Disclaimer: I do not own Lie to Me, Cal Lightman, Gillian Foster or Alec Foster. If I did own Alec Foster, I 'd kick his sorry behind for doing what he did to Gill. That is all.
Gillian smiles as she sits down at her desk, picking a card off the flowers she's just received. Cal was so darn cute sometimes! The large bouquet of lilies on her desk were just delivered and Gillian is eager to see what Cal has written this time. She opens the envelope and takes the card out, preparing to read it. Her eyes widen, her jaw drops and her eyebrows raise slightly in surprise.
Gill,
Hope you're feeling better.
Alec.
She puzzles over it briefly. Alec sent her flowers? Alec sent her flowers. Normally she'd have thrown them out, but Alec's intentions seemed innocent enough. He wasn't asking for anything, and he wasn't being obnoxious, he was just making a gesture. Of course he still cared about her on some level, they had been married- happily, too- for a lot longer than she'd known Cal. They'd had a daughter together, albeit briefly, and shared part of their lives with each other.
"Alec, cut it out," Gillian laughed, bringing her shoulder up to her ear to block his attempts at kissing her neck. "I'm trying to work."
"I know what you're trying to do," Alec smiled. "And I'm trying to get you to relax. Come on, Gillian, you can't work all day every day, it's not healthy. You need to get away from the computer and socialize. With people. People like me. Remember me? Your loving boyfriend who's been waiting around your apartment all day in the hopes that I'll get even fifteen minutes of your attention?" he asked playfully.
Gillian sighed, turning away from the computer to face Alec. "If I keep taking breaks I'm never going to finish my PhD..."
"If you don't take a break you're going to burn out before you get a chance to finish your PhD. Come on, Gill, please?" he requested hopefully. "I know it's important, but you need this."
"Fine," she relented with a smile. "But only because you're adorable when you look hopeful like that."
Alec smiled back, kissing Gillian's cheek. "Come on," he said. "You need to get out of your room." He took her by the hand then and led her out into the living room of her apartment, which he'd obviously cleaned thoroughly- a task which, even though she was normally a neat freak, Gillian had neglected in favour of her research lately.
"You cleaned for me.." she commented happily, looking up at Alec.
"I did. I also did your ironing. And I cooked," he informed her, leading Gillian towards the tiny kitchen table. He'd found a clean table cloth and some candles, and there was a single red rose in a vase on the table.
"Oh, Alec..." Gillian gasped quietly. Granted, her apartment could probably safely be compared to a shoebox in size, but Alec's efforts to take care of details that were important to Gillian and that she had been unable to address really meant a lot to her. Then for him to go to the trouble of cooking and setting the table nicely... It wasn't a huge gesture, but it meant the world to her.
"Madame... Your table awaits," Alec told her, leading Gillian to the table then pulling her chair out for her. "Wine?" he offered, picking up a bottle. When she nodded and thanked him he poured them each a glass then walked over to remove dinner from the oven. He carefully plated their meals then walked back over to the table, setting Gillian's plate down first, then his own. He took a seat then, watching as Gillian's eyes lit up at the site of a salmon fillet on her plate, along with some fresh vegetables. Salmon was one of her favourites.
"Alec, you can't afford..."
"Gill, relax," Alec cut her off. "You deserve a treat." Between his student loan, car loan, rent and the miserable starting salary at his job Alec was far from wealthy. He got by, but only just, and Gillian knew that. She was in a similar situation, still studying and trying to work enough to keep a roof over her head and food on the table. They were both struggling now, but they knew in time that things would get better.
Gillian nodded and thanked Alec quietly and they both fell into easy conversation over dinner and a bottle of wine. When it came time for dessert Alec produced a chocolate cake from Gillian's favourite patisserie, and if she hadn't been impressed with his cleaning, ironing and cooking earlier, she was certainly happy with him now! When the meal was complete Alec insisted on clearing the plates while Gillian sat on the couch with the last of the wine. When he returned he seemed nervous, and Gillian tilted her head to the side, a concerned expression on her face. "Is everything alright, honey?" she asked.
"Everything's fine. Perfect," Alec said, sitting down next to her and discretely wiping his slightly-sweaty palms on his pants before taking one of Gill's hands in his. "Gillian... Gill... Since I met you my life has changed dramatically. I wake up every morning now and look forward to getting out of bed to face the day. Every time the phone rings I rush to answer it in case it's you. Sometimes I'll be in the middle of a conversation and space out with a goofy smile on my face because my mind has wandered to you. You're smart, funny, sweet, loving, gentle, intelligent, and the most amazing woman I have ever met."
Gillian's eyes were fixed on Alec. She was sure she knew what was coming, and her heart was racing. She hadn't been expecting this at all! Of course she loved him and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, but this was a complete surprise.
"I look at you, and I know that you're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I know I don't have much right now, but I promise you that I'll keep working to make sure you have everything you'll ever need, and as much of what you want as I can possibly afford. I just want to be with you, have a family with you, care for you..." he shifted nervously then and reached into his pocket, moving down off the couch and onto one knee. He pulled out a box then and opened it, revealing a ring. "Gill, will you make me the happiest man alive and be my wife?"
Of course, Gillian had said yes, and Alec had breathed a giant sigh of relief, slipping the ring onto her finger with still slightly shaky hands. They'd each called their parents to tell them the good news, then Gillian had kissed Alec, gazing into his eyes. "Would you like to stay tonight?" she offered. He'd slept at Gillian's a few times before, but that's all they'd done- slept. There was something in her voice, though, and the way that she was looking at him, and he knew that tonight was going to be different.
Gillian led Alec into her bedroom, closing the door and ignoring her computer completely. She kissed him softly and he held her in his arms, lifting a hand to brush her hair back off her face and cup her cheek. "Are you sure?" he asked gently as she started to undress him and Gillian nodded.
"I love you, and I want this. I'm ready," she assured him. They made love for the first time then, and Alec had held Gillian in his arms all night, talking and planning their future until she fell asleep and then watching over her while she dreamed of white flowing dresses, a house in the suburbs and two children with Alec's eyes and her nose. When she woke the next morning Alec was still there, and that's where he remained the entire weekend, her research completely forgotten.
Gillian's thoughts snap back to the present then, and she shakes her head, clearing it of the image. There's no harm in enjoying the flowers, is there? She sets them on the small coffee table in her office so she can see them while she's working, slipping the card into the top drawer of her desk before resuming her work.
Cal arrives a short time later, coffee in hand and a cocky swagger in his step. He falters as he enters her office, his eyes falling on the flowers. "...I didn't order you flowers, love," he informs Gillian honestly. He'd love to take the credit for it, but the truth was he was up to something else. Something bigger.
"I know," Gill says gently, standing up to kiss Cal softly on the lips. "They're from Alec."
Even before she's opened her mouth to reply Cal's studying her, and it's not her words that make him nervous, it's the slightly dreamy look in her eyes.