Ohhhhh - Only four hours to go...A bit more of my take on Cal's youth here - just cos HOTFORTEACHER likes it...Enjoy

Disclaimer as norm…

FOSTER TAKES THE LEAD…

Unusually for him, Cal fell into a deep sleep almost immediately,

His dreams took him back….

LONDON 25plus Years Earlier…..

He watched her in the middle of the crowd, her head was held high and she was the centre of attention but, as always, as soon as she was able she slipped away and found a place on her own where, she just seemed to sit and watch them intently – As he now watched her from his secluded spot.

When she was alone and quiet she always appeared to be much older than her ten years. He had become a little fascinated by her.

Momentarily distracted by some chewing gum that was stuck on the side of his trainers, when he looked up again she was gone.

He scanned the playground trying to catch sight of her again – until her touch on his shoulder and her voice nearly made him jump out of his skin.

"Oi Lightman, why are you always watching me lately? You sum kind of weirdo perv or stalker?"

"I ain't been watching you an anyway, you sit and watch that lot don't cha"

Throwing her leg up she straddled the wall he was sitting on and sat directly in front of him, her blue eyes piercing into his.

"How do yer know I watch them if you haven't been watching me ay?"

"Me mates have told me"

"Liar!"

Cal's curiosity kicked in over his affront at her calling him out.

"'Ow do yer always know like that? you always know who fancies who, who was really off sick and who was just bumming off for the day – all that sort of fing – so 'ow do yer know"

"Just do….Like I know you wanna kiss me right now"

"GET OFF!... Bloody girls, that's all they fink about, kissing an all that crap – piss off"

She leaned back away from him threw her head back and laughed.

"I know I'm right Lightman, I always am! One day, when you grow a pair enuf to actually try – I might just let you"

With that she disappeared.

He was aware that he polled over in his sleep and was half woken by a warm body with blonde rat tails hair pressed up against him. His half asleep brain told him he should rouse himself and throw her out and back to her own bed – his bed – hers, for a while. He should have done but the familiar comfort of her allowed him to fall back to his dreams.

.

It was close to her 16th birthday and he had the perfect present.

Working odd jobs he had saved up, not wanting the surprise to be paid for by 'tainted' cash.

There had been many, many occasions that they had woken up in each others arms since that first time in Brighton, but rarely in a bed.

The back of a car she had broken into, a garden shed, stolen blankets and a dry part of an abandoned warehouse.

Once or twice a mate had let them use a room in their house if their parents were out for the night but they always had to rush to get out in the morning.

This time the bed would be clean and soft and all theirs because he had booked a room in the poshest hotel he could afford with his savings.

He knew he had fallen in love with her and as soon as she turned 16 he intended to ask her to get engaged.

CAL'S SPARE BEDROOM, EARLY HOURS OF THE MORNING….

He felt a long nailed finger poke him in the chest.

"Are you supposed to be cuddling me so tightly do you think? And as for your leg – well I'm not sure what that's doing at all!"

"For fucks sake Sammie, wot the bloody hell are you playin at?"

"It was my first night ever away from England – strange country, strange house, strange bed….I was homesick and lonely – so I thought I would creep into bed with a very strange man just to complete the set! It worked, I went out like a light"

Cal unwrapped the two of them and swung his legs over so that his was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to her.

Scrubbing his face he pushed himself up then swung round to look at his tormentor.

At least she was still weaning his t shirt, and he had chosen to sleep in a pair of joggers considering the circumstances.

"Keep this up Sammie an I'm gonna throw you right back in the laps of the Feds – they have to have sum sorta cell that you can't get out of"

"You always were a grumpy puss in the mornings"

"Yeah an your hair always resembled a haystack after a storm – sum fings never change that much do they luv"

"Ooooo – Bitch! I had better go and make some coffee before you say anymore things that you don't mean"

She bounded past him and headed to the kitchen. She just caught his yell,

"I did bloody mean it!"

xXx

He had finally got shot of her to two FBI babysitters for the day and was enjoying the peace that his office allowed him.

"Morning 'Calli boy'"

Gillian grinned as she walked in and took the chair across the desk from him.

"Watch it Foster, my fuse is already severely shortened"

She laughed at the scowl on his face and placed a coffee in front of him.

"So, did you manage to keep her in her room all night?"

Gillian tore the lid from the pudding she had brought with her and dipped the spoon in.

"Yes, err no…well she stayed in the house so lets be grateful for small mercies ai"

"Why the guilt Cal? ..Oh you didn't did you?"

"NO I bloody didn't…but…well, she was in my bed when I woke up this morning"

"Oh and you're going to try and convince me now that you didn't notice her crawling in with you, Cal you wake up if someone sneezes on the path outside!"

"Yeah well that's only coz it might be sum over eager lad who's decided to try and shin up the drain pipe to get in Em's room – and no I DID'T wake up actually Foster, and I'm not gonna let you wind me up cos I caught that smirk on you face a second ago"

His finger made little circles as it pointed towards her face.

Gillian managed to stop herself from laughing by pushing another spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

"I'm sorry Cal, but this is so rare! Samantha seems to run rings round you – I've never seen anyone that can control you so well – not even Zoe"

"It's a long con…I'm just…letting her think she has control"

"Liar!"

"See! – I've even got you fooled as well!"

"Cal, please…..the only person you're fooling is yourself, not me and certainly not Samantha. Face it Cal, you are never going to be able to interrogate her – I'm assuming that's what all this is about – you can't even read her properly at the moment. No, you are going to have to let me deal with Ms Samantha Fowles…