Only Girl - One-shot. First Callian story; Emily leaves her iPod in Foster's office by accident.
"Well, I should get going. I've got a lot of homework to do. If you see Dad, tell him I'll have dinner ready at home if he wants. You can come, too, Gillian."
"Thanks, Em. I'll tell him."
Gillian leaned over and hugged her best friend's daughter.
"I might just take you up on your offer to feed me. I'll let you know before I leave."
"OK, bye!"
Emily left, waving to Loker and Torres as she went down the hall and out the door. Gillian smiled fondly after her and then went back around her desk to resume working on the backlog of case files that had piled up over the last few months. They'd been so busy lately, everyone putting in extra hours, sometimes all nighters. It was a blessing and a curse. The Lightman Group was becoming financially secure once again, but everyone in the office was feeling the strain of too much stress and not enough sleep. Not for the first time Gillian mused that the entire staff needed a nice work free weekend.
After about half an hour of staring at her computer screen, Gillian's eyelids started drooping and she yawned. A good stretch and a walk to the break room for more coffee was in order. It was only 4:30, but she'd been here until one in the morning the night before and had come in at 7:30 to get a jump-start today. The long hours were definitely wearing on her.
Standing, she stretched languidly, her arms outstretched and her back arched. A small groan escaped her as she rotated her neck and heard it crack several times. She began walking towards her office door when something lime green and shiny caught her eye from underneath the chair Emily had occupied earlier. Bending to retrieve it, Gillian realized it was an iPod. Em must have dropped it. A little curious as to what Cal's daughter was listening to these days, she turned it on and began to skim through the artists. Well, she certainly had eclectic taste. Bands like the Stones and the Beatles were on the same playlists as Flo Rida and Lil' Wayne. Panic! At the Disco was paired with Frank Sinatra. Fall Out Boy shared space with Madonna. Gillian felt her lips twitch into a smile.
Emily wouldn't have guessed it, but Dr. Foster had a secret addiction to the local pop/rock station, so she recognized quite a few of the "up and coming" and young artists. No one knew that she sometimes got the urge to belt out lyrics to My Chemical Romance songs or that she could rap pretty well for a late thirties psychologist. Even Cal didn't know. Alec had put up with her musical taste, but even though they had been married she rarely listened to anything but classical around him.
She set the iPod down on her desk and went down the hall to get a much needed caffeine boost. Loker and Torres were sitting at a table eating a late lunch. When Gillian walked in, they both smiled and invited her to sit with them.
"Thanks, I'm just grabbing some coffee."
"How are the reports coming?" This from Loker.
"Fine. If I push it tonight, I should only have a minimal amount to do tomorrow."
She sighed. She was really hoping that she could push through and be finished tonight.
"How's the Richter case coming?"
Torres rolled her eyes. "Well, we knew in about five seconds that the kid was definitely lying about the drugs in his locker. He's not only using, he's dealing and threatening other kids that he thinks are moving in on his territory. It's pretty open and shut."
"Yeah," said Loker, "Right now we're just making it airtight because the parents are going to put up a fight about their little angel breaking the law."
Gillian stirred cream and sugar into her coffee and nodded.
"Well, nice work, guys. Everyone's put in so much time lately, you deserve to get home early tonight. It's Friday, why don't you finish up quickly and go relax and have some fun. You deserve it."
Loker grinned but Torres frowned a little.
"What's wrong, Ria?"
"Well, you deserve some down time, too. If anyone's been burning the midnight oil it's been you, Dr. Foster."
Gillian sighed, "I know, and I'll relax tomorrow and Sunday. I want Monday to start fresh without a mountain of work. You two go. I'll get those reports done tonight and have the rest of the weekend to do nothing!"
She smiled gently at both of them and they thanked her and went to gather their things before printing out their findings on the prep school drug dealer. She waved as they left, turning out unnecessary lights on her way back to her office.
Being the only one left in their offices made her slightly uneasy, but they had so many security measures that she shook her fears off easily. Once she was in her office, she eyed the green iPod and made the decision to hook it up to her stereo. She was alone, so no one was going to call her on her secret. It would also have the added benefit of keeping her energized through the rest of her work tonight. Gillian quickly grabbed her phone and called Emily. She picked up on the third ring.
"Hey, Em, it's Gillian.""Hi! What's up? Are you going to make it for dinner?""I don't think so, sweetheart. How about a rain check? I want to get all of this paperwork done so I can have the weekend free."
"That's totally fine."
"I am going to stop by on my way home, though. You dropped your iPod in my office, so I'll bring it around then."
"Oh, OK! Thanks!"
"No problem. I haven't seen your dad, so I don't think he's stopping by the office tonight."
"Yeah he just called me. He'll be home in about an hour."
"Alright. Have a good night, and I'll see you later."
"Bye!"Gillian hung up and grabbed the mp3 player off of her desk, hooking it up to her stereo. She set it to shuffle and stepped out of her pumps. Sitting at her desk she smiled as the sounds of Lady Gaga singing about a Bad Romance started pumping out of her speakers. After the first few songs she began singing along when she knew the words.
A couple of hours had gone by when she felt the need to get up and stretch again. Just then one of her new favorite songs began to play. She grinned as she decided to dance her fatigue out instead of just getting more coffee. Rihanna could definitely belt it out and Gillian loved this song! She started to dance around and sing along with the song.
I want you to love me,like I'm a hot ride
Keep thinkin' of me, doin' what you like
So boy forget about the world cuz it's gon' be me and you tonight
I wanna make ya beg for it, then imma make you swallow your pride
Gillian's eyes were closed and she was completely into the music blaring out of the speakers. She had turned the volume way up, knowing it wouldn't bother anyone. She hadn't noticed that someone had stopped in her door and was watching her with a grin on his face.
Cal had come in to tell Gillian to go home. He'd even brought her some of the tikka masala that Emily had made for dinner. When he'd walked in, he had heard music playing loudly. He hadn't realized it was Foster. He thought perhaps Torres was still here. Nope, just Foster. She looked so happy, like she was having so much fun, he didn't want to ruin it for her.
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only girl in the world...
Like I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man, yeah
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only one...
Gillian was gyrating and jumping and singing and she felt some of her tension melt away. She dug her bare toes into the carpet and shook her hair wildly, laughing. Cal's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her joy. He loved seeing her so happy and care free.
Want you to take it like a thief in the night
Hold me like a pillow, make me feel right
Baby I'll tell you all my secrets that I'm keepin', you can come inside
And when you enter, you ain't leavin', be my prisoner for the night, oh
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only girl in the world...
Like I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz I'm the only one who understands,
like I'm the only one who knows your heart,
only one...
She was spinning in a circle, arms out, eyes closed. Cal could have watched her for hours and been perfectly content. When she stopped with her back to the door and started to shimmy her lovely behind around and up and down he couldn't help the feeling of arousal that surged through him, or the image of her doing that on him. She hadn't any idea how truly gorgeous she was when she was free and wild.
Take me for a ride, ride
Oh baby, take me high, high
Let me make you first, first
Oh make it last all night, night
Take me for a ride, ride
Oh baby, take me high, high
Let me make you first, first
Make it last all night
He had to suppress a laugh when she started jumping around and tossing her hair around again. He wasn't ready for the show to end and he knew it would when she realized he was there. He just hoped she wouldn't be too angry that he had witnessed her karaoke session. He definitely wanted to make her feel like the only girl in the world right now. As far as he was concerned, that would be perfect for him.
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart
Only girl in the world...
Like I'm the only one that's in command
Cuz I'm the only one who understands
how to make you feel like a man
Only girl in the world...
Girl in the world...
Only girl in the world...
Girl in the world...
Her laughter bounced off the walls and hit him right in the heart when the song was over. She was tired but exhilarated. He could see the rapid rise and fall of her shoulders, the slight sheen of perspiration on her forehead and neck. She turned slightly towards him and the smile on her face froze as she caught sight of him standing in the doorway. Her hand went to her heart and her eyes widened in shock.
"Cal! God you scared me!"
"Sorry, darling. I just came by to drop off your dinner and boot you out of the office for the weekend. Didn't mean to give you a start."
His cheeky grin told her the answer to the question she was about to ask.
"The whole time, huh?""Not the whole time. Just about two lines into the song."
Her already flushed face became pinker at the teasing lilt in his voice. She groaned and put her face into her hands.
"I'm so mortified. Why didn't you say something? Why did you let me make a fool of myself?"
"I thought it was wonderful, Gill. You needed to unwind after the past week. I must confess, I hadn't pegged you for a fan of this kind of music, though."
Gillian smiled shyly at him.
"It's my vice. I love it. And now you're the only other person in the world that knows."
Cal's grin got wider and a devilish gleam entered his eyes. She narrowed her own at him and strode up to him, poking him in the chest with her index finger.
"If you tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about this, I will kill you."
He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Now why would I want to share this with anyone? I'm perfectly fine with keeping this a private show, love."
Gillian rolled her eyes at his leer.
"Good. But there won't be anymore "private shows." I'll be keeping my dance parties out of the office from now on."
"Well, that's a shame. Are you sure I can't convince you to make this a weekly thing?"
She slapped his arm hard. Laughing, he rubbed the spot she'd hit.
"No call for abuse! Let's just forget this happened. Grab your things and we'll get out of here."
"I still have reports to finish."
He put his arm around her shoulders. Looking at her sternly he said, "It can wait until Monday. No worries, alright? Let's go, your food will be cold."
Smiling, Gillian squeezed his hand. She slipped her shoes on, shut off the stereo, grabbed her coat, purse and Emily's iPod and they walked out of her office.
They chatted on the way out to their cars, traded food for mp3 player and went their separate ways. On his way home, Cal was thinking that he'd told Gill they'd forget all about her solo dance party, but he knew he'd never be able to forget how he felt as he watched her completely unguarded face, the way her body moved, the sheer joy in her voice as she sang loudly not caring if she was on pitch. If he hadn't already been in love with her, he was head over heels now.
Gillian was thinking that although they had both agreed to forget about her making a spectacle of herself (granted it was unknowingly), she seriously doubted she'd be able to forget the way he'd looked at her with love shining in his eyes. Nor would she be able to push away the feeling of arousal she'd had after realizing that he'd watched her dancing shamelessly in her office. She tried to ignore the part of her that wanted to give him another private dance, but her instincts told her that it was going to be nearly impossible to pretend she wasn't in love with him. She had been for years.
They didn't see or speak to each other all weekend, both busy getting to things that had been pushed aside over their previously busy week. When Gillian walked into her office, she noticed a small package on her desk. It was wrapped prettily with a little pink bow on it. She looked around, but no one was in the room with her. Sitting in her desk chair, she opened it and found a hot pink iPod and a note.
"Gill-
Now you don't have to steal my daughter's to dance your heart out. I snagged some of Em's songs and put them on here. Enjoy. And maybe you'll let me dance with you sometime.
Love, Cal"
A brisk knock on her door made her look up quickly. Cal was standing there, a wide grin on his face. She knew that she was smiling like a goofball at him and her heart was probably bared for him to see, but she didn't care. She wanted him to know he made her happy.
"Glad you like it, love."
And with a last glance, he left, whistling "Only Girl" as he strode down the hall. He heard her laugh loudly and joyously and he knew it would only be a matter of time before they had that dance and he showed her she was the only girl for him.