Author's Note: Wrote this envisioning 3 chapters, but this one stands pretty well on its own. Not sure about adding anything else, so I'm going to publish it as a one shot.

Disclaimer: Borrowing the characters, which don't belong to me.

Cruise Control

Cal walked with Gillian through the center of the cruise ship after finishing up their case onboard. The remaining three days of the cruise was theirs to enjoy and he intended on getting her to loosen up. They were given free accommodations on the ship, but had to share a room as the cruise was near capacity and wouldn't relinquish separate cabins to them. Their room was close quarters, but had a private balcony for them to enjoy. Cal loved the idea of having to share the room with her. They had been attracted to each other for years, even during their respective marriages, but never acted on those feelings. Now that they were both single and he finally was able to let Zoe go, he felt it was time for them to take the next step. Sure it would be risking their friendship and partnership, but that appealed to his nature.

This was the one Cal wanted to get right. He wanted to give Gillian everything that she deserved and could possibly want. He discovered that all the relationships he had previously were on a completely different level than what he felt for Gillian. Even in friendship, their connection ran deeper and more intense than anything he felt, save for his daughter. He knew that this was the perfect opportunity for him to move things forward with her. They were isolated from the office and the outside world. He had three short days to put things in motion and let her know how he felt.

They reached their cabin, having had dinner and watched the show in the lounge. He opened the door for her and hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. He flopped on one of the beds and put his hands behind his head.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the evening, Foster?"

"Give me a few minutes to change and we'll talk about it."

"Right. I'm going outside for a few minutes."

Cal threw his jacket on the chair and slipped off his shoes, before stepping outside. He leaned against the rail and looked out at the other ship in the distance. He could smell the salt from the ocean and enjoyed the warm evening air. He thought about how he would entice Gillian to move forward with him and thoughts of them together began to run through his head. He turned when he heard the door open and looked her up and down.

"Like what you see?" She grinned at him and joined him at the rail, looking out at the ocean.

"Most definitely, love. Let me finish getting out of this suit and we can discuss the rest of the night."

Cal left her outside. He got the bottle of champagne they had found in their room and put it on ice while he went to take a shower. He enjoyed the warm water and let his mind focus on Gillian and all the ways he wanted to please her. He thought of the small things he could do, like putting a chocolate treat on her desk or cooking for her at the end of the day. He thought of the fun they could have travelling with Emily before she was off pursuing her own life. He thought of what it would be like to hold her in his arms and explore her body with his mouth. He started to stroke himself as he played out the familiar fantasies in his mind. Realizing that he was quickly approaching the point of no return, he ceased his thought process and motions. He didn't want to waste his time on a hand job in the shower when the object of his desires was out on that balcony….'Hmmm…that might work - the balcony. Never done that before.' Cal smiled as he dried off and got dressed; intent on showing Gillian how much he wanted her.

Her back remained to him as he stepped outside, so he put both his hands on the rail effectively trapping her. He rested his chin on her shoulder, which was a more intimate gesture than he usually allowed himself to make. Her body didn't tense under his as he thought it might. In fact, she leaned into him as she continued to gaze out into the darkness.

"I've been thinking, Gill."

Feeling her rest against his body, he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"What about?"

"About us. Where we've been. How far we've come over the years."

She rested her hands on his arms and nodded, without saying anything else. She had a knack for knowing when to press him and when to give him space.

"We've both been married and divorced. We're best friends. We're partners. We challenge each other and we hide from each other. It's not enough for me anymore."

He felt her tense and start to turn. He stepped back to give her room.

"What do you mean it's not enough? What's not enough?"

He smiled at her and moved her back to the rail, trapping her again with his hands. He looked into her eyes and held her gaze.

"I don't want to go through life hiding what I feel from you anymore. I don't want to be just your friend. I want to know what it's like to wake up next to you instead of in your spare bedroom. I want to know that I'm the only man you have eyes for. I want to know what it's like to have you in my arms when you cum. I want to know that no one will ever again treat you the way Alec did."

"Cal, where's all this coming from. What about Emily and Zoe? What…"

"Zoe can fuck off. She's the mother of my daughter, but she's got no more say in my life. As for Em, I don't think she'll have issue with it, but we can talk to her. No more questions about what people will think. This is between you and me. We're making the decision here, love."

He continued to hold her gaze.

"What do you want, Gill?"

"But what about the…"

He placed his fingers over her mouth, silencing her.

"Gillian, enough with the questions. Tell me what you want."

"But…"

"The next words out of your mouth better be 'I want…' or I'm going to have to take matters into my own hands!"

He gave her the look that told her he meant what he said.

"I want..."

He could tell her mind was working out what to do. How far to go. A smile played at the corners of her mouth.

"I want you to get me some of that champagne we have in the room."

Her eyes twinkled as he pulled her to him and held her firm to his body at the waist. He leaned back, maintaining eye contact with her.

"Cheeky."

He held her in place with his left hand and let his right move her hair aside. He placed his lips on her neck and smiled as he felt her tremble at his touch. He nipped where her neck met her shoulder.

"Your body is talking to me, love. Let me hear the words."

"I want to walk in your home and not be a guest. I want to be more than just a fling to you. I want you to stay after you've sorted yourself out, instead of leaving me behind. I want to spend my life with you and Emily, if she's okay with that."

He saw her look down as her words faded. He knew that she was unsure of how this would change their current dynamic with Emily, but there was something more.

"What is it, Gill?"

Her eyes locked on his.

"I want to stop being treated as if I'm insignificant every time Zoe shows up. I understand her role as Emily's mom and know that she will be part of our lives if we move forward. I have always treated her civilly and with respect and I get neither from her or you when she's around."

He shifted and looked at her, his confusion evident.

"What're you talking about? You're my friend and partner. You know I respect you."

"Not when she's around."

"Yeah, I do."

"Then why do you let all her comments, attitude, and outright rudeness pass with little comment and no change. You're more than happy to tell me when to back off and anyone else who crosses you. But it's different with her. You don't make an issue of it. You may make a comment, but it just continues. I might as well be the cleaning lady, because I'm sure not getting the respect a partner, your partner should."

She turned in his arms and looked back out toward the sea. He didn't feel any anger from her, but was stunned at how his plan had gone awry. 'What the hell just happened?' He shook his head and hesitated for a moment. 'Not letting those walls go back up. Not tonight.' Cal thought. He approached her from behind and took her in his arms again.

"Love, don't push me away again. I appreciate your candor and I didn't realize how far out of my control the situation with Zoe got. I thought by not engaging her comments they wouldn't escalate, but my inaction did more harm than good."

"I'm not sure where that even came from. That wasn't what I intended to say."

"That's alright, Gill. You're right. But we can't really solve it tonight, can we? Let's suspend that until we get back…?"

He left the question hanging in the air to see how she would respond. He had made headway tonight, more than he thought he would, but he didn't want lose this openness between them by forcing anything.

She turned around again and he felt relief when he saw her smiling at him.

"Okay, but next time the fun sucker shows up in the office and you let her get away with the same shit, I'm going to take matters in my own hands and it won't be pretty. I've taken her crap long enough."

"Where were we, love?"

He felt her hands on his chest and smirked; glad that he had left it unbuttoned. Her touch was delicate and it was driving him mad. His eyes slipped closed when he felt her lips on his neck.

"I believe that you were trying to seduce me, Cal."

Her lips mirrored the path his took earlier.

"What I want to know is this just about sex or do you want something more?"

He shuddered as the breeze cooled the paths she had made on his skin. The sea air and Gillian's ministrations were intoxicating. Again her candor surprised him.

"Yes, this is definitely about sex and lots of it. And yes this is also about something more. It's time, love."

He let his head roll back as he felt her hands stroking him through his jeans as she teased his bulge and let her tongue make a line along the place where denim and skin met.

"Time for what, Cal?"

He looked down at her luscious mouth kissing his torso and pulled her up to eye level.

He held her face in both of his hands and let his head flop to the side as he openly read her. He saw everything he wanted to see and realized that they had finally landed on the same side of that idiotic line that had been drawn and obsessed over for so many years.

"It's time I told you that I'm all in when it comes to you. I'm in love with you, Gill, and I have been for a very long time. I've spent many long nights dreaming of what it would be like to finally become who we were always meant to be. A family...you, me and Em."

He searched her eyes as he spoke the words long buried in his heart. Now that they both were single and free of their emotional ties to their exes, he was hoping that Gillian was on the same page with him. He couldn't help the dopey grin that emerged when he confirmed that she felt the same way he did. He didn't need her words...the joy and love that shone in her eyes was enough for him.

He stepped into her and made sure that his swollen cock was pressed up against her as he kissed her slow and tenderly to reinforce what he had said. When they finally pulled back for some air, he let her see the raw need in his eyes.

"Mmmm...fluffy Cal. Just like one of my novels."

"What? Have you gone bonkers? I, Cal Lightman..."

He backed up from her and held his arms out to his sides, tensing his muscles a bit to make his point.

"...am a man's man. I am not fluffy."

He made a face of disgust as he said the offending word, letting her know just how he felt about her characterization of him. He dropped his arms and gave her his best predatory glare as he moved back into her.

He took her hands and put them on his chest.

"That ain't fluffy, is it?"

He watched the grin play at the corner of her mouth as she caressed his chest and shook her head.

"Nope...wouldn't call that fluffy."

He put his arm up and flexed, waiting for her to touch his bicep.

"What about this?"

He loved the way her hands travelled across his tattoo before she tightened her grip on his arm.

"Uh ... no. No, that's not really fluffy either."

"Right."

He took one of her hands in his and brought it to his lips, teasing her fingers with kisses until she closed her eyes. Seizing upon her distraction, he rolled his hips forward and ground his erection into her leg.

"And that, love?"

He watched her closely as she shifted from playful to sinful in a heartbeat. He was mesmerized as she licked her lips and pushed him back just enough for her to examine the bulge straining against his jeans.

"Hmmm...that needs a closer look. I can't tell from here."

Cal was momentarily sidetracked from his game as sultry Gillian caught him off guard. He now realized that the Gillian of his fantasies was completely off the mark as he watched her moisten her lips and sink to her knees before him, opening his fly.

She slid his jeans down, then his boxers, but her eyes never left his as she looked up at him. His cock twitched as she ran her nail from the base to the head, never breaking eye contact with him. He saw her desire for him and a part of her he'd never even guessed would exist - sexual predator.

He watched her mouth open slowly, tongue reaching out to meet him and fought to keep his eyes focused on hers. She allowed her breath to tease his cock before taking him into her mouth ever so slowly. He felt her mouth close around him and her lips slide all the way to his base, though he wasn't sure how she managed that trick. He couldn't help closing his eyes when she circled the base with her fingers and squeezed him tight as she sucked hard against his length, drawing him out in one exquisite pull.

He felt himself pulse and buck as he exited her mouth and struggled to focus on her again.

"No."

He heard the word, but couldn't place its meaning. All he could see was the arousal and lust in her eyes.

"Huh?"

He watched her pull back his sheath and lick around his head, fully exposed, before sucking on it.

"This is most definitely not fluffy."

"No it's not…c'mere love."

He took her in his arms, laughing and nuzzling her neck. He never ceased to be amazed by her over the years and he grinned at the thought of a whole new side of Gillian to be amazed by.

"Now that we've straightened that out…"

He let his words trail off as his mouth went to work on her, kicking away his clothes from underfoot. He devoured her mouth, moved to her neck and then her breasts. He walked her back against the rail and pressed his erection against her thigh as they both explored each other with their mouths.

"Cal…I need you."

He heard the need in her whisper and moved his hand down the front of her track pants.

"Let's do it right here, Gill. I can feel your wet for me."

He bared his teeth as she began to undo her blouse, letting it fall from her fingertips to the ground. Once again he stepped back and gave her room to maneuver. He whispered a "fuck me" when he saw she didn't have a bra on. She removed her pants and underwear, fixing her gaze on him as her hand traveled slowly down toward her center.

"If you're just going to stand there, I guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

"Bloody hell…"

He noticed her use of the same threat he made earlier and grinned at her challenge. Deciding to call her bluff, he stayed put and watched her watch him. His eyes followed her hand and then travelled slowly along the curves of her body until he found her eyes. He raised his eyebrows and signaled his question to her. 'Are you really gonna take matters in your own hands, love?'

He watched Gillian move her hand back up to her mouth and gave her a smug look, confident in his call that she wouldn't follow through. What he wasn't counting on was her fingers moving to her mouth and tangling with her tongue before she moved them with purpose to the intended destination and resituated herself so that she had better access. He was stunned by her actions and felt himself growing harder as she massaged herself, groaning deep in her throat. Her head rolled back, exposing the length of her neck before she rolled it forward and found his eyes. It was her turn to have the smug look. She held his gaze with a fire in her eyes he's never seen. Her eyes closed again and he finally came to his senses…being wrong was so right.

He went to her and held her face in his hands as he kissed her, no longer able to control himself. His hands began their own exploration along every exquisite curve.

"Gill, turn around love."

He smiled as she complied with his request, knowing that her trust in him was complete. He took his member and prepared to enter her from behind. He guided himself into her and slowly pushed in a little at a time. He took his free hand and spread his fingers across her throat, feeling the vibrations of her voice deep in her throat and her pulse racing beneath his fingertips. He whispered things in her ear - his attraction to her, how she was making him feel, aimless curses when words failed him. He continued his thrusts, slow and steady, hand still on her throat as the other alternated between toying with her clit and resting on her stomach as they moved together.

The words kept flowing out as his walls crumbled; his need for her too great to keep the words buried any longer. His body mirrored the ebb and flow of his confessions, rocking in and out of her, savoring the feel of having her in his arms. The fact that they were on the balcony only heightened his senses and arousal - the waves lapping against the ship, the salty night air, the conflicting illusions of privacy and being out in public all at once, and the isolation of being in the middle of the ocean. He was having a hard time staving off his completion despite wanting it to last as long as possible.

"I'm nearly there, love. Cum with me."

He felt her take his hand and move it back down to her warm, wet folds. The way she moaned when his fingers arrived at their destination was wanton and quite possibly the sexiest thing he's ever heard. What caused him to cum with a curse was the feel of her fingers over his, telling him how to do what she needed.

"Aw fuck, Gillian...can't..."

He kept whispering words, nonsense, as he felt her spasm around his uneven thrusts. He wanted her to start before him, but his body betrayed him. Now he was lost in the feeling of knowing that she had the power to make him lose control and in the power of her own completion, making him twitch and buck violently as his cock became hyper sensitive to her pulsating muscles deep within. His name fell from her lips and his hand felt the confessions she made that made no sense to his ears. He stayed buried inside her as he kissed her shoulders and her neck, holding her in his embrace. He sighed at the loss of contact when he slipped out of her, squeezing her before moving aside to let her go clean up.

"Cal…"

"S'alright, love. What goes up must come down and all that. You go first."

He grinned at her, knowing his crass words would annoy her. She grabbed his shirt and tugged him along.

"I think we both can fit in the shower. Then you can clean up your own mess for a change."

"Touche, darling."

'Full of surprises, that woman is.' He smiled and followed her, already forming ideas for round two.