Okay. I'm trying this again. Site's been giving me a royal pain regarding this chapter. I apologize for the irritating game of 'now ya see it, now ya don't, now ya see it.' Arrgghh. ANYWAY, hopefully this will FINALLY work. Thanks for your patience and hope you enjoy.

Gillian helped clear the table but he waved her away when she began to rinse dishes.

"I'll do it later luv." He'd resolved himself to being honest with her but a part of him worried that the more he delayed it, the more likely he'd be to wriggle out of his promise. He grabbed what was left of the wine, his glass and gave a tiny head nod to indicate that she should go first. Cal was trying hard to be a gentleman, but being who he was, he couldn't keep his eyes from dropping to her backside once or twice.

She threw a glance at him over her shoulder and he just raised his brows innocently, despite the little smile and knowing look she wore.

Smoothing her dress over her hips, she kicked out of her heels and curled up in the corner of his leather sofa. Taking a sip from her glass, she watched him expectantly, not saying a word.

Cal lowered himself next to her, close enough to feel her warmth but not too much as to crowd her. "You're still gonna make me do this, yeah?"

"Of course. Fair is fair."

He grunted. "That's what I thought." Taking a sip from his own glass, he placed it on the coffee table before turning to face her. "I received a call a couple of days ago." The words were slightly rushed.

Gillian's face had grown still.

"The old man called me."

Her expression shifted from confusion to annoyance to anger. "Why the hell would he contact you?"

Nowhere in her face did he see any fear, or any indication that the news would affect her adversely. Cal gave a silent sigh of relief. "I've been askin' myself that a lot. Nearest I can figure…is that he's lookin' for some kind of closure or… forgiveness maybe."

Mouth opening slightly, her lip curled in derision. It wasn't an expression he was used to seeing on her. "Seriously. Forgiveness. After what he allowed to almost happen? That's rich."

"I know luv."

"What else did he say?" Anger still laced through her features.

"Eh." Cal gave a tiny shrug. "He tried to connect through the whole 'we're both fathers' kind of angle. Made me kind of ill but some part of me…"
"You feel bad for him." There was no question lurking in there anywhere.

"Just made me wonder what I would have done if I had had a kid born bad instead of the great one I've got."

The anger seeped away, slowly being replaced by a calm fortitude. "I can tell you what you wouldn't have done. You wouldn't have thrown money at the problem and cleaned up after it, sacrificing yourself and everyone else in the process."

"True. But it would have ripped me apart inside."

Gillian wasn't sure what to say to that. It was true. What was pissing her off currently was the appalling way Bainbridge was attempting to manipulate Cal. Ever the damned puppet master. It was a below the belt hit to bring Emily into the equation. Selfish son of a bitch. Cal was at his most vulnerable when it came to his daughter and Bainbridge knew it.

"Is there something else?" What was odd was that Cal seemed to believe that he was protecting her. She personally didn't give a rat's ass about the old man.

"Just a bit." He felt the tables turning again and wasn't sure how it happened exactly. Had he just been projecting? Had he been overestimating Gillian's response just to hide from his own tangle of emotions? Shit. What was this? A fucking carnival ride?

"Cal?" Her voice had gone gentle as she placed a hand on his arm.

"Um…a contact called me from county to let me know the old guy's on suicide watch." Cal felt unsure as to where he now stood and he really hated it.

Fury raged within her. He'd hit Cal where it hurt before drawing back and striking out again. Protective instincts flared and she had the strong urge to go down to the jail and confront Bainbridge. She wasn't much of a gambler but she'd bet almost anything that the man wouldn't take his own life.

Realization slowly dawned within him as he read into Gillian's reaction. The old man hadn't been looking for closure. He'd been looking for a bit of revenge. Cal looked up, meeting Gillian's eyes. "I got played." From a gut wrenching emotional perspective.

"Not for long."

He got to his feet, needing to move, his anger quiet and simmering.

"He took advantage Cal. You're still reeling from this as much as I am and he knew it. Any other time you would have seen it from a mile away."

"And idiot me actually felt a trifle sorry for him."

Standing, Gillian approached and caught his arm. He did a half turn to face her. "You have a lot of compassion Cal, especially when it comes to kids and depression. Bainbridge did his homework. He knew this about you and he used it."

He let out a gush of air feeling like a complete moron. "Doesn't stop the sting though."

Moving a tiny bit closer, she offered a conciliatory smile. "Even happens to the best."

"Best huh?" He shook his head. "And here I was worried about how this might effect you."

"The thought of him makes me angry but it doesn't do much more than that. Now Finn, on the other hand…" She stopped, chewing on the inside of her cheek as her brow furrowed. "Guess I don't need to go into that again. Slowly coming to terms with it."

"We're quite the team, yeah?"

Her smile flickered and came back. "Without a doubt."

They both inwardly acknowledged the ebb and flow of strength between the two of them. Had it always been this strong? Or had this experience honed it even more? It seemed oddly symbiotic.

Cal took a step and was now within her personal space. One hand dropped to her waist while the other reached up and brushed lightly down her cheek. "I never thanked you."

She blinked, her breath hitching at the light contact. "Um…for what?"

"Saving my life." His eyes were soft and earnest.

That fact had never even occurred to her. She did everything out of instinct. Trying to protect him was as natural as breathing. "I…couldn't let him…" Stopping, she chose not to continue. She was done reliving it.

"I know." Cal's voice was a whisper. He was so close. "I just needed to say it." His hand stayed on her cheek. "It's amazin'."

"What is?" Gill's own voice was barely more than a breath.

"How much I need you."

"You do huh?"

Cal smiled at the small innuendo in her voice. "And I don't mean in just a sexual way…although that would always be nice."

Normally she would have given him a light cuff for that but things had now changed. She needed him too. And not just in a sexual way either (although that would be way beyond nice).

The smell of his aftershave washed over her as his lips softly pressed to hers before retreating. She felt a pang of disappointment that quickly washed away as his accent lovingly wrapped around the words she never got tired of hearing. "I love you Gillian."

Now, where do we go from here? Seems like it might be a good ending point unless…? What would y'all like? ;-)