cal nodded then took a deep breath. "Emily wants you and Lucy to come to Mexico with us next week," he tossed out trying to seem casual about the offer. "So, what do you say?"

Gillian didn't hide her surprise. "You want us to come along?"

Much to Gillian's pleasure, she caught the flustered look that ran through his face. "For Emily and Lucy. It would be.. nice to have you keep me from going insane. Teenagers. Huh."

Gillian nearly laughed. Cal was hard to read, but she knew him. There line had been danced upon was beginning to really get blurred. Now that Lucy was involved she almost didn't care as long as she didn't get hurt in the process.

"What about the group?" Gillian inquired.

Cal thought for a moment. "Your right. You take the girls, I'll stay."

She threw her head back and laughed at him. "Nice try. We're both going."

Lucy came running back into the room at that second held up three pudding cups. "Snack?"

Cal shook his head but accept the snack. "Good to see your passing on your habits, Foster."

She gave him a cheeky grin. "Better mine than yours."

Lucy just sat between them, happily eating her pudding as she kicked her feet. Blue eyes no longer wide with fear, but a childlike curiosity while her long curls were tied to into pig tails. She was happy and so sure she was going to be there forever. But as many know, sometimes destiny doesn't see things the same way.

Do you think I should keep this a happy go lucky story or would you like a little bit of a darkness thrown into the plot? I have a few plans but I don't want to kill the joy you all are expressing.