Zoe contemplated hitting the silence button and going back to sleep but if Cal was ringing her at one in the morning despite knowing she was out of town something had to be up. She pulled the phone to her ear and pressed the green button.

"Cal, it's 1am. This can't be good." She frowned when he didn't respond. "Cal? Cal, what's wrong?"

"You need to get the first flight you can back here." Zoe frowned and a feeling of primal fear ripped through her insides.

"Why? What's happened?" She was already swinging her legs out of the bed, switching on the bedside light as she did.

"It's Emily." The sentence made her want to throw up.

"What's happened?" Another silence. Another pause. Another agonising wait for information from a man usually so quick to tell her all her flaws and mistakes. Something was very wrong that it had silenced him. The choked voice that spoke next sounded so broken she couldn't believe it was her ex-husband's.

"She's been raped."

OXOXOXO

Gillian took the phone from Cal as finally he broke down. He collapsed into the armchair next to him and brought his hands to his face. Gillian watched his shoulders shaking and she put a hand on one of them as she raised the phone to her ear. Zoe was frantic on the other end of the line.

"Zoe?" Silence for a moment.

"Gillian? Where's he gone? Put him back on. What's happened?" Gillian took a look down at Cal and stepped away from him into the kitchen.

"He's…distraught. I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to…" She heard the violent intake of breath at the end of the line and prepared herself for an ear-wigging.

"I don't care who I talk to, just tell me what happened!" Gillian nodded to herself and began to fill Cal's ex-wife in on the details.

OXOXOXO

Cal had regained his composure when she returned to the sitting room, handing him the cordless. He took it and smiled at her, grateful.

"Thanks for that. Sorry I landed you in it." Gillian shook her head.

"It's ok. Anything I can do to help, you know that." He smiled at her as he stood up. He rubbed his hands over his face. Suddenly he felt very tired.

"What now?" he asked. He was glad Gillian was there. He could do with a psychologist's brain on this one. A proper psychologist that is. When he thought about it he realised he knew nothing whatsoever of what Emily was going through, he was just struggling with his own patriarchal guilt and anger. Gillian moved over to the couch. He followed her, crashing down beside her, unable to sit still but likewise unable to move from fatigue. He was drifting, somewhere in between the two.

"You should file a police report in the morning. Get a doctor's appointment. Organise a councillor. Maybe Ben can have a sketch artist work with Emily to try and get a decent likeness of the man that did it. I won't lie to you Cal, tomorrow's going to be really tough on you. Zoe'll be back and she'll be just as distraught as you. Emily's going to be coming around to the idea of what happened…" she trailed off when she saw Cal's face contorting into one of dread and torment. She reached across and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll be here. Right here the whole time, if you want me to be." He nodded his head both in understanding and as an answer to her offer. He not only needed her there, he wanted her there.

They sat in silence for a moment before Cal spoke.

"I don't know if I'm going to be able to do this Gill. I don't know if I'm going to be able to hold it all together…" Gillian felt her heart strings tugging. She edged closer to him and slipped her arms around him, letting his arm drape down around her shoulders. She kissed his forehead softly.

"I'm here. What do you need, Cal?" He pulled back from her slightly, his hand at the back of her head, twirling a lock of her hair around his finger absently.

"I need you to have time-travel abilities." Gillian chuckled at this and shook her head.

"Sorry Cal, still haven't mastered that one." He nodded, a think smile reaching his face but not his eyes.

"I need to sleep," he said finally. Gillian nodded and went to stand up but he caught her hand in his.

"Stay?" he asked but his eyes pleaded and she found herself nodding her head with no hesitation whatsoever.

"Sure." She pulled him to his feet and allowed him to lead the way.

OXOXOXO

Soon…things will start progressing plotwise. Hit that review button. I'm really nervous about writing this – never written this style before.