"Doctor Lightman and Gillian are married right?"

"Yeah," Ria answered.

"That must make an interesting work dynamic," Doctor Paul Roberts noted.

"It was worse when they weren't married," Ria noted taking another bite of her sandwich.

"They were pretty much married then too," Loker inserted himself into the conversation, taking the last seat at the table.

"Yeah," Ria agreed. "Except Gillian just gives Cal that look and he knows if he keeps going he's not getting any that night."

Loker chuckled.

"Who are you spying on?"

Cal flinched away from the computer and hit the space bar to kill the feed. "No one."

"You're a terrible liar," Gillian teased as she approached his desk, her heels clipping out a rhythm across his office floor.

"I'm a fantastic lie-a," Cal countered and hoped to hell she hadn't been picking up on any of the cues that he was still having a hard time with the adoption thing. The dust had settled for a while, while they waited now for the baby to be born. But that didn't mean it was on his mind any less. Nor was the glaring hole in their relationship. They were still working out a way to deal with it and in the mean time were pretending that nothing was wrong. Yeah that one.

"Not to me you're not."

"That sounded like a challenge," Cal pointed a finger.

"Are you going to come and have lunch?"

Cal looked at his computer thoughtfully. "Let's stay here today. Have lunch with the minions."

"Oooookay," Gillian agreed surprised but unperturbed. Cal got up and moved around his desk. "Are you feeling ok? Volunteering to have lunch with them?" She attempted to put her hand on his forehead. Cal ducked out of her touch. "Why would you want to?" She talked to herself as she followed him out of his office. "What were you watching? The security feed? Were you spying on them?"

They were in the hallway now. Cal heard the sudden quick steps she took to catch up to him after letting him pass through the doorway first.

"Why were you spying on them?" She asked in a conspiratorial tone. "Or were you spying on the new guy?"

Cal rounded a corner.

"I love it when you ignore me by the way," Gillian added. "Makes me feel like we're equals, that you want to hear what I have to say, that I don't just speak to hear the sound of my own voice."

Cal stopped abruptly and turned to her. "I was waitin' for you to finish."

Gillian gave him an unimpressed expression. Cal kept walking. He swept into the break room, Gillian following behind. She went to make a hot drink and then called to him across the room. From the fridge he looked over. She made a grinder out of her hands, her right hand mimicking turning the grind. Then she made a 'C' shape with her left hand and an 'F' shape with her other hand and mimicked stirring a cup. Cal closed the fridge. He repeated the last one. He wanted a cup of tea. He made Gillian a sandwich and they pulled over chairs to sit with Ria and Paul. Loker had already gone again.

"How's your first day going Paul?" Gillian asked politely before taking a bite of her sandwich. Cal had cut it into triangles like he did for Lewis; purely for the facetious value.

"Ria is taking me through the FACS manual."

"Done the trainin' tool yet?" Cal asked around a mouthful of lettuce and tomato.

"He can do it this afternoon," Ria cut in. She got up to rinse her coffee mug. There was a moment's silence.

"So is your son a natural too?" Roberts spoke up.

"Of course he isn't," Cal responded sharply. "He reads faces as well as any otha two year old. This," he made an angry face. "Means Daddy's mad at him. And this," he made an excessively happy face. "Means Daddy's not mad at him." Cal took another bite of his sandwich.

"Right," Paul looked abashed. "I meant because you're teaching him to sign."

"While ASL is about facial expressions and body language as signals for interpretation," Gillian jumped in conversationally. "With Lewis it's more of an encouragement to understand words and phrases and develop his speech. It helps him to communicate because he hasn't quite mastered physically saying the words. His mind is developing and understanding but his vocal cords aren't on the same level yet because he hasn't been using them until now." And then she kicked Cal under the table.

He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "You findin' it all right then yeah?" He asked Paul.

"Yeah it's really very interesting work."

"Paul based his thesis," Gillian started.

"I heard," Cal cut her off.

"Ready to get back to it?" Ria approached where they were sitting again.

"Sure," Paul got up.

Gillian gave him a warm smile and when they had left the room she made a 'B' hand shape and brought it to her forehead.

"What was that for?" Cal looked shocked.

"You're always so abrasive."

"Oh come on, you know you love it."

Gillian gave a slight smile. She avoided his eye. She did love it. It was funny. And it was funnier after he stopped doing it to her.

"Didn't have to call me a bastard," Cal muttered.

"Sometimes it's warranted."

Cal cleared his throat again. "You know I only do it to have fun."

"Cruel fun at the expense of others."

Cal pouted. Gillian fixed him with a pointed expression.

"Love me anyway," Cal muttered.

'Sure do,' Gillian answered in her head and gave him nothing but a smile.

PJ

"Mmm," Gillian hummed. "Have I ever told you you're an amazing kisser?"

"Wouldn't hurt to hear it," Cal responded in a murmur.

Gillian gave another little hum of delight as Cal kissed her deeply again. Her stomach tightened with the tension. He let her mouth go only to press kisses along her neck and down her throat. Gillian pressed her hands down his arms, smoothing over his skin. He was warm, and his body was pressed tightly against hers, and she could feel the hard heat of him. It was driving her insane.

Gillian spread her fingers through his hair. "Very, very good kisser," she whispered to the room. Cal gave a grunt. "So very good at a lot of things."

"What things?" Cal asked, following along.

"Mmmm," Gillian moaned. "So many good things."

Cal laughed lightly. Gillian smoothed her hands down his back and reached for the edge of his t-shirt. She tugged it up and he pulled back to help her take it off. Gillian sat up slightly as their lips met again and Gillian threw the offending clothing over his shoulder. She smoothed her fingers over his bare chest.

"I'm glad you find me so hot then," Cal kissed her again as she lay back against her pillow.

"Always," she breathed when he pulled away. Cal kissed her again and then trailed kisses to her ear where he finished his ministrations. And then all of a sudden he pulled away abruptly like she had shocked him with a cattle prod. "What?" Gillian was surprised.

"Your son wants you."

"Huh?" Gillian sat up slightly.

"Mum!" Lewis called from where he was attempting to climb up the bed.

"Lewis!" Gillian complained. Cal, she noted, was on his side of the bed, wrapped up in the covers. "Dad will take you back to bed." She didn't reach to help her son.

"Uh, no he won't," Cal countered. "Dad isn't really goin' anywhere right now luv."

"Such a convenient excuse," Gillian shot him an annoyed but amused glare. "Let's go Lewis," Gillian sat and started to push aside the sheet over her body. She was still in her underwear and a tank top. They had barely even started. And they had taken a gamble on the fact that Lewis might be asleep by now. "Bed," she signed the word as she got up. "It's bed time," she told him, taking him by the hand and leading him out the door. Cal could hear her telling Lewis that Mom and Dad were both in bed. He threw himself back against the pillows to wait.

Gillian tucked Lewis back under his covers. She gave him the little teddy bear Emily had bought and he hugged it closely against his chest. Gillian kissed his forehead. "Goodnight Lewis," she said and signed the phrase.

"Night time," Lewis responded.

Gillian went to the door again and pulled it mostly closed then went back to the master bedroom. Cal was lying back on his side of the bed, his eyes shut. He cleared his throat suddenly. Gillian crossed the room, the mattress and his body. "Where were we?" She asked as she leaned over him.

"Did you lock his door?"

Gillian laughed lightly. "No."

Cal's eyes opened. He looked amused. "He'll be back."

"And in the mean time we can just..." she dropped her head to kiss him.

"Just what?"

"You know, fool around," Gillian started to dig her way under the covers Cal had wrapped around his lower half. He let her, but he didn't help her. "What's the matter? Are you no longer interested?"

"Always interested, just can't take the disappointment of bein' interrupted."

"Aw," Gillian slid her legs next to his as she lay on her side within his cocoon. Cal shifted his arm so she could lie on it. "Want to make out for half an hour then until he does go to sleep?"

"Love to. But makin' out with you is neva just kissin' it always leads to otha things, and therefore, disappointment," his fingers trailed over the skin of her arm.

"Other things?"

"You know. Touchin' and feelin'."

"Oh those things."

"Yeah," Cal confirmed.

"Keeping talking about it that might be enough for me."

Cal chuckled. "You're insatiable you."

"Is that a problem?"

"Nope. Your son is the problem."

"Hmm," Gillian replied.

"We should duct tape him to the bed and lock the door."

"You're such a sweet and understanding father."

"Was that sarcasm?"

"Little bit."

Cal 'hmphed'.

"Cal?"

"Yes my darlin'?"

"Are you grumpy?"

"No," he answered lightly. "Just kind of... I dunno... frustrated."

Gillian smiled to herself. "Good to know you want me so badly."

"Course I bloody want you so badly," he practically growled.

"Maybe we should change the subject?"

"Maybe," Cal mused his agreement.

"Work, Lewis or Kiera?"

"None of those."

"Hmmm," Gillian thought. "Our world has gotten very small. Unless you want to talk about politics or the weather?"

"It's really warm for this time of year."

"Isn't it? Which probably means it'll start to rain soon and not stop."

"What do you want to do for Thanksgivin' this year?"

Never mind that it was months and months away.

"Not sure."

"Could invite your brutha ova."

"That could be nice."

"Of course we might potentially have a three month old baby by then."

Blatant attempt at showing her he was all right with the adoption thing? Yes.

"And does that mean we can't?"

"No that means the house will be a mess. And there will be two munchkins to run around afta while also tryin' to cook dinna."

"Fair point," Gillian said as if that sounded appalling.

Cal lifted his head and peered at the door. Gillian followed suit. "What?"

"Thought I heard somethin'."

They were still for a moment. Gillian waited for the door to push open. Cal brought the sheet up over their heads. "Shh we'll hide. Pretend you're asleep."

"Like that stops him," Gillian retorted.

Cal shifted further down the bed, taking Gillian with him and tucked the sheet under the back of his head. "He'll neva find us here."

Gillian giggled. She turned further so she was resting against him. They were silent and still for a moment. "Think we're in the clear?"

"I'd say so. It's been about two minutes. He would have come in, seen we were gone, and gone back to bed like a good boy."

Gillian laughed quietly again.

"Let me check," Cal shifted the sheet down his face slightly so his eyes were peering out.

"Well," Gillian whispered. "Are we clear?"

Cal put the sheet over his head again. "It appears so," he whispered.

Gillian shifted further so she was leaning over his torso and pressed her lips against his. "Am I allowed to kiss you now?" She kissed him again anyway and Cal smiled beneath her skin. Gillian licked his bottom lip and then nipped at it until he let her in. She kissed him sweetly, then deeply and then broke away to catch her breath. She kissed along his jaw and then just slightly underneath it, while Cal's hands found their way down her back to her ass. Then all of a sudden Cal flinched back and cried out: "Ow!"

Gillian pushed herself up, alarmed. "What?"

The sheet came loose of its bindings. Cal grabbed it and shoved it away. Gillian smoothed her hair out of her face again. "I didn't even bite you."

Cal's fingers tentatively felt along his throat. "I thought I had a bug bite there last week."

Gillian moved his hand out of the way and had a look. She could see a protrusion through his skin. She pressed it lightly with her finger again.

"Ow!" Cal cried again. "What's wrong with you? That hurt!"

"That's not a bug bite Cal."

It wasn't red like a bite would be, nor did it have the tell tale colouring underneath of a particularly large pimple or boil.

"Then what the hell is it?"