Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me or any of the characters in this story.
A continuation of the last chapter. Quite a bit more Emily for those of you who have said you like her, and plenty of Emily/Gill 'mother'-daughter stuff. The baby drama is going to continue in the next chapters, but for long-term I've also written some that see Cal and Gill go through some good times, too.
* * * * *
Emily brought her hand to her mouth the second she realised what she said, and Cal looked at Gill, wide-eyed and waiting to see what was going to happen. The elevator doors opened and he ushered Emily out, watching as Gill stared at her, her mouth open. She swallowed hard and Cal gently took her by the arm, leading her out of the elevator.
"Come on, love," he said gently. He'd deal with Emily later.
Gill was overwhelmed with emotion, and she didn't know whether the tears that were threatening to fall were the product of grief that she'd never have a daughter who could legitimately call her that, or elation that Emily felt like she was her other mother.
"Gill, I'm really sorry," Emily apologised sincerely. "I didn't mean to upset you, it just sort of came out... Dad told me not to push it and out it came anyway..."
Gill felt Cal's fingers link with her own, holding her hand as he lead her to their room. "It's okay, sweetie," she assured her softly, finding her voice. "I know you didn't mean any harm."
When they got into the room Emily wrapped her arms around Gill in a bone-crunching hug. "I didn't mean to make you cry," she said. "I'm so sorry, Gill."
"Em, it's alright," Gill tried to assure her, holding the girl close and closing her eyes. "I love you to bits. I've been called a lot worse things in my life than 'mum'."
Emily continued to hold onto Gillian, wanting to make sure she was alright before she let go. When she did she studied Gill's face carefully, in a way that was not entirely dissimilar to the way her father did. Apparently it was hereditary. She pressed a soft kiss to Gill's cheek and looked at her carefully again, hesitating before she leant in to whisper. "I love you, too. Sophie would have been a lucky little girl."
Cal could have strangled Emily when he heard the whispered mention of Sophie's name. When would she ever learn?!
Gill reacted quite differently to the way her future husband had anticipated, smiling through the tears. "Thank you, Emily. I'm glad you think so," she told her softly, smoothing Emily's hair back off her face. "I really tried, and if nothing else I know she would have been the most loved little girl in the world if I'd been lucky enough to keep her. I was very blessed to be her mother, even if it was only for a short time."
Gill's words made Emily start to cry, and Gillian laughed softly. "Come on, not you, too," she said gently, wiping a tear from Emily's cheek. "Your poor father. Look at the two of us."
Emily smiled, although still slightly teary, and hugged Gill again. "I think this calls for chocolate pudding."
Gill grinned. Now those were words she liked.
* * * * *
Later that night Gill and Emily were settling into their respective beds after having dinner with Cal. Things had settled down after their earlier problems and everyone had ended up enjoying themselves.
"Gill?" Emily said, propping her head up slightly on her arm.
"Yes, sweetie?" Gill asked, resting her head on her pillow and looking across the room at Cal's daughter.
"I don't want to upset you, but I really do wish I could call you Mum," she told her. "I know Mum would have a fit if she found out, but I think of you that way, you know. You've always been there for me- maybe even more than Mum. I can talk to you about stuff that I can't speak to her about and you always tell me the truth. I appreciate that."
Gill smiled. "It means a lot to me that you said that, Emily," she told her. "It's not your mum's fault. Our relationship is just... different. There are some things it's just hard for kids to talk to their parents about. I'm glad you feel like you can talk to me about them, though. I try to listen and be impartial. It's hard sometimes, though."
"You're good at it... And good at trying to talk some sense into Dad. He's so overprotective sometimes. I don't understand why he can't just trust me."
"His intentions are good," Gill assured Emily. "He wants you to be safe and happy, that's all. He sees things most people don't, and he does his best to let you have a 'normal' life and let you get away with things even when he knows you're not being completely truthful with him." They'd talked about it, and Cal was trying to accept that Emily's behaviour was just part of growing up and learning who she was.
"I know," Emily replied. "I don't think I ever had a chance of having a 'normal' upbringing, but I get that he tries. I know he loves me. I wish he knew he was a good Dad, though. It really upset me when he called the other morning."
"That was partially my fault," Gill admitted. "He took something I said the wrong way. I'd never call him a bad father."
"You guys seem like you're fighting a lot lately," Emily commented. "Are you going to be okay? You used to be really happy together."
Gill tucked her hair behind her ears. "I guess part of it's the wedding," she said. "It's stressful trying to make sure everything is arranged and going to go to plan. Apart from that we've just had a bit of a disagreement over something. I promise it's nothing to worry about, we're sorting it out." She hoped Emily would leave it at that.
Emily made a knowing little noise, like everything was falling into place. "I get it now," she told Gill.
"I'm not sure you do, but I really shouldn't be having this conversation with you, Em. It's something your Dad and I have to sort out on our own, and if the decision affects you then we can all talk about it together. I don't think he'd be very happy with me talking to you about it behind his back when we've both agreed not to bring it up again until after the honeymoon. It's not really fair, is it?" she asked.
"You always tell me the truth, though," Emily protested.
"And I will," Gill assured Emily. "When the time's right. Not now. I promise one day we'll sit down and I'll tell you everything."
"Okay," Emily agreed reluctantly. "But don't think I won't hold you to it. I always get it out of you eventually."
Gill laughed and smiled. "I guess it runs in the family," she commented.
Emily smiled back and rearranged her pillow. "Night, Gill. Love you," she told her, turning the bedside light off.
"I love you, too, Em," Gill replied, closing her eyes. Later that night, when she missed Cal and she couldn't sleep, she still had Emily's words to keep her warm.
