Short Chapters I know. I am working on making them a little longer. I am not using a "time-line" here, even though it seems so. Just using some cases from episodes. Please continue reading.

Chapter 4

"Hey Honey." She said when she answered the call. "Uh... yeah I was just leaving... Okay. Yeah, no no... I...understand. Do you want me to...pick something up? Alright just let me know if you change your mind... okay." Gillian pushed the end call button on her cell and stood there looking at it, suspicious of what Alec had just told her. He explained he would be working late and had to cancel their dinner plans. Hearing a little guilt and anxiety in his voice, she began to doubt him. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she couldn't trust him completely like she had hoped to.

Cal had lingered in the hall after hearing her cell ring. He was worried about her. Eavesdropping was a fault of his but only with Gillian and especially when it was clear to him that something had been worrying her for the past few weeks. He had tried not to push her to open up to him but he had read it and she had been unable to hide it. He could see that she had tried to hide it. It was too easy to read her this time, she was so distracted by what was on her mind, she couldn't fool him.

Gillian walked out of her office and noticed Cal's office lights on, wondering if he had forgotten to switch them off. She walked into the room and saw Cal staring at his laptop.

"Cal, I thought you had gone already." She smiled and was a little happy that he hadn't left yet, since her plans had been canceled, she wasn't in any hurry to go home.

"Just finishing up, Love. I see you haven't left, what about your plans?" Watching her face to get a read on her, he waited for a response.

"Alec called and had to cancel dinner plans. He has to work late...says he'll make it up to me..." Her voice drifted off as she thought about what Alec might be doing instead of working. "Cal? Would you like to come over for dinner, I can make us some Chicken Alfredo?" Truth is, she didn't want to be alone right now.

"You sure about that, Love?"

"Of course." She said

"I'll be there in an hour, I have some last minute things to take care of." He starts picking up papers on his desk that were scattered in all directions.

"Great. See ya." She walks out of his office with a smile on her face.

Gillian sliced the chicken and dropped it into the hot skillet, then started on the pasta. She placed two salad bowls at the table with one extra, if by chance, Alec should come home early. She turned the chicken down, put the French bread in the oven and headed to the bedroom to change into a pair of comfortable blue jeans and one of her old t-shirts. After changing, she poured herself a glass of wine then heard Cal pull up outside. She stirred the pasta and looked at the sizzling chicken, it was ready, she set that aside then heard the front door open and slam shut rattling the pictures on the wall in the hallway.

Cal had never let himself in. He has a key, but that was for checking on the house while her and Alec where out of town. He had always knocked first. She turned the pasta off and walked toward the kitchen doorway with a questionable smile on her face. As she stepped in the hall, her smile faded. A familiar fear flooded her body. She could feel the heat rise to her head and her breathing quickened. Alec was staggering in the hall holding on to the wall for support. Gillian could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on him and she knew right then where he had been.

Gillian slowly walked up to him, taking a deep breath she made an effort to speak calmly. "Alec, are you okay?" She stopped in front of him and could see in his eyes that he wasn't just drunk, he was high again. His nose raw showing signs of the cocaine he had been snorting. He pushed himself off the wall and found his balance. Her eyes wide and showing fear.

"Alec." Her voice trembling as she spoke. "Please, tell me what happened? What caused you to go out drinking, among other things? I thought we were doing so well, getting control of the problem and working it out? I can tell, Alec, you've been using again." As soon as she finished asking him those questions, Alec took two steps toward her. His face inches from hers. Her eyes scanning over his face to read something. He was frightening her. There it was, she could see it all over his face. Contempt. Anger. She took a step back to put some space between them.

"Don't you fuckin' worry about what I've been doing. I work hard every day I think I'm allowed to have some fun whenever the hell I want to." His jaw tightened, his fingers slowly curling into his hands, forming fists. "I didn't get the damn promotion, son of a bitches through me under the train. I'm sick of my job, I'm sick of this house and I'm sick of you! Always on my fuckin' back constantly!" The rise of his voice sent shivers down Gillian's spine. She wasn't going to back down, she couldn't do this anymore.

"You lied to me! Alec, I've tried to help you. To support you, but no more!" Her voice became louder now as hurt and anger mingled together, taking over her body. "I'm leaving! I can't live like this! I don't want to be near you!" Just as she turned to go toward the bedroom, he grabbed her arm above her elbow and jerked her back . She spun around, taken by surprise.

"You're not going anywhere!" He spoke through clenched teeth.

"The hell I am!" she said, pulling her arm out of his hand and turning back toward the bedroom.

Alec took a step to get in front of her and blocked the hall so that she couldn't get past him. "Get out of the way Alec! Go back to your drugs and alcohol! We are through!" She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her shoulder and pushed her to where she was just arms length away from him. Before she could see it coming, he swung his fist toward her. It met her face with such force, it would have knocked her across the room if he hadn't been holding on to her t-shirt. She went limp, her shirt ripped at the collar and he grabbed her up by her arms, digging his fingers in her skin.

Gillian cried out in pain. "Alec please no! You promised! You...you said you'd never hit me again! Please don't!" She was crying as she stood there, held prisoner in his vice like grip. She was scared, shaking and dizzy.

Cal parked on the street outside Gillian's house. He had stopped and picked up some wine to go with the dinner she was making. He was a little excited being able to have dinner alone with her. He had went out with her and Alec several times, but only because she asked him to. He never really cared much for Alec. There had been something about Alec he just didn't like. And now that he knows what stress Gillian has been under, dealing with Alec's drug addiction, he felt bad about being right again. He thought that maybe Gillian would open up a little more than she had, but he definitely didn't want to push her. He cared deeply for her. Hell, he loved her, she is his best friend. They've been through a lot together. She is the only one he can talk to. He's told Gillian much more about his life, than he has ever told Zoe. Gillian was there for him when Zoe left him. Yes, he did love her.

Cal walked up the steps to the front door, about to press the door bell, when he heard shouting coming from inside the house.

"Gillian?" he called through the door. He listened for an answer, then heard her pleading and begging for it to stop. Cal turned the knob and shoved the door open. Dropping the wine to the floor, he ran to where Gillian was struggling to free herself from the grip Alec's hands had around her neck.

"Fucking bitch!" Alec yelled, raising his fist, Gillian braced for another impact.

With the screams and yelling going on, neither Alec or Gillian heard Cal come busting through the door. Cal grabbed Alec's fist while it was in mid swing. Alec, surprised, let loose of his other hand that was wrapped around Gillian's slender neck. She dropped to the floor limp as a rag doll.

Cal hit Alec with a right hook. "Fuckin' bastard!" he yelled as Alec fell to the floor with a loud thud. Cal grabbed the collar of Alec's shirt and pulled him from the floor enough for him to punch Alec again. "Don't you ever lay another fuckin' hand on her. You got that! I will fuckin' kill you if you touch her again! His fist met Alec's face again. "Fuckin' piece of shit!" Cal kicked Alec in the ribs as he lay motionless on the floor.

Cal turned and rushed to where Gillian was laying on the floor. His heart pounding, adrenaline coursing through his body. He fell to the floor at Gillian's side. Cal's heart ached. A lump formed in his throat. She had passed out. The pain was too unbearable for her, she had no strength, no courage left to mask the pain. She let it seize her body. Cal slipped his arm under her shoulders and slightly raised her head off the floor.

"Gillian...? Gill. Love...? Can you hear me? Wake up." He pushed the stray strands of hair away from her face and lightly stroked her cheek, opposite the one that had started turning a deep dark purple. He glanced behind him to make sure Alec was still laid out on the floor, then turned back to Gillian.

"Gill darlin'? Please hear me." He spoke softly running his fingers through her hair. "Gill? It's me, Cal. I'm right here with you, Love" Just then her eyes fluttered open. She slowly looked at Cal's face and started sobbing.

"We have to get you out of here. Do you think you can move, Love? I'll help you. Let's get to my car." He eased her up off the floor, helping her steady herself. He put his left arm around her lower back and gently placed his hand on her hip. He took his other hand and brought it across his torso to hold her right forearm. This way he could hold her in place against his body and she could put her weight on him.

"Is this okay? Can you make it to the car?" He asked with a caring and loving voice.

"I can make it. I'm just really lightheaded right now, but I can walk as long as you're holding on to me." She looked across the room and saw Alec on the floor. "Cal...wha...what happened? Is he...is he okay?"

"He's alive, and he's damn lucky of it." Cal said in a low angry tone.

"My head and face is throbbing Cal. I feel weak and I feel like I might vomit."

"Don't worry, Love. I'm not going to let you go." He promised. "I've got a bag in the car if you feel like you might get sick.".

They made their way to his car. He set her in the passenger seat and buckled her in, then closed the door. He went back to the house to grab Gillian's purse and keys that were laying on the hall table. Alec started moaning and moving around on the floor. He raised up and saw Cal.

"She's my wife, you know! She'll be back. She knows I need her. She'll always come back to me." Alec shouted toward Cal while rubbing the left side of his jaw.

"Over my bloody dead body." Cal looked at Alec, daring him. Challenging him to even come near Gillian again. Cal turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

'Poor Gill. Alec never deserved her. I am the one that loves her. The one that will protect her.' He thought to himself as he drove them to his house. Gillian had quieted down from sobbing moments earlier.

"I don't understand. What did I do? Why did he do this again? I thought things were going smoothly." Her voice cracked and her bottom lip trembled. Tears started streaming again. "He promised. He promised he wouldn't do this again. He promised me he wouldn't hit me again."

"What? He's hit you before?"

She nodded and looked down at her hands in her lap. "Yes." She whispered.

"Bloody hell Gill. When? Where? Why didn't you tell me? You should have said something to me. I could have..." He looked over at her and could see the shame. The guilt and the fear on her face. He decided to drop the conversation. "Alright, Love?" he asked, as he took her hand in his.

She nodded, "I'll be okay. Everything will be fine." He knew she was lying, but it wasn't the time to call her on it. He knows her too well. He knows how strong she pretends to be sometimes. He can see that her self esteem has been beaten down to almost nothing, and that she will have a hard time snapping back from this situation.

"This is not your fault, Gill. We'll have none of that now. You have done nothing but been a loving and caring wife to him. Okay, Love?" Gillian stayed quiet for the remainder of the ride.

Cal helped Gillian through his front door. This was one time that he was glad Emily was with her mum for the next few days. He helped Gillian over to the couch, pulled her legs up so she could stretch out and propped her head up on some fluffy pillows. He took her sneakers off she was wearing. He thought about how cute she always looked in an old t-shirt and jeans. Cal reached for a blanket on the back of the couch and covered her legs up to her waist with it.

"I'm going to get an ice pack to put on that sore cheek of yours. I'll be right back" Gillian's cheek had started swelling from just under her eye to her lower jaw. Excruciating pain was shooting through her head and her face was throbbing. She could feel the soreness in her upper arms and her neck felt too weak to hold her head up.

Cal returned with the ice pack. He brought some mild pain medicine and a glass of water to help with the pain and to help her sleep. He gently placed the ice pack on the swollen side of her face. Gillian flinched and hissed as the cold pack touched her face.

"Hold that right there, Love. Have a bit of this water and take these pills." He handed her the pain medicine and put the glass to her lips. She took a couple of sips before pulling her head back away from the glass.

"Thank you." she said and tried to clear her raw throat. The pain made it hard to swallow or talk. She thought maybe her throat was bruised on the inside, it felt constricted.

Cal sat on the coffee table close to the couch, watching over Gillian. Waiting for her to say something. Anything. She was staring at the ceiling. Her mind was in a far off place. He studied her eyes, and they seemed lifeless. No sparkle in them. No love. No happiness. Just there, gazing out into nothing.

"You want to talk about it, darlin'?" He asked as he brushed back her hair from her face with the tips of his fingers. She shook her head and tears started to flow then she closed her eyes tight as if to wish it all away. He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

"I'll find you something to eat to keep the pills from upsetting your stomach." He started toward the kitchen.

"No thank you. I don't think I can keep anything down." Her voice was almost a whisper.

"You have to eat something, anything. Glass of milk?" He asked.

"Do you have chocolate milk? Just a small glass, my throat is a little sore." Her face was starting to burn from the ice pack, she laid it on the table.

"That's my girl. Chocolate milk it is."

Cal mixed up some chocolate syrup and milk. He reached for his cell phone in his pocket and started texting.

'Need to talk. Come by house in 1 hr. Txt me when u get here. Meet me at back door.'

Cal put his cell back in his pocket. Gillian's eyes were closed when he made it back to the couch with the milk. He gently put the milk down on the table careful not to wake her.

"I'm not asleep." She said with a slight smile.

"Oh, good, cause you really need to drink this. The best chocolate milk, it is." He playfully grinned at her.

"Thank you." She was thankful that the milk went down smoothly. 'The medication must be kicking in' She thought, hoping it would soon take the pain away from her jaw.

"Good girl." He took the glass and went back into the kitchen. He took some deli meat from the fridge along with mayo and mustard. Grabbed some lettuce to make him a sandwich. He hadn't eaten anything either. His cell vibrated in his pocket.

'I'll be there.' The txt read. Cal closed his phone and put it away.

He built his sandwich in a sloppy way with mayo running out between the two slices of bread. Put the messy heap on a plate, grabbed a beer and went back to sit close to Gillian.

"Those pills I gave you should help you sleep." He started eating. While looking at her.

"You are so messy sometimes. You're like a little boy." Gillian said with just a little inflection in her voice. She was trying very hard to come back to her old self. It was making her tired. She was getting really relaxed and her eyelids were getting heavy.

"That's the best kind of sandwich, Love. Is a messy one." He said with his mouth full.

"Cal? What happened before you found me? I can remember Alec hitting me and then choking me... But I don't remember anything else." She looked at him. Pleading for answers. He could see that she needed to know. He just didn't know if it was the right time to tell her. Not before she would fall asleep.

"Please, Cal, tell me. I want to know." She reached over and put her hand on his knee. He looked down where her hand was and laid his plate, with a half eaten sandwich on it, down beside him on the table. He took a big swig of his beer to wash the food down.

Cal took her small frail hand in both of his then brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand ever so gently. He just sat there looking into her eyes and seeing how sad they were. He hated that Alec would take the gleam out of her eyes and replace it with fear and sadness.

'Bloody wanka.' He said under his breath.

"Alright, Love, I'll tell you." And so he explained everything that happened during the time she was passed out. When he finished he sat and watched to see what her reaction might be. She took it better than he thought, but that could be the pills effecting her. She seemed so relaxed now.

"Cal, I think I'm ready to get some sleep."

"To Emily's bedroom then?" He stood up preparing to help her from the couch.

"I don't want to be alone." She looked so frail and vulnerable as she spoke.

"I tell you what, Love, you can sleep in my bed. I'll stay with you. You alright with that?"

"I'd like that. At least until I fall asleep." Her smile was a little more real this time. He helped her up and walked with her to the bedroom.

"Can I borrow one of your old t-shirts to sleep in?" She asked.

"Sure, Love, anything you need just ask. I'm here for ya." He grabbed an old shirt and Gillian sat on the side of the bed.

"I need a moment, please" She asked as he was turning down the covers for her.

"Right. I will step outside the door. Tell me when your done." He left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Okay, Cal. I'm done." She put her head on the pillow and pulled the covers up to just under her chin. It made her feel safe.

Cal came in and laid down beside her propping his elbow on the bed and resting his head in his hand. He started running his fingers through Gillian's hair. Feeling how soft it is and thinking of how beautiful she is.

"That feels nice." She said sleepily. Cal just smiled and watched her fall into slumber.

"Goodnight, Gill, darlin." She was sleeping peacefully. He moved slowly out of bed and pulled the door to as he left the bedroom.

Cal cleaned up his messy sandwich and retrieved another beer from the fridge. His cell vibrated in his pocket.

'I'm here.' He put the phone back in his pocket and opened the back door.

"Perfect timing, Shazza." He stepped aside and detective Wallowski walked passed him into the kitchen.