She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator and lifted her head to look at the display above the doors. There was a long pause as each number flashed on the display, indicating that the elevator was picking up passengers on each floor as it descended to the ground floor. She was not having a good day and this long wait was not helping at all. She had not realized she had left her paper at home until she was already more than halfway to her professor's office. Making the trek back home took her half an hour and when she got back, Alec was there to greet her with an argument. That took another half an hour.

6. 5. Pause. People on the fifth floor were getting on.

Sometimes she wished that Alec would just take a little more, just enough to make him pass out so she wouldn't have to deal with him when she was home but that was never the case. He was always strung out just enough to feel a high but still manage to recognize her when she appeared. Worse, still, was his ability to find something to argue with her about even in his cocaine-filled hazes. He never got violent but the things he said were enough to make her want to stay away from the dingy apartment they had called home since both moving away from their respective families.

She never had the heart to yell back or to tell him to sober up because she knew he was in the state that he was because of her. She was the one who pursued a relationship with him. She was the one who encouraged him to move out with her. She was the one who decided to continue onto her PhD while he worked two jobs just to pay the rent. Things were great at first. They were in love. They were away from their families. They were happy. Then schoolwork began to pile on and she spent less and less time with him. He soon found other ways to entertain himself, one of which became the addiction that had so easily taken over his life. Soon, he was too high to work either of his jobs and now, he spent most of his days on the couch, waiting for her to come home so they could argue some more. It was exhausting trying to keep up with her studies while earning money as a research assistant but she never complained because, secretly, she was grateful for an excuse to be away from the apartment. Away from Alec.

There was a soft 'ding!' as the elevator finally reached its destination. The doors slowly opened and she gritted her teeth as the people inside seemed to take their time trickling out. After what seemed like an eternity, the elevator finally emptied and she hurried in. She quickly pressed the buttons for the tenth floor and to close the door but was disappointed when a hand stuck out just as the doors were about to finish closing. She grimaced.

A man entered. She was too busy being impatient to notice him give her an once-over with his eyes. He chuckled. "Sorry for holding you up."

She looked at him. He spoke with a heavy British accent. Any other day and she would've found it rather sexy but not today. Not right now. Ignoring him, she reached out to press the "Close Doors" button again.

He glanced over at the books in her arms. "Psychology?"

"Observant." She replied sarcastically, her eyes glued to the display above the buttons. The numbers slowly ascended with the elevator. 4. 5. 6.

He continued his questions. "Late for a meeting with the professor?" She glanced at him but said nothing. He chuckled again. "You think I'm odd." Still, she said nothing but that only seemed to amuse him even more. "Just because you don't speak doesn't mean I don't know what you're saying about me on the inside." He pointed at her face. "The space between your eyebrows is tense. You think I'm annoying."

"I don't know who you are, but…"

"S'alright." He shrugged just as they arrived at the tenth floor. "I have a feeling we'll know each other soon enough." He extended his hand out as the doors slid open, inviting her to exit the elevator first. When she gave him a questioning look, he smirked, "You're in much more of a hurry."

*****

Cal was just exiting the lab when he spotted Gillian entering her office. He made his way down the hall and knocked twice on the glass before entering. "I didn't think you'd be coming back tonight."

"I left a folder here. I wanted to go through it before tomorrow." She answered without acknowledging him with a look.

He watched for a moment as she searched frantically for said folder. Finally, he walked over to the desk and brushed away a few loose papers, revealing a red folder underneath. "Is this it?"

Her eyes landed on the folder. She grabbed it and said a quick 'thank you'. Her eyes never met with his, even as she rounded the desk and headed towards the door. She was embarrassed for letting him see how frustrated she had been over a mere folder.

"Foster."

The sound of his voice stopped her but she kept her back to him. "Whatever it is, Cal, can it wait until tomorrow? I'm tired and…"

"I know you met with your mother today."

She threw her head back and looked hopelessly at the ceiling. "Of course you know."

He knew it annoyed her that he had always kept in contact with her parents. Even though it wasn't a constant contact, it was still more than she appreciated. "I had to speak to your father about the case. Your mother happened to be leaving as I arrived. That's when she told me."

"Yes, I met with her." She finally turned to face him. "And if you're waiting for some sort of good news, you're wasting your time. I don't even know why I bothered to call her. Nothing's changed. Nothing ever will change."

"Do you remember when we first met?"

"Officially or unofficially?" Her lips twitched up into a small smile.

"I was still working for the FBI back then. They insisted I needed a more human side to my work so I went to your school, expecting to find a psychology professor to help me out. Then I ran into you." He rambled through the story, one that she already knew.

"And you almost made me late handing in my paper."

"Yeah but I made up for that, didn't I?" He grinned. "Do you know why I insisted on having you help me when I could've had any top professor work with me?"

"Because you thought you could boss me around?"

He chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I would never dare think that. I chose you because you had something I knew I lacked…"

"Sensitivity?" She cut in cheekily.

Ignoring her jab at him, he finished, "Hope."

"You got that from one elevator ride?"

"What can I say? I'm good at what I do. Plus, when I spoke to your professor about it afterwards, he told me, with your academic achievements, you would be able to provide me with more than enough help."

"I'm sorry, as much as I like to reminisce, what was the point of this again?"

"The point is you've always been the hopeful one between the two of us. You believe in people…sometimes, even when they don't necessarily deserve it."

"And that doesn't always land me in a good place."

"No, but it doesn't always land you in a bad place either, love. I still remember when we first met, you and Alec weren't doing so well and you managed to turn him around. He went from unemployed and completely unmotivated to working at the State Office. Regardless of what you were telling people back then, I know it was all you."

"And you." She smiled, a little sadly this time. "If it wasn't for your connections, he would've never gotten hired."

"But you cleaned him up. Got him on his feet. You had hope and you made it happen." He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them, and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't give up on your parents. I know it's a been a tough road but if you have hope, it can happen."

"Hope? Don't give up? Leave the psychology stuff to me, Cal." Her face was stern but there was a slightly lilt in her voice that told him she would consider his words. "I should get going."

"Yeah, alright." He let his hand linger for just a moment longer on her arm before pulled it away. "'Night, love."

"'Night, Cal."