She had dropped by with Chinese take out and some CDs. Emily was with her mom and Gillian suspected that dinner was not high on his priority list. Beans, toast and beer were not what she considered a real meal.
"You are a lifesaver!" Cal was poking through the food with interest as she headed over to his stereo to pop some music in. She reached into her bag to pull out one of her CDs but he was there in a heartbeat.
He snatched it from her hand. "What is THIS?"
"Cal!"
Mock horror crossed his features. "Styx? Really Foster? Styx?"
"Hey I like my 80's cheese." She defended herself and made a swipe for it but he kept it easily out of her reach.
"Put me outta my bloody misery!" Cal made a strangled sound in the back of his throat. Despite his gruff act she could see his eyes sparkle with mischief.
"Cal – give it here now. You're acting like a child!"
He was suddenly in her face, head cocked to the side, just a breath away. Gillian's heart gave a little skip despite herself. "Or you'll what?" His voice was barely a whisper as he taunted her. His eyes bored into hers. They flickered down to her lips and up again. "Well?"
Then the moment was over. He took a step away and tossed the jewel case to her. She managed to catch it before it clattered to the floor.
"No puttin' that drivel in my stereo. Might contaminate it!" Cal mocked over his shoulder with a grin as he went to grab himself some food.
Funny the things that pop into your head. She had screamed and fought them, refusing to allow them to pull her out of the rubble first, but they had overpowered her. Now as she sat numbly, she could only think about insignificant moments from the past. Maybe they weren't so insignificant. Gillian shifted in her seat, her body aching. Cuts, bruises and a sprained wrist. Hadn't noticed it until the firefighter had grabbed her by the hand. That was it.
Loker already let her know about Barton's arrest. The bastard had paused just long enough to admire his handiwork. It was almost like he wanted to get caught – he had accomplished what he set out to do. The game was over.
Gillian gratefully accepted the coffee handed to her. Took a sip and crinkled her nose. Awful. Took another sip anyway. Unbidden tears slowly rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed silently.