Oh dear, remember me? I promised I would finish this story and low and behold, I finally cranked out another chapter. Only one more to go. Hope you enjoy this very LATE addition! Also, thanks to all of you that have kept this show alive for me with your amazing stories! I love them all!

Cal whistled to himself as he pulled into the driveway. He had had a very productive day at work. The final details for their departure had been put into place, the last puzzle piece finally fitting. Cal and Gillian had spent a frantic week trying to figure out just how to leave their company and not watch it go under from five thousand miles away. Cal had come to the conclusion, more so than ever that technology was wonderful. The tech guys had set up the system so that on the big cases, Cal and Gillian could observe and offer opinion via their computers. Loker and Torres would take much of the day to day responsibilities while Gillian had hired an accountant to come in and monitor the finances and payroll. Surprisingly, Cal had not found it difficult to hand some of his smaller clients over to his rival, Jack Rader. Just a month ago, the thought would have made him sick but now, with his perspective changed, little things like old rivalries didn't seem so important. With a little bit of luck, The Lightman Group, though slightly downscaled, would stay afloat.

Cal smiled when he saw Gillian's car in the driveway. She had put her townhouse up for sale and though it hadn't sold yet, nothing was left at her old residence. Some of her things had been put into storage and the rest had made its way over to Cal's house.

Despite increasingly rare moments of pain and the occasional nightmare, Gillian's recovery had been dramatic. He recalled watching her this morning as she and Emily made pancakes. The two were giggling as they mixed, poured, and cooked like a well oiled machine. Gillian was so graceful in the kitchen, dancing from cupboard to cupboard like she had lived in Cal's house her whole life. Cal was pleased to see that Gillian didn't register the slightest reaction when her tiny feet shuffled across that fateful spot on his tiled floor.

As Cal opened the front door, he immediately noticed the piles of perfectly organized boxes lining the front hallway. Gillian and Emily had been busy. Tomorrow, they would ship all of their essentials to California, leaving Cal's house filled with most of his furniture, awaiting their eventual return. It had been fun to watch some of Cal's items and some of Gillian's items share the same box. The two had spent many an evening trying to find the perfect furnished place for their temporary stay in the sunshine state. They had looked at many homes via the internet but Gillian had insisted that they could live in a hotel until they found just the right place in person.

The house was strangely quiet for the amount of work that had obviously gone on today. Cal could hear soft, muffled voices coming from the television in the den. He smiled as he poked his head around the corner to see Emily, sitting on one side of the couch, a sleeping Gillian resting her head in the teenager's lap. Emily was absent mindedly stroking Gillian's hair as she watched what was sure to be a chick flick. Glancing at his watch, Cal felt the slightest bit of alarm. It was only 8:30. Clearing his throat, he made his way over to the figures on the couch.

"She okay Em?" he asked, giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek and letting his hand rest on Gillian's forehead. It was a little warm but not alarmingly so.

"She's fine dad. We just overdid it, that's all."

Cal lifted Gillian's feet and sat on the other end of the couch, positioning her feet back onto his lap. "Ughhh, Steel Magnolias, really?" Cal rolled his eyes as he stared at the television.

Emily giggled. "Do you know that Gillian can quote this movie word for word? She's seen it like a hundred times!"

"Yeah, it's obviously so exciting." Cal grinned as he nodded in Gillian's direction. "A real snoozer."

"She was really into it for the first half but then she just nodded off. It's a great movie dad, you should stay and watch the rest. I can fill you in on what's happened so far!"

Cal snorted. "Thanks, but no thanks." He stared at the screen and started to massage Gillian's feet, instantly remembering a time in the hospital when he had done the same. How was it that something that had only happened a month ago could seem like such a distant memory? Perhaps it was because so much had happened in that past month. Life changing stuff, really.

"Em, why don't you turn it down for a minute so we can talk."

Emily gave her dad a suspicious look and reached for the remote, hitting the pause button. "What's up?"

"With all of the excitement over the last few weeks, I realized that I never properly asked you how you were feeling about my moving to California with you."

Emily gave him a puzzled look so he pushed on. "I mean, here you are, about to depart on your first real adventure alone, and you're old dad announces that he's coming with you. That's got to be a bit of a bummer, yeah?"

"Well now that you mention it, that does sound like a bit of a bummer." Emily gave him an exaggerated frown.

"I just want you to know that this decision to leave for California had nothing to do with me not trusting you or wanting to check up on you all the time."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Oh please dad, this is me you're talking to. I know what this is all about."

Cal accepted her challenge. "Ok smarty pants, what is this all about?"

"You want a fresh start...new surroundings with Gillian. Everywhere you go, you are reminded about what happened to us here. You want to get away from all of it. You want to feel safe and you want Gillian to feel safe and the only way to do that is to get as far away from here as you can. Am I right?"

Cal shook his head in wonder. "You're bloody amazin', you know that?"

"I know. So I'm right?"

"Mostly. But I want you to know that the fact that the job is in California was just a fluke. I happened to have a buddy that offered me a job there."

"So you're not going to drive up the Berkley every weekend to check up on me?"

Cal gave her a mischievous glare. "Maybe once a month?"

Emily genuinely smiled. "Deal...as long as you bring Gillian with you."

Cal found his gaze traveling to the glowing television. He smiled at the movie that his girls had been watching. Despite it's cheesiness, the film was strangely endearing. He even found himself wiping a tear away as he watched one of the main characters die at the end. How close he had come to experiencing the same.

"You've grown soft, dad." Emily was smiling at him, her face transformed from one of mocking to one of tenderness.

"Must be my old age." Cal cleared his throat and glanced at Gillian, surprised that she had slept through it all. "What did you do to her today Em?"

"She wanted to get it all done. I kept telling her to slow down but she wouldn't listen." Stretching, Emily slid out from under Gillian's head, gently resting it on a pillow. "Thanks for finishing the movie with me Dad, and thanks for the chat. Goodnight." Emily kissed her father's cheek and bounced down the hallway. Before leaving Cal's sight, she turned and as an afterthought said, "I'm really happy for both of you. And despite what you think, I am actually really glad you're coming to California with me."

"Night, Em." Cal watched his daughter's darkened form disappear up the stairs before glancing down at his partner, best friend, and now, lover. Sliding off the couch, he crept over to her head, planting a tender kiss on her nose. "Gil, love...time for bed, darling."

Gillian's eyes opened lazily, confusion and surprise passing across her face. She looked past him at the now darkened television. "Oh, I missed the movie," she said in a tired and slightly disappointed voice.

Cal chuckled and placed a hand on her head. "Don't worry love, you and I have a big drive ahead of us tomorrow and if you want, we can watch Steel Magnolias the whole way."