Gillian Foster was by no means unorganized. In fact, had you asked anyone what they thought of her many different answers would pop up; Beautiful, clever, a hopeless romantic maybe, but never unorganized. It's because she wasn't, she was meticulous about
everything having its place and staying there, and only one thing challenged that perfect order, so she drew a line. The line between her and Cal Lightman was constantly challenged, more by one party than the other. Gillian knew there would come a
point where the line she drew and tried so, so fucking hard to keep it bold, keep it seen would break away with the force of their relationship. She figured she could deal with it if, or rather when, it happened, but the responsibility of it was weighing
heavy on her, especially with being single for a couple months. Walking out of another financial meeting that Cal wasn't there to take a part of, she went to find him. Knocking on his office, then entering she didn't see what she expected. Instead
of Cal, she got a note on his desk.

Gill, I knew you would come looking to chew my ass after I didn't come to the meeting, but this bloke has a good excuse. The army came looking to me to tell if this American turned taliban guy is lying. I'll probably be on my way to the army base by the time you get this, but I've set up a live feed for you on your laptop and I'm wearing a wire so we can talk. I'll be heading to Afghanistan, but don't worry love, I'll be safe.

Xx

Cal

Gillian's head began to spin as she reached for her phone, hoping and praying to God that he hadn't left yet. He answered within the first ring.

"Hey Gillian you caught me just in time they're about to put me on the pl-" Cal started to say but got cut off.

"Cal I swear," Gillian said, her voice wavering a bit, letting the intense emotion she felt shine through just a touch. "I don't see why you have to go Cal, it's so much safer here." She finished, trying to stay strong but yet her emotions have been over
that line for way too long and she didn't want it to show, encouraging him.

"You're bloody scared, you are. There's something else deep in there." Cal said, reading her as her walls wavered. When he read her he concentrated harder than with anyone, emotion made her harder to read.

"Cal stop fucking reading me. Of course I'm scared for you I l-care about you very much, you're my best friend." Gillian said, correcting herself and turning herself away from the line she was about to jump right over with no care. She heard Cal sigh,
the mistake hadn't gone unnoticed.

"Darling, I'll be fine. Always am. Don't even worry your pretty little head off, I'll be back. I'd never leave you." The words came out of Cal's mouth before he could stop it. Gillian realized she was sitting in his desk chair, not even remembering sitting
down. Both Gillian and Cal knew what he'd meant by that, and both decided to not bring it up. The line grew thinner. They said their goodbyes, a lot of "be safes" from Gillian left Cal more eager to return home. Gillian found a suit jacket and ran
her hands over it. Her Cal-yes, at this point, she thought fuck the line, Her Cal was somewhere on a military airplane, headed straight into the middle of a war. Maybe that's what made her so shielded when it came to them being anything
more, the fact that Cal Lightman was such a fucking risk taker. She was the careful, responsible one and he was the wild, don't-think-of-the-consequences one. They kept each other in check, like light and dark in some instances. However, she also
knew that with 3 words in an instant he would be her rock, her grounding force. Everyone knew that Gillian Foster has Cal Lightman wrapped tight around her finger, and she would use that against him once in an odd while. She also knew that the same
three words from him would have the same effect on her and that she was wrapped equally as tight around his finger. She absent-mindedly ran her hands along his suit jacket, thinking of the man that was wearing it a few short hours ago, when she felt
a piece of paper.

P.S. please don't tell Emily, Gill. I don't want to worry her and I'm going to be back for the Christmas party. Thank you, love.

Gillian sighed, understanding what place it would put his daughter in. Gillian finally got up, suit jacket neatly folded over her arm, and walked into her office, putting on her wire and opening the live stream, shrugging the suit jacket over her shoulders
almost claiming herself by Cal for him.

"Hello, Cal are you there?" She tried to regain composure but she didn't want to play this game anymore. Whenever they broke their walls down, they read it in each other's eyes; pure unconditional love. Gillian was tired of these moments where they would
get so close to tackling the matter, but one would get scared and back off. Pretending that standing too close to each other wouldn't make each of their hearts beat a lot faster than it was meant to, or that a slight brush of skin against skin wouldn't
make them shudder from the electric touch. She wanted, desperately for one of them to make a move, something to happen because she would wait for him, but waiting was an old game. She just wanted her Cal to be undeniably her's and he wanted the same.

"Yeah I'm here, love," Was his simple reply, yet it was hard to keep the inexplicable joy out of his voice whenever she was involved in that moment. She also saw him smile. Obviously she was confused so he explained.

"It's a two way camera, darling." He said, smiling a genuine smile. She realized that she had his jacket on and laughed a bit too.

"I was cold." She replied. He nodded and they went on talking, both purposefully avoiding talking about danger and love, as those were the trigger topics for this situation. Soon Cal had to disconnect, but she agreed that she would watch and talk to him
whenever she could. Hell, if she didn't have time she would clear everything for him. Her safety, her real home was across the world in the middle of the war on terror and yet she still downed a sleeping pill to be more alert in the morning, when
she could talk to Cal again.

~ Time Skip to the next day at about 5:00 EST ~

Gillian watched as Cal interrogated the man, the passion lighted in his eyes as he slowly reeled out the truth. Right after the taliban gave Cal

what he needed, Gillian saw the ground shake and heard a muffled 'Boom'.

"Oh no Cal, oh no." Gillian said with a heavy weight on her words.

"Bombs." Cal said. One word that confirmed Gillian's worst fears, living without her Cal. Cal took this as an opportunity. "Listen, Gillian I have something that I need to tell you." Cal said through a breaking audio system. "I," was as far as he got
before the microphone gave out. Cal threw his wire on the floor, clearly frustrated, and instead looked at the camera. Very clearly mouthing the words 'I love you' before his camera died. Gillian sat still, in fear and surprise before forgetting everything,
and screaming. Ria was right near and ran into Gillian's office.

"Foster, oh my God what happened!" Ria yelled, running over to a broken down and crying Gillian.

"C-Cal." She said in between sobs.

"What about Lightman, he's just in Florida isn't he?" Ria said, clearly confused and worried.

"No he lied to you guys. He's in Afghanistan getting bombed." Gillian stated, heartbreaking with every word. She continued to cry into his Jacket. She always knew this was probably how it would end, him on some dangerous case that she begged him not to
go to, tragically ending like one of her romance novels. Shespent the next hour crying and trying to wave off Ria, but Ria was crying too and involved in this, albeit not as much for both aspects. Meanwhile, in the humvee that was taking Cal
Lightman out of the base and onto the plane, he was yelling for someone to call Gillian.

"Who's that? Your girlfriend or something?" The Captain asked, rifle in hand.

"Something of that sort, it doesn't matter though. How much longer until I can talk to her?" Cal said stressfully, as he has seen the expression on her face when the first bomb of many hit.

"Maybe thirty more minutes. Stay calm Lightman we're gonna get you back home." The Captain replied. Cal sighed, leaning back into his seat and waiting until he could talk to Gillian again.

"Maybe that bloody line is finally gone." He said quietly to himself. Gillian waited in Cal's office, bringing her laptop, her phone, and his jacket with her. She lay down on his couch, pulled a blanket over her, and stared at the wall. Eyes still watering
up from the pain and her whole body aching. She couldn't sleep, the blanket smelled like him, the jacket smelled like him, everything reminded her of him. Scotch and some cologne that he wore everyday that she couldn't identify, but just smelled like
home. She missed his hazel eyes, and how the flecks would seem to change color every day, like a kaleidoscope. He was all that was on her mind, and soon all she wished was that his arms were around her. He seemed to always be there for her, and now
he wasn't when she needed him most. She laughed a bit sadly, how unfair was it to put their respective spouses through the power that they had together. Alec and Zoe truly had no chance. Right as she lay her head back down, her cell phone rang and
she checked the caller ID; unknown number. She quickly answered it.

"Hello?" Gillian said sadly and with a sniffle.

"Hey, Love." Cal said quietly. Gillian shot straight up.

"Oh my God Cal, is that you?" She asked, tears coming to her eyes again.

"Yeah, it's me darling. I got our just before the whole place exploded." Cal replied with relief.

"You're a fucking bastard, making me worry like that." She said, angrily. "But also, I love you too, Cal." She said, wiping the happy tears from her face. She could basically hear the smile in his voice.

"I'll be back there in about 6 hours if the Captain's right, just in time to get a little sleep and head to the christmas party." Cal said, quietly and still in shock.

"Can I spend the night in your guest room Cal? I don't want to be alone." Gillian replied in the same tone.

"Of course, love." Cal said. They talked about everything, Gillian just beingoverjoyed to find out the unthinkable hadn't happened. After a long while, hearing a "Lightman we're about to land, phones off." Cal started to say his goodbyes.

"I'll see you soon." Gillian said, hanging up the phone and gathering her things. Everything spun around in Cal's head. The fact that Gillian Foster loved him almost flew over his head. And that's what he was thinking about, that she loved him that is,
when he stopped at the grocery store (since all the florists were closed at 11:00 at night) to get her a pink rose. He remembers her saying 'Pink makes me happy' and that was a good enough reason for him to make the trip. He opened the door, and saw
Gillian on his sofa, legs tucked beneath her, staring down at the ground. Within a fraction of a second, she bounced up and launched herself into his arms, which he welcomed as he wrapped tighter around her. He could feel his shirt getting slightly
damp on his shoulder.

"I thought that I would never see you again." Gillian said quietly, still hanging on for dear life.

"I'll always be here for you, Gill." Cal said, really thinking about his predicament. He knows that he's loved this girl in his arms since he walked into the pentagon eight and a half years ago, yeah? Why wait any longer to tell her face to face is the
only thing he can see that's completely unnecessary. "Gill, you know I mean it right? I love you." He added, he didn't want to wait any longer. Damn that bloody line, it doesn't matter anymore. Gillian raised her head off of his shoulder, and Cal
realized she was wearing one of his old Stones' t-shirts, and he smiled a real smile.

"God damn it Cal, I love you too." Gillian said, tear marks still streaking down her face. She looks down, but Cal tilts her chin up towards him because he wants to see her, the one girl that's the more beautiful right now than he's ever seen her. Not
because she had been crying, but because in these rare moments where they both have their walls down he gets to see the real her that he loves so much. And then he does it, he kisses her. It starts out slow, sensitive, romantic, and then she brings
her hand to his face to deepen it a bit. It's perfect, just the way that both of them have imagined it, and they fit together better than either of them have with anyone, like a puzzle. This is one of those moments with raw truth, nothing left to
hide, no secrets left to keep, just Cal and Gillian. And while Cal picks up Gillian, holding her in his arms and walking up the stairs, they both couldn't be happier. Nothing really needs to be said. Cal lays her down, on his bed, and then goes out
of the room for a second to change into some blue pinstriped pajama bottoms and an old t-shirt, and a real smile comes to Gillian's face too. They're both happy, and she's contemplating why she ever drew that line in the first place if it just kept
her from this. He came back and lay beside her, and she snuggles more into him because he's warm and welcoming and safe to her, like a home that stays with her wherever she goes.

"Get some sleep, love." Cal says, kissing Gillian's forehead and wrapping his arms around her, and they both go to sleep with a ghost of a smile etched into their faces. They both can't help but question why they both waited this long, but I guess it
doesn't matter now, all that matters is they have each other, forever and always.