Cal paced as he waited. He flicked the electric kettle on and off four times. It was the longest ten minutes he'd ever experienced, and he'd had some pretty hair-raising experiences over the years. Eventually, after clicking the kettle a fifth time, he heard the knock on the door. He jogged to it. Gillian stood on the other side, jean clad with a sweater and long jacket. A pair of flip flops completed her look. He'd obviously caught her on laundry day.

"Hey, come in. You want tea?" He ushered her inside, shutting the door behind him and following her through to the kitchen. She leaned against the counter and he suddenly became aware of the fact that she hadn't said anything yet.

"Gill, I'm really sorry I dragged you over here but, she won't talk to me. Her mum's out of town. I didn't know what else to do." It scared him to think he could be so ineffective in a situation like this. He was never ineffective. Everything he did always resulted in some outcome.

"It's ok. I'm just a bit sleepy still. So what's going on?" Cal made tea and explained the situation to her. He told her about her coming home late, her apology for that fact, the fact that she and Rick had had a fight. Gillian said nothing as he spoke. She'd ask her questions at the end. Cal told her then about how she'd been when she got home, how she'd cocooned herself in her room, how she'd been doing something similar when he saw her standing on the stairs, and most of all, how she'd flinched and backed away from him when he tried to touch her. He shook his head as he finished, trying to think of anything else to tell her but there was nothing. He looked up at his business partner and best friend and tried to read her expression. It nearly broke his heart to see worry on her face. She looked at him, an unspoken thought passing between the two of them and Cal nodded his head.

"Yeah." Gillian bit her lip and reached for her tea, taking a sip of it, holding it between her hands like a comfort.

"Do you really think I should talk to her now?" Cal sat down in the chair next to hers, his body facing her.

"I think, if she's anything like her old man, it'll be best to strike while the iron is hot." Gillian nodded. She agreed. She'd seen it with him. He'd be willing to talk one minute but the next, that willingness would be gone. She took another sip of her tea and stood up.

"I'd tell you not to eavesdrop through the door but I know it wouldn't be worth my while." She gave him a brief smile and headed for the stairway. Cal took another sip of his tea before discarding it and following her.

OXOXOXO

Emily was wide awake when she heard the knock on the door. She neither moved nor spoke but couldn't help hiding a flash of relief when she saw Gillian come inside, closing the door firmly behind her. She offered herself a brief smile. That was Gillian's way of telling her dad to keep out of it.

The mattress dipped as Gillian sat into it, glancing at the girl who looked so small and young under the covers. She reached a hand out and laid it on Emily's arm. She didn't flinch this time, Gillian noticed.

"Hey." Gillian said softly. Emily didn't look up.

"Hi."

"So, your dad told me you had some trouble tonight. He said 'girl trouble', which I'm pretty sure isn't his area of expertise. You want to talk to me about it?" Emily bit her bottom lip and Gillian noticed her eyes welling up. Finally Emily nodded her head.

OXOXOXO

Cal's neck was craned to the edge of the doorway. He could just make out what was being said. He was dreading what was about to be said. He'd seen the look on Gillian's face as he told her the story. She had the look that echoed what he was thinking and, though he wasn't religious, he was praying to God that for once, both he and Gillian would be wrong.

OXOXOXO

Emily had sat up and was leaning against her head board, legs pulled up into herself, her arms wrapped around her knees. She took a deep breath and Gillian smiled kindly. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't gone into an area like child psychology but then she thought about the effect it would have on her own psyche and was glad she hadn't.

"Rick and I went to a concert. And after it, he wanted to go meet some of his friends. I told him I had to be home or my dad would kill me. But he didn't want to go…" Emily sniffed suddenly and Gillian nodded, recognising the need to coax the young girl.

"And what happened next?"

"We argued. Both said some pretty nasty things and he told me to walk home if it was so important that I get home on time. So I did." Gillian's eyes widened and she swallowed hard. She hadn't expected that.

OXOXOXO

On the other side of the door, Cal had been all but ready to drive to Rick's house and kill him. But his daughter's statement had stunned him as well. And filled him with an even worse sense of dread.

OXOXOXO

"I walked home and I was down by that Italian restaurant Dad and I eat in sometimes. You've been there too…" Gillian nodded. Rigoletto's. It was about half a kilometre from Cal's house. Quite the walk in the middle of the night for a seventeen year old.

"Anyway, there's a shortcut by that restaurant so I went that way, and…" Suddenly, Emily breathed in quickly, a sob threatening to escape her and Gillian felt the tears starting to well in her own eyes. She edged closer and took the young girl in her arms. But Emily backed away.

"I'm ok. If I don't tell you all this now I won't be able to." Gillian nodded and left her hand on the young girl's arm. Emily continued, "I'd just reached the end of the road, where the streetlights go really bright, when someone grabbed me. He punched me in the stomach and pushed me up against the wall. Then he, he, you know…he raped me." Her voice had become a whisper and Gillian had to take a deep breath to stop herself from breaking down. She wondered how Cal hadn't broken down the door by now.

"Did you see him?" she asked. It was the only thing she could think of. She was already thinking about how they could find this man and make him pay. She was pretty sure Cal would kill him. Emily nodded, Gillian couldn't help but notice how well she was keeping her calm. She was probably still in shock, she countered. Gillian finally allowed a tear to trail down her face as she pulled the girl into a bone crushing hug. She felt Emily's body convulse within hers and she knew now that the young girl had succumbed to her emotions. She let her cry in her arms because right now, she really didn't know what else she could possibly do.

OXOXOXO

Cal couldn't move. He stepped away from the door when he heard the sobs of his daughter. He was the one with shell shock now. He felt his legs buckle beneath him and next thing he knew he was on the floor, his back to the wall, his knees pulled up in front of him and all he could do was stare at the opposite wall. His lips parted, he shook his head and lowered it into his hands.

OXOXOXO

Ok, so dark content. Hopefully people don't find it too disturbing. Click review if you like, hate or whatever else.