She blacked out the lights as they went but Gillian paused a moment before flipping the switch to extinguish the Christmas tree lights. It was gorgeous, easily 15 feet tall and the whole staff had had a blast decorating it. Except Cal. He'd hidden in his study with a sign taped to the door reading "Bah, Humbug!"

He was one step behind her and she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck. Part of her wanted to move away, the other part not so much. He was just trying to get a rise out of her and she didn't really want to give him the satisfaction. She decided to hold her ground. "It really is quite lovely."

"Quite lovely." His voice was low, accent like silk.

Maybe stepping away would be a good idea since she knew damned well he wasn't talking about the tree.

Fortunately there wasn't enough light for him to see her blush. Gillian found that she didn't move regardless. Didn't want to. "They did a great job."

Grunting, Cal stepped forward just enough to be standing abreast. "Where you headin' tonight?"

"Just a friend's party." She turned her head slightly to take in his profile. "Emily waiting for you?"

"Nah, she and her…boy…friend are heading over to Zoë's. Gonna be by tomorrow mornin' though." If it bothered him, he made no indication.

She felt a little pang. Alone on Christmas Eve. Maybe she should invite him along. Wait a minute. What was she thinking? Cal delighted in the art of alienation. She couldn't rely on his word that he'd be good.

Leaning past her, he hit the light switch and the tree went dark.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Cal gave her an odd look. "The holidays always annoy me. You know that."

"I guess."

"I always have a hard time stomaching all the hypocrisy. Good will toward men, yadda, yadda, and people are in fact nastier than any other time of the year. Talk to anyone in retail, they'll tell ya."

"Not everyone is like that."

Cal turned to her. He was very close and she forgot to breath for a moment. "No, not everyone. Not you."

They stared at one another for a beat before he moved away, toward the elevator. "But an exception to the rule you are."

"Careful Cal, your cynicism is showing."

He hit the down button before making a show of craning his neck to look at his butt. "Why are you even lookin' at my cynicism Foster?"

"You are incorrigible." Once again, she fought a smile.

His grin was a bit of a leer but she held her ground, watching him with cool eyes.

"Besides, Christmas isn't all sunshine and puppies."

"O-kay…?" Gillian had a feeling she was going to regret the question mark at the tail end of the word.

"Did you know that in Finnish mythology Santa started as something called 'Joulupukki?' Instead of giving gifts he would threaten kids. They had to be good or he'd eat 'em." Cal grinned again as Gillian frowned.

"Merry Christmas to you too Cal."

"Okay then. Um. In Iceland, goblins come about the last 12 or so days around Christmas to steal meat and cheese and play trick on humans."

"Where do you get this stuff?"

The elevator doors opened and Cal waved her in first before closely following. They smoothly slid shut behind them.

"How 'bout this? In 17th century Germany, Santa had a helper named Knecht Ruprecht. This guy would scare kids into being good or he'd threaten to put them in a bag and drop them in a river. Or Belsnickel, this creepy clown-like thing brought to Pennsylvania by Dutch immigrants. He was another Santa helper apparently."

"You are so Mr. Sunshine during this time of the year aren't you?"

"Let's see…in Austria and Switzerland, they have somethin' called the Krampus. It's this goat like thing with a really long tongue. Has a basket on him to carry away naughty children." He gave another cheeky grin.

Gillian rolled her eyes and allowed a little sigh. "I hope you didn't share these little stories with Emily when she was growing up."

He seemed appropriately horrified. "You really think I would do that?"

A simple shrug was his answer as she tried not to smile.

"You know how to hurt a guy."

There was a slow uplift of the eyebrows.

"Fine." He clenched his jaw in mock annoyance. "Actually a couple of years ago, she and I researched the dark side of Christmas." Pausing, his eyes slid to the side. "I think it may have been a shared effort."

"Apple doesn't fall far."

"Nope."

With a shudder the elevator came to a sudden stop. Gillian reached out with both hands, one grabbed the railing, the other, Cal's arm. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Huh. Well that can't be good." Nonplussed, he pushed the open button in case they'd stopped near a landing. Nothing. He then hit the emergency button.

"Wonder how long it'll be before someone comes around." She let go of him.

"Anxious to remove yourself from my company?"

She sighed again before lowering herself to the floor as gracefully as she could in professional attire. Her dress slid up showing a little more leg then usual. Cal stared before Gillian smoothed out her clothing. She shot him a dirty look but he just shrugged with a smirk and plopped down next to her without ceremony.

"It might be a long night luv."

"They do have emergency service."

"That they do but on Christmas Eve it's bound to be a skeleton crew."

"Shit."

"What was that darlin'? Didn't quite hear you." He moved closer, his head practically leaning against her shoulder. "Was that profanity assaulting my delicate ears?"

She gave him a shove, laughing despite herself. "Are you just going to annoy me all night?"

"If possible…unless you can think of somethin' else to do?" He wiggled an eyebrow.

"In your dreams."

"No comment."

They were quiet for several minutes before Cal started to hum.

She attempted to ignore him but he didn't stop. "What is that?"

"What?"

"The song you're humming."

"Little Green Bag."

Gillian stared at him.

"It's kind of…um…an older song." He looked away and found something interesting to look at on the other side of the elevator.

She knew he was smiling even if she couldn't see it. This was not good. They'd only been stuck for…she glanced at her watch…ten minutes. She felt herself deflate. It was going to be a LONG night. It was possible that one of them may not survive it. Most likely him.

Thirty seconds later, his right foot was fidgeting. It tapped a sporadic drum solo against the floor, the carpet muting but not completely absorbing.

Attempting to ignore him, she searched through her bag and pulled out a paperback that she'd been working on. The regret was almost instantaneous.

"Oi. What's this?" He craned his neck to look at the illustration on the front. A long-haired, well-muscled pirate was burying his face between the breasts of a scantily clad woman. "Careful there Foster, that kind of reading has been proven to lower IQ points."

"Shut up Cal."

He peeked over her shoulder to read some of the small type.

"Cal?"

"Hmmm?"

"Has anyone ever been beaten to death with a paperback before?"

"Dunno."

"Want to find out?"

He moved away, eyes glinting with mischief. His gaze stayed locked on her face though. The foot started to tap again.

Chloroform. If she only just had some Chloroform…

There was no way she could read while he stared at her. Lips thinning, she reluctantly put the book away.

"What else do you have in there? Any cards?"

"As if."

"Just askin'." He pulled one knee up and leaned his arm on it. "Was hopin' there'd be somethin' more with entertainment value."

"Do you always need to be entertained?"

"Usually."

A tiny sound of annoyance escaped her throat.

"Like it or not, I find you exceptionally entertaining."

"Not when I start hurting you."

"That's not very nice darlin'."

"It wasn't intended to be." She shifted away, looked at her watch again. Only 25 minutes had passed. Taking out her cell, she checked the bars in the off chance that there might be a signal. Nothing. After a moment's thought, she pulled out her checkbook to bring it up to date regarding several recent purchases. Fortunately she had squirreled away the receipts in her wallet.

He was now quiet behind her. A little too quiet.

Gillian wanted to look over her shoulder but was afraid to. One glance might open the floodgate.

Then he started singing.

Her immediate reaction was to ask him what he was on and to shut the hell up, but she stopped herself. He actually wasn't bad. It took her a moment to recognize the song before it popped into her head. Happy Christmas (War is Over) from John Lennon. Nice.

Returning her checkbook to her purse, she slowly turned back, only to find him leaning against the wall, eyes closed. It didn't even appear that he was going out of his way to annoy her this time. The notes were rich and pleasant as they vibrated out from his chest and she found her mouth sagging open slightly. He could still surprise her. Go figure.

Several moments later, he finished, cracking one eye open to find her staring, eyes large. Without missing a beat, he went into "Father Christmas" from the Kinks, going right to the chorus:

"Father Christmas, give us some money.

Don't mess around with those silly toys.

We'll beat you up if you don't hand it over

We want your bread so don't make us annoyed

Give all the toys to the little rich boys."

Cal stopped and grinned large. Gillian continued to just stare at him before her own smile overtook her and she started laughing. Her face reddened as her laughter kicked in in earnest, tears flooding her eyes. It was so ridiculous. All of it. Stuck in an elevator on Christmas Eve with one of the most infuriating but oddly endearing men she'd ever known. Her nose started to run and she knew she must be quite the sight but she couldn't help herself. Happily, she could hear his low chuckles joining her. At least they could be messy together.

Finally, wiping all semblance of fluid from her face, she was able to contain herself. She opened her eyes to find him watching her with such a soft expression that she found that it took even more time to catch her breath.

"Now you've done it." His voice was gentle but teasing.

Gillian sniffled. "What did I do?"

"You look like Rudolph now."

She took a wild swing at him before starting to giggle again. Cal easily caught her hand in his. He held it against his chest as her giggles slowed to a couple of hiccups and a frown. "Can I have my hand back?"

Nodding, he pressed his lips against her knuckles first. "Of course."

Gillian felt her heart rate increase with the simple gesture. "What...are you doing?" Her voice was just above a whisper.

"Nothing luv." He smiled at her again. "Good to know that I'm still not predictable after all this time."

"Um, no, I can't say I saw all that coming."

"There's also somethin' else."

The frown was back but it wasn't one of displeasure, only of puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

"See, I didn't know if I'd see you again until after the holiday, so I kind of came prepared today."

She just looked at him, warmth building in her chest before rising onto her face.

His hazel eyes took in her blush with loving amusement before reaching into the inner pocket of his jacket and pulling out a small wrapped box. "I hope it's not too much but I wanted to let you know how much you mean to me, even when I'm being a royal plonker." Cal held it out to her.

With just a tiny bit of hesitation, she took it from him and slowly unwrapped it. The paper fell away quickly to reveal a brown felt covered box. With trembling fingers, she pulled it open. Diamond and Sapphire drop earrings met her gaze. They were small, elegant, slightly old-fashioned and positively beautiful. "Oh my God, Cal."

"Do you like 'em?"

She looked up, meeting his eyes. Tears were forming once again. "Are you sure? It seems…a lot."

"I wouldn't do it if I wasn't."

That much was true.

"They're…gorgeous."

Cal's smile had become a little nervous but now he beamed at her. "Really? You like 'em?"

In answer, she threw her arms around him, holding tight. "Really. I love them. Thank you." She moved away slightly, fear and concern crossing her face. "But I don't have your gift with me."

"It's okay. I've enjoyed this evening quite a lot actually." The smile had left his mouth but settled in and around his eyes. It was one of her favorite expressions. She could stare at him all day when he did that.

"Have you?" She still had her arms around his neck, felt box clasped in one hand, their faces merely inches apart.

"Uh huh." One of his hands had found its way to the small of her back. "Hope I didn't annoy you too much."

"No, you…well, yeah, actually you did but I think I forgive you."

"You think?"

Somehow they'd moved a little closer to one another. She didn't remember doing it but his eyes definitely were nearer, beckoning to her. Two of her fingers lightly sifted through the hair just above the nape of his neck as she felt the hand at her back attempt to bring her a little closer. His eyes briefly dropped to her lips before bouncing back and she found herself inadvertently doing the same. They looked so soft and inviting.

The elevator whirred to life and they both jumped, pulling away almost guiltily. They looked up as the floors quickly ticked away before the doors slid open on the parking level.

Cal leapt to his feet before offering Gillian his hand to help her up. "Looks like you'll be able to get to your friend's after all."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

They walked together toward her car and he waited while she unlocked it and opened the door. He then gave a nod. "Merry Christmas darlin'. I'll see you in a couple of days." Leaning forward, he went to kiss her at the side of the mouth. Something they'd done for years.

Gillian moved toward him to receive and return it but whether it was a misjudgment on both their parts or just serendipity, the kiss landed gently on the lips. They pulled back as if shocked before smiling dopily at one another.

"Could that be my Christmas gift?" He seemed hopeful.

"I don't consider that a proper gift." She stepped toward him, cradled his face with both hands and kissed him again, sweetly. "There. That's better. Merry Christmas Cal." Gillian climbed into her car while he stared slack jawed. Pausing, she looked up at him. "Hey."

"Hmmm?"

"You want to come with me?"

"Will there be boring people there?"

Uh oh. "Probably."

"Well then you're gonna need me aren't ya?"

Open mouth. Insert foot. She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second. "How about this? You and I hang out, bring in food and watch "It's a Wonderful Life."

"Now you're talkin'." He grinned boyishly. "My place or yours?"

"Mine. But no funny stuff."

"Fair enough luv. Fair enough. There will be no more Reindeer Games…unless you wanna of course."

"Cal!"