Paperclip

Disclaimer: I don't own Lie to Me or the characters. I don't plan on making any kind of profit from this story. Unless you count any reviews I might receive, because my reviewers are good as gold! (I'm so lame :D)

A/N: I was extremely bored today and just started writing this little piece of randomness. Soon enough, it actually started going somewhere, so I decided to post it. More chapters are coming eventually (I don't put soon because I refuse to lie to you; I'll try my hardest to make the time frame between chapters reasonable!)

Sunlight poured into Cal Lightman's office through the large windows behind his desk, basking the room in warmth and illuminating every inch. The cheerful setting contrasted the man's semi-annoyed face as he scanned the report before him. Gillian lounged in the chair across from him, enjoying a slushie she had picked up on the way to work. Every once in awhile, her amused blue eyes would flicker to her friend and she would contain her giggles at his foul mood. It must be Eli's paper.

As she sucked down the last of the icy drink, Gillian stood and deposited the empty cup in the trash can. Silently, she wandered over to the window and watched the traffic rush by in the streets below. Cal sighed from behind her, his chair protesting as he leaned back.

"How did Loker graduate from MIT with the grammatical prowess of a ten-year-old?" Cal's voice almost held a whining tone. He swiveled to face the woman behind him and folded his arms across his chest. He hated slow days. He'd rather be up to his neck in homicides and petty thefts than have absolutely nothing to do. He cursed his current position—stuck reading the case reports that should have been finished months ago.

The joyful smile his partner sent him would have made him scowl if it hadn't been so long since he'd seen it. How could she be so happy when he was in utter misery? Before she could speak, he swiveled back toward his desk in search of some ammunition for his claims. Her heels clicked softly as she came up behind him, reading over his shoulder.

"See, here." Cal held up the report, pointing toward the offending word. "Does he even know what 'galvanize' means? He's used it all wrong here."

"You're just bored." Gillian smiled, folding her arms across her friend's shoulders and leaning against him as she read. "You're blowing the smallest detail out of proportion to give yourself something to complain about. It's entertainment."

"Why do I even bother with you?" Cal muttered, seemingly unbothered by the fact that Gillian was leaning against him. He knew there was some comment on laziness or personal space in there, but he honestly couldn't care less. All of his rules became null and void when it came to Gillian Foster. It had always been that way.

"Because, Cal Lightman, I keep you sane."

"Do you?" Cal raised an eyebrow. "I know a few choice people who would say you're slipping at your job lately."

"Well, I keep you from running rampant through the streets of D.C." Gillian smirked, "And admit it—you like having me around."

"Ehh . . ." Cal produced a mock scowl of disgust, earning him a light-hearted slap on the cheek. His scowl slid into a grin. "Was that necessary?"

"It's always necessary," Gillian murmured, standing and moving back toward the windows. Cal waited a second before turning around, absently raising his hand and touching the spot where Gillian had swatted him. Fortunately, he caught himself with the same stupid grin on his face just before she turned around. Quickly enough, he morphed back into professional, no-nonsense Cal.

Gillian concealed her smile.

"Dammit . . ." Cal cursed softly, his professional façade slipping into that of defeat.

"You're so rarely happy, Cal. You're unprepared when it comes time to hide it." Gillian teased him, moving toward the doorway.

"Where are you going?"

"I've got a meeting . . ." Gillian's voice, an undertone of amusement included, faded as she shot Cal one last glance.

Cal's hand—which had been tapping a pen lightly against the desktop—stopped, and his hazel eyes fixed on the empty doorway as if waiting for something to pop out. A thought registered in his mind as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Hey! You don't have any meetings today!"

Gillian smiled as she heard her partner's voice down the hallway.

Ria Torres stopped, turning on her heel in the direction of her boss's office.

"Hey! You don't have any meetings today!"

One perfectly-manicured eyebrow rose as she continued on her journey to the analysis room where Eli Loker was currently spending his free time by looking over old tapes of politicians caught in a range of lies. She was feeling good today. The weather was absolutely beautiful and her car had actually started on the first go this morning. Not a huge accomplishment, but it had been a good omen for the rest of the day.

Ria grinned as Gillian passed her, catching the amused smile on the older woman's face. Three guesses she knew who it was Lightman had been yelling after. She wondered how there could be such a drastic contrast in Lightman's attitude around the other employees of the Group, and around Gillian. She figured it had, more or less, something to do with the history between them. Lightman had known Gillian the longest. Still, Ria couldn't help but want to know more about the dynamic that had the ability to turn Lightman from a hardass, down-to-business boss into a playful human being just with the presence of one woman.

Oh, for the kind of power Gillian Foster possessed . . . did she even know?

"Hey, what are you up to?"

The immediate presence snapped Ria from her thoughts and made her jump. Cursing the curly-haired man for sneaking up on her, she sent him a weak, meaningless glare that held no effect against the child-like man's wide grin.

"I was trying to find you," Ria almost growled, calming down. "But it seems you had other plans this morning. Like giving me a heart-attack."

"Sorry," Eli shrugged.

"You're not sorry." Ria mumbled, continuing toward the analysis room with Loker on her heels like a lost puppy. Eli shrugged once more. It didn't take a professional to know he felt no remorse whatsoever for the numerous little stunts he pulled around the building.

"Hey, you know where Lightman is?" Eli asked as they stopped before a door. Ria reached for the handle and stopped.

"He's not in his office?" She asked, puzzled. "I just heard him . . ."

"Nah, I just checked."

"Foster might know . . . if he's not already with her." Ria nodded her head in the direction of Gillian's office. "I think he's bored. Poor Foster, he'll be bugging her all day. I don't know how she stands to be around that man more than an hour."

"She's used to it," Eli grinned. "I'll catch you later."

Ria watched Eli disappear down the hall and around the corner, shaking her head in exasperation and slight adoration. You couldn't help but want to be around Loker when on a good day like today. He was like a cute little stuffed-animal you want to simultaneously squeeze and smother at the same time.

Ria opened the door and was immediately knocked to the floor, the building shaking as if being hit by an earthquake. Her files spilled from her arms and scattered across the tiles, her heart beating painfully fast against her chest.

"What the hell?" Her voice was lost in the piercing sound of the fire alarm blaring in the halls, and the shouts and screams of people just beyond the door.