Cal stretched his back, leaning back in his chair so it tilted towards the window. He noticed for the first time the sun had gone completely and that he was desperate for the bathroom. He got to his feet quickly, feeling achy in the wrong places: his back from sitting for too long, his elbows and wrists from hovering over a keyboard for too long. He really needed to develop better computer habits, he mused while using the urinal. Like Foster. She always got up every twenty minutes; she could be quite obsessive about it. She even took regular breaks when they were holed up in the suite going through footage. Now that he thought about it, Cal wondered if she had left for the evening. She often came to say goodnight but he couldn't remember if she had. He had been a bit absorbed in his work; there was a good chance he had forgotten.
Cal dried his hands and moved back through the quite building. Clearly, everyone else had gone home. He even ducked his head into Loker's office to double check. The lights were on in Foster's office, but her computer was shut down and the room was empty. Maybe she had gone after all. He went back to his office. There was just one more thought he wanted to finish before he called it a night. As he crossed the threshold into his office he found Foster sitting on his couch, head turned towards the large windows behind his desk. She was staring absently at the dark night. Her purse was on the couch next to her, coat draped over the top of it.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
She looked up and smiled warmly. "Hey. Wondered if you were still here. I was just going."
"And got lost?" Cal sauntered into the room and stood opposite where she sat, keeping the table between them. He tilted his head to see her face. She had a little furrow of thought still between her eyebrows.
Gillian gave a wan smile. "It appears that way." She got up. "You got plans for tonight?"
Cal was a little bemused. "Not particularly."
She gave an amused smiled. "What does that mean?"
"I was gonna work."
"Have dinner with me."
"All right."
Probably agreed to that a little too eagerly.
"What's the occasion?" He asked crossing to his desk. He started saving his work.
"A friend can't take a friend out for dinner?"
"Are you buyin'?" Cal raised his eyebrows at her.
Gillian had approached his desk, hugging her coat in front of her body. She gave a little gleeful smile. "I might."
Cal set the computer to shut down and picked his phone up from the desk top. He slipped his coat over his shoulders as they headed down the hallway. Gillian drove, she picked the restaurant and the bottle of wine and after they had ordered their mains they made small talk. Cal, quite happy to make small talk with her on the best of occasions, got the impression there was something else going on with her. She wasn't quite as relaxed as she normally was.
The food was good, the company better and the evening a nice one. Gillian had dessert. Cal had coffee only. "I have to admit," Gillian started conversation again, making a pattern out of chocolate sauce on her plate with her fork. "I did have an ulterior motive in asking you to dinner."
"Oh yeah?" Cal asked feigning surprise.
She looked up at him and smiled slightly. A light pink colour rose in her cheeks. Cal was surprised by her embarrassment. "What did I do?" Cal asked neutrally.
"Nothing," she responded lightly.
"Did you bring me here to tell me we're about to go unda?"
"No. We're doing ok."
"So this is a personal thing?" Again, surprised, because she never talked to him about personal things. She was his best friend but he wasn't always so sure it went the other way.
"It is," she admitted easily enough. But she opened her mouth to say something else and hesitated for a second. "Not sure how to bring this up."
"Just throw it out there," Cal suggested. "I do it all the time." He brought his coffee to his lips. Gillian smiled, laughed lightly and seemed to relax. "Wait," he stopped her again. "You're not gonna tell me you're dyin' or somethin'?" He actually felt a tightening in his chest at the thought.
"No I'm not dying," Gillian assured him. "I wanted to ask you something."
"Not for a kidney or somethin' alone those lines? A node of my liva?"
Gillian laughed. "No, not for a kidney, or for your liver. God only knows what state its in." She laughed again and Cal gave her a mischievous grin.
"But somethin' personal," Cal pointed out, bringing her back to the subject. Bloody hell the suspense was killing him.
"If you let me ask it, then you'll know," Gillian admonished him lightly.
"All right sorry," Cal sipped more coffee. It was good and he was impressed. He was always impressed with Gillian's choices in restaurants.
"But it is asking you for something." She took a deep breath, geared herself up to say it and asked: "I was wondering if I could have your sperm."