Gillian pushed the key for her office door into the lock and twisted it. The catch popped open satisfyingly and she pushed the door further open with a knee. Her grip was refocused on the files in her arm and as she started to feel them slip a little she hurried to her desk. She dropped them with a muffled thud and eased her purse off her shoulder, slinging it to the desktop as well. She went around the small space twisting the blinds open and deciding it was bright enough to not need the lights on. It was winter and the days were getting shorter but at least today, the sun was bright.

Gillian's first appointment was at ten. She had just dropped the boys off at their respective schools and headed back into town to her new office. She was kind of tucked back into a corner but it wasn't a big deal. She didn't care about prestige or building a career at this point in her life, only her reputation as a therapist, which was doing just fine. She worked with a married couple in the practice; Nigel she had gone to university with so long ago but his wife, Tania, Gillian was just getting to know. As far as she could tell, their marriage wasn't doing very well; she could hear them arguing through the wall. It made her think about Cal a lot and how good she had it, how good they had it; once upon a time it had been her and Alec.

Most of Gillian's clients were referrals from a GP or one of the hospitals. Between the three of them they split the patients. Gillian only worked two days a week there, Tuesday and Wednesday. She thought about taking it up to Thursday as well but that would probably require talking Cal in to it. The very first day she was gone Cal text her that morning to tell her he missed her. Not that he was trying to guilt her, he had given his blessing after all... but it was...

Shouting had Gillian hesitating half way across the room. This wasn't the same as Tania and Nigel fighting. This was... panicked and loud and male and that sounded like a gun shot. Heart pounding, Gillian went for her phone and then she went for the door. She could be overreacting. Surely there... no... No one would bring a gun into a therapist's office would they?

'Of course they freaking would,' Gillian corrected herself. People here were pissed off and were told things they didn't want to hear and were emotional enough to be considered unstable. She had had someone recommended for committal. She'd had a yelling match of her own with Nigel over some of their policies.

With her heart continuing to pound, Gillian cracked her door open. She could hardly see... She tilted her head to the side and yes, there it was a gun. She turned away, brought her phone up. Her hands were shaking and her throat dry and she had this insane desire to pee herself when she heard, "You! Come out here!"

Male, Gillian noted of the voice, and desperate. The threats were serious. She could hear his throat closing off in anger and she decided she didn't want to make him any more aggravated. If he had come in firing bullets he was going to be pretty prepared to keep on pulling that trigger. Even if he didn't intend to hurt someone, bullets could ricochet. People sometimes felt the need for heroics.

"I'm counting to three!"

She hit '1' and tossed her phone to the couch. She took a split second to gather herself before she reached for the door. It felt like a movie. In fact, she was pretty sure this had been in a movie, or a TV show she had seen. That didn't make her feel better as she walked out into the open.

PJ

Cal's phone rang while he was in the lab and he dug it out even as he was pointing out a few facial twitches for Joe to note down. He, Ria and Loker tended to take their own cases with an underling for back up and if they got stuck they would get together to bounce ideas off one another. "Hang on," he told Joe, one of the interns. "Yeah?" On the other end he could hear nothing, just a slight hissing. Cal pulled the phone from his ear and checked the screen. Gill's face was there, smiling at him, the call line was open. "Gill?" He heard something else in the background. Yelling, it sounded like; a guy yelling. Cal got up and headed for the lab door. It was too noisy in there. He could hear better in his office where it was quiet. He ran.

"Gill?" Cal tried again and he listened. He couldn't hear anything now but that didn't matter. It didn't sound like she had accidentally called him from her handbag. He couldn't hear anything. So that was weird. Incredibly weird and that would mean that... something was wrong. He left his phone on the desk top and dialled her work number from the little post-it attached to his computer screen. She had written the number down for him and stuck it there so he could find it and there was a little heart on there too and sometimes she could be so cute he would smile, even in the middle of a shitty day. The phone rang and rang and rang and rang and then the voicemail picked up. Cal hung it up and dialled Fox-Boycott. This number also rang for a while but it was picked up. "It's Gill," Cal started. "Somethin' weird is goin' on."

PJ

Gillian sat with her back against the curve of the receptionist's desk. The building was modern, warm woods and lots of light, and it reminded her of the Lightman Group. It was just up the road from where she was now. Lewis had joked she could make tin can walkie talkies and still talk to Dad. Nigel and Tania used to be in a different building further across town. When Gillian had got talking to Nigel again he mentioned they were looking to move somewhere bigger, to expand, and Gillian had expressed interest and here she was now, scared and sitting so still it hurt, because one of Nigel's patients had finally had enough. She was trying to stay out of it. The phone kept ringing which was only agitating Kevin further but Nigel was talking to him calmly, trying to work out something, a negotiation of some sort and Gillian was just trying to keep her head down and stay out of it. She would have got involved, she could see what was triggering anger on Kevin's face, what was triggering sadness; she had worked it out relatively quickly, she would have, but she was a mother and a wife and she was scared. She didn't want to speak up and get hurt because she had people to go home to. She had people relying on her to do the school run in the afternoon.

She would have gotten involved. She would have. But she didn't want to die.

PJ

"There's no answer," Aiden said as he hung up the phone.

"Of course there isn't. I've been ringin' for half an hour," Cal grumbled. He knew he should stop but he couldn't help but think maybe someone was going to pick up. The only proof Cal had for something even going on up there was the phone call from Gillian and the fact that all the blinds were closed in the offices up on the fourth floor. Both were rather flimsy evidence but Cal knew his wife and he knew there were routines and why would the blinds be closed in the middle of the day if everything was just fine? His gut told him there was something wrong.

He paced in front of the detective's unmarked police car. The sun had been out earlier in the morning but it seemed it didn't want to stay to play today and the wind was gusty cold. All Cal could think was that the weather was reiterating to him that there was something not right with Gillian, like it was a warning. It was stupid but it also felt ominous. Cal's cell phone battery had finally died so the link between their phones had been severed as well; now he didn't have ears in the building. Not that that had helped much, whatever was happening was too far away from him to pick up sound or anything else. But it had been comforting to know he couldn't hear anything disturbing.

"You need to get in there," Cal directed agitatedly, turning to confront his ally.

"I'll go up. What are the chances of me getting you to stay here?" Fox-Boycott pushed away from where he'd been leaning against the trunk.

"Zero to freakin' nothin'."

"Fine," Aiden almost sighed. "But you stay behind me and don't say a word and don't interfere."

"Fine," Cal glared but raised his hands in a sign of parley. Aiden held his gaze for a moment, to emphasise his instruction and Cal almost looked away first but then the detective strode for the building, calling in to dispatch that he was investigating suspicious activity and Cal follow rapidly behind him.

PJ

The knock at the door startled Gillian. Nigel was talking in circles getting nowhere and Kevin, his patient, was just getting more frustrated. As far as anyone could make out, Kevin didn't really know what he was doing there or what he wanted out of it; he was angry, he had a gun and probably what he wanted, but didn't really know, was to make someone else suffer more than him. Gillian didn't think it was wise to intervene and point that out either. She wondered what Cal would do if he were sitting here. Probably jump the guy and get himself shot in the process, but save the lives of the people he was with all the same. Gillian wasn't as brave as that. She didn't want to get hurt and she couldn't see past that for a solution either.
The knock at the door startled everyone else in the room too, Kevin, Nigel, Tania, Shelly, their receptionist, and Peter and Cameron, Gillian's and Tania's first appointments. The door wasn't locked and Gillian thought about telling Kevin to go do so, so that no one else would walk in, but honestly, she was starting to believe Kevin was not particularly listening to reason. He was here to hurt someone and was either deciding who, or was working up the nerve to do it. Cal would have told him to lock it. Actually, Cal would have got up and just locked the damn thing himself.

So, if the door wasn't locked why would somebody knock unless they suspected...

'Cal,' Gillian thought and she felt a little relief relax the tense muscles of her shoulders. She knew he'd figure it out. And with the blinds being closed in the middle of the day and no one was answering the phone. He had phenomenal instincts and they were rarely wrong. Hopefully, he brought someone with him though. Someone who could actually diffuse the situation. Someone who was allowed to fire a gun.

When there was no answer the door handle started to turn and Kevin grabbed Nigel by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up to his knees, the gun tucked in against his shoulder and neck. Gillian tense up again and Nigel's eyes met hers and she read apologies and fear. She wanted to tell him not to worry, her own personal knight in shining armour was here but Kevin was facing her and he might see some sort of exchange; it could set him over the edge.

"Stop right there!" Kevin called out but the bluster had excited his demeanour now. He was sweating and scared and still incredibly angry. But he was shaking; Gillian could see the gun quivering against her friend's neck. This was a man who was not in control and she had no idea how she was going to let whoever was on the other side of the door know that. Not with the gun so close to Nigel's artery.

The door popped open a crack and stopped. The entire room held their breath. Kevin turned towards the door, the gun drifting away a little; Nigel didn't relax though. Gillian saw Peter and Cameron exchange a glance and she turned to see them more fully. They were sitting beneath the windows, directly behind Kevin, no more than three meters away and they might make it across that distance before he could turn or pull the trigger but it was risky. She glared at them to stop it and shook her head. They looked away from each other a little ashamed and she might have found it amusing that her stern 'mother' glare could deter two grown men as well as her boys, if she didn't feel nauseated that was, then she might have told Cal about it later and they would laugh.

"Who's there!" Kevin called out.

"My name is Aiden."

'Oh thank god!'

"I'm going to come in."

"No you stay there!" Kevin tried authoritative as the door pushed open another foot. A hand appeared, open, non-threatening. Did Kevin not find it suspicious that Aiden knew some of what was going on in the room right now?

"I'm just here to help," Aiden went on, sliding his body into the room sideways. The expanse of his chest opened up the door further and Gillian caught a glimpse of light hair before it pulled back again. Not blonde or sandy or even grey; dark brown hair that was losing its colour: Cal. Her heart leapt to her throat.

Aiden appeared through the doorway and stood with his hands raised. Gillian couldn't see the holster where he kept his gun on his hip and maybe he had moved it to his back. It would be harder to draw from there, especially because his jacket would be in the way and she felt a little disappointed. But then she also knew if he'd come in with his gun visible Kevin would probably just shoot him on sight. "So tell me what's going on here," Aiden spoke softly, calmly; his face was stoic.

Kevin moved to stand between Aiden and the far wall, keeping his gun pointed at Nigel the entire time. Nigel sunk back to the carpet and kept still. The room was thick with fear. Aiden caught Gillian's eye and she showed him a quick softening of her features; she was all right and he looked away again without acknowledging. Once he had surveyed the room he was back to Kevin. "What's your name?" Aiden asked.

"Why do you need to know my name?" Kevin queried. "What's it to you? Are you a cop?"

"I'm a detective," Aiden admitted. "There was a robbery one floor down last night. I came up to ask some routine questions but I can see you're a little caught up here."

Kevin stared at him and even Gillian wondered if that was meant to be a joke. "You shouldn't have come in."

Gillian's attention strayed to the door. It was open enough for her to see into the corridor. The door opposite theirs was wide open and empty. They must have evacuated this floor. That made her feel better. She could see a shadow hovering and then she saw him. It was Cal. He had Aiden's radio in his hand and his eyes caught hers suddenly and heat flooded through her, relief and fear and arousal. He raised his eyebrows, bringing up a hand: you how?

Gillian glanced to Kevin but he wasn't looking at her, even if he was faced towards her slightly. She shifted her left hand to her side, so it was on the carpet, formed a fist and bobbed it up and down: yes.

Cal's next question was: where?

Gillian straightened her index finger to point. Cal nodded and stepped back, bringing the radio to his mouth. Gillian figured how this was working. She wondered if she was suddenly going to see the red laser light of a sniper on the roof, sighting on the target from across the road, but now, how could they shoot through the window if they couldn't see?

Cal appeared again and signed: more. Gillian nodded. There were more cops on their way, if they weren't here already. Then he asked: how many?

Gillian extended her fingers and brought her pinky down to rest against the tip of her thumb on the palm of her hand and then held it up a little so Cal could see, while she checked Kevin, to make sure Aiden still had him engaged. She wondered if this was the plan. For her to communicate with Cal silently, because they knew sign language, while Aiden kept Kevin distracted and then Cal could tell the others what was going on and then... what? It was a brilliant plan up to then. But what next?

Gillian waited until Cal was back and then curled her fingers up in a 'wh?' question, then she brought her left hand up to a right angle and dropped it suddenly: now.

Cal raised both hands, his right behind his left, and wiggled his fingers: wait.

Gillian leaned back against the desk and took a deep breath to try and steady her heart and stomach.

PJ

Cal was watching his wife who was now either ignoring him, or was exhausted, when the backup special weapons unit arrived. The only warning he got was the sound of a boot on the carpet right behind him. He turned startled and was signalled to remain quiet. Of course he fucking knew to be quiet. What did this wanker think he was doing standing in the fucking corridor like he was afraid even his breath could be heard?

"Ask your wife where the perp is now," the man whispered.

Cal leaned slightly towards the open door again so he was in Gillian's line of sight, and Tania sitting next to her, who was going to freaking give him away if she didn't quit staring in his direction. Cal signed two things rapidly, the first was 'now where he?' and then 'friend too much'. Gillian grasped at Tania's hand with her right, drawing the woman's attention away from him. She looked across the room and her left index finger straightened to point, before turning to Tania to give her a forced smile.

Cal pulled back. "The guy's in the same place," he whispered. "Against the wall here," he pointed to the wall in the corridor to indicate whereabouts in the room the man with the gun was standing.

"Does she know his name?"

"Gillian," Cal ground out evenly. "My wife's name is Gillian." He could only really see the squad leader's eyes. They were brown and they narrowed at him but Cal had never particularly cared about being on someone's good side. Cal turned back to the door. He waved his hand in a high arch to get her attention again and when Gillian turned her head casually once more, her eyes were pinned on his. She dropped them to see his fingers taping over each other and Cal waited while she painfully spelt it out the name with her awkward left hand. "Kevin," Cal finger-spelled back quickly and she nodded her hand: yes.

"It's Kevin," Cal whispered to the squad leader.

"Last name?"

"No," Cal shook his head. Gillian wouldn't know his last name. Even when the psychologists got together to talk about their most difficult cases they never mentioned last names. When Gillian came home and talked, she never mentioned names at all.

"All right," the special situations tactician backed further down the hall again, getting on his radio. Cal realised Aiden's had gone silent. He was out of the loop again.

PJ

Cal had been gone a while and Gillian wondered what was going on. He had signed 'S' 'W' 'A' 'T' to her which meant there were at least other cops there now with heavy guns and body armour but she wasn't sure that made her feel any better. Aiden and Kevin had fallen silent; Aiden had talked himself to death and got nowhere and that confirmed for Gillian that Kevin was no longer listening. He seemed increasingly unfocused and distracted and she wondered if Aiden was going to have a go at disarming him. The gun stayed trained on Nigel but it wavered and wandered as Kevin's concentration did. She knew something was going to give and it was going to be soon. And she suspected it would be Kevin; it seemed everyone was waiting on him to make a move. Or maybe that sniper was getting into place.

The room had only been silent for about a minute and then Cal was back. He caught Gillian's eye immediately; she kept looking for him while at the same time worrying she was going to alert Kevin. She hadn't been following his conversation with Aiden closely, but she knew Aiden had identified himself as a detective and surely Kevin could work out if he didn't call in soon, or return to his precinct, someone would come to look for him, drawing more unwanted attention.

Cal made a 'Y' hand and shoved it forward and down a bit. Then he pointed sharply to indicate the ground directly in front of her. Stay there. So it was happening now then. Gillian tensed up and gripped at Tania's arm. She turned to Gillian and then armed officers entered the room and a shot was fired. Gillian turned her head away and winced but didn't feel anything. She turned back to see Nigel slumped on the ground, a river of red blooming out across the cream carpet away from him. She crawled over and pulled him on to his back. His shirt was soaked too, by his side and his shirt was ripped. Gillian immediately pressed her hands over the wound; his blood was hot and it oozed up between her fingers.

Very quickly Tania was at her side and then she was aware that Cal was also there. The other police officers checked the rest of the rooms. Cal was trying to talk to her and Nigel was muttering something, Tania was crying and it all became a blur of noises and feelings and an overwhelming desire to stop her friend from bleeding.