As much as Gillian hated to tell Cal no, she couldn't go to Mexico. It was nearly impossible to take a foster child out of the country and he understood and took it perfectly. Lucy hugged and kissed him and Emily goodbye the night before, but was still a little put out. It was Cal that behaved like a child the next morning while Gillian tried to get him out the door of the office so he didn't miss his flight. Though, that was completely expected.

Lucy sat in Gillian's office drawing five days later. She didn't know why her mother was acting all flustered but she knew it wasn't a good thing. She didn't mind her mommy working late all week, mostly because she knew that she wouldn't do it unless she had to. But who she really hated was this Jack Rader character.

"Hi Lucy," he said to her as she continued her drawing. Though she was getting better at talking to people she was introduced to, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with this man that Gill tried to introduce her to several days before.

She hunkered down a little more to her paper, barely passing him a glare. To be honest, Gillian was surprised. Ignoring was something to expect, this attitude though. That was what was somewhat out of character for Lucy. She honestly thought there wasn't a mean bone in her body, but she really did not like Rader.

Still, after he blatantly taped an interview with a reporter against everyone's wishes, Gill didn't even scold her.

"Jack just wanted to say bye, Lucy," Gillian said from the door.

Originally, Rader's plan was to woo Gillian through his charm, intelligence, and ability with children. The third one failed so miserably he wasn't sure if he could recover from it.

Lucy glared at him. "Goodbye," she snapped harshly.

Gillian turned toward Rader with an are you finished now look. It was possible that he truly lost. No amount of wooing could turn a woman when her child was against him. He knew this, but he was not one to give up easily.

"Watch the interview, Gillian," he told her as he walked toward the door.

Lucy stood up and watched him through the glass. "Stay here, baby," Gill told her. "I'll be right back."

Gillian went out the door but headed in the other direction from Rader. This was excellent news for Lucy. Still, she watched him with hateful eyes as he offered Loker something. "Here's my card. In case you plan on making a life change."

Lucy's eyes narrowed as Loker took it, glancing down at it and then back up at Rader who was headed for the exit.

"Thanks man," he said shortly.

Lucy stormed out the door and over to Loker, crossing her arms like she had seen her mommy do when she was upset.

"He's not good," she told him insistently.

Loker gave her a sort of shrug. "Lucy, there's some things that little kids don't understand."

She glared at him with an intensity that surprised him. "I understand that he's bad. Mommy says that Cal doesn't like him."

Loker bent down to her level and flicked the card against her nose. "Lightman doesn't like a lot of people. That doesn't make them bad."

The little girl studied his face and for a moment he mused how much she really acted like Foster and Lightman. She cared a little too much about everyone and wanted to make sure everyone was happy, but at the same time, loyalty was key with her. She would do what she thought she had to for the end result.

"Cal does things for a reason," Lucy assured him.

Loker nearly laughed at her. "He does things cause he can."

Lucy stared at him and shook her head. "You know, I thought you were smart." Her little shoulders relaxed a little and suddenly Loker realized he was getting pitied by a six year old. She reached up and patted his arm. "I don't think I'm too little to understand. I think that you get mad when Cal bullies you. But Cal said that the bullies are the one that make us strong."

She shrugged again and moved back toward her mother's office. "Bet ya never thought about that," she sang tossing a smile over her shoulder.

It was like dealing with Foster, Lightman and Emily all rolled into a six year old body. But as Loker watched her walk away, he realized that sometimes people just can't be underestimated.

When Gillian arrived at work the next morning there were flowers waiting on her on the front desk. She smiled to herself as she reached for the card that stood out but it was snatched out of her hand before she could read it.

"Hey!" she squealed fighting for the card back when she turned around and realized it was Cal. "Hey!" Her tone was slightly different. Still accusing, but less surprised. They may have even been a greeting in there.

Cal had seen everything that happened in the office over the last week. He may have been in another country, but the security cameras were incredibly helpful. He was able to watch all of Rader's advances on Gillian, all the flirtatious looks they shared, but also his favorite ornery six year old put as much of a damper on the attempt of a flame as possible. Good girl.

Cal opened the card and read it aloud, skillfully keeping it out of her grasp. "'Don't hate me too much because I'm filled with admiration.'"

She finally got a grip on it and through her smile he could see that she enjoyed their own game. She reached for the vase.

"Who sent the flower then? Cause you know I'm the jealous type." He waggled his eyebrows for extra effect. He loved her smile. The beautiful way it lit up her face. It was almost a child like bliss that she had, a secret that she shared with absolutely nobody.

"Welcome home, Cal," she replied warmly instead. "Rumor has it that you never even left town. But that can't be true, because you look like a different man."

She picked up the flowers and carried them toward the break room. "I feel like a different man," he told her. Their game of teasing and flirting was far from over. "So no, a vacation is a wonderful thing. Six days of nothing."

She rolled her eyes and smiled, but she made sure he didn't see. Liar. "Well, I heard you were working on a case."

"Well, it barely qualifies as a case. I feel so relaxed that, um, I don't even care that Rader was here."

Gillian raised her eyebrow at him and laughed as she added water to the vase of roses. Lie number two. "Then Torres told you."

"Well, why would she?" All Gillian did was smile in reply, so Cal kept going. "So, uh, he sent you the flowers did he?"

She kept smiling. "Yep."

"Have you checked 'em for aphids?"

She laughed. "You would have been so proud of Lucy, Cal. I was almost wondering if you didn't train her with a photo and tell her to do her very best to act just like you when he showed up."

"That's my girl," Cal mused. "I'll take her for ice cream."

Gillian smiled at him. "Wanna make her really happy? Pick her up from school today. I was asked everyday when you were coming back. Soon wasn't soon enough."

There was an urge that to lean in and kiss her right then, but he resisted. "Dinner tonight?" he offered, somehow succeeding in keeping his voice even. "Emily will be back at Zoe's but it's Friday."

She placed the flowers on the corner of her desk and tilted her head at him. "You don't want to go home and rest?"

Cal shrugged. "Not particularly. Kinda miss the rugrat anyway."

"My place or yours?" she asked.

He gave her a cheeky smile. "Yours. I just got back. Don't think I have the energy for cookin."

Gillian rolled her eyes. "Alright. We can go get Lucy together at three and then we'll cut out early. No one will know."

He took a step toward her. For some reason he was really feeling like pushing the boundaries with her. Maybe it was the way that Rader tried to steal her away. It made him realize he had no real claims on her and maybe he did want that. Maybe he wanted to look Rader in the eye and say that Gillian was his. That he couldn't have her. He couldn't touch her or send her flowers. Truth be told, he was the jealous type and he hated when someone, especially Rader, moved in on what he wanted.

"Trying to get me alone, are you?" he teased.

She turned around to expect a smile but saw so much more. His pupils dilated, his body almost too close. It was sudden and shocking but it was… "Cal," she gasped by accident. His eyes were dark and she was suddenly feeling her heart pound in her chest. What just happened?

He could see her reaction and he realized he had gone too far. It wasn't fair to corner her in her office. Suddenly he took a step back and gave her a look that was completely unreadable. "Three. We'll leave at two forty-five."

She nodded, a bit dazed about what had nearly happened. He left without another word.

"Cal!" the little girl went sprinting toward him with her backpack bouncing wildly on her shoulders. "I missed you!"

She jumped into his arms and hugged him as tight as she could. "Umph. You're goin' to squeeze the air right outta me," Cal told her as he tapped his finger to his cheek for a kiss.

She happily obliged as Cal held her there on the courtyard. A little boy with bright red hair pointed at their little girl with her curly pigtails. "Ew! Lucy kissed a boy that wasn't her daddy!"

A little blonde girl crossed her arms and looked back at the boy. "How do you know, Josh?"

Cal immediately shot a hellish look at the little boy. That was Josh Mason. The boy that pushed Lucy on the playground and made her scrape her knees. The little boy that Lucy was suppose to stand up to.

"Cause Lucy doesn't have a daddy, duh!"

Gillian set her jaw but she was the very passive one. She was all for teaching her little girl how to ignore it and be the bigger person. Now Cal on the other hand was two seconds away from personally tearing the kid's head off, being six or not.

But then, Lucy surprised them all.

She let go of Cal's neck and landed with her feet firmly on the ground. "Josh Mason!" she snapped marching right up, nose to nose with the boy. Gillian watched, already prepared to pull the recently quick tempered six year old off of a smart mouthed kid. Cal on the other hand may let Lucy get in a few good hits before moving.

"You-you dirt eating, worm sucking, meany!" she snapped in his face. Her dark curly pigtails were bouncing as she shook her head. Cal glanced at Gillian who was also struggling to hide her grin. "You pick on me one more time and I will shove rocks up your nose and tell your mommy that you went into the girls' bathroom! I can kiss Cal on the cheek because I don't have a daddy but he's like one!"

She gave the boy a push backward and Gillian struggled with herself whether or not to stop her. "You tease me one more time and I'll-I'll-" Lucy crossed her arms and stomped her foot. Cal was not even hiding his grin anymore, he was highly amused and very proud. "I'll put bugs in your lunch box. Now stick that in your juice box and drink it!"

With that, Gillian made easy strides toward the huffy six year old. "Lucy, let's go."

She accepted her mother's hand and followed close to her toward the car.

"That's the little girl who's a foster child," a mother whispered to another.

"Ah, that explains a lot," the other replied. "She's the little girl that kept taking food out of the lunch boxes. Poor thing must have a house load of issues."

Gillian stopped dead in her tracks and turned slowly toward the women. Cal saw the raw rage flash through his friend's expression, but for good reason. Immediately Cal sprang into action.

He grabbed her free hand and pulled her toward the car as she glared at the women over her shoulder. They moved toward the car but as Gillian opened the door for Lucy she stopped and looked up at her. It was then that Gillian realized that she wasn't the only one who heard the other women's conversation.

Pain was written all over her face along with embarrassment and sadness. "Oh, sweetie," Gillian cooed, brushing Lucy's tears away and letting her move into a hug.

"Why do people always say that, Mommy?" she asked.

Gillian just kept hugging her and petting her curly hair. "People don't like what they don't understand. But I love you very much."

Cal watched as Gillian comforted the hurt girl and this may have been the moment he admitted to himself that he wanted her, in a way that wasn't just friendly or sexual, but he wanted her in the way he realized he never quite wanted Zoe. He wanted to stand next to her and raise Lucy as his own. He wanted Gillian by his side and he wanted to be at hers.

He loved her.

He loved them both. Gillian was the one.

Her big blue eyes glanced up at her over the top of the Prius and suddenly he wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her and kiss her then tell Lucy goodnight. Emily was just a beautiful addition to the picture.

"Luce," Cal said moving over to them and kneeling down to her level. "I think some chocolate pudding and your favorite Disney movie will make things a little better."

Lucy nodded as she clung onto Gillian's neck. "I'm glad I don't go to school tomorrow."

This made even Gill smile. "Tomorrow you're all mine! Just you and me!"

Lucy looked up at Cal. "And Cal?"

Gillian smiled and looked at him too. He gave her a nod. "And Cal," she confirmed.

With one last squeeze, Lucy moved out of Gillian's arms and climbed into the back seat. Cal climbed into the driver's seat and Gillian in the passenger seat. As they drove, Gillian felt the warmth of something on her hand. It was at that moment where she looked down at saw Cal's fingers intertwined with her own. For the first time she wasn't reluctant, but instead willing. The way they were together, the two of them or with Lucy, Gillian was beginning to realize that it was special. She didn't know what she wanted, but she did know that it involved him. She took a deep breath and ran her thumb over his fingers. He gave her a classic Cal smile. Oh well. They had all weekend to figure something out.

More to come! Sorry about the time between updates, I'm usually better but I've had a bit of writer's block lately. Please review! If you all have any ideas your welcome to leave them on a review or PM me. I can't promise I'll use them but I like the inspiration.