Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters in this story.

Wow, you guys have been great with your feedback! I've tried to write back to everyone to say thanks, and I apologise if I've missed you. These are coming to me pretty quickly at the moment, even if they're only short. Also, I edited this after I published it the first time- I realised I'd made a few tiny mistakes.

WARNING: Spoiler for 'Blinded' (Season 1 Episode 12)

* * * * *

Gill stared at Cal like he'd just slapped her in the face. His words had stung her enough that she almost wished he had.

"I...I..." she stammered. He'd never spoken to her like that. They'd argued in the past, but he'd never said anything that she thought might actually have been designed to hurt her. It was then she knew for sure that this was really going to be a problem for them.

"I'm sorry, love," Cal apologised, slouching even more than usual. He was genuinely remorseful. "That was uncalled for."

Gillian nodded slightly in acknowledgement, but kept her mouth closed. What could she say? She wasn't going to tell him it was alright. It wasn't. People say things they don't mean when they're upset, and they should be forgiven, but that doesn't mean their actions were acceptable.

"I think I'll go for a bit of a stroll," he told her quietly, carefully replacing the bandage on his arm before pulling the clean shirt on. He did his best to hide the wince when the gauze touched the tender skin there.

"What about dinner?" Gill asked. Food was the last thing on her mind at the moment, but she didn't want him to leave. She knew what Alec had gotten up to when he'd gone out like that, and while Cal wasn't a drug addict, he was enough of a bad boy to be able to get himself into some serious trouble... or at least blind drunk.

"Not hungry," Cal told her solemnly. "You right to get yourself room service or something? I don't want you on the streets by yourself at night."

"But it's alright for you to do it?" Gillian asked indignantly. Why did he always do that? There was such a double standard sometimes! They'd argued about it in the past, when she'd almost been abducted by Andrew Jenkins' copycat. Cal thought it was alright for him to be in dangerous situations, but as soon as the slightest hint of trouble came Gillian's way he freaked out.

Cal stopped and looked at her for a few seconds, biting his tongue and slowly counting down from ten to stop himself from retorting. They were both upset, and this could very easily escalate into an all-out fight. He refused to get into a shouting match with her- it would only end up hurting them both. He had to stop and remind himself that the reason he was upset was because he loved her and wanted to start a family with her. It was OK to be upset, or even angry, but he didn't want to hurt her.

He did up his buttons before he spoke. "You hit me for a six," Cal said. "I need to clear my head a bit."

'....Hit me for a six?' Gill thought, frowning. 'What are you talking about?' The cricket metaphor was lost on her, but the implied meaning was there- she'd caught Cal off guard with her stance on starting a family. She couldn't say she blamed him. In all the years they'd known each other the thing she'd wanted most was a child of her own. It hadn't been an easy decision for her to make, but at the end of the day she thought it was what was going to be best for her. And for Cal. "Promise me you'll be safe?" she requested softly. She knew arguing with him and trying to convince him to stay was pointless. The harder she fought, the more he'd push her away.

" 'Course I will," Cal assured her. "I'll be on my cell."

Gillian looked at him sadly then. He knew she only ever stopped there when she was really mad at him. There was meant to be a second half to that assurance when she offered it to him. He'd called her on it in the past, so it wasn't like it had gone unnoticed.

Cal chewed his bottom lip briefly, squinting slightly at her. He knew what she was expecting, and he couldn't bring himself to deny her. "I'll be on my cell," he repeated. "If you need me."

They weren't much, but Gill took some comfort in his borrowed words.