And we're finished. I'm getting out of the crack business, but will be eternally grateful to recoilandgrace and Village Hall for their roles in making me an addict.

A gentle tapping roused Gillian from a peaceful, happy dream about rainbow-colored kittens. "Doctors Foster and Lightman? You have a visitor." The nurse's soft voice filled the room, snapping Gillian into the waking world. "And here are your exit papers."

"Mmm? Okay." Gillian sat up and stretched daintily, then reached over and socked Cal in the shoulder. "Wake up, sleepy-head."

Cal came to his senses just as Alec Foster waltzed into the room, carrying a plate of chocolate frosted cupcakes with pink sprinkles.

Gillian clapped her hands. "Ooo! Cupcakes!" Alec grinned; Cal rolled his eyes.

"It's Epiphany, Gill. The three kings dropped them off at my house for you. Clearly, your sweet tooth is legendary." At Alec's explanation, Cal rolled his eyes harder.

Gillian shook her head at Cal's jealousy, her curls swaying gently. "Clearly, Cal, you've never been visited by the Magi." She picked up the cupcake with the most sprinkles and began unwrapping it. "Don't worry; I'll eat yours for you. No need to get upset." She deposited the green wrapper on the nightstand and began separating the frosting-laden top from the bottom.

Cal grabbed the sheaf of paperwork and began signing furiously as Gillian finished the bottom of the heavenly delicious cupcake and started in on the luscious chocolate frosting, licking the pink sugar sparkle sprinkles off with her rather cute and also pink tongue. Alec stood awkwardly in the corner of the room, looking hopeful and semi-chagrined by the attention Gillian was devoting to his cupcakes rather than his cracked-out-but-not-a-cheater self.

As Gillian began licking her fingers, Cal passed her the pen and spoke for the first time. "We can fly out of here in an hour and a half, according to the internet. The storm came through and cleared all the skies, so we should have no problem booking a flight."

"Not like we did on our way out here?" Gillian's subtle reprimand bit into Cal's conscience a little harder than he would have expected, due to the unfortunate situation his decision to drive had found them in. Also he was sad about the fate of his car.

"No. Now get dressed, love, and we'll be on our way. If your lovely ex would be willing to give us a lift to the airport..."

Both Alec and Gillian turned and gave Cal dirty looks. Alec's was like a boy on the school yard told he had to allow the girl full of cooties to play on his team, but Gillian's, Cal was sure, would have been deadly enough to kill a ferret from fifty feet away. Thank goodness he was just a weasel.

An hour later, they were standing at the airport gate, shaking hands with Alec the Narcotic Abuser. Gillian thanked him graciously and wished him a pleasant rest of his life far away from D.C.; Cal merely nodded at the man with the terrifyingly blue eyes. Alec turned back to his plow, recognizing that karma hated him and was teasing him with the memory of everything he'd lost. Gillian Foster was the best ever. She basically won life, and now he had to face the rest of his dreary existence knowing the chances of rescuing her from an icy death-by-glittering-blizzard and having her smile at him again were quite extremely low. The odds were actually approximately 4,720 to 1, worse than those for successfully navigating an asteroid field.

Cal faced Gillian. "You look nice, love, for someone who's spent nearly four days trapped in a cabin." And in fact, she did. She'd managed somehow to not wrinkle every article of clothing she'd packed the way Cal had ("It's called smart traveling, Cal, you should try being prepared sometime."), and she was wearing her sparkly silver heels.

Gillian smacked Cal lightly on the upper arm. "Hush."

As they boarded the airplane, Cal became suddenly sweetly serious. "Oi. You okay, love? Didn't upset you or anything, seeing Alec?"

Gillian shook her head. "I'm fine, Cal. Of course it hurts; that's natural. But I've moved on with my life." She was nothing if not painstakingly calm and collected.

Cal glanced sideways at her. "Fine, then. In that case, care to join me in the mile high club?"

Gillian swatted at him again. "Quiet, you. And for future reference, I am perfectly content and fulfilled as a single woman living on my own."

"I know, love. I know." Cal patted her on the shoulder and embraced her briefly before they sat down.

And then they ~didn't~ have sex.