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

I feel like the last chapter elicited a mixed response. This one might go over a bit better... maybe.

That night Cal left work with enough time to pick up the things he needed to make Gill dinner and stopped to buy a black forest cake for her to eat for desert- Emily would be over for a few hours the following afternoon to give Cal his birthday present, so she could help them eat the leftovers then, and they could always take some to work the next day to share with whoever felt like it. By the time Gillian got home at 7:55 Cal had the table set with a nice tablecloth and a bottle of red wine open and breathing.

"Cal! I'm home!" Gill called as she let herself in. "With five minutes to spare!" She knew it was a sign she'd been working too much when she actually felt proud of herself for being able to achieve such a generous deadline.

"In the kitchen, love!" Cal called back, taking the lasagne he'd made out of the oven and setting it on the counter to serve.

"Hey," Gill said gently as she entered the kitchen, walking over to give Cal a kiss hello. "That smells great, honey."

Cal dodged Gill's lips so she kissed the side of his mouth instead, making Gill frown. "Hi. Good timing, I just got dinner out of the oven," he told her.

"Is something wrong?" Gill asked, suddenly self-conscious. Cal had never really stopped her from kissing him on the lips before. She thought back over what she'd had to eat and drink and decided her breath didn't smell, and she'd looked in the mirror when she was putting lipstick on before she left the office, so she didn't have food in her teeth either. What could it be?

"No, why?" Cal asked, pouring Gill a glass of wine and handing it to her before half-filling his own glass with the dark burgundy liquid. He seemed to be keeping his distance, which only made Gill worry more. They were always close to each other, and it was very rare that one of them didn't touch the other periodically when they were near. They'd always been affectionate, even before they'd become a couple, and with the line between friends and lovers well and truly demolished their touchy-feely ways had only intensified.

"No reason, I guess," Gill replied quietly, sipping her wine and stomping on the thought that the head turn to avoid a kiss on the lips had been the first thing she'd noticed change when Alec was cheating on her. Cal was faithful. She knew that. He would never cheat on her. Ever. "Do I have time to go and get changed before we eat?" she asked. It would give her a chance to calm down so she wouldn't overreact, and if it was space from her that Cal wanted then it would satisfy that need, too.

"Yeah, I'll just serve this up," Cal agreed, turning his back on her as he started to cut the lasagne. No smile, no kiss, no little touch on the arm.

Gill felt a lump form in her throat. Why? He'd been so happy earlier. She couldn't possibly have done something wrong that afternoon, could she? She swallowed and took another few mouthfuls of wine, drinking it a lot faster than the usual slow, savouring sips she indulged in. If this was how tonight was going to go, she had a feeling she was going to need something to help her through. Leaving her glass behind she left the kitchen silently and walked upstairs to their bedroom, opening the closet. For the first time since their first few dates she had absolutely no idea what to wear around Cal. Should she try and make an effort, or would that be strange given his current attitude towards her? Then again, if she dressed too modestly or sloppily and the reason he didn't want to be near her was because he wasn't finding her attractive for some reason then that would backfire, too. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stared straight ahead. She did not like this at all.

Several minutes later Cal stepped into the bedroom, puzzled when he saw Gill sitting on the bed staring into space. "You alright?" he asked. "I called out a few times but you didn't respond." Why hadn't she gotten changed and come back down? She knew dinner was ready.

"Yeah, I just, umm..." Gill said softly, searching for an explanation. "I don't feel all that hungry."

"But I just came home and cooked you a nice dinner," Cal protested. "You're always hungry and lasagne's one of your favourites... Plus, I have black forest cake for dessert." Gill simply shrugged. "Christ, Gill, what's wrong?" Cal asked, suddenly very concerned. "I've never heard you turn down black forest cake. Should I call a doctor or something?" He wasn't trying to be funny, he was genuinely worried about her.

"I'm fine, Cal," she said softly, shaking her head. "I'm probably just over-tired from work. Maybe I should go to bed." So much for not overreacting.

"Can I make you some toast or something light?" Cal offered, his brow furrowed deeply. His wife was really acting out of sorts. Gill shook her head again. "Gillian." The use of her full name at home was foreign to Gill, and only served to make her worry more. "What's going on here? All I've seen since I walked into the room was fear, sadness and guilt."

"Cal, don't do that. Don't read me now," Gill instructed him, standing up and turning her back on him so he couldn't see her face.

"You always let me read you these days," Cal argued. "If you don't turn around I'm only going to try to pick it up in your posture. Tell me what it is. Is it work?" She didn't respond. "I haven't brought up kids, so it's not that... Is it a colleague?" Still no reaction. "Your mother?" Nothing. "Alec?" Gill tensed slightly. Cal hadn't really hit the nail on the head, but he was getting somewhat closer to home. "What's that bastard done this time?" he asked.

Gill sighed quietly and turned to face Cal. "It's nothing new," she told him.

"Something old, then." Cal had a talent for stating the obvious at times. "Clue me in?"

Gill opened her mouth to speak then closed it again, shaking her head.

"Come on, love," he encouraged. "Communication has to be a two-way street here. I want to help you, but if I don't know what's wrong I can't."

Gill pursed her lips and closed her eyes briefly, blinking away tears. If she wasn't so tired it probably wouldn't have bothered her as much. "You'll think I'm being stupid."

"No I won't," Cal argued.

Gill wasn't convinced, but she knew one of them had to give in. "When I tried to kiss you hello you turned your lips away," she told him quietly. "And then you didn't touch me and you were standing on the other side of the kitchen nowhere near me."

"That's what's got you all worked up?" Cal asked. "There's more to this, Gill, isn't there?" he asked. "No half-truths." Gill shook her head no. "Gill," Cal said patiently. "It doesn't matter what it is. You can tell me. I'm not going to get mad and I won't be upset or think you're being silly. If whatever it is was enough to get you upset, then it's important." Another head shake from Gill. "Please, love," he requested, walking over and wrapping his arms around her.

Gill closed her eyes and turned her face away. "I know you wouldn't do it." She told Cal.

He waited patiently for her to continue. She was being a little cryptic right now, and as good as he was at reading facial expressions, he still had to leave the mind-reading for the psychics. "Do what, darling?" he asked softly, brushing her hair back off her face.

Gill swallowed, trying to compose herself. "I... When Alec first started to... with other women, the first thing I noticed was when we weren't around other people he'd turn his face away so I couldn't kiss him on the lips."

Cal's heart sank. Of course it was something like that, he should have known. Even when he'd seen Gill and Alec kiss they were chaste, fleeting pecks on the lips, devoid of any real feeling from Alec, and certainly not as lingering as the ones Gill shared with him as a friend. "Gill, love, you know I wouldn't ever...."

Gill cut him off. "I know. I told you it was stupid. I couldn't help it, though. I thought I was alright with it, but I guess it's still in the back of my mind."

"I didn't mean to make you feel like that, love," he promised her. "You know I love you and I want you all the time. I've never been attracted to anyone like I am to you. It's not just physical, either. Don't get me wrong, that's great, but it's more than that."

"Why did you do it, then?" Gill asked. She felt like she deserved an explanation.

"I don't know.... I guess I was trying to keep you at arms' length."

Gill swallowed. That probably wasn't a good thing. "Physically or emotionally?" she asked.

"Emotionally... the physical stuff just seemed like a way to make it easier."

"Why?" It seemed like an obvious question to her. "Is this about the pamphlets you've been reading and whatever it is you've been looking up on your computer?"

"No," Cal told her. "I'd had a hard afternoon. I didn't want to talk about it." A simple explanation, but an honest one.

"Normally you touch me more when you're having problems. What's so bad that you wanted to shut me out that much? What couldn't you tell me?" Gill asked. She was confused and, frankly, a little scared.

"Please don't ask me to answer that, Gill," Cal said. His blood was boiling just at the thought of the way Loker had disrespected his wife. After everything Gill had done for him he couldn't believe he'd sink so low and reduce her to that. The younger man's comments had hit close to home for Cal. He'd always worried that he wasn't good enough for Gill, and that he'd end up sullying her in some way. It was like Loker's remarks had confirmed his suspicions. Nobody would ever have spoken about Gill like that before they got together. More than anything, Cal felt guilt and disgust. Guilty that he'd dragged her down to his level, and disgust that he'd been selfish enough to put her in that situation.

"Whatever it is, Cal, I don't want to be protected from it. I want you to tell me. It can't possibly be as bad as the scenarios you know I'll think up if I don't know."

Cal shifted. Gill had a point. He cleared his throat quietly. "I fired Loker today."

Gill laughed quietly. "Cal, come on. I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you." She kissed his chin. He was cute when he was trying to be funny, and she loved that he made her laugh.

"I'm not joking, Gill. I fired Loker. I told him he could stay until you finished working on the budgets, but only because we're short-handed. After that he's out."

"I... Cal, what happened? And how could you do that without running it by me first?" she asked, standing up straighter, a look of disbelief on her face. "We're meant to be partners. Equal partners. That means we make decisions together. You can't just go and fire Loker. Whether we're paying him or not, he's got the most experience out of any of our staff. You can't just kick that out the door."

"My decision is final," Cal said resolutely. "This isn't open for discussion. Please, just trust that I've made the right call and support me. No questions."

"No, Cal," Gill argued. "Whether I trust you and support you or not, I have a right to know what's going on. The fact we're married aside, I'm your business partner, and when you fire our most experienced employee you're affecting my business. Apart from the fact I've become quite attached to it, it's also what I base my professional reputation on, it's an investment in my future, an investment in Emily's future and my sole source of income. This is not a decision you can make without consulting me, or at the very least explaining your motives."

Cal grumbled. Gill was right- she normally was. He didn't want to tell her what Loker had said, though. He wanted to protect her. The truth or happiness- never both. "If I tell you will you not ask for details?"

"I think I deserve details."

"At least trust me that much," Cal requested. "Don't make me tell you exactly what he said."

"I'll think about it," Gill told him.

Cal sighed. Her stubbornness was infuriating sometimes. "After you called about the flowers this afternoon I went looking for Loker and I found him in one of the AV labs. He was making... inappropriate comments of a sexual nature in front of a female employee. Even if nobody decides to sue for sexual harassment, I can't have him making comments like that and making other employees uncomfortable."

"What did he say?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Who was he speaking to?" Gill pressed.

"It's not open for discussion."

"You didn't have to fire him, you could have taken disciplinary action."

"What disciplinary action?" Cal asked. "He's an unpaid intern, and he got that way because we had to take disciplinary action in the past. I've got nothing left to punish him with. His radical honesty's gone too bloody far yet again. He's a liability."

"I'll talk to him tomorrow," Gill said calmly, running her hand over Cal's chest.

"You will-bloody-not," Cal stated without hesitation.

Gill looked at Cal, shocked. "I beg your pardon?" Her tone conveyed a second message- 'how dare you tell me what I can and can't do!'

Cal withered slightly. He knew better than to lay down the law and tell Gill how she could behave. He just wanted to protect her. "I told him not to come back until Monday," Cal said. Good save.

"Then I'll talk to him then. We need him, Cal."

Cal furrowed his brow. "I'd prefer you just let it go and stayed away from him," he said. "I'm asking as your husband now, not as your business partner. Please, just stay away from Loker, Gill. Let it go. It's not worth it."

"Cal, you're not telling me the whole story. Loker's made inappropriate comments in the past and it's never bothered you before. Normally they're pretty tame. What's different about this time? Did he upset Torres?"

"He didn't upset her, but she wasn't happy about what he said..." Cal replied.

"So I should find out from Ria..."

Cal kicked himself mentally. He knew Gill would be able to get it out of her. While he was often quite obvious in his attempts to read his protégé Gill was stealthy. She approached in her normal sweet, friendly way, gently coaxing information out of you until she had what she wanted. She didn't need to act or to be obvious about it, people just naturally trusted and opened up to her. She was trustworthy and friendly, and people responded to that. "You're like a dog with a bone."

"So are you. Are you going to tell me, or am I going to hear it from Torres tomorrow at work?"

"She's managed to keep her mouth shut in the past. She's covered for Loker before."

"Neither of us actually believed her, though, Cal."

"I thought you did," Cal argued.

"I'm not stupid. I knew what was going on, and I could see Loker was on something to try and put it over me. Who was the one who came to you and told you I thought it was him?"

"First time you didn't cover for him, too," Cal commented. He remembered that day clearly.

"He didn't deserve for me to cover for him. I still think he did the wrong thing."

"I guess it's settled, then. We both agree Loker's a liability and he shouldn't come back," Cal replied, a feeble attempt to get Gill to agree with him.

"No, we disagree on that, and I'm still going to talk to Ria tomorrow unless you tell me tonight. I know there's more to this than you're letting on." She stopped and smiled at Cal innocently before her lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get that information out of you, Cal," she purred.

Cal was tempted. Very, very tempted. If he gave in to Gill's request, though, then he'd feel like he was confirming Loker's suspicions. Then again, if he turned her down he knew she'd start feeling insecure again. His mind ticked over the possibilities, running each scenario through his head before he made a decision and spoke. "Whatever it takes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Anything," Gill confirmed. It was obvious exactly what sort of 'anything' she was referring to.

"Good, I like the sound of that," Cal smiled, his hands running up her thighs to rest on her hips.

"I bet you do, handsome," Gill smiled, continuing to purr as she moved her whole body forward and brought her lips to Cal's. She brushed against them lightly, teasingly, before giving the bottom one a tiny lick and grinning seductively.

Cal closed his eyes and moaned quietly. Damn, she had to make this difficult, didn't she? He took a few deep, steadying breaths before he opened his eyes and grinned back at Gill, kissing her lightly on the lips.

Gill was loving this. She was using her sex appeal to exercise control over Cal, and he was lapping it up eagerly. "Tell me what you're thinking, Cal," she encouraged him. She could tell from the grin on his face that he was up to mischief.

Cal held her gaze as his right hand moved to her stomach, resting there. "That either you're going to look beautiful carrying my child, or I hope you've got a lot of ink left in your favourite pen. Those forms for the adoption agencies take a long time to fill out." He knew she'd say no, and that would get him out of having to tell her. He also knew he'd end up being in trouble for playing that card, but it was better than having to tell his wife that their co-worker now thought she did kinky things in bed to earn flowers from her husband.

Gill's grin disappeared. She let out a frustrated groan and fought the urge to slap Cal, walking away from him and plopping down on the bed unceremoniously. "You're incorrigible!" she told her husband, irritated. She couldn't believe he'd treat that as a joke, after all of the time she'd spent upset about it, and the disagreements they'd had.

"You said anything," Cal protested innocently.

Gill frowned. She had said anything. "I played right into that, didn't I?" she asked, sighing. She really couldn't blame her husband, even if she was still cranky with him.

Cal nodded. "Come on, love," he encouraged her, leaning over to press a lingering kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry. I promise I won't do that again. Really, though, you don't want to know what Loker said." It was clear that they'd both played their hands and Cal had won. "Take my word for it."